You think it’s amazing when you are traveling to shoot for someone but once that person needs photos, your flight is changed and you can’t find your memory card, it’s not so fun.
Yes, you have to take photos but there are flights, files, and invoicing to worry about as well.
It’s not about packing your entire office into your camera bag. It’s about creating some helpful habits to get you through your next travel job.
What We Will Be Going Over
- Have A Job Sheet For Every Job
- Have An Easy Way For Clients To Get A Hold Of You
- Organize Your Files
- Always Back Up Your Cards
- Let Clients Know Where Things Stand
- Have Paperwork Ready To Go
- Give Yourself Some Buffer Time
- Final Thoughts
Have A Job Sheet For Every Job
Having multiple jobs at once can get confusing if you try to remember everything. Someone could even update the shot list while you are on your way to another destination. So having something written down is a must.
Make a job sheet for each job you have coming up. Whether that is a Trello board, Excel sheet, or Google Doc it all works the same.
Have it include where you are going, the date of the shoot, who to contact when you get there, information on getting around, cost, expense, what the client is asking for and the due date. Also put a link to your contract and another contact for that location.
Keep an updated shot list on the job sheet. For example, if you’re shooting a hotel, ask which rooms will be ready. For a hotel shoot, note which rooms are ready and when staff can open closed areas. Check whether the client needs horizontal or vertical images. Before you leave to go shoot, reference your job sheet instead of trying to remember or searching through emails.
Have An Easy Way For Clients To Get A Hold Of You
Just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean clients should have to change how they contact your business. Keeping a consistent contact number makes it easier for clients to reach you about new assignments.
Having a virtual phone and fax number will allow you to keep your business accessible while you travel. It can help forward calls and voicemails to you. A virtual fax can also be beneficial to have while you are on the road.
Another thing to consider is your postal mail. There are companies out there that will allow you to set up a virtual mailbox for your business. If you’re comparing virtual-office services, learn more about digital mailboxes and office plans that include phone and fax.
Of course, having a virtual office won’t fix all of your problems. Let your clients know that you will respond to them within a certain timeframe while you travel.
Organize Your Files
Taking amazing pictures is useless if you cannot send them to your client.
From there, create subfolders for originals, selected images, images you’re editing, exported files and delivery copies.
Never call something final-final-new.jpg; label your files with a date when it was exported or delivered.
Always Backup Your Cards
Having one portable hard drive is not going to cut it. You could lose that as well if something were to happen to you or your computer.
Make sure you’re backing up the card files to your computer and at least one separate storage device. If you have the ability to back up online as well that is great too. Store your drives separately from your computer and cards.
Also make sure your files will open before you format any of your cards. If you are only backing up your catalogs that may not be backing up your images either.
Take the time to label your images after you are done traveling. Add any important keywords, location, and caption the client wants you to use. That way you won’t be trying to remember which picture was taken of which location or building.
Let Clients Know Where Things Stand
No one likes chasing down their photographer for photos, but updating your clients constantly while on the road will slow down your editing time.
Set a few milestones in your job that you will communicate with your client on. Tell them when the shoot will be, let them know it’s complete, and send them over the final products.
Make sure to keep track of due dates on your job sheet and in your calendar. Keep the client’s time zone in your calendar. A Friday 3 p.m. deadline in New York may fall in the middle of the night wherever you’re traveling.
Give the client information they can use. Instead of saying the photos are almost done, tell them what you’re doing and when they can expect delivery.
If you think you are going to be late, let the client know as soon as you can and give them a new date to have the photos by.
Have Paperwork Ready To Go
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 67% of U.S. photographer jobs were held by self-employed workers in 2025. So paperwork is something photographers have to deal with.
When you’re booking a job, confirm exactly what the client is hiring you to deliver.
There is a difference between giving someone images for their website and licensing those images to be used in an advertisement. Make sure you have that in writing with your client.
Also know if you need to get any permits or model releases for the job. This depends on where you are, who you are shooting, and what the image is being used for.
Snap pictures of your receipts and assign them to a job. Make sure you’re separating personal expenses from business costs. Check unpaid invoices as well. After travel expenses, a distant shoot may earn less than expected.
Give Yourself Some Buffer Time
It’s always tempting to book your next job as soon as one is done. However, you never know when a train will be delayed, you need to fix your camera, or get your files to a client.
Give yourself time at the end of each job to make sure everything is backed up, let your client know you are finished, tally up your expenses, and plug in your camera and laptop.
Review whether each job was profitable and what could go better next time. You might need more editing time or clearer communication about the images you’re sending.
Final Thoughts
Having these things in place will make your life easier while traveling for work. Once you have a job sheet, reliable contact details, a backup system and scheduled client updates, you can focus more on taking photographs. It’s all about taking those photos!