| Photo assistant Brian Tisza holds a color card for a light reading on the Lake Tahoe shoot. |
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Sometimes, words are better
Before I set off to photograph Lake Tahoe, Endless Vacation sent me a draft of the story along with a “shot list” of things that I definitely needed to cover. But you never know what you’ll get—visually—until you see the location, so I always stay ready to improvise. For example, one landmark on the list was Fanny Bridge in Tahoe City, California. The bridge spans an outlet where water flows out of Lake Tahoe, and giant fish enjoy congregating here. Apparently, people hang with their butts out over the bridge’s ledge to feed the fish—that’s why it’s called Fanny Bridge. After a few quick shots, I realized a writer could present this scene better with words than I could do with a camera. So, instead, I looked for people: outdoorsy types kayaking, teens at a birthday party on the beach, a family docking their boat. I like to humanize a story.
Framing the story
In photography, the key is to look for a unique shot. I was asked to visit Emerald Bay, on the lake’s south shore, which is one of the most popular spots in Tahoe thanks to its setting: Emerald green water cuts into the forested mountains of Desolation Wilderness. When we arrived, we didn’t head directly to the bay—instead, we turned inland and hiked to less-visited Emerald Lake. To shoot the nearby casinos, my assistant drove while I snapped photos, using the car window to frame the neon juggernauts. To make the hiking images stand out, I tried to use the beautiful background to foil the hikers’ actions as opposed to merely creating a postcard shot.
Advance guard
There’s no free time when you’re on assignment—I have a certain number of shots to get and limited time to get them. So I tend to start at 4 a.m. and shoot until the sun sets—unless I also need nightlife pictures, in which case I keep going. That kind of agenda allows me to see more and do more than I ever would on vacation. So a photo assignment is a great opportunity to scout vacation spots for my family (my wife and I have two children, 13 and 10). That’s how I justify long trips. At Tahoe, I saw mountain bikers and watched rafters navigate that outlet where water empties into the Truckee River. I also saw people water-skiing, which my kids enjoy. By the time I left, I decided I’d love to take my family to Tahoe—and I already know what we’d do there.
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