People ask us how we manage to travel and shoot with all the gear that we have in such a compact RV. On a road trip, we have it nailed down to a manageable list of items including two rolling carry-on bags, several smaller shoulder bags, and usually a tripod in a case. While driving in the RV, we usually open the the carry-on bags and put them on the bed. We keep the cameras at the ready should we want to pull over and shoot something interesting along the way. A smaller shoulder bag goes on the floor in between the driver and passenger seats with a fast and stealthy Leica Q, which is great for grab shots, video, and anything unexpected, and even works while shooting through the windshield where it’s not possible to pull over. The carry-on bags are set up with two different systems, a medium-format Leica S and its lenses, and a full-frame Leica SL and its lenses. It’s good to keep a telephoto on one camera and a wider lens on the other. That way, a fast pull-over is easily managed as sometimes an animal or other subject may be moving quickly through a scene. The RV provides a great platform for shooting due to its height. While driving, our eyes are at about the level of the mirrors of a tractor-trailer, or several feet higher than than the largest SUV. In traffic, it’s easy to see what’s down the road.
And even though the RV is a smaller class B, there's still a good amount of room for shooting through a window or the sliding side door. Sitting in the driver’s seat, an elbow can be placed on the sill, and the side frame is great for propping while steadying a longer lens. The sliding side door also has its advantages for propping and steadying or shading a lens from the sun. At either location, it’s great to shoot from inside a dry van when it’s raining. We often have to move quickly when pulling over - grab a camera, open a door, take a few shots, and move on. In Idaho one beautiful summer day, we were driving along a back road and probably stopped 25 times over the distance of about 100 miles.
If we pull into a smaller town and walk around, we assess the situation and load a camera into a shoulder bag with an extra lens or two. That way, we can go look for architecture, landscapes, cars, people, animals, or whatever we see that we like. We’re often parked so that we can return to the RV and grab a tripod or a different lens. It’s great fun, and we like to get into the nitty gritty of America. There’s so much to see.
But it’s not all random. We spend a significant amount of time scouting before and during the road trip, whether through one of our 600 travel guide books, or online with travel sites, maps, and satellite images. We look for the obscure, as what’s behind main street is often more interesting than what’s on it. One day, you may see us at a remote stop in Iowa photographing an old diner, the kind if place where the light is falling just right, and where a visual vantage point is lined up creating the perfect capture. We look for places where everyone else isn’t going.
Once we park the RV for the evening, the bags are zipped up and slipped under the bed, ready for the next day. We seek fair weather and often change routes based on the forecast, wherever that may take us. Our batteries are charged, our memory cards are ready, and our lenses are poised for that next great moment. Please take a look at our Instagram page @coasttocoastphotoatl for some scenes of our adventures.