Travel as pay for your shooting skills?

[DerekRob]

Ok once I get good enough is there any place or any places on the web that will pay you travel to shoot? and use the travel expenses as your payment?

[tim]

I get paid to take photos, and I get paid to travel there - locally and nationally, but not internationally yet.

If you're good enough to pay to get you there, you're good enough to pay for the photos.

So to answer your question - no, not that I know of.

[cdifoto]

I bartered wedding photography for a nice vacation once. I probably won't do it again, and I wouldn't let someone call the traveling itself my pay. Travel itself can be stressful...it's certainly not rewarding.

[DerekRob]

Thanks guys and gals, I'm probably just geotag then around my state and where ever we end up as.

[Lowner]

A sailing instructor collegue has written about his sailing holidays for years and gets the actual charter or flotilla holiday free. No doubt the magazine he writes for strikes a deal with the charter company concerned.

If he can do it, so can you. He started by writing his first article (with photo's) and approaching the magazine with the complete package. He did that several times, then arranged the present deal with them.

Would'nt work for me. My wife would divorce me if I even dared to suggest a sailing "holiday". Although she keeps telling me my work is not a "real" job!

[DerekRob]

Lowner, Photography is real work.

You spend a lot of time working on your technique and skills.

You're wife should try it for a week.

[fishfoto]

I get paid to travel to my shoots. My work as a photographer has taken me around the world, and now I get on planes to shoot photos and feed my kids.

I have a whole site for photogs who travel if you're interested: http://www.flyingwithfish.com

[DerekRob]

Fishfoto, I'm very interested in traval photo togging so thank you very much for the link mate.

[fishfoto]

Derek,

It is hard work. I don't do it for vacations or to relax. In 2005 for my job as a magazine director of photography, overseeing 5 international business-tech magazines I commuted an average of a little over 5400 per day, three days a week (although many weeks ended up closet 20,000 air-miles per week). My style of shooting has had me shoot 4 jobs, in four countries, on three continents, in 3.5 days, so for me , travel is often simply how I do my job.

Finding work as a traveling photog is hard. Many photogs want it, many want it at lower rates for the glamour or the perception of a vacation. I can honestly tell you that 20,000 miles a week is not a vacation and even when I stay a day or two, such as a recent trip to Paris, I worked 32 hours of the 47 hours I was on the ground.

[breal101]

These days someone has to pay me to get on an airplane, they pay the ticket and my time. I traded for a hotel stay once but never again, they worked my butt off. When I went back for my "free" stay they wanted to charge extra for everything but the room. No thanks, I get free meals and lodging for a paid shoot why give them anything.

[DerekRob]

Derek,

It is hard work. I don't do it for vacations or to relax. In 2005 for my job as a magazine director of photography, overseeing 5 international business-tech magazines I commuted an average of a little over 5400 per day, three days a week (although many weeks ended up closet 20,000 air-miles per week). My style of shooting has had me shoot 4 jobs, in four countries, on three continents, in 3.5 days, so for me , travel is often simply how I do my job.

Finding work as a traveling photog is hard. Many photogs want it, many want it at lower rates for the glamour or the perception of a vacation. I can honestly tell you that 20,000 miles a week is not a vacation and even when I stay a day or two, such as a recent trip to Paris, I worked 32 hours of the 47 hours I was on the ground.Thanks Fish, but I want the hard work. And I'm willing to work hard to get what I want mate.

I've always worked hard on stuff that I want and always got it.

But if I need your advice or help later next year or 2 you will help?

[fishfoto]

Rob,

I don't plan on going where or changing my e-mail address :0) Ask away :0)

I do hold some workshops on this....and two 'sweatshops' that will be rereleased in a week or so that address the nuts-and-bolts of actually traveling as a photog (the sweatshops are days on the road with no sleep and specific assignments while bouncing through time-zones to force the participants outside of their comfort zone)

[DerekRob]

Thank you again Fish, I'm sure I'm going to ask a lot of questions as my skill increases.

[buto]

Rob,

I don't plan on going where or changing my e-mail address :0) Ask away :0)

I do hold some workshops on this....and two 'sweatshops' that will be rereleased in a week or so that address the nuts-and-bolts of actually traveling as a photog (the sweatshops are days on the road with no sleep and specific assignments while bouncing through time-zones to force the participants outside of their comfort zone)

I would LOVE to join your 'sweatshop' but the wife acceptance factor would be a zero.

Dont you have one coming up or had one recently?

[fishfoto]

John,

I ran one to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. Vancouver to Hong Kong for just under 48 hours of torture.....I mean education. Get off the plane, get on the MTR train and get started until your feet won't move any more......then keep moving some more!

I delayed the next two due to the economic situation and people starting to back out. I was going to try and market them a bit more but I just had major surgery last week to remove some unwanted things in my neck............so the Round-the-World in 11 days (shooting on 4 continents and a sub-continent and in 8 major cites in 7 seven countries....with only 3 nights in hotels) and Blow-through-Europe in 5 days have been delayed until I think March.

Rules are simple
1) Pack only what you can carry and wear while shooting
2) Pack only what the airlines will allow you to carry
3) Once you leave there ain't no turning back