There I was, right on the outskirts of Glacier National Park. I was in a campground, with no camping equipment, sleeping in my car, waiting for sunrise. I was alone, and the temperature had dropped lower than I expected for June, so the silence made my shivering quite loud.
In fact, everything was loud, even the thoughts racing through my head. I thought this trip was going to be an amazing. I thought I would get to see one of my favorite places in this world and go for just a few days to get some great shots on the famous Going-to-the-Son Road. “I’m just going for a quick in and out,” I thought. It would be perfect, before the crowds got too crazy in July and August. Spoiler alert: was I wrong.
You know that saying, “too much of a good thing?” That good thing for me is travel and adventure photography. I love it, and in my short time on this earth, I’ve experienced some incredible places and beautiful moments that I will never forget. But for the last few months of this year, I felt overwhelmed at the amount of places I wanted to see, and I began to force these unplanned, smaller trips into my schedule. And you know what? I got burnt out.
Yes, Nathan Allen, the guy who preaches on taking breaks and how you should always be planned and organized. I got caught in this continuum of excitement and the desire to see all I could, and in the end, I came back from Glacier National Park with very few quality shots. But more than that, I was exhausted, and emotionally and physically drained. So I wanted to sit down and write about my experience. As I sat, reclined in my rental car —cold, tired, and honestly quite frustrated — I promised myself I would never get burnt out again.
I wanted to share my experience, not to scare people out of travel photography, but to guide people through the times where they feel overwhelmed by the opportunity and destinations yet to be discovered. When I got back from Montana, I created a personal checklist of questions that serve as my guidelines for any trip. I hope this helps anyone who loves travel and adventure photography as much as I do, and wants to be a successful travel photographer without burning out.
Question #1: “Do I do this because I love it?”
This might sound like a silly question, but it is the foundation and root question of travel photography. While this may seem like a glamorous gig, it is very difficult. Yes, there may be times where you are staying at a nice resort or enjoying a wonderful moment without stress or worry. But the majority of time, you are in unforgiving environments, hiking for miles with heavy camera equipment, all the while battling the elements or natural dangers around you. It’s a very difficult job and because of social media, everyone wants to give it a shot.
It’s sort of like starting your college experience pursuing pre-med. I thought I would love it, but then Chemistry 105 hit and I ran for the hills. Universities know that pre-med and other pre-professional careers paths are glamorous and attractive, so they place “weed out classes” that are difficult, taxing, and paint a realistic picture of the amount of work that is required to be a doctor, lawyer, or dentist.
Travel photography has its own version of these “weed out” classes. Those “classes” consist of trips where everything goes wrong, the weather turns bad, and no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to create the content you came to that location for. They consist of trips that truly burn you out and make you frustrated due to your lack of planning and preparation. In those moments, I always go deep within and ask the simple question, “do I still love this?” If the answer is yes, I move on to the next question.
Question #2: “Do the places I see and shoot still cause me to wonder?”
I promised myself that when I started this career, if I woke up one day and this world didn’t cause me to wonder and stand back in awe, and the job suddenly became mundane and routine, I would either take significant time off or choose a different career.
I want to create and be inspired every day through what I see and experience. I want to provide value to my clients. I do that when I am fully engaged and amazed by this world. If I’m not, I should change my career path.
Question #3: “Does this trip and location have a significant purpose?”
Ask yourself why you are going to a location, and what is the purpose of the trip. Sometimes the answer can be as obvious as, “the client requested that location.” Other times, it’s more personal. But it can’t just be because you have a few extra days and you want to go to somewhere. You have to go with a purpose, or those days will become wasteful. You won’t have the team, gear, plans, or time to do your best work. Always have a clear and defined purpose to your trip before you go.
Question #4: “Was this trip planned and thoroughly thought out?”
There is a lot that goes into a successful shoot. Locations need to be thoroughly mapped out and teams need to be assembled. There have to be athletes and models that have to be paid or compensated. There are travel arrangements and accommodations that need to be booked. Details and plans have to be in place for success, or you won’t experience success.
And if it’s a trip by yourself, and you don’t allow yourself to be comfortable and have a place to sleep, even if it’s a campsite, you will really struggle and burn out quickly. I got caught up in thinking that you have to go on the maximum amount of trips to succeed in travel photography, but the best travel photographers can take the least amount of trips and create the maximum amount of value and content. So be honest and ask yourself if you planned the trip well. It might not be best for you to proceed with the trip if you didn’t.
Question #5: “Will I be able to accomplish what I want to do on this trip or at this location?”
Finally, does this location allow you to accomplish what you hope to create as a photographer? I once jumped on a flight to Kalispell with a goal to see and experience the Going-to-the-Sun Road. However, I was by myself, and realized I was unable to capture my favorite kind of photography, which is based on human perspective and placing people in landscapes to get a sense of scale. My excitement to get to Glacier National Park put me in a situation where I couldn’t execute and create what I wanted. That was incredibly frustrating, and it made me never want to go to a place unless I knew I could accomplish what I set out to do.
Burnout is real, and it’s no fun to go through. I hope my recent experience can help anyone who has gone through travel burnout, or is looking to never experience it. Ask yourself the questions above and really be honest with yourself. Don’t let excitement and emotion cloud your judgement like it did to me. Knowing the possible burnout pitfalls is the first step you can take in making sure you don’t reach that low point in your career.
