Photo oriented travel companion

I travel full time as a photographer specializing in wildlife, nature and scenic. I’m in my fourth year of continuous travel for media acquisition. I shoot both still and video, but since there’s not really much money in stills anymore, I concentrate more on stock video filming where applicable. I travel solo, and I’m not sponsored by any company or organization. Lately, I’ve been thinking that it would be nice to sometimes travel with and split expenses with a like minded individual. I don’t spend very much time in North America, generally less than a month each year and then usually to visit family in Oregon. Though I’m an American, I haven’t actually lived in the US for over 25 years. Most of my travels are in Asia, Africa and South America with a bit of Europe and occasionally Australia mixed in. I’ve been to 84 countries to date, many of them multiple times. I’m booked up for the next 2.5 months with Portugal, Morocco and the Greek Islands but I’m starting to consider travel destinations for mid February and beyond.

My ideal travel companion would be someone who doesn’t mind getting off the beaten path occasionally. Ideally, also someone who realizes that sometimes it takes some patience before everything clicks. That might mean spending a week somewhere to get a good day to film. I don’t tend to stay in 5 Stars. Many of the places I travel to don’t have any stars (other than the ones in the night sky). That said, I sometimes splurge a bit after roughing it for awhile. Also, though I don’t have any age bias (I’m a very fit 68), it would probably be best to find a fellow photography traveler that is definitely on the north side of at least 50 or so. Anybody out there interested?

I wish you well. May I suggest you spending a few days on a trial basis to see how you interact with each other rather than trying to plan a month's worth of trips. If you are in contact with an interested party, I'd suggest being much more specific about your routine, sharing expenses and photography. To me it would be a big difference in sleeping outdoors and staying in moderate hotels.

I have been on many photography workshops but we have always had separate rooms. Except for one or two nights once or twice a year traveling with a business associate, I only travel with my wife or by myself---- she doesn't like some of the out-of-the-way places I travel to in the western US or what she considers to be boring.

Good luck.

Kent

I think I fit your specs in all regards, except for your usual destinations. If you're ever looking at Iceland, Northern Canada, or Alaska as a future destination, I'd definitely be interested. You can PM me.

That is very good advice. I certainly wouldn't think of making any long term plans without a bit more give and take of info. Hopefully I can find someone with similar interests that is "crossing paths" with me somewhere.

Gosh, I was just in Iceland a month ago and that's where I started to get the notion that splitting expenses would be something worth looking into. Car rentals and Airbnb's are much more reasonable if someone is sharing the cost.

There's a slim possibility of doing something in Canada or Alaska in mid 2019, I'll P.M. you if I'm going to be on that side of the planet :<)

Fishtales said:

Gosh, I was just in Iceland a month ago and that's where I started to get the notion that splitting expenses would be something worth looking into. Car rentals and Airbnb's are much more reasonable if someone is sharing the cost.

There's a slim possibility of doing something in Canada or Alaska in mid 2019, I'll P.M. you if I'm going to be on that side of the planet :<)

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Please do. Like you, I also travel alone and generally stay in the least expensive place I can find as long as it's clean and has a decent bed. Still, sharing costs, as well as some conversation, would be an added plus.

I suggest approaching someone you already know through photography or nature / hiking clubs. Or join a national / regional photographers' association like NANPA North American Nature Photographers' Association ( http://www.nanpa.org/ ) and attend seminars or national meetings to meet people.

Well Nancy, that is good advice and I agree with you that those types of events would great places to meet like minded individuals. My problem is that I travel full time. I'm always abroad and go from one location directly to the next. I spend over 11 months of the year outside the US nowhere near places those types of events are located. I am a member of NANPA, but they don't even have a forum. I joined mainly for the insurance discount:<)

This post was sort of a shot in the dark. The odds are pretty low. For any success has to be looking at this relatively isolated community at just the right time. A week from now, the post will gravitate toward the inky bottom of the list and be even harder to notice.

I'm somewhat curious as do you travel more for the sake of traveling or for selling videos you shoot? Who do you sell them to? Do you have any you can post?

I responded to this thread earlier and I'm 77 but my knees are shot, but I was in good shape when I was your age.

You mentioned the Greek Islands. We went on a cruise to Greece and Turkey in 2006 and it was my best trip ever. Istanbul may be my favorite city along with Paris. Let me know if you want any info.

As I've gotten older I no longer like large cities except to fly into. Then I hit the countryside.

Kent

Good questions, Kent, I travel to photograph. The whole point of my traveling is media content acquisition. I don't generally go anywhere that I don't plan on filming or photographing something specific. Occasionally, I stop somewhere for a month or so and do regional excursions and work on editing and uploading material. I sell primarily video footage through several stock footage agencies. I upload trimmed scenes to them, they put them on their sites and sell them to a variety of different markets including advertising, marketing, web usage and broadcast. Different agents concentrate of different markets, that's why I sell through several of them. I sell stock stills through a couple agencies also, but there really isn't any money in stills these days. Too many very talented amateurs giving images away just for the "exposure". Before you ask, no, there really isn't a lot of money in video either, but it is still sufficient to sustain me if I don't go overboard on expenses. That's really one reason why I'm sort of looking for someone to occasionally share travel expenses.

Yes, you can see lots of examples of my work. I have a website: www.FishTalesFilms.com and a Vimeo channel: www.vimeo.com/fishtales. I do "demo reels" of the footage that I produce in most locations that I film. There are about 100 of them on my Vimeo channel.

I've been to the Greek Islands before. This time I will be spending about a month in Chania on Crete and probably be doing some island hopping from there.

Istanbul is great. I've been there a couple times and highly recommend it. I was lucky enough to photograph the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque with snow once!

Paris is great too, I've been there several times but right at th e moment, I would avoid it due to the protests.

Thanks so much for the web site links. Wonderful photos and videos. After I saw them it's no wonder you need up to a week at some of the places. I just don't have that much patience. Probably the longest I've stayed in one spot is sunrise and after at the Mormon Barn in Teton (about 2 or 3 hours).

Kent

Right now I’m in Nazare, Portugal waiting to film big waves. I’ve budgeted 2 weeks here and am in about the middle of that time. Last Monday there were 25 footers but pretty boring overcast lightning. Tomorrow the forecast is for better weather in the afternoon and possible 30 foot waves. That may be the best I get out of 2 weeks waiting but it’s still a far cry from the 90 to 100 foot waves they get here occasionally. With my luck, that will happen a couple days after I’m gone. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

I took the time to visit your website and I must tell you that I enjoyed it immensely. You are very very good at what you do.

Hal

Thanks!

Fishtales said:

Right now I’m in Nazare, Portugal waiting to film big waves. I’ve budgeted 2 weeks here and am in about the middle of that time. Last Monday there were 25 footers but pretty boring overcast lightning. Tomorrow the forecast is for better weather in the afternoon and possible 30 foot waves. That may be the best I get out of 2 weeks waiting but it’s still a far cry from the 90 to 100 foot waves they get here occasionally. With my luck, that will happen a couple days after I’m gone. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

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I remember Nazare as very nice little town. Walked around and enjoyed a beer at the praia on one of multiple trips to Portugal in the 90s for a cork client. Obidos, to the south, is another picturesque town, though a good 15 miles from the nearest wave. Back then I was shooting a Kodak DC120, now the earliest images in my LR library.

Nazaré is quite a tourist destination nowadays. For the nice beaches in the summer and the big waves in the winter. This time of year it’s mostly weekend visitors if there isn’t a big surf event happening. Much quieter during the week.