There's no question that traveling can be a lot of fun. But, it can also be exhausting!

I recently returned from a long road trip. I left Chicago to drove to California in mid-July and returned 32 days later. Most days started with an early morning photo shoot, some midday scouting of possible locations and an evening shoot. I also had to work the 7,000 miles of driving into that time period!

I would like to dedicate this blog entry to outline the 24 hour period which started on the first day of my trip. This day is fairly typical of a photography day for me on the road.

1:00 PM:

Arrived in Iowa City from my morning drive from Chicago. Visited the Old Capitol Building. Walked the campus of the University of Iowa and captured images of the Pappajohn Business Building. Drove to Des Moines.

Iowa Old CapitolOld Capitol building at 21 N. Clinton Street on the campus of the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa on July 15, 2016 3:30 PM:

Checked into the hotel in Des Moines. Walked a mile along the Des Moines River to scout locations for cityscape photos. Lighting was not the best, so I used a long exposure to add some interest to the sky for the following image. Then walked a couple of more miles to view the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge to prepare for my evening photo shoot.

Downtown Des MoinesDowntown Des Moines from the John Pat Dorrian Trail near the Scott Avenue Bridge in Des Moines, Iowa on July 15, 2016 7:30 PM:

After dinner, I returned to the bridge. I captured a number of images before sunset and kept shooting through the "blue hour". The following picture was taken at 9:30 PM.

Iowa Women of Achievement BridgeIowa Women of Achievement Bridge over the Des Moines River at Principal River Walk in Des Moines, Iowa on July 15, 2016 10:30 PM:

Time to upload the files to my laptop. Captions were added to each image in Lightroom. GPS coordinates were added as well. Files were backed up on two external hard drives. All batteries recharged.

Midnight:

Time to go to bed and hopefully get some sleep!

5:00 AM:

Left hotel to arrive at the University Avenue bridge for a dawn cityscape. Fortunately, University Avenue is just ten minutes away. Got set up on the bridge and kept shooting from 15 minutes before until 30 minutes after sunrise. Sunrise is 5:54 AM.

Des MoinesDowntown Des Moines and the Des Moines River from the University Avenue bridge in Des Moines, Iowa on July 16, 2016 7:00 AM:

Return to the hotel for a shower and breakfast. Check out of hotel.

8:00 AM:

Arrive at the Des Moines Art Center before the lighting gets too harsh. I enjoyed the site, so I kept shooting for about an hour.

Des Moines Art CenterDes Moines Art Center at 4700 Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa on July 16, 2016 9:30 AM:

Drive to the Iowa State Capitol. The lighting is no longer ideal for outdoor shooting, but I intend to shoot interiors now. I stay at the Capitol for over an hour.

Grand staircaseGrand staircase in the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa on July 16, 2016. Extending the full width of the east wall over the staircase is the great mural painting Westward, an idealized representation of the coming of the people who made Iowa. 11:30 AM:

Drive to the Salisbury House. I scouted this location earlier this morning when I was over at the Art Center. My intention is to tour the site. I captured a few photos as well.

Salisbury HouseSalisbury House at 4025 Tonawanda Drive in Des Moines, Iowa on July 16, 2016 1:00 PM:

I enter my car in the parking lot of the Salisbury House. It's time to move onto the next city and Day #2 of this 32 day journey.

It can be an exhausting process. During this 24 hour period, I logged 10 miles of walking (according to my Fitbit), slept for just 5 hours, drove a few hundred miles, and captured numerous images (more than 30 keepers).