Preparation

Make reservations. Make more reservations. Purchase stuff. All the same as what we do on a regular basis, but multiplied due to the number of people involved. And with a crew of 20+ that is working, there are special needs to be met. Tables, dietary requirements, first light, last light, getting people and gear from one place to another. Logistics in the tropics - not easy, but it can be done.

Accommodating a group of 20+ people who are working is a bit different than taking care of people who are on vacation. Most of our guests when they arrive have about 30 pounds worth of luggage and are moving at a slower pace because they are on vacation. This group had much to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. We did everything we could to make it as easy on them as possible. We had a service meet them at the gate when they arrived in Panama City to help them through Customs and Immigration. We had our transportation provider move them and their stuff throughout the city. We made all the airline and hotel reservations. We rented a van to bring all of the heavy equipment, etc. to Bocas. This group was traveling with far more than the domestic airplanes could handle as cargo. We transferred the people and stuff from airports and the mainland to get out to the archipelago. Then we made sure they had a nice place to stay and some delicious meals to sustain them. And this was before any work began on the photo shoot.



This post is in our Behind the Scenes series for the Athleta Photo Shoot for their Summer 2010 catalogs shot here in Bocas del Toro in January 2010. It was both an honor and a lot of fun to be a part of this process.