Recalibrate

The road trip from hell that made us change the way we think about photography

We took a road trip from hell across the continent—a journey that should have been fun— in a tiny car stuffed full of our belongings. What was supposed to take approximately nine hours turned into sixteen. Within the first three hours, our dog had been sick more times than we could count. Then, just to add to the adventure, we broke down at the border.

Our 72-year-old driver, however, was determined to get us to our destination. He insisted we keep going, hired a new car, and off we went once again.

For photographers, this kind of road trip would usually be a dream. We saw amazing things: farms and abandoned buildings, roadside diners, endless countryside and even some cowboys herding cattle on their ranches, kicking up dust as they went. Yet we simply didn't have the energy to stop and shoot. And perhaps that's okay.

Sometimes these moments are meant to be pure memories. It's important to remember to experience the moment—to look, absorb, laugh, struggle and simply be there. If you get the chance to photograph it, that's a bonus.

Eventually, at midnight, we arrived at our destination. When we opened the car door, the hot, thick air hit us and we realised we were in a completely different place. This was our new home.

After a week of trying to settle in, we finally picked up the cameras again and headed out. Are we home? Perhaps. We are in a small city, so different from the village we have just left behind, and we are almost overwhelmed by the photographic opportunities surrounding us.

There are streets to explore, stories waiting to be told and images everywhere we look.

After the chaos of the journey, perhaps what we needed most wasn't another photograph, but a moment to pause, breathe and find our rhythm again.

It's time to recalibrate.