It’s not at all uncommon to pack up the camera gear and spend a couple of hours heading to a great site for several hours of photography. It’s not even uncommon to plan a weekend trip within driving distance. But seven days . . . or ten days . . . or even two weeks . . . now that’s a different story all together. Planning for those short jaunts is nothing by comparison to planning a full-fledged photographic journey.

The first thing you have to do is select your ideal photographic locations. Of course, the criteria for this selection is simple – there has to be large amounts of multiple subjects within the ideal photographic distance (not to mention the perfect foreground and background) and having 100% natural, ambient lighting ideally suited to your needs. Does photographic utopia exist in the United States or surrounding countries? Hmmm .. . You may need to be a tad less . . . optimistic . . . when determining your trip criteria. Once you’ve figured out what you want to photograph, how do you decide where the best place to do it is?

Now we’re getting to the interesting stuff. When it comes to mammals, there are lots of guides that you can reference to make your job simpler. There are a couple of mammal identification guides that will give you a basic working knowledge of habits and habitats as well as a couple of guides that concentrate on mammal tracks. There are some great birding guides (more than you probably want to deal with, but you have to work with what’s available). Using these guides, you can plan your trip to . . . roughly 90% of the United States. If you include guides to specific national parks and refuges you can narrow down the potential location list dramatically – you and a couple hundred thousand other people (note that I do not specify photographers!). So what’s a poor photographer to do? Well . . . you can join the seasonal caravans to national parks and refuges or you can start looking for other places to pursue your dreams. Time to knuckle down and start doing some serious research – it’s time to go online and start begging other photographers to share their locations. Okay, this is not necessarily going to work, but it’s always worth a try. Another option is to look for birding groups and find out where they are seeing birds routinely in locations that you can get access to. The same goes for other types of animals. Look for studies that are being done through local universities and zoological groups. Now all you have to do is figure out EXACTLY where they are doing their thing or find a way to get included in their group. Hmmm . . . monetary bribery might work . . . hmmm . . . offering free photographic services . . . hmmm . . . begging, pleading, and groveling have potential. Of course, you can always go back to plan A and visit the national parks and refuges.

You’ve decided what you want to photograph and where you want to do it. It’s time to plan the trip. You probably thought you were already doing that, huh? Guess what, now you get down to the nitty gritty and start figuring out time tables and packing lists. If you’re going to one primary place, you’ll want to figure out how to get there as quick as possible (how sleep deprived can you get before bad things start to happen?). Lets look at your best options. You can take another licensed driver with you (a fellow photographer is always a good choice or, in a pinch, a forlorn spouse) so that you can spell each other at the wheel. There is one very big drawback to this plan, however, if you opt for a fellow photographer – you may find yourself spending more time talking photography than spelling. Just remember, traffic violations take away from trip funds that could be used to purchase new photographic equipment and/or film. I should probably mention that forlorn spouses might not be trusted to go in the right direction if you are asleep. I’m sure you’ll come up with a great workable solution – no, teenagers and chauffeurs are not quite what I had in mind.

It’s time to get down and dirty – what needs to be packed for the trip. Photographic equipment is a must (it can get REALLY EXPENSIVE if you have to replace it on the road). The safest solution here is to take everything – all your lenses, camera bodies, tripods, and flashes. That was pretty easy wasn’t it? Let me also suggest a couple of other items you may not think about. Let’s see . . . cleaning supplies (you probably would have thought about that yourself, but better to err on the side of caution) are a good idea. Lots of lens cleaning papers and soft cloths, not to mention your favorite cleaning solution. A toolkit may come in handy. Something that’s a cross between and automotive toolkit and a computer repair toolkit. Lots of allen wrenches in varying sizes, at least two flat head screw drivers and two phillips head screwdrivers, a pair of needlenose pliers, a small sledgehammer (just kidding on that last one), duck tape (no photographer’s kit should be without it), electrical tape, string (and a cutting utensil – unless you’re flying to your destination, in which case it will probably be cheaper to buy disposable scissors at your destination rather than make bail on a terrorist charge), lots and lots of various sized clamps, a pair a bolt cutters (you probably think I’m kidding about that one), batteries (battery chargers are optional except in certain cases), maybe a few more batteries (you can never have enough), one or more flashlights (if more is better for you, might I suggest multiple sizes), a miraculously working cell phone (or other emergency signal source for anyone leaving paved areas and posted observation platforms), maps and guide books (for those of you flying somewhere, please remember that there are weight restrictions and you pay by the pound when exceeding them). I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting . . . hmmm . . . hmmm . . . ahhhh . . . I remember now – at least one change of clothes. Of course, you can always stock up on souvenir clothing once you arrive at your destination if necessary. The same thing applies to coats, jackets, and jeans in those “warm, sunny” climates with unseasonably cold and/or wet weather (locals are prone to telling tourists small, little fibs about the weather to ensure repeat business). Personal toiletries are optional according to who you are planning to travel with (some people can be so finicky!). Something else you need to take – medicine. This is a good thing to remember, especially if you are prone to heart attack, seizures, fainting, or other maladies guaranteed to terrify your travel companion. There’s bound to be something else you need to take, but I’m sure we’ll think of it between now and when you leave.

Have I mentioned accommodations yet? I better bring it up now while I’m thinking about it. If you’re going to stay at a motel (and there are several great – cheap – ones to stay at), be prepared to pay a much higher rate than expected when you are visiting those national parks and refuges. If you are lucky (and like gambling), you might find a clean hole-in-the-wall kind of place close to your photographic location that is cheap, cheap, cheap. Again I would like to make a suggestion, choose one with parking outside the door and a chair in the room for under the doorknob after you carry in all your gear for the night. It’s amazing how much detailed information a stranger can ask you between your car door and the motel room – not that I’m suspicious by nature or anything like that you understand. For the hardy soul who plans on camping, remembering the tent and sleeping bag can make or break a really great photographic trip. Food and cooking utensils are, of course, optional when taking photographs as any photographer will tell you (if you can pry him away from the lens long enough to talk, that is).

So lets see, what have we got so far? Photographic subject list, photographic location, potential travel companion (or companions if enough of your photo buddies hear about the trip in time), what to take (photo gear, guides, tools, maybe some clothes and camping gear in a pinch), lodging, . . . hmmm . . . MONEY! You should never leave home without it. Pawning photographic equipment is guaranteed to spoil the best of trips, no matter why you have to do it (unless of course, we’re talking about that small, potential terrorist problem in which case your equipment has probably already been taken apart to check for potential threats to passengers and flight attendants). If there’s anything I’ve forgotten (and I’m sure there is), just add it to the list.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but . . . there’s just so much to remember! Bosses generally prefer that you give them notice prior to taking a vacation. I know this probably sounds a little nit-picky, but it can’t be helped. Once you’ve decided where you want to go and when the best time to go is, drop a little note in the office to avoid any possible after-vacation-backlash (getting laid off or fired while away on the photographic trip of a lifetime will not add to the experience). Don’t forget to include travel time in your trip schedule. You know – like two days there and two days back only leaves you ten days for photography in a two week period kind of thing.

Now, where was I? I remember (more or less). Planning. We were discussing the important aspects of planning your perfect photographic trip. I think we’ve hit all the important areas of planning (or at least I hope we have, but I’m certainly not promising anything) and you should be ready to go. Have a great time and remember to bring home the film for developing. Yikes! FILM – I almost forgot to remind you about the film (or digital memory as the case may be). Talk about putting a damper on a trip! Okay. I’m sure (almost) that’s everything. Let’s try this again. Have a great time photographing the wildlife (you’re on your own with that one) and start planning for the next trip on the way home from this one!