Travel

I just read a post over at Michael Surgre's blog about traveling for work. This is something I think about all the time, but on the opposite side: personal travel. I find it hard to take photographs when I travel for myself. If I go somewhere for a job or a personal project I don't have this problem. After all, that is why I am there. But if I am in a new location for personal travel I find I don't take many photos. And I usually feel guilty about it. I feel like "Hey, I'm a photographer, I should be taking pictures!"I was in Prague on a shoot for Eleven Inc. The shoot only lasted a day, but I stayed in Prague for a couple extra days. My flight also took me through Paris, to which I had never been, so of course I stayed a few days in Paris as well. Outside of the photos taken on the shoot, I didn't take many photographs of either city.Now, if I were sent to Paris or Prague on assignment to photograph the city things would be different. I wouldn't be in tourist mode. I would be looking for locations, finding the right light in the right spot and going back to these locations at the right time for that light... even if it means getting up at 3am to get to the location and set up. But when I'm in a new place as a tourist, I want to take my time walking around, exploring, eating, seeing, and being a tourist... and I damn sure don't want to get up at 3am (and in Prague, thanks to some of the client and crew and some Absinthe, we didn't even get home until after 4am)Sure, on vacation I'll take some pictures along the way. But to me, I have different mentalities when at a location for a job and at a location for a vacation. I don't remember who it was, but I read a comment by a travel photographer who, when on personal vacation, doesn't even take a camera. I don't think I'd ever go that far because I do like taking pictures (I'd hope so, its what I do after all). But it's nice to be at a location and not have to worry about getting the great shots and finding the perfect locations and being there at the perfect time.So, if someone wants to send me back to Paris for a job I would be more than happy to photograph the city for you and I won't need to be a tourist this time. And if someone wants to send me to a city I've never been to, I'd happily forgo my personal itinerary to get the perfect shots for you.The photo above is one of the pictures I did take while in Paris.