I know it’s been a while since I wrote anything personally on the blog. Sorry! I’ve been so busy growing my photography business that I’ve not had a lot of time to sit down and collect my thoughts.
I’m a couple of days away from leaving for my next workshop, a Fall trip to Wyoming to lead a group in the Grand Teton National Park. This is always a phenomenal place to photograph, but especially in the Fall and the Winter (we also lead a winter workshop).
As I’m prepping my vehicle for the drive from Oregon, I’m starting to create a mental packing list of everything I need to bring. For most trips I don’t need to make an actual list of things to bring….I’ve been doing this long enough that I can pack for a trip, clothes and camera gear and accessories in about an hour without (usually) forgetting anything. For larger trips though, or ones that are more remote without access to stores, I do still make a physical checklist to help my packing and ensure i don’t forget anything.
Recently we took a group up to Alaska to photograph the bears in Katmai National Park. On this trip, we are far removed from civilization so if I forget anything there is no way I’ll be able to pick it up at the local store. Batteries, memory cards, charging cables, clothes, toiletries, etc….I can’t forget anything. As we were prepping the group to go, we received numerous questions about what to bring, so what I did was clean up my packing list and then shared it out with the group to help them to think about what they should bring. Most found it extremely helpful and it’s something that I think I’ll do going forward for our other big trips. I remember when I was a new workshop attendee heading off to a place I’ve not been before, I would have welcomed such a list from the leader to help me and give me some confidence in what I was bringing.
When you go on a trip, do you make a physical packing list so you don’t forget anything? Or, do you find it more work than benefit in doing this? I’m curious what other folks do.
[…] adventure, I enjoy the physical and mental preparation leading up to the trip. I wrote about this previously and it’s a topic that has grown in enjoyment for me since then. I know some people think the […]