TTT: Take a photography class

My travel tip for you this Tuesday: if you’re going on a trip of a lifetime (in my opinion all trips are trips of a lifetime, but that’s another topic) and you love capturing your memories in photographs, you should absolutely consider taking a photography class.  Last night I took the last of my basic DSLR photography classes at Wake Tech.  I learned a lot about photography and even some about Photoshop.

For the last class, we were each supposed to bring in 24 pictures that we’ve taken, preferably while we were in the class but we could bring in older pics since we didn’t get to do the field trips due to cold weather.  I was really proud of my pictures, and I’d like to share a few this you.

Here’s the Sri Venkateswara Temple (Cary, North Carolina) – first with polarizing filter, then using silly fish eye adapter:

Here are some moon pictures taken in Morrisville using various white balance settings to make it more interesting:

Destination: Venice

Venice was a dream.  Have you been?  If not, put it on your list and start working towards it.  If so, are you longing to go back?  Although it was rainy and chilly for our visit, I loved it.  It was just beautiful.  The water looked as fake as I expected.

 

Cute! What happens when you leave a camera on the loose

Check out this cute story on Smitten, a blog via Glamour.  The short story is that someone left a couple disposable cameras on benches in NYC, each with a note asking people to take pictures.  A couple of the results:

I’d love to do this in the Triangle, but I have no idea where I could plant cameras that people would actually find them… Maybe on or near college campuses.  Hm…

Images from Smitten at Glamour.

TTT: Posing for pictures on your next vacay

This Travel Tip Tuesday marks my 300th post, so I want to make it special.  One of the most important things to me is looking my best in your travel pics.  I’ve read lots of articles and blog posts online, and here are a few tips that I like:

1. Know thyself!  Know how to smile the right amount or what your best funny face is.  Know if you have a good side (yeah, some people do).
2. Avoid facing the camera straight on (unless you know for a fact you look better that way, but that’s pretty darned rare).  This trick is usually slimming.  Don’t angle yourself too much; you don’t want to make your neck all wrinkled.
3. Don’t hold your breath – you might look weird.
4. Hold in your stomach – don’t suck it in, just flex it.
5. Use good posture.
6. Make sure both arms aren’t straight.  Also, make sure you don’t smash your biceps against your body.  These tricks are also good for legs, especially when sitting.
7. Rest most of your weight on one foot.  It’s slimming.
8. Don’t tuck your chin in and give yourself an extra chin.
9. Ask the photographer to take multiple shots.  Then you have a better chance at getting one you like.
10. Try to be as comfortable as possible.

TTT: Tips for photographers

If you travel, you really ought to love photography as well – those pictures serve not only as proof that you were there but also reminders of the good times you had.  Here are some tips for preparing to take those photos before you ever leave home:

1. Make sure you take enough memory.  Picture this: You’re on a Greek cruise.  It’s been the trip of a lifetime, and you’re at the final port.  You lift your camera to snap the perfect photo of a bird flying by a gorgeous cathedral and – oops!  Insufficient memory.  If you take a lot of pictures like I do, make sure you have as much memory as you can possibly stand to purchase.  On our 7 night Greek cruise, we shot about 1,800 pictures, and I definitely could’ve taken more.  We did fine with 2 4gb cards, but I’ll need a lot more space on our next trip – we’ve upgraded cameras, and I take even more pictures now.
2. Take a spare battery.  I just ordered an extra one for our new camera.  My husband asked why – the batteries last for a loooong time in our DSLR.  I remember when our first battery quit on our last trip.  It was so nice to whip out the extra – and I didn’t even have to think about re-charging until I pulled out the second one.  What a treat.
3. Make sure you have the ability to plug in your charger.  We have become sooo spoiled with cruising.  It’s so nice to not have to worry about taking converters since the ships are fitted to U.S. standards.  If you’re doing a foreign land-based vacay, triple check that you are taking the right kind of converter.
4. Make sure you have the right camera bag for what you’re doing.  Read more about this in one of my earlier TTT posts.
5. Do lots of research about magic hours and customs in the places you’re visiting.  For example, if you’re going to Venice, you have to go to St. Mark’s when the lights are on (usually 11:30-12:30 on weekdays and all day on weekends).  That’s not the perfect example since you’re not supposed to take pictures in there, but it’s the best I can think of right now.  It’s also important to understand the customs of the people you’ll be seeing.  For example, Amish people believe photos are a form of vanity and hate having their pictures taken.
6. Pack all of your camera gear in your carry-on luggage.  I’d hate for it to get damaged or lost.  Be warned about carrying on a tripod – sometimes you may not get it through security.  There have been reports of people being required to check them as they may be considered weapons (esp. the ones with the spiky feet).

Happy shooting!

TTT: Travel Tip Tuesday

The tourist has been out sick…

Sorry I missed Travel Tip Tuesday this week.  As an apology, I’m sharing professional pics of me.  No, I didn’t hire a photographer.  Remember the vow renewal I mentioned before?  Ami & Scott’s photographers posted some more pictures recently, and I made the cut.  First up – the famous and wonderful Jessica Claire.  I’m the girl in the pink dress, not the adorable dog.

Annnd here I am with Mr. Feisty Tourist.  Isn’t he cute?  And whoa, Michael Norwood is pretty much AWESOME, right?

Oh, you probably want to see Ami and Scott too.  Here’s a terrific one by the third star photographer at the shindig, Mark Brooke:

TTT: How to transport your DSLR

If you have a DSLR, this Travel Tip Tuesday post is for you.  I am the proud owner of two DSLR bags that we actually used.  I “need” two because they serve different purposes.  We first tried the traditional shoulder bag, like this one.  But those are ugly and uncomfortable.  For our last trip to Europe, I decided we should get a camera backpack.

TTT: Review pictures in advance

If you’re like me, your favorite souvenirs from your trips are your photos.  You may also be like me in that you are not an especially creative photographer and have trouble coming up with unique perspectives while taking pics.  For this Travel Tip Tuesday, I’m advising that you do some browsing of pictures of the places you plan to visit on your next trip.  You might see an amazing picture taken from Notre Dame with a gargoyle helping to frame it.  Then you can try your hand at re-creating that pictures instead of just snapping the usual Paris cityscape after your climb.  Trust me – this is something that’s absolutely worth the time.