How to plan your dream photography trip.

At SmugMug, we like to use the word “passion” a lot. We’re passionate about building an amazing product; we’re passionate about dogs, and bread, and beer, and coffee, and food in general, and … well, the list is quite long. Many of us are also passionate photographers who love to spend our free time going on photography trips.

Proper planning will make sure you come home from your trip with photos you love. Photo by Aaron Meyers

That said, there’s nothing worse than flying all the way to Peru only to spend most of your time in internet cafes trying to figure out where to go next or what to see. (True story!) Whether you’re exploding with excitement or maybe just a touch anxious about your first photography trip, it’s helpful to start your planning with a few pointers to make planning just a little bit easier and maximize the chances of you returning home with photos you’ll love.

Step 1: Figure out where you want to go.

Seems obvious, right? The world is blessed with endless, beautiful scenes, so narrowing in on one place you want to visit is easier said than done. Luckily there are some great tools out there to help figure out your destination.

Use various websites, like SmugMug, to help brainstorm ideas on where to visit.

Do some inspiration research online. Ask friends and family for their favorite travel locations. Browse or search SmugMug, Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, or other photo-sharing websites to find beautiful photos that capture your attention. Make a list of locations and keep in mind some important questions to help you whittle your list down to a few:

1. Is there a specific photo I want to emulate?
2. Is there a region or place I’ve been dying to see?
3. Are there hotels and restaurants to support my travel style? Will I need to bring a tent/sleeping bag?
4. Do I have travel companions who want to join me?
5. Will it fit my budget?
6. Can I take the time off work?

Step 2: Figure out when is best to go.

Now that you’ve decided where you want to go, you need to figure out when to go. A place may completely change depending on the time of year, and you’ll want to think about which season captures your interest the most.

Do a global search on SmugMug for photos from the place you’ve decided to visit. If you view a photo’s metadata, you’ll be able to see where and when it was taken. This will give you a good idea of what the scenes will look like at various times of the year.

After searching for photos on SmugMug, if you view a photo’s metadata, you’ll be able to see where and when it was taken. Photo by Aaron Meyers

Keep these questions in mind to make sure you set yourself up for seasonal success in your chosen location:

1. Are there hotels available?
2. Is there a busy season I want to avoid?
3. Is the area I want to photograph closed when I want to be there?
4. Is there a particular season I prefer over others? Will the scene change dramatically?
5. When does the sun or moon rise and set? Where in the sky will the sun or moon be? What phase will the moon be in?
6. Are there weather concerns (like monsoons or flood season)?

The place you visit may change dramatically depending on the season, like this location in Iceland. Choose a season that you prefer over others. Photos by Aaron Meyers

Step 3: Book the plans.

Now that you know where and when you want to go, it’s time to put it on the books. I generally recommend booking your hotels as early as possible so you ensure you have a place to stay. Do some research on flight costs to make sure you’re not overpaying, and be flexible with your dates before you buy anything if cost is a factor. You can sometimes save hundreds of dollars on flights or lodging by simply shifting your plans one or two days.

1. Research and book your flights (if needed). Kayak and Google Flights are great resources.
2. Make hotel reservations.
3. Rent a car. Do you need AWD or 4x4?
4. Convince friends or family to join you. Who likes traveling alone?

Step 4: Plan the details.

Now that you have a good framework for your trip, it’s time to get down into the nitty-gritty details. The key to any successful photo trip is understanding where you want to be based on various conditions.

Understanding where the light will be is crucial to know ahead of your trip. Flexibility to adjust your plans and having an arsenal of locations at your disposal will increase the likelihood of success, so keep that in mind in the earliest stages of your planning.

Remember the inspiration research you did to pick your destination? Revisit those photos to get specific ideas in framing and composition for your locations. Find photos you like (more in depth this time) by visiting SmugMug, Flickr, 500px, Panaramio, Google, Instagram, etc. Set broad date ranges for your locations so you can narrow in on the perfect time and light conditions while you’re there. As it gets closer to your trip, you can use Instagram’s location tagging and browsing to get a good sense of what things look like at that very moment from other travellers.

These ideas will help spur your creativity when you get there to create your own masterpieces.

I recommend a few specific things:

• Open individual photos and look for metadata or GPS tags.
• See if the photo was taken at sunrise or sunset.
• Search Google for “best photography spots in…”
• Figure out where the photos were taken. Use Google Earth, which has an integration with Panaramio and shows you where many were taken.
• Create a gallery on your SmugMug site with your favorite photos so you can use these for reference when you’re on the trip. Mark the gallery for Offline viewing so you can pull it up even without an internet connection.
• Purchase books or e-books on the location.
• Talk to friends or other photographers who have been.

If you do talk to other photographers, remember to always be respectful. Build a relationship with them first, don’t be greedy, and don’t be upset if they’re unwilling to share information. There’s plenty of research you can do on your own.

Once you have a good idea of the specific locations and scenes you want to photograph, I recommend making a list in a spreadsheet.

Note the location, where to park, if you need to hike, and any other information that might be relevant when you’re actually there to snap the perfect frame. You can use this list when you’re on the trip and need to make snap decisions about what to photograph.

I really love creating custom Google maps. Pin the locations you want to photograph on a map and you can open it on your phone so you can quickly navigate to these locations. (You can even save the maps offline in case you don’t have service or an international phone plan.)

Create custom Google maps with pins for the various locations and open the map on your cell phone.

As you’re planning your shoots, note the following so you’re never left without a plan and a backup plan if one shoot doesn’t work out:

1. What time of day is best for each location? Does it face north, east, south, west? Use The Photographer’s Ephemeris or apps like Sky Guide for help.
2. Is there specific gear required? Will you need water shoes or rain gear? Will you need a telephoto lens, a wide-angle lens, flashes, strobes, battery packs, etc?
3. What photo locations are near each other? Can you do multiple locations in one day? Can you scout a spot ahead of time?
4. Note driving times.
5. Make an itinerary so you don’t have to stress while you’re there.
6. Determine if you need to pick up food or water. Where are the grocery stores?
7. As the dates get nearer, determine what the weather will be like and start making adjustments to your plan.

Step 5: Pack your gear.

Now that all the details are figured out and you’re about to leave for the trip, it’s time to pack!

Make sure you’ve got your camera, lenses (wide, normal, telephoto, etc.), first aid kit, clothing, appropriate footwear, lens cloths, extra batteries and chargers, memory cards, tripod, and laptop or tablet.

Step 6: Go and have fun!

It’s time to enjoy your trip and take the photos you’ve done all the research for! My final tips for turning all the pre-planning into a successful trip:

• Use your list of locations, watch the weather, and adjust your locations as necessary.
• Arrive early and scout the locations in person.
• Plan for things to change (the sun moving, the weather changing, the tide rising or falling, etc.).
• Bring a GPS device and have maps (there are tons of good apps for your smartphone).
• Keep a list of your expenses. (Especially if you have to split costs with other travellers or plan on selling your work later.)

And remember to take lots of photos! Use your tripod if you need one, check the focus and histogram, and never delete your photos in camera!

Happy travels!

Aaron Meyers is the head of product at SmugMug and has travelled all over the world, woken up way too early, and stayed up way too late to make sure he snagged the right shot. You can find him in Mountain View geeking out on new camera gear, working on SmugMug, and planning his next photo trip. See more of his images at his SmugMug site.