Photo Tip - Make an Appointment

My favourite time of the day for shooting is sunrise and sunset. 

Image 1 - Sunset at Algonquin Provincial Park, Canada

When I first started photographing I was too lazy to wake up early in the morning until I went to a summer photo workshop at the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. While I was there, I actually had other crazy people like me waking up at 4 a.m. and not going to bed until 10:30 p.m.

What I realized was that I needed to have an appointment to actually get out of bed and get going. Since the workshop I have tried to arrange with other photographers to go to sunrise shooting. Knowing that I have made plans with someone else forces me to get up and avoids the many excuses that I can come up with.   

The best way to meet other photographers is to join a local photo club or a meet up group.

In Toronto, I have joined the Toronto Digital Photo Club (TDPC), where not only I have made lots of friends, but also I have learnt tons from the speakers and club members. In Lausanne, I have gone to the PhotoClub Lausanne meetings a couple of times, but the language barrier presented a problem. Now that my French has improves, I should give it a try again once I am back from my travelling adventures.  

Image 2 - Sunrise at Death Valley National Park, USA

Currently, I am travelling alone. But what I have learnt with my years of photo budding is to ensure that I make an appointment. Even if this appointment is with myself. I commit to a location at a time of day and I stick to it. If your mind is set on something you will be able to get up. 

But don't forget to disable the snooze button... it has proven to be my worst enemy!