What should I travel the country and photograph?
March 1, 2010 11:43 AM Subscribe
If you had a freelance photographer at your disposal, what (in the U.S.) would you assign them to cover?
I am a 17-year-old amateur photographer, I've been shooting on DSLRs for about 4 years now and film for about 2. I currently have a steady job, and I have been putting money away to "savings". I'd like to save up a chunk of change and travel the country and taking pictures for a month (or maybe a couple of months) depending on how much money I can get and how good I am at saving it during my trip.
I'm really interested in the work of documentary photographers who dedicate themselves to travelling somewhere and documenting the people and the culture. I'm really interested in travelling across America and trying to embed myself in different groups, and taking pictures & writing down stories. I'm sure this paragraph seems incredibly naive.
I am hoping the hivemind has some suggestions as to places to go, or interesting people to take pictures of or meet.
I'd also appreciate suggestions of how much money I should be saving up, and low-cost methods of transportation and places to sleep. I am no enemy to sleeping on the cold hard ground night after night and I am pretty open minded. Ideally I'd be travelling with some clothes, some bedding, a journal, my photo equipment, and a field audio recorder. I am on the fence about whether I'd want to bring my laptop. I like the idea of going "off the grid" a little bit for adventure. I'm pretty comfortable dealing with and protecting myself from sketchy people and places.
I guess I am asking for suggestions of what each of you personally would assign a freelance photographer to cover if you happened to have one at your disposal. I'd love to hear your ideas.
I am a 17-year-old amateur photographer, I've been shooting on DSLRs for about 4 years now and film for about 2. I currently have a steady job, and I have been putting money away to "savings". I'd like to save up a chunk of change and travel the country and taking pictures for a month (or maybe a couple of months) depending on how much money I can get and how good I am at saving it during my trip.
I'm really interested in the work of documentary photographers who dedicate themselves to travelling somewhere and documenting the people and the culture. I'm really interested in travelling across America and trying to embed myself in different groups, and taking pictures & writing down stories. I'm sure this paragraph seems incredibly naive.
I am hoping the hivemind has some suggestions as to places to go, or interesting people to take pictures of or meet.
I'd also appreciate suggestions of how much money I should be saving up, and low-cost methods of transportation and places to sleep. I am no enemy to sleeping on the cold hard ground night after night and I am pretty open minded. Ideally I'd be travelling with some clothes, some bedding, a journal, my photo equipment, and a field audio recorder. I am on the fence about whether I'd want to bring my laptop. I like the idea of going "off the grid" a little bit for adventure. I'm pretty comfortable dealing with and protecting myself from sketchy people and places.
I guess I am asking for suggestions of what each of you personally would assign a freelance photographer to cover if you happened to have one at your disposal. I'd love to hear your ideas.
What a great question, ejfox! (Also, good on you for developing an actual skill and having some vision for using it. *Wipes tear.* Something in my eye...)
I've actually thought that an interesting photo-journey could be made by following a group or family of migrant workers north along the West Coast during fruit harvest season -- strawberries in California, cherries in Oregon, apples in Washington, you get the idea. Hard, physical and also social labor from which many Americans are disassociated. I would not recommend this for single women, though, given the demographics (maybe 50/50 families and young men); but TETO (to each their own).
Very best luck to you.
posted by slab_lizard at 11:53 AM on March 1, 2010
I've actually thought that an interesting photo-journey could be made by following a group or family of migrant workers north along the West Coast during fruit harvest season -- strawberries in California, cherries in Oregon, apples in Washington, you get the idea. Hard, physical and also social labor from which many Americans are disassociated. I would not recommend this for single women, though, given the demographics (maybe 50/50 families and young men); but TETO (to each their own).
Very best luck to you.
posted by slab_lizard at 11:53 AM on March 1, 2010
Best answer: Living is expensive. Say you're staying in hostels - $20/night. You've got to eat, so another $30 a day on food (it's all take out on the road so $10 a meal at least). Let's say $60-70 per day for 30 days = $2k per month. Give or take.
What should you photograph? People. People are always the most interesting. People that most people don't have much contact with - the super rich or the super poor, for example. Bands on the road (poor bands, not rich bands). People whose jobs take them interesting places - cops, EMTs, etc. Stuff that happens in the middle of the night (which is in itself difficult for a photographer).
Hitch hike or take the bus - everyone on the bus has a story, nobody takes the bus because they want to, they all have some tale of woe. I did the bus for 2 months and it was fascinating. Buy a greyhound bus pass & just start talking to people, the rest will take care of itself.
Also bring cheap cameras (in addition to or in instead of). You don't want to run out of batter, or whip out the honking DSLR to advertise to the world that you're documenting them when a discreet, say S90 will do.
Do the 100 Strangers thing but with a twist.
- You have to have met them all on the road.
- Try to meet 2 people from each of the 50 states.
- Try to get their stories too, and if you met them on the road, they'll have one.
posted by MesoFilter at 11:54 AM on March 1, 2010
What should you photograph? People. People are always the most interesting. People that most people don't have much contact with - the super rich or the super poor, for example. Bands on the road (poor bands, not rich bands). People whose jobs take them interesting places - cops, EMTs, etc. Stuff that happens in the middle of the night (which is in itself difficult for a photographer).
Hitch hike or take the bus - everyone on the bus has a story, nobody takes the bus because they want to, they all have some tale of woe. I did the bus for 2 months and it was fascinating. Buy a greyhound bus pass & just start talking to people, the rest will take care of itself.
Also bring cheap cameras (in addition to or in instead of). You don't want to run out of batter, or whip out the honking DSLR to advertise to the world that you're documenting them when a discreet, say S90 will do.
Do the 100 Strangers thing but with a twist.
- You have to have met them all on the road.
- Try to meet 2 people from each of the 50 states.
- Try to get their stories too, and if you met them on the road, they'll have one.
posted by MesoFilter at 11:54 AM on March 1, 2010
Perfectly nice kids who are graduating high school but who have no way to pay for college -- what their lives are like before and after graduation, how they see the world, how they plan to live their lives, and how (and whether) they plan to raise families.
posted by amtho at 11:55 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by amtho at 11:55 AM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Big things. America is at the end of its sole superpower era. For close on 100 years it has been the home of big - buildings, cars, bank accounts, personalities, plates of food.
As the rest of the world takes over American dominance of big will become, like a British Empire, a living relic and then a dusty sign of former glory.
The end of the era of big - and the need to be biggest - needs to be documented.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:02 PM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
As the rest of the world takes over American dominance of big will become, like a British Empire, a living relic and then a dusty sign of former glory.
The end of the era of big - and the need to be biggest - needs to be documented.
posted by MuffinMan at 12:02 PM on March 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
As for traveling on the cheap, couchsurfing.org is a great resource, and the CS locals may have story ideas as well.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:17 PM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by craven_morhead at 12:17 PM on March 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Definitely come up with a plan before you go. Even if it is just a concept, an idea, something to keep you centered. This will also help the money go farther. Nothing breaks the budget faster than improvisational travel. And if you pick a story to follow, then the photos will have a natural narrative, a cohesion to the entire project.
One thing to keep in mind, you won't be able to embed yourself into groups in such a short time. Or, at least, the most interesting groups. Also, the moments that lend themselves to great photographs are usually found when you get into the rhythm of a place - you can't just show up on day 1 and take new and creative shot, because someone has come before you and done the same thing.
Seconding the small camera idea, it will be invaluable in certain situations.
Finally, why go so far away? If you're more interested in the photo aspect and the travel is secondary, there are tons of places not far from the Hudson Valley that would make for unique photos. If you're able to use connections to get somewhere that most people aren't able to go, you're already way ahead of the game.
Good luck!
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 1:30 PM on March 1, 2010
One thing to keep in mind, you won't be able to embed yourself into groups in such a short time. Or, at least, the most interesting groups. Also, the moments that lend themselves to great photographs are usually found when you get into the rhythm of a place - you can't just show up on day 1 and take new and creative shot, because someone has come before you and done the same thing.
Seconding the small camera idea, it will be invaluable in certain situations.
Finally, why go so far away? If you're more interested in the photo aspect and the travel is secondary, there are tons of places not far from the Hudson Valley that would make for unique photos. If you're able to use connections to get somewhere that most people aren't able to go, you're already way ahead of the game.
Good luck!
posted by infinitefloatingbrains at 1:30 PM on March 1, 2010
This is one of those questions where I think, "Damn it, I should have asked this."
Props to you for knowing what you want to do! This could be a really fun project. Couchsurf, definitely. I would not imagine you'd be able to ingrain yourself in a "group of people" the way a serious photojournalist with all the time and money they need might... so I'll have to agree with infinitefloatingbrains to try to stay in the Hudson Valley area. Small towns are fascinating to shoot.
posted by elisabethjw at 1:40 PM on March 1, 2010
Props to you for knowing what you want to do! This could be a really fun project. Couchsurf, definitely. I would not imagine you'd be able to ingrain yourself in a "group of people" the way a serious photojournalist with all the time and money they need might... so I'll have to agree with infinitefloatingbrains to try to stay in the Hudson Valley area. Small towns are fascinating to shoot.
posted by elisabethjw at 1:40 PM on March 1, 2010
I believe you'll take the best pictures of subjects you're passionate about. Read Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, and watch some Charles Kuralt On the Road clips. It worked because they were involved. Do you love dogs? hotrods? County fairgrounds? For that matter, blog and photograph your couchsurfing journey, your hosts, etc. Remember to plan for some security for your gear. Not everybody you'll meet will be trustworthy. Sorry to be a bummer; I think it's a fantastic plan.
posted by theora55 at 5:06 PM on March 1, 2010
posted by theora55 at 5:06 PM on March 1, 2010
Seconding theora55's point about finding a subject you love. Pick something you'd like to know more about and go to it. Remember to be respectful of other people's privacy, especially when it comes to their children. Don't let anyone intimidate you, though... my husband and I once had a woman on a subway softly chastise us for taking pics without asking permission of the other people on the train. We stopped shooting, but mentally told her to go f*ck herself because she's in a public place where she has no reasonable right to NOT be photographed.
posted by wwartorff at 6:16 PM on March 1, 2010
posted by wwartorff at 6:16 PM on March 1, 2010
Best answer: Serious props to you. Be careful out there, especially since you'll presumably be carrying nice equipment and taking pictures of people.
Photo essays I'd see in a paper or magazine and want to read:
+ The (still present) devastation on the Gulf coast (think Biloxi, MS) from Katrina
+ Random people grocery shopping--there's a lot of emotion there, what with prices and diets and harried lives
+ People getting all rabid at an event (like a tea party protest), and then what they do when they get home
+ Follow one of the really random Presidential candidates (not Green Party, like really random)
+ Death row prisoners
+ Follow a person who is really devoted to an apparently hopeless cause--for example, there used to be a guy who stood on a corner near the Vice President's Residence in DC with a big sign decrying the Catholic priests who molested children. He was there every day for years and years, and I always wondered who he was, why he was doing this, what he was hoping to accomplish, what made him wake up and go out there every day, rain or shine.
+ The regular morning crowd at various small town diners across the U.S.
+ The daily lives of nuns
posted by sallybrown at 6:45 PM on March 1, 2010
Photo essays I'd see in a paper or magazine and want to read:
+ The (still present) devastation on the Gulf coast (think Biloxi, MS) from Katrina
+ Random people grocery shopping--there's a lot of emotion there, what with prices and diets and harried lives
+ People getting all rabid at an event (like a tea party protest), and then what they do when they get home
+ Follow one of the really random Presidential candidates (not Green Party, like really random)
+ Death row prisoners
+ Follow a person who is really devoted to an apparently hopeless cause--for example, there used to be a guy who stood on a corner near the Vice President's Residence in DC with a big sign decrying the Catholic priests who molested children. He was there every day for years and years, and I always wondered who he was, why he was doing this, what he was hoping to accomplish, what made him wake up and go out there every day, rain or shine.
+ The regular morning crowd at various small town diners across the U.S.
+ The daily lives of nuns
posted by sallybrown at 6:45 PM on March 1, 2010
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posted by ejfox at 11:45 AM on March 1, 2010