Specific Bus Trip Tips

I enjoy taking bus trips. Well, perhaps 'enjoy' is too strong a word, but it can be good just the same. Long-haul intercity buses are an inexpensive way to go to sleep in one place and wake up in another. There are challenges and problems to overcome, and it imposes its own unique set of restrictions and opportunities, but can be an excellent experience.

In an earlier article I had some general thoughts on planning and executing a successful bus trip. Here are some of the more specific considerations for making it through the experience.


Use a friendly bag. The camera bag isn't going into the luggage compartment, so expect to sit with it for the round trip as well as carrying it all day. Avoid velcro and pointy bits.

Water is heavy. Bottled water is evil, but this is the time to use it. Small snacks are worth carrying; my favourite is Peanut M&M's because they're melt-proof.

Access to A/C power is uncertain and a time-consuming inconvenience. Carry ample batteries, and don't forget about a booster for your smartphone if it's important.

Charge all of your batteries and cover the terminals with tape. Fold a flap over for easy removal. Now it's obvious which batteries are depleted.

In emergencies, some things can be bought. SD cards are common; good film and CF cards are tougher. But those fancy modern camera batteries are never pre-charged.

iPhones and other touch-screen music players without physical controls are tough to use with closed eyes. Screens that light up are obnoxious on a darkened bus.

Noise-isolating earphones are worth their cost; ones that leak sound are offensive and unneighbourly. Turn off anything that beeps or buzzes during the trip.

GPS navigation isn't everything. Draw diagrams and note down the directions to key points; this is faster to use and doesn't depend on battery power or a data connection.

Buses are usually cold no matter what time of year it is, so travelling when the weather needs a light jacket is remarkably convenient.

Window seats are more popular, so on an older bus the aisle seat may be in better condition and provide a more pleasant trip. But resist the urge to recline, as its comfort is fleeting.

Carry at least three earplugs. They're small, light, and provide a welcome relief from just about everything, but are easy to lose.

A hat with a brim can block out light when sleeping, provide shelter against rain, and reduce sun exposure. Essential.

Sunblock is also vital for warm-weather trips, but find some that won't melt the rubber on your camera grip.

Hot-air hand dryers are popular, but it's easier to wash your face when there are paper towels around. Remember where to find them or collect some along the way.

Carry emergency cash and information somewhere other than your wallet and camera bag. The goal is to keep the ability to get home if the worst case happens.

Pacing is key. Taking twenty or thirty minutes to relax in a coffee shop can result in better photos and better decisions for the next several hours.

Remember that, no matter what other goals there may be, this is a voluntary activity and is presumably meant to be enjoyed. Stress is unnecessary.


And that's it for now – I'm working on my packing list, and may have a bit more to say about that later. My next departure is just one month away.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.

General Bus Trip Tips

Road trips are a photographic staple, and mine have produced some of my favourite photos. The only catch is that instead of driving, I take the bus.

My routine is to find an interesting city that's one overnight bus ride away, spend the day, and then take another overnight bus back. It's cheaper than a hotel – and can really make for an interesting what-I-did-last-weekend story. With four trips behind me and another coming up, here are the bigger lessons that I've learned.


Pack light. If I'm not distraught over leaving something at home, then I'm carrying too much. Ten pounds for everything is my usual limit.

Minimize. Do you really need your lens caps? If they stay at home then they can't get lost and it's one less thing to fiddle with. Pare down your routine to the essentials.

Non-photographic items can take a significant amount of space and weight. Make efforts to minimize this as well, and get the most value from what you carry.

Know what you want. The most important thing to know when going to war is what "victory" will look like. Have both a specific photographic goal as well as an overall ambition.

Have a 'rain day' alternative. I'll use a bag that's small enough to bring into art galleries and museums, and will switch the second lens for my audio recorder if the weather looks bad.

Plan for being tired. Sleeping on the outbound leg is difficult, and then it's followed by a long day. Prefer simple over elaborate whenever possible, and have reasonable expectations.

Do a trial run. Pack everything except your passport, ride public transit until you're numb, and head to the same sort of environment to take the same kind of photos.

Be realistic. The way it is at home will be the way it is on the road. This isn't the time to finally use a tripod for every shot, or work on some new technique.

Finally: Don't bring home empty film containers, either physically or metaphorically.


Coming up next: more specific ideas to deal with the trip.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.

Solving Dilemmas

When faced with choosing between two possible options, each with their own advantages, there's a lot to be said for doing both.

I've recently been trying to decide between wrapping up my Lakefill project, knowing that I could now do it better, versus continuing on and further delaying its completion.

So I'm doing both. I have a few little changes that I want to make to a couple of the prints, and the Artist's Statement needs some work, but I've selected a series of eighteen images that make a strong set of 8x10 prints. I'll have the gallery updated with the finished images once the full folio is complete.

And while doing that, I'm also gathering raw material for the next set. Literally. While all of the photos in "Lakefill 2011" were taken on-site, this time I'm bringing the bricks indoors. The first set was intended to be a book / folio from the very beginning; the 2012 project will be more refined, more consistent, and intended for gallery-quality 16x20" prints. I'm not ready to start photographing yet, but I'm excited.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.

Measuring Matthewness

This is something that I came up with in an idle moment: the "matthewness" scale.

There are five categories that I've broken it down into, and assign anywhere from 0 to 2 point in each, creating a nice X-out-of-10 rating. The higher the score, the more "me" the photo is. (As with all of these arbitrary and subjective ratings, intermediate scores and half-points are encouraged.) Here's how it works:

Picture Space: The flatter the better. A photo with a foreground and background with deep focus, like the receding streets of 44th and 5th, would score a "0". A photo where the entire frame consists of a brick wall – not an uncommon thing for me, even outside of my lens reviews – would score "2".

Geometry: For maximum points, we need straight lines, right angles, and square corners. Diagonals are rare, and there are no curves. A score of zero would be something like a field of wildflowers – not that I've ever taken one of those. An intermediate score of "1" would go to something like "Blue", where a composition of curves is still anchored by a line that's parallel to the bottom of the frame.

Framing: A 'passive' frame, which is simply where the photo ends and has no relation to the space or the subject, is a zero. A composition in which the frame creates negative space that's important to the success of the photo, such as my Lakefill series, would be a "1". For full points, the photo needs to have a subject or composition that's entirely created by the camera frame.

Words: Sometimes text and its treatment is the entire subject of a photo, which is worth "2", and if it's important in some way then I'll score that as a "1.5". If there's any legible text, then that still earns a "1".

Suitability: Somewhat recursively, this is an evaluation of the "matthewness" of the subject. Camera-clubby images of lonely trees, lonely docks, dilapidated barns, diaphanous flowers, and long-exposure streams are an emphatic zero, if not an outright deduction. On the other hand, people occasionally remember me for my abstracted photos of signs, so that would be a "2". Humour counts for something here, too.

I previously called "Swimming Pool Vicinity" the most 'me' of all of my photos. It scores a 8.5 out of 10 on this scale, being marked down only a half-point each for 'words', 'picture space', and 'framing'. Conversely, "Coney Island, 18 June 2011" shows few of my usual traits, would only acquire one point each for 'picture space' and 'suitability', with maybe a half-point for 'framing'.

It's not that this scale has any actual utility, or that I use it in evaluating or ranking photos in any way, but it's an amusing exercise for me to pass the time and a different framework to think about my favourites.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.