Here are some tips when booking a shoot at a park.
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- Check the park website for updated restrictions for Photography. Some parks require permits!
- Location scout before the session. You don’t wanna show up and drag clients down a trail to nothing just cause you saw it on someone else’s post.
- Be prepared for all weather situations. Bring things to help your clients with those weather situations. (Umbrellas, boots, wet wipes, towels, tide pin…etc)
- Remind your clients beforehand the trails can be muddy and dusty, so they may wanna wear a different pair of shoes to hike in and change for the session... same with outfits.
- I carry a changing tent with me to all sessions just in case.
- Have a backup plan. Sometimes (more likely than not) park websites aren't updated and the trail you might want to go on is closed so make sure you have a back up plan for a different location in the park. You might even consider calling the ranger office for the park before hand to be sure that the trails are open.
- Take out what you bring in! Keep the parks clean for everyone else so we can continue to shoot there!
- Don't over share exact shoot locations. No, I'm not saying to gate keep locations from other photographers, but don't geo-tag exact trails. This will cause locations to become more heavily trafficked and make it harder to shoot at. If someone ask a location, sure tell them, but the less you can share exact locations, the more they are preserved.
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