Beaches, sun and palm trees. But it’s not a holiday

There are hundreds if not thousands of photographers around us. But this photographer’s day is much more different than all the hundreds of others out there. He is from New Zealand and just by looking out of his home office window he already has a better view than most.

Rise and shine

His day begins at the crack of dawn; precisely at 6 AM, which for some of us regular folk is still considered night time. Seeing as Chris is on the road for most of the year, he usually spends a lot of his mornings in glamorous hotel rooms. Room service and being able to spend time in some of the world’s most exotic destinations are rewards big enough in themselves.

Chris explains, “I have breakfast; usually fruit and muesli in the hotel restaurant, then it’s back to my room to pack gear, check the shot list, and mentally prepare for the shoot”. He sometimes even manages to squeeze in some all-important gym time before the shoot. This helps Chris to be more focused throughout the day and of course it means that he can enjoy the evening with friends and colleagues over a nice dinner and a glass of wine instead of sweating it out at the hotel gym.

This is not your regular office job so there really isn’t a set finishing time here.

There are often many external forces the team has to be ready to tackle at a moment’s notice. Bad weather conditions, delays, flight cancellations, natural disasters. All of these have to be considered and Chris has to be ready to change plans in a split second. Sounds like a scene from Indiana Jones movie to us.

He adds, “Of course sometimes you just ‘see’ things that weren’t on the shot list but need to be photographed because they have the potential of being a winning image. So that’s when I have to throw the rule book out the window and just keep shooting!”

‘Me’ time

As exciting and beautiful as they may be, even shooting in the tropics can be exhausting and Chris sometimes finds himself yearning for some ‘me’ time.

“I usually go for a walk when I can, but other than that I don’t really get to relax as such when on a location shoot. I am switched “on” for the entire process and I guess I don’t really relax until I’m on the plane heading home after the project has been completed.”

However he feels that he can fully relax once he arrives home to New Zealand. Away from days in noisy and impersonal hotels, and unfamiliar – though tropical – environment. Only back home can he enjoy a cup of good coffee at his favorite cafe or head for a bike ride with his wife and kids into one of the countless, almost fluorescent-green parks in his neighborhood and breathe the in the scent of ‘clean & green’ kiwi air.

Catching up with sleep

Like for most of us, eight is the magic number. Everyone knows that. Chris does too, and that’s why he strives to catch those 8 hours of good quality sleep whenever possible.

When at home he treats himself to even 9 or 10 hours. That is a true luxury and one of the biggest rewards he gives to his body, especially after a tough project. He continues on to say, “While away on a location shoot I might sometimes only get four or five hours a night for quite a few nights in a row. I am used to this and usually cope fine, but I wouldn’t want to do it for too long!”

In such situations he tries to calm himself down with the help of nature whenever possible. Even with just the humble chamomile tea! “Because at the end of the day I need to stay mentally alert to be able to create good images, so it is an important consideration for me as a travel photographer dealing with different time zones”, adds Chris.