I recently spent more than 2 months living in my small SUV while traveling across Norway. All for photography. It was an incredible experience, one I will never forget, but how does it compare to other approaches when it comes to traveling for photography?
Quick reminder that I did a small reprint of my book ONE and there are a few copies available (shipping to the US only at this time): https://aows.co/store/books/one
what it was all about
I drove all the way from NW Spain to Senja, in NW Norway; it took me a whole week to get there. From there, I headed down along the Norwegian coast (including the beautiful Lofoten islands), taking my time, going with the flow, having the freedom to go anywhere I wanted, for as long as I wanted.
Because I chase conditions more than locations, I thought this would present me with better opportunities to make the photographs I like, instead of trading that flexibility for a bit more comfort and convenience.
Sleeping in such a small car wasn’t easy, though. Yes, every once in a while I felt like I was living in a postcard; other times, the conditions were miserable.
Let’s begin with the downsides.
the not so good
My health was the first victim of this lifestyle. The diet gets more restrictive and you have to do with what you’ve got.
Exercise was a much bigger deal for me, though: I was coming from a (more or less) daily routine that included a lot of walking, and some running; the change from that active life to a mostly sedentary one was a big shock.
Getting some proper rest was a bit more challenging in the car. I did have a relatively comfortable bed, but a car doesn’t offer as much insulation from the outside as a house does. I slept mostly near roads, and the traffic was very loud until late in some locations. Some nights, it was the weather; rain but mainly wind, so windy that the whole car was moving. Hard to fall asleep in those conditions.
The weather also kept me inside the car on many days. I absolutely love the atmosphere of the Norwegian landscapes, and I believe they truly shine on those rainy and cloudy days. But non-stop rain can do a lot of damage on top of an already very sedentary lifestyle.
While it wasn’t a problem at the beginning of the trip, the lack of daylight didn’t help. Nights kept getting shorter and shorter, to the point where I was spending 15+ hours inside the car, while it was pitch dark outside. I got to do some work and some reading during that time, but it gets tiring. Inside a house, you get to move a bit even if only to go to the bathroom.
Talking about getting work done, it wasn’t a big deal but it wasn’t that comfortable. I didn’t sit on a real chair, at a real table, for weeks; I was working on my computer while laying on bed, not ideal; and having a good Internet connection was also a challenge when it came to sharing my photos and videos.
Running errands, those little things you have to do everyday, is much harder and takes much longer while living on the road. Forget about getting anything delivered, since you don’t have an address. Because I didn’t have a fridge, I had to visit the grocery story very often, sometimes daily. Washing the clothes was a challenge in itself, as it was taking a shower.
You see, most of the nights, I parked on the side of the road in relatively remote locations. They are not easy to find, and because of that they are in high demand, especially during the summer. I never knew where I was going to spend the night. It’s a strange feeling, not knowing where you’ll be sleeping in just a few hours. It can get stressful at times, when you fail to secure a good place, but I got used to it. You get used to anything.
the good
That was a lot of not so good things! Let’s talk about the good things now.
The most important to me was the lack of friction when it came to making images. I believe photography is mostly about timing, being at the right spot at the right time, ready to see a scene and capture it. So it just makes sense that the more time I spend out there, the more good images I’ll make. That was exactly what happened.
I know because I can compare my time living in the car with the time I spent (I’m still spending) in BnBs and hotels. The amount of images I’ve made since I left the car has decreased significantly.
This is huge, this point alone could justify living on the road for photography. But there’s more.
Not having a fixed location, having the flexibility to be anywhere at anytime, gives you a lot of power. I was able to choose which location to go to depending on the conditions happening there. Bad weather? I’ll drive through the mountains, or I’ll stay in town, trying to capture that beautiful atmosphere. Good weather? Let’s go to the coast and do some long exposures, or let’s go for a hike!
The key here is not having to go back to any headquarters. Traveling always “one way”, without having to do the “round trip” back to an accommodation increased my choices and possibilities.
Lastly, another big one: cost. Living in the car for 2 months meant embracing a lot of discomfort and inconvenient situations, but it was also free. I did have to buy a roof box (to make more space inside the car) and a battery (to power all my cameras and devices), but those are things I’ll be able to use again in future trips. I wouldn’t have been able to afford such a long trip across a country like Norway for this long if I had to pay for regular accommodation.
so, what’s the verdict?
I loved my 2+ months in the car. I will never forget waking up to beautiful locations, having breakfast surrounded by stunning landscapes, or falling asleep under the northern lights. It was miserable at times, it was cold, uncomfortable, I was tired, and I barely spoke to anyone during that time; but all of these things just made the whole thing even more memorable. I hope the images speak for themselves. I believe I made much better photographs traveling this way than I would have otherwise.
This being said, I was approaching my limit after those few weeks on the road. Perhaps I could have stayed longer if the nights were a bit longer, and I had more daylight to spend outside of the car exploring.
In any case, there’s so much more to photography than just taking pictures. We need to work on them, share them, put books together, reflect on them.
I don’t think I could make the road my permanent home, but I can’t wait to get out there again next year. Not sure how, not sure where, but I know I will.
For those wanting to know more, I have a couple of videos that you might find interesting. This one is about my car setup:
And this one is pretty much what I say in this newsletter, with some more information:
Hope this was useful.
Thanks for reading, and talk to you in the next one!
Adrian
Loved the videos! Very informative :-) can’t wait to see the work you made on that trip!