After working at Getaway for many years, I’ve got travel assignments down to a T. Here’s my assignment checklist for all those aspiring travel photojournalists out there.
The Getaway Assignment
Research: library, internet, magazines, guidebooks, interviews (colleagues)
Phonecalls: set it up (vehicle, flights, hotels, tours, parks)
Maps: photocopy
Follow-up: faxes and emails and guidelines (disclaimers and competitions)
Checklist: equipment, guidebooks, bird books, binoculars
Medical: yellow fever and malaria for Africa, insurance, etc
Camera: cleaned, make space on laptop, extra lenses (300mm or 14mm), packets, reflectors, light tripod (hike)
Shooting list: cover, get high, trawl mags, interview editor/designer
Packing: light, backpack and daypack, international drivers license, dive ticket, mosquito net, repellents, doom, duct tape, knife, pouch for slips, notepads, dictaphone
Trip: find the angle early in the trip, dawn wake-ups, shoot in soft light, write at meals and midday, write all the time, details, names/contacts/addresses, postcards and brochures help you, interviewing
Shooting: get high, get low, details, use models, find movement, think, compose, waiting, use filters, avoid flash, from the hip
When you get back from the trip
Return: thank-you letter, secondary reading
Writing: headlines, blurbs, five crucial points, facts vs story, find a theme
Map: tracking sheet, route, scale, visual material
Images: lightroom, accommodation, dps (double page spread), details for adviser, landscape, locals, activities, cover, vehicle
Captions: don’t repeat the story, not obvious, hook the reader for the story, distill the essence of the story (its spirit even), give info not in the picture
Eight kinds of caption
1. Identifying captions – what you see
2. Informal captions – more about what you see
3. Teaser captions – lures readers into the text
4. Pull-quote captions – what the person says
5. Questioning captions – draw attention to something in the picture
6. Mood-evoking captions – reflect and enhance the mood of the photo
7. Headline and/or blurb – serves as a caption (none necessary)
8. Sidebars and short text items – where text surrounds the photo eg. a box
