I agree that it's sometimes difficult to go on a "photo" trip with family or friends. I have used several strategies.
I got my wife interested in photography and that has helped quite a bit. The problem is that now she primarily likes scenics and I like wildlife, so there are still some incompatibilies between our objectives and methods, since she has a tendency to want to move around a bit more. We do find acceptable solutions, however. As an example, a few years ago, we visited Yellowstone and I'd drop her off at some spot, let's say, at one of the geyser basins and I'd wander off someplace else to photograph elk. We'd meet at some agreed upon place at an agreed upon time. There's still drawbacks, but it works fairly well.
I've often gone alone on trips, but that's not always desirable. The shared experience is often part of the joy and I find it more motivating if there is someone else along. Secondly, I enjoy company and I enjoy bouncing ideas off others. Thirdly, if I'm going hiking in rough country, I feel better having someone along, especially in grizzly country, in case I fall off a cliff, twist an ankle, or accidently bother a bear or moose!
Actually the best idea is to find someone that shares your objectives and go on a trip with them. This is a bit more risky, since the other person's objectives (or yours) might change along the way, especially on a long trip. (Look for someone that is really flexible, and, of course, you need to be flexible as well.) A long trip can get even longer if suddenly if a conflict arises. I've had other friends tell me horror stories of such trips. Still I've done this successfully and it works well when it works.
A couple of years ago, I went on a photo trip to the Smokey Mountains to photograph deer with my brother-in-law and a friend. We had a great time, but our objectives, to photograph deer and their habits, were exactly the same. Since the trip was only five days long, it fit all of our schedules and no one had to use up a lot of vacation time. Lastly, because we all really enjoy deer and study them, not just photographing them, we could all easily agree to follow a particular buck for hours. It wasn't "take a few photos, now let's go find another deer" type of trophy hunting photography.
Finding someone to go with though is really tough. Vacation schedules, length of time away from home, family responsibilities, objectives, etc. all cause conflicts that need to be reconciled.
For instance, I'm headed to Alaska on a six week trip starting in late July or early August and coming back in early to mid-September. I've been chatting with a couple of my photo buddies to see if they want to go along, but they really haven't ruled out going, but haven't really committed either. The problem is teh understandable conflict with family and work responsibilities. In this case, instead of them going for the full six weeks, I have suggested that I could drop them off someplace along the way and they can fly back. (I'll be driving up stopping at various places on the way up and back.) In the end, I suspect that I'll be going alone. Being alone provides the greatest flexibility, but it's not as much fun, and I'm less likely to do as much hiking in the northern Yukon and Alaska as I want to do, if I don't have company. What I may choose to do is to rent a canoe, once I get to a particular location, and use it to head into the backcountry. Less likely to step on a bear cub that way...
It's a really tough question. I'll be interested in what others have to suggest.
Gordon Dietzman
|