Breakfast in America – A photographers’ trip and at least 10 things you should know.

The old saying goes ‘ a journey starts with the first step’ but there is a great deal of preparation you should do before you leave or take your first stride.

America is one giant of a country and has many layers of government protocol to match! Being a photographer is not just turning up with a nice Leica and behaving like Austin Powers, then tossing your camera to the assistant proclaiming ‘I’m spent!’ It’s a serious business and to be taken seriously as a professional, whether you are a designer, art director, producer or photographer, these following tips will help when thinking about traveling abroad and commissioning a professional to shoot for you.

1. Visa – you can’t work in America without one. If you try and are discovered, you will be deported and possibly have a ban on entering the country again. So make sure your paperwork is in order and triple check everything before you leave.
2. Camera – sounds obvious but you need to think about what you are shooting and what gear you need.
3. Gear in the hold – again, this sounds obvious but if you are taking extra gear, lights or big equipment, it needs to be protected in the hold and you need to hire or buy the right baggage. Or do you want to hire your gear when you arrive? Depending on your plan, renting kit might be cheaper than flying yours across the world.
4. Weight limits and extra payments – this goes with the above. Extra bags or weight comes at a cost. Do you really need the extra gear and are you prepared to pay to the costs?
5. Flexible luggage and long arms – cameras and laptops and related fragile kit, should always be with you as hand luggage. Put it in the hold and it might not survive the trip or worse, it might not arrive. Most airlines only like one piece of hand luggage so whatever you take, it has to accommodate your personal items too. Choose something that is flexible to your needs and is easy to transport. No matter where you are staying or how far you have to walk, your arms will stretch, as carrying any gear/weight is not funny and will soon dampen your enthusiasm. Make sure it has wheels, straps and comfort pads to take the pain out of your journey.
6. Jet lag and getting enough rest to be ready for shoot/long days. Goes without saying. Jet lag is like a hangover without the joy of a night out. Make sure you sleep, drink plenty of water, listen to your body and lay off the booze.
7. Suitable clothing for shoot – research your destination, check the weather and pack appropriate clothes for the climate but also something you can comfortably travel and work in. What kind of shoot will it be – a quarry, beach, nightclub? These are things to consider when looking at an empty suitcase.
8. Time zones – obvious one really. Most places in the US are a working day behind the UK and links need to be kept open back home. I find keeping my watch to local time and my phone to UK time helps. Mid-afternoon I find my body wants to crash and knowing it’s 3am back home helps get a grip on things.
9. Cultural differences/similarities – although Americans speak English it’s amazing how different and equally similar life can be.
10. Keeping doors open and clients back home happy – if you are away for more than a few days, clients like to know you haven’t abandoned them. So remember to stay in touch.
11. Meeting deadlines and workflow before you leave. Don’t do work whilst away as this is almost impossible to achieve. Juggling too much can cause burn out. I like to meet my deadlines before I leave so I can have a clean slate and give my full attention to my current job.
12. Behaving appropriately, whether client is there or not. When you are away, you are representing your client's company and your own. Inappropriate behaviour and news of it will travel fast, and could damage your reputation.
13. Insurance and liability cover. This is an important one! Americans have no issue with lawsuits. Make sure your insurance is up to date and covers you appropriately for any eventuality. And get medical insurance too. Crucial!

The last thing you should know is go with an open mind, have fun and be flexible. Things will probably not go to plan and you have to be agile and think on your feet. Enjoy the scenery, eat some great food and have a ball but remember you are a professional and you are there to do a job.

See you when I get home.

How to get the most out of your website using the power of photography.

One of the most crucial elements that people can overlook on their website is photography. Image paints vivid pictures for a visitor to your website - nothing captures your eye or imagination quicker that an image, whether it’s an illustration, painting or photograph.

It’s this principle that works for billboards, magazine covers and newspapers: an arresting image catches the corner of your eye and makes you look. The message is delivered promptly, in seconds.

Much more can be conveyed/interpreted than say, a paragraph of copy.

And for the web, where everything is searched and found in seconds, patience is something scarce. If you are presented with two magazines, one with lots of copy and one with lots of photographs, you will naturally pick up the one with pictures, it’s more fulfilling, and we are affected by the Magpie Effect: something bright, eye-catching or shiny we will gravitate towards.

Just have a look at the covers of magazines when you are next in your newsagents, you’ll see.

The look and feel of your company brand can be portrayed effectively in an image or a series of shots. People browsing the web are a bit lazy and on a mission: they want to find what they are looking for, in record time, and speed-read the text for relevant information. An image will always deliver this more rapidly.

Finally, don’t forget to tag images on your website too: we all know about SEO and having the correct search words and tagging for our sites, but many forget to label images.

This is often overlooked. All images can be tagged with meta-tags, information, links and SEO keywords - then picked up by the search bots and spiders. When searching on Google, if you are looking for photographers, it helps you stand out if you have a strong image with your listing, particularly with Google Maps.

Professional photography can help make the difference between a website visitor and a new customer. Making sure your website has the best possible images is a basic (but essential) requirement.