On Assignment: Lessons on Photo Junket

Last week my pal Pam called to take me to Vancouver. Ostensibly, I was to read the map and, if lucky, act as a second lens to her assignment: fill in the photographic gaps for a prominent guidebook of British Columbia.

I like taking photos, but until now, they’ve been secondary to what it is I am doing. So this little trip was a first. Over the Border quickly, shoot and get out.

Pam not only had a list of buildings, restaurants, and neighborhoods we were to shoot, but guidelines with admonishments to only take pictures of the locals and not too many cafe shots. Certainly, no pictures of food and no pictures of tourists.

Armed and scouting for Canadians doing Canadian things, we were off! We then proceeded to get much of it wrong.

1. While we organized our stops, logically, per proximity and transportation, we did not organize based on local activity and light.

We were at the Kids Market in the morning before the kids actually show up, in Yaletown before even the lunch crowds make it seem somewhat enticing, never mind not being there in the late evening when it is hopping, and while the light was phenomenal in Chinatown at 6 pm, everyone was rolling up the sidewalks for the evening.

2. Taking pictures of busy shopping streets is boring and difficult.

And this is made more so by the fact the the busiest intersections are filled with major brands, Starbucks, and absolutely nothing that speaks particularly of it as a unique destination full of Canadians. The thing that delights me about Robson Street is the Japanese kids out shopping…but that’s not something that gets the readers back home excited now, is it?

3. The ease of creating content by amateurs is a bit like globalization.

It is quite possible that many of Pam’s shots will end up in the new edition of this book. In return for about $50 bucks a shot, she is signing over worldwide perpetual rights. I’ve been doing that with some photos and 150 words for $5 bucks per. If we did not do this, some other pro-amateur trying to break into the highly competitive travel writing industry gladly would.

Pam writes about this experience in a more timely fashion than me, here. She also includes a few photo smackdowns for your edutainment.