Exploring the great outdoors
A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to join some friends in a short trip to Colorado. It was something I had been looking forward to since we first booked the trip over the winter. It was a chance to explore the great outdoors, in a place I had never visited before.
Of course, I brought my camera with me. But I didn’t let that lead the experiences we had. One of the best experiences — a concert at Red Rocks Amphitheatre — didn’t involve my camera at all.
Over the years I’ve made quite a few trips with my camera. But Colorado was unlike anything else, because it involved me really experiencing what was naturally around me, instead of focusing on things like architecture or cityscapes. Because of this, I knew it was important to cater my photography experiences a bit differently than I had done in the past. Here’s a few tips to make the most out of your next outdoor journey.
Travel light
While this might seem obvious, when I was first starting to pack for Colorado, I had my two favorite lenses with me — a wide-angle Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM, and a standard to telephoto zoom in the Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8.
These are great lenses, and I rely on them daily for my work. But I knew that they’d be heavy — especially the 35-150.
Instead, I decided to trade it out for the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6. I did this because it let me travel with a similar focal length at nearly half the weight. While its optics weren’t quite as great as the 35-150, they were good enough, especially knowing that I’d be shooting with my Sony a1 body.
While hiking — especially through multiple feet of snow — every pound matters. I’m definitely glad I went with a lighter setup. And moving forward, I might invest in an even smaller setup specifically for travel and hiking.
Let your experiences guide you
While I usually take a trip, I research well in advance where to go. I look at things I really want to photograph. But with Colorado, I decided to just enjoy the moments, and have my camera along for the ride.
Instead of focusing on what hikes were more photo-worthy, or what experiences I could take the most photos on, I focused on what would really allow me to take in what was around me, and what I’d enjoy the most. So instead of booking that tour at The Stanley Hotel, where I knew I’d get a ton of photos, we sat down at their bar instead.
I’m glad I did this, as it let me have a much more relaxing time (well, except when hiking 8-1/2 miles) and truly enjoy each and every moment.
Don’t forget the people you’re with
I’m a landscape photo lover, so it’s sometimes easy for me to forget to photograph the people I’m enjoying the trip with. In Colorado, I made sure to do this, capturing my friends Sam and Austin for some posed photos, but also at times where they didn’t know I was taking pictures at all.
All in all, I’m so glad I got to experience this trip and really get out of my element a bit. I came back refreshed, and more importantly thankful for an amazing experience that my camera got to experience, too.
Don’t forget to check out my print store, with a few of my favorite Colorado prints!
