First international Gig.

Glort

I'm about 12 hours away from getting on a plane to go to my first international assignment.

Been stressing about going given I have so much on atm and more work than I actually know how I'm going to handle when I get back but I have been getting ready today and looking at the upmarket airline I'm going on ( Emirates) and feeling kind of excited now.

I'll be shooting a cheer event over the weekend which I anticipate will be bloody hard work but then we have 4 days in country to have a look around. I have just hired a car and we'll spend the first day in the city and the next couple looking at the sights around the countryside before coming home.
Should be fun, the car has a smaller engine than my Harley but with fuel at the US equilivent of $8.75 a gallon, probably for the best. :rofl


Never been OS before nor had an international gig so while I know it's a bore for a lot of shooters, It's significant to me. It's also only a few days away from my 20th wedding anniversary so I'm trying to put it over the Mrs that this is part of her anniversary gift.
I'm having a $6K diamond ring made for her which won't be ready till after we get back but given we have been together near enough 30 years ( Holy cow that sounds a long time!) so I'm not cheaping out completely.

I think its going to be a break even deal even with wishful thinking money wise but it's a good excuse to take the family for a holiday if even just a short one like we have never done before. I can always write it all off as a tax deduction anyway given it is essentially work.

I'm also thinking we might go to our local version of Florida or Las Vegas during the Christmas holidays.
I'll need a rest and I want to do some sniffing around up there and maybe even organise a weekends work with a concept I have and see if it flies. If it does I'll look at setting something up and getting people to run it for me.

Hopefuly I won't get bit on the butt by any green traveler mistakes and if iworks out and is enjoyable, we might go back next year.

So, You'll all be free of me for a week, have fun!

Sam

Glort wrote: »

I'm about 12 hours away from getting on a plane to go to my first international assignment.

Been stressing about going given I have so much on atm and more work than I actually know how I'm going to handle when I get back but I have been getting ready today and looking at the upmarket airline I'm going on ( Emirates) and feeling kind of excited now.

I'll be shooting a cheer event over the weekend which I anticipate will be bloody hard work but then we have 4 days in country to have a look around. I have just hired a car and we'll spend the first day in the city and the next couple looking at the sights around the countryside before coming home.
Should be fun, the car has a smaller engine than my Harley but with fuel at the US equilivent of $8.75 a gallon, probably for the best.


Never been OS before nor had an international gig so while I know it's a bore for a lot of shooters, It's significant to me. It's also only a few days away from my 20th wedding anniversary so I'm trying to put it over the Mrs that this is part of her anniversary gift.
I'm having a $6K diamond ring made for her which won't be ready till after we get back but given we have been together near enough 30 years ( Holy cow that sounds a long time!) so I'm not cheaping out completely.

I think its going to be a break even deal even with wishful thinking money wise but it's a good excuse to take the family for a holiday if even just a short one like we have never done before. I can always write it all off as a tax deduction anyway given it is essentially work.

I'm also thinking we might go to our local version of Florida or Las Vegas during the Christmas holidays.
I'll need a rest and I want to do some sniffing around up there and maybe even organise a weekends work with a concept I have and see if it flies. If it does I'll look at setting something up and getting people to run it for me.

Hopefuly I won't get bit on the butt by any green traveler mistakes and if iworks out and is enjoyable, we might go back next year.

So, You'll all be free of me for a week, have fun!

Congratulations!!! I hope you have a great trip and good shoot. You will of course tell us what country you went to?

Sam

Snowgirl

Fantastic! Looking forward to the follow-up on the trip and your wife's reaction to her anniversary gift. 30 years? Gawd!

Glort

Back from the trip, it went quick.
The event was in New Zealand which seems to be an extraordinarily pretty country. They also seem to be right into their cheer leading and have some incredibly talented kids doing it there.
I shot about 20K pics over the 2 days and while it was hard work it was also enjoyable and it all went very smoothly. it takes a little to get used to it after you haven't shot it for a while but in the end I was having no trouble picking off the tumblers completely upside down and looking straight at me as they came from the front to the back as well as the ones going across the floor.

I have always said nothing moves faster than a cheerleader and I was reminded how true that is.

I have discovered I'm not a good traveler and there is a lot of things I don't like about travel. That said, I'd go back and do the event again if asked and probably allow a bit more time in country.

NZ is a fascinating place. You drive through the country side and round every corner there is something that makes you want to stop and take a picture. You drive back along the same road and you want to take a picture coming along the other way. Normally I'm the guy overtaking everyone else whenever I drive in the country but I was constantly trying to go slower and was getting pushed along by the bankup of vehicles behind me because I wanted to do 20 under the limit so I had more time to take in the scenery.

From what I saw, the country does tend to rely heavily on tourism and I would think that as a shooter, If I moved there that's what a person would have to look at to make a good living. The population is only 4.5M and I was in the biggest city of all, Auckland which has 1.5M. The place still seems so sparse though it's like a country town here in Oz. What people from the states who have citys with more population than the whole country would make of it I don't know. The guy I was shooting with seemed to enjoy it though.

Whatever one's niche in photography, I think it would take some ajusting from most places to make it work. I don't think there is a lot of money or many well heeled people there and working on numbers would be a different thing to many places as well I imagine.
I think better for me to stick to where I am and what I do for the majority of my work and leave that place for Holidays.

:0)

Snow, its -20 years- not 30. I feel old enough these days without you adding a decade!!!
We have been together 30 years though, I was not going to rush into anything when we met!!
As the ring won't be ready for our Anniversary, She mentioned one day she would like to try some Moet Champagne so I'll buy her a bottle of that for the day as a start to the main gift.

I have to confirm my next gig tomorrow and I'll try to start it a day earlier on Sunday as I'm still scratching for staff to get me through the next month of solid work.

Blaker

Maybe you could post a few photos from your shoots for us?

Snowgirl

Sounds like a worthwhile experience for you, though, and a bit of a paid vacation! Good for you. Sorry, I misunderstood. Then again, here in Canada if you live together more than a year you're considered to be married anyway

Too bad the airfare would kill you. Otherwise I could come and shoot for you

Take care!

Glort

Hi Snow, It was a great experience and did me the world of good in stress reduction. Since I have got back I've been too flat out to reflect on it as much as I would like though. I'm on my 3rd straight 7 day gig atm with one more to go. I'll be all finished for the year in 3 weeks time.

I tell you what, you come here and shoot for me for 6 months and I'll cover your airfare gladly.
Seems all the 20 somethings in my family are going and doing the working Holiday thing in Canada as are half their friends.
IF they can go there, you can come here! :0)

Snowgirl

Glort wrote: »

Hi Snow, It was a great experience and did me the world of good in stress reduction. Since I have got back I've been too flat out to reflect on it as much as I would like though. I'm on my 3rd straight 7 day gig atm with one more to go. I'll be all finished for the year in 3 weeks time.

I tell you what, you come here and shoot for me for 6 months and I'll cover your airfare gladly.
Seems all the 20 somethings in my family are going and doing the working Holiday thing in Canada as are half their friends.
IF they can go there, you can come here! :0)

rofl