Yeah, I know this title strays from the whole song theme, but I figured Laurie’s name would be more attention-grabbing than my lame-o titles.  My good friend Laurie Excell has written a fantastic piece on making plans for the Photo Walk, and we just had to share it with you.  It will help you figure out what to bring along with you, and get you thinking about how you can come back with some unique images.

But first, I just wanted to let you know that today we have passed the 10,000 people mark!  This is just amazing!  Keep on spreading the word

Now, without further ado, I give you… Laurie Excell!

So You’re Going On A PhotoWalk

Greetings all you PhotoWalkers around the world, and when I say all I mean all 600+ cities and 10,000+ walkers and growing, welcome to Scott Kelby’s WorldWide PhotoWalk.  I know that I am thrilled to be part of this event.  I hosted a PhotoWalk in Portland last year and had so much fun exploring my own city and meeting other photographers in my area that I jumped at the chance to lead one of this year’s Portland PhotoWalk.

Participating in a PhotoWalk makes me think of the scene in Crocodile Dundee where Mick decides to go “Walkabout”.  Well, we’re going to do the same thing with our cameras in hand.  We’re going to explore our city with the enthusiasm of a tourist visiting for the first time.  Forget the familiarity for a moment and look at your city with new eyes.  You will be surprised at the treasures you find around each corner or tucked into an out of the way nook or cranny.  Things that we think are mundane on a day-to-day basis become more interesting when we have a camera in our hands.  (Hmm, maybe that’s why Jay Maisel creates such amazing images… He never leaves home without a camera in hand).  We may walk past these locals every day and not see the photographic possibilities due to our attention being diverted by work, family, life.  Set the normal stresses of life aside for a few hours and let your creativity emerge.  Photograph your city like you have never done before.  Really work it.  Meet new friends.  Stop and smell the roses…you Portlanders know what I mean coming from the City of Roses.

With these thoughts in mind I would like to share some thoughts about going on a PhotoWalk-About…

-Dress comfortably and for the weather.  Keep in mind that you will be walking 1-2 miles during the PhotoWalk.  If your feet hurt or you are cold, wet, miserable…your creative energies are diverted by discomfort.  A comfortable photographer is a happy, more creative photographer.  If your PhotoWalk begins in the early morning or ends near the end of day you might want to dress in layers in anticipation of the temperature swings.  If there is rain in the forecast, a rain jacket for you and protection for your camera might be in order.  I use the Shutter Hat to protect my camera and up to 70-200mm/100-400mm sized lens against the elements.

Ok, so now you are comfortable, how much equipment are you willing and able to carry…comfortably…for a couple of miles?

-My recommendation is to pack light.  Take whatever you can fit in a fanny pack or small backpack.  You want your hands free to shoot and you don’t want to have to set a camera bag down to shoot (and possibly walk away without it or worse).

A camera body with 1-2 lenses should be enough.  Depending on the things you like to photograph, a super wide angle (fisheye through 14-24mm range) is fun in close quarters like city streets or interiors if you have the opportunity to photograph in an old church, theater, etc.  I sometimes like to emphasis the distortion that is inherent in super wide lenses.

A mid-range zoom (24-70/24-105mm range) is good for all around shooting but, think about it…do you want to do all around shooting or do you want something special to show from your PhotoWalk?  Think about leaving this lens at home and pushing yourself to think outside the box.

With that in mind, a macro (60mm or 105mm) or telephoto/zoom lens (70-200mm/70-300mm range) might be worth considering.  Both give you the ability to isolate your subject from the rest of the world…one by moving in very close to your subject (macro) and the other by isolating a subject at a distance with the use of magnification that you can achieve with a telephoto.

Try a lens that you might not otherwise think about.  It will stretch your imagination and force you to look at the world with a fresh eye.  If you normally love wide angle, think about using a telephoto and vice versa if you tend towards tele, consider going wide.

-Give yourself a “self-assignment.”  Pick a subject, any subject and photograph only that subject for the day.  Those of you have who have attended Photoshop World and sat in on the Art OF Digital Photography Panel know of Joe Glyda and his infamous “self assignments”.  He shows up at Photoshop World with no show and once he is there he comes up with a subject and gives himself a limited time to photograph that subject.  Some of his self-assignment themes of the past are… circles, squares, the color blue, the color yellow, Bunnies in Boston, Bunnies in Vegas (I’ll leave it to your imagination to go wild with these last two).

Some ideas might be…Reflections, photograph reflections in windows, fountains, rain puddles, lakes or ponds, etc.  Shadows, photograph only shadows.  You will be surprised at the shapes and forms you find when you are only looking at shadows.  Geometric shapes and designs, people (Be sure to politely ask first.  Strike up a conversation, you will be surprised at who you meet.  You may even make a new friend this way.)  The possibilities are endless, I leave it to your imagination to come up with a theme.

-Tripod, to take it or not, that is the question.  Keep in mind that a tripod will slow you down.  It is also one extra thing to carry.  That said, depending on your style and the subjects you think you may be photographing you may need a tripod.  If you are considering HDR or photographing water at slow shutter speeds you will likely need a tripod.

-Bring plenty of batteries and CF/SD cards.  You don’t want your PhotoWalk to be cut short by running out of memory or battery power.

-Flash, diffuser, reflector may come in handy for filling in shadows if you photograph people or in contrasty or overcast light.

-Buddy Up with someone.  What a great way to share your passion for photography.  You can share your vision with each other by looking at each other’s images along the way.  I find an incredible amount of inspiration seeing the way others look at the world.  It’s amazing how two people can look at the exact same subject and “see” it so differently.  It’s a great way to expand your vision.  Also, if you have a photo buddy, you can take turns hold a flash or reflector, possibly share equipment if you have something your buddy does not or vice versa.  And best of all, you may make a new friend who you can meet up with to photograph in the future.  I know that several friendships were formed from last year’s PhotoWalk.  In fact, several of the participants have formed their own PhotoWalks throughout the year.

-Weather Not only should you be prepared for the weather for your comfort and your camera’s protection, knowing what the forecast predicts can help you to decide what to focus on (no pun intended) during your PhotoWalk.  If the weather is overcast, think about subjects that are best photographed in diffused light…people, flowers, and so on.  If it is bright and sunny with high contrast, work the shadows and light, think about underexposing to deepen the shadows making your subject stand out.  You might consider HDR in contrasty light…both the realistic and surrealistic versions depending on your preferences.  Try to avoid including the sky in your photographs if it is grey or plain blue with no clouds for contrast.  However, if you have the good fortune to have big, puffy clouds by all means include them in your cityscapes.  If it is raining, cover up and keep on walking.  The world is beautiful during and after the rain.  You can find all kinds of reflections in puddles and water drops.  The world is fresh and clean after the rain and the quality of light is spectacular when the sun reappears so don’t let a little rain drive you away.  (Spoken like a true Oregonian!)

-The PhotoWalk is free of charge but you might want to bring some cash for a latte along the way, entry into a garden, zoo, etc along your walk and for the get together at the end of the PhotoWalk for a drink and lunch or dinner.

-Keep the Photo Contest in mind while you are walking, think about the type of image you want to submit and how you might finish it with post-processing.  There is a prize for the winning submission in each city and a grand prize for the event.

-Come prepared to have a blast, capture some incredible images and meet new friends.

Visit Jeff Revell’s blog over at PhotoWalk Pro for even more information about leading or participating in a PhotoWalk.