Traveling in the ocean with Viking Cruises feels a lot like doing so on the rivers of the world, by design.  Viking ships, ocean or river, often dock closer to the center of a destination than others. That means more time on included tours that are a major part of the Viking experience.  Still, capturing images of what we see from a motorcoach bring unique but not insurmountable photography challenges.  To help with that, all the motorcoach photo tricks I know.

Reality check: attempting to capture images through the windows of a motorcoach has significant challenges.  

• Window glare
• Tinted Windows
• Window smudges
• Obstructed views
• Weather 

On the other hand, all photography has its share of challenges when traveling, regardless of our view.  Being on a motorcoach just presents a challenging situation of a different flavor.

Cloudy days, for example, are not usually the scene on the marvelous images we see from the cruise line.  They might wait a week to find that sunny day with the ship in port.  You are there for part of one day. The odds are stacked against you.  In cases like that, I focus on parts of the experience that weather does not affect much,  like:

• Faces of other travelers on the scene, enjoying the moment
• Crew doing their job
• Interior ship venues
• Inside elements of destinations
• Culinary closeups

Specific Motorcoach Photo Tricks You Can Use Right Now

• Tripods- probably the biggest improvement realized by travelers is going from a hand-held shooting situation of any kind to the more stable arena provided by a tripod.  Even the steadiest of hands move a little bit.  If that movement happens when the camera is told to take a photo, some detail will be lost. A good, sturdy tripod can greatly reduce this motion.  Still, who has the space to pack one?  Compact tripods are available but still take up space if not the time it takes to set them up.  That effort could be difficult with a 10-minute photo stop.
• Patience- That great photo you saw on National Geographic, the spectacular one with the cheetah frozen in mid-jump?  That might have taken that photographer days of patient waiting to capture. That was after advance research that told them when and where to go for the best odds of that capturing that image.  Still, a lot of the same can be said of sunrises and sunsets.  It’s a waiting game. 
• Flexibility- The photo of the sheep shown above, I captured on a Viking cruise that stopped in Lofoten, Norway.  Also part of a motorcoach tour, we had 25 minutes at this stop which also included beach and camping scenes. Living in Florida, I have lots of chances to shoot beaches. My interest in camping is just a passing one. The sheep, however, were unique.  Being flexible enough to roll around in sheep poo is what I doo.  Humans may not look like sheep but smelling like them makes me the less dangerous choice of humans that have invaded their space.  Where the flexibility comes in here: I was 10 minutes late getting back to the motorcoach, they waited for me and I simply did not care that this one time in my life I was that guy who was late. 
• Shoot In The Opposite Direction First- When the motorcoach guide says we have a spectacular photo opportunity coming up, the first area I look for a shot is anywhere but in that direction.  The lions share of motorcoach riders will indeed take the guide’s advice and shoot in that direction and hope for the best.  
• Timing- Sitting at home, considering optional shore excursions, timing of those might not be all that important.  While traveling, the early tour time you chose to get that out of the way might not be the best choice if cloudy skies cleared up later.  This is one more reason to check with the Shorex people on board your ship.  On our recent Viking ocean cruise, I tested this theory and mixed up times with some tours scheduled early and some later in the day.  Later tours commonly had better weather than their earlier counterparts. 
• Just Go To The Back Of The Coach– There’s still a bit of a stigma about riding in the back of the bus.  That thought probably hearkens back to Rosa Parks in my brain but is really true.  No one wants to be in the back of the bus…which makes that location the default place to go. If you know the bus will be full, like every seat is taken, the back seats are usually considered four when five can actually sit there. If nothing else, that means you will have more room to move.  Most of the time there will be no one else there, enabling you to shoot what you see out of both sides.  That’s a way better place to be than stuck on one side while the big thing you wanted to see is on the other.
• Choose A Travel Company That Cares About Such Things- My very best example of this comes from luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent where the standard is ‘two seats for everyone’. It’s just the way they do it.  Comparing cruise lines over the last couple of decades on this topic, Viking Cruises is the clear winner and about the only one that even considers ‘clean windows’ on a motorcoach. Still, even those two companies have room for improvement, like if we had a wish list.  Oh, guess what?  We do.

Wish List
Changes That Would Reduce The Need Motorcoach Photo Tricks

Tilting Windows- Windows that tilt slightly inward or are coated/made with glare-free glass would be nice. Someone should have figured that out by now.  I’m good with riding on a bus for hours but give me fair odds of a decent photo without fighting glare.  Still, Adobe Lightroom‘s dehazing adjustment is your very best friend here.

Focused Motorcoach Drivers- Motorcoach drivers could skip the smoke break while we’re at an amazing place and clean the windows of road grime and dirt.  Those guys I would feel like tipping.  That they drove us safely without rolling the coach down a cliff is their job. 

The topic of motorcoach photo tricks is a work in progress. There are more motorcoach photo tricks not listed here quite yet.  Those take more explanation and are the topic of upcoming posts.  Check back here or watch for this post to resurface.