So, I recently set out on my first fully photography focused trip, with the goal of capturing as many stunning images as possible. We decided to go and photograph the wildflowers in bloom up along the Western Coast of South Africa, an event starting each year around early August and lasting till the end of November (dates vary year on year and depends on rainfall and temperatures in the preceding months).
This made planning the trip rather stressful, flowers don’t bloom on a strict schedule and the weatherman can be unreliable at the best of times. So, trying to find a week where we believed the flowers would be out in full force, while avoiding the rain and cold temperatures was enough to drive just about anyone mad. We pressed on though and couldn’t afford to wait any longer, I had a new job starting soon and local accommodation was getting harder and harder to come by. Finally, we decided that the 26th – 31st of August was our best bet, all we could do is keep our fingers crossed that Mother Nature would play along.
After copious amounts of research, nearly driving myself to the brink of insanity, we finally decided on a route. We would drive all the way North first, slowly working our way down South back to Cape Town over the 5 days. The trip would be arranged as follows: 1st night in Hondeklipbaai, 2nd night in Kamieskroon, 3rd and 4th nights in Niewoudtsville and finally our last night would be spent just outside of Clanwillian. We would camp in tents to cut costs (the perks of being perpetually broke), we also agreed that if we felt that 1 location was just extraordinary that we would rejig the trip if necessary. With the route sorted and accommodation booked it should’ve been time to relax right?
Booking and going on holiday shouldn’t be stressful should it? Of all the trips and places I have been to, this was the most nervous I had ever been. Excited, very. Nervous, just as much. There is something different about planning a trip looking for a very specific outcome. In my case the outcome was coming home with the greatest number of beautiful images I could take in the space of 5 days. Suddenly you start doubting the decisions you’ve made, start doing more research (there was literally no more that could have been done). Worrying that you’ll arrive at these locations and find them dull and uninspiring, where actually you should have gone to the next town over.
All these thoughts and feelings were thankfully put to bed on the drive up to Hondeklipbaai already. Driving on the highway past fields of flowers, bigger and brighter than I imagined they would be, and we hadn’t even reached our destination yet. Stress and pressure are good, it means you care. It just probably shouldn’t consume your life for the days and weeks leading up to a trip. That being said, the stress would have been better channelled into other parts of the trip that could have used my attention.
A few things that I learnt
Slow down and smell the flowers
Just slow down, with all the stress and pressure of trying to make this trip live up to my expectations I wanted to see as much as possible and photograph as much as possible. Doesn’t necessarily sound like a bad thing, does it? It wasn’t until afterwards when I came home and sat down, going through all my images that I realized just how rushed I had been. Snapping a photo and going off to the next spot, flower or scene. Realizing that some of my favourite images came from places where we spent an hour, maybe 2. Walking around, analysing the surroundings, finding unique angles and compositions. Not just saying “ohhh that’s pretty, let’s get a picture and leave”. So yes, just slow down sometimes. Enjoy what is around you, get creative, explore, experiment, even if it means seeing a little bit less in the long run.
Be prepared, not just with your route
I tend to live a rather carefree lifestyle, believing everything works itself out eventually, if you’re willing to wait long enough. Extensive planning and having multiple contingencies don’t generally cross my mind. With route and accommodation booked why worry, right? Fast forward to the drive on our first day, seeing as we were camping, I knew keeping my camera battery charged would be a struggle. Believing (not yet tested) I could charge my camera though the car charger we soldiered on. You can guess what happened when I plugged in my already depleted battery 2 hours into our journey… it did not charge. A mild panic attack ensued, followed by a 25-minute detour to the nearest mid-sized town hoping to track down a store selling power banks. This I had not actually tested either but seemed like the logical solution. Thankfully it did work… Moral of the story is don’t be like Ruan, plan ahead, don’t take anything for granted, check your gear. I mean everything did indeed work out in the end, but I definitely won’t be doing it again.
Don’t obsess over the perfect photo
I’m not sure it even exists. I remember going through my photos as soon as I got home and feeling a sense of sadness, even failure. Analysing each raw photo, not being able to find that “one” photo, the crown jewel of the trip. What was it supposed to look like? I didn’t even know, which made the feeling of disappointment all the more unnecessary. It tainted the way I looked at all my other photos for a while. I tried to find faults in all the others so I could explain to myself what I must have been doing wrong all week. Only once I started the editing process it dawned on me, I took some very fun and beautiful pictures. You could likely analyse each photo that you took and make a few “if only” statements that would get you a better image. I eventually managed to see why I took the photos in the first place, why I found a scene interesting enough to justify taking a photo. I remember the fun I had, scenario in which the photo was taken, the incredible landscapes. So yeah, I guess this is about that “perfect photo” but also just as much about self-doubt. Were they perfect? No. Will they ever be perfect? Also no. Were they good photos though? Yes, some at least. Will you learn and get better? Yes, that’s sort of the point.
It’s a privilege to do what I did
Man I had so much fun, I know I have been quite critical in this post, but I do want to stress just how great the entire trip was. The excitement of getting out and taking pictures all week, experiencing breathtaking landscapes I could never even have imagined. Feeling as creative as I ever had, on this trip I realized what it was I loved about taking photos. Going to new and beautiful places, seeing things for the first time, exploring, being in awe, and just being able to document it all as I go along. To anyone who enjoys taking photos, book yourself a trip, even if it’s only a weekend. Go out and have fun, experiment, get creative, feel like a kid again bubbling with excitement and happiness. Yes, I will learn a lot from this trip as I reflect on its successes and failures, but I won’t allow myself that negativity again. I am privileged to be able to do things like this, I could always go back to my old job to remind me of that.
So, there we go, the ramblings of a mad man in blog format. All in all, the trip was a roaring success, I enjoyed just about every moment of it. Mistakes were made, many more than I could fit into this post, but these were just the key takeaways. Many more trips to come, and hopefully a few half-decent photos along with them.
Ruan :)
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