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Hi Every Body,
How are you all? 1. Use the right stuff. The best equipment that combines shooting flexibility and light weight are film or digital SLRs with wide- and tele-zoom lenses—a 28-70mm plus a 70-210mm is a cost-effective, lightweight optical combo. Always bring a second camera or SLR body in case your primary camera goes on the fritz. Film or digital zoom point & shoots are excellent back-up cameras and a second SLR body takes up little space. Recommended accessories: Light camera bag, small shoe-mount flash for shooting flash pictures beyond 10-1`5 feet, microfiber cloth for cleaning lenses, etc. If you’re really serious, consider packing a lightweight travel tripod and cable or electric release.
Move in for telling details: Close-up of ropes on a pier in Dingle, Ireland conveys the nautical feel of the place and its seafaring traditions. Nikon N75 with 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unrecorded.
2. Check your equipment. Shoot a roll of film or a series of digital pictures to make sure everything is working correctly before your shove off. Never take a new camera on vacation without trying it first and seeing actual results. There is nothing quite as disappointing as having a malfunctioning camera on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but having a working camera and not knowing how to operate it when you see a great shot is a close second.
3. Be prepared times two. Bring more batteries, film, and/or digital memory cards than you think you’ll need—they’re usually much more expensive if you have to buy them in tourist locations, especially in foreign countries. Bring a digital storage device, or a laptop to download your images, and any adapters needed for foreign electrical connections. Bring along instruction books for any complex device (including your cameras)—they take up little room and can be a lifesaver.
4. Use a fast color print film. Example: Kodak Max 400 or
Fuji Superia 400 (or set your digital camera to ISO 200 or 400 equivalent). Image quality is very close to that of slower films and higher ISOs let you shoot at sharper apertures and more hand-holdable shutter speeds. Fast films or ISO settings also extend flash range. Faster films have better color tracking mixed light too, meaning they tend to give more natural-looking results when your subject is lit by, say, a combination of daylight and household lamps.
Shoot the tourists: Fellow vacationers make great subjects. This classic family trio was photographed in Dingle, a seacoast town in Ireland, but the subjects, on holiday, are from Latvia! Nikon N75 with 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina lens, on Kodak Max 400. Exp
5. Record first impressions: You often get memorable images when you shoot pictures that capture your first, fresh impressions of a new place. Be sure to include distinctive local features such as local architecture, dress, flora, signage, etc. to convey the unique feeling of the place.
6. Shoot local events: If there is a festival or scheduled local event, find out about it beforehand and plan to get there early if possible. These are almost always great picture opportunities. Also check out local market days, street fairs, religious or civic ceremonies, and sporting events, all or which are highly photogenic.
Focus on faces: Nothing beats pretty girls and engaging smiles. This fun group was found on the ferry to Aran island off the coast of Ireland. Nikon N75 with 20mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unrecorded.
7. Photograph ordinary people; Nothing communicates the sense of a vacation destination like photos of ordinary local people going about their tasks or just interacting. If you’re an extrovert, go right up to people, smile, says something friendly and they’ll usually let you take their picture. If you’re not the type who can do this doing this, shoot people at a distance using a telephoto or tele-zoom lens.
8. Look at picture postcards: These commercial pictures by pros often give you a good idea of the best angles for shooting landmarks and iconic images of your vacation location. You don’t have to imitate them exactly, but they can suggest the optimal vantage points and times of day to photograph, say, a cathedral or monument. Buy a few picture postcards for reference so you can study them— and you can always mail them to friends.
Get your feet wet: Nice semi-silhouette of a dog and kid enjoying the surf was taken at Sunset Beach, north of Myrtle Beach, in South Carolina. Yashica T4 point & shoot 35 on Kodak Max 400. A dunkable one-time use camera lets you wade in even deeper!
9. Take beach and pool pictures: What’s a summer vacation without water? People at beaches and pools are usually having fun, and it will show in your pictures. When shooting white sand beaches, your meter can be fooled into underexposing the scene, making the sand look gray, so hold in the exposure compensation or backlight-compensation button (or set your camera to give 1-1/2 stops more exposure) as you take such shots. Lighting on the beach is usually high contrast, leading to squinting expressions and unflattering portraits, so use your body to shield your subject’s face from direct sunlight, pose your subject under a beach umbrella, or have somebody hold a white towel as a reflector to even out the light on your subjects’ faces. This is especially important with digital cameras. Fast film (ISO 400) works fine at the beach. If you’re afraid of taking your expensive camera to the beach and subjecting it to possible spray and fine blowing sand, consider using a one-time use camera, such as the Kodak Max Waterproof One-Time Camera, which will even let you wade in to get close-ups of frolicking swimmers.
10. Keep your equipment cool: The worst place for a camera (film or digital) is in a locked car with the window’s rolled up, in the broiling sun. Keep any cameras with you or in the shade. Store your stuff in light-colored reflective cases---small inexpensive, soft plastic zippered picnic coolers work nicely.
11. Zoom in for details: In addition to overall scenics and people pictures, nothing conveys a sense of place as effectively as little details, whether it’s a distinctive post box, telephone booth or shop window. Look for something colorful that typifies the area, and get as close as possible, framing your shot to eliminate all distracting elements.
Get their attention! To get these two shaggy donkeys near the Kylemore Abbey in Connemara., Ireland to look in my direction, I made a sharp sound by hitting a small stone against an iron post. Nikon F5 with 80-400mm VR lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unr
12. Always bring your camera: The main purpose of your vacation is to relax and have fun and picture taking probably comes second at times, but always take a camera with you just in case. It’s when you least expect it that you’ll see something at the next table or across the street that turns out to be your best shot. Even if you leave you SLR back in the hotel room, bring along your compact point & shoot 35 or digital camera. This is also an excellent reason to bring more than one camera on your vacation.
One final suggestion: Make vacation picture taking a family or group event by involving everyone in the process. Give the kids cameras (e.g. one-time-use with flash). Ask your spouse to spot great shots for you. Tell your travel buddies to scout interesting subjects or shooting locations. Not only will you get better pictures this way—you’ll get far fewer complaints when you stop to take pictures. Above all, enjoy yourself. Good hunting and great vacation shooting!
Best Regards......
How are you all? 1. Use the right stuff. The best equipment that combines shooting flexibility and light weight are film or digital SLRs with wide- and tele-zoom lenses—a 28-70mm plus a 70-210mm is a cost-effective, lightweight optical combo. Always bring a second camera or SLR body in case your primary camera goes on the fritz. Film or digital zoom point & shoots are excellent back-up cameras and a second SLR body takes up little space. Recommended accessories: Light camera bag, small shoe-mount flash for shooting flash pictures beyond 10-1`5 feet, microfiber cloth for cleaning lenses, etc. If you’re really serious, consider packing a lightweight travel tripod and cable or electric release.
Move in for telling details: Close-up of ropes on a pier in Dingle, Ireland conveys the nautical feel of the place and its seafaring traditions. Nikon N75 with 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unrecorded.
2. Check your equipment. Shoot a roll of film or a series of digital pictures to make sure everything is working correctly before your shove off. Never take a new camera on vacation without trying it first and seeing actual results. There is nothing quite as disappointing as having a malfunctioning camera on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but having a working camera and not knowing how to operate it when you see a great shot is a close second.
3. Be prepared times two. Bring more batteries, film, and/or digital memory cards than you think you’ll need—they’re usually much more expensive if you have to buy them in tourist locations, especially in foreign countries. Bring a digital storage device, or a laptop to download your images, and any adapters needed for foreign electrical connections. Bring along instruction books for any complex device (including your cameras)—they take up little room and can be a lifesaver.
4. Use a fast color print film. Example: Kodak Max 400 or
Fuji Superia 400 (or set your digital camera to ISO 200 or 400 equivalent). Image quality is very close to that of slower films and higher ISOs let you shoot at sharper apertures and more hand-holdable shutter speeds. Fast films or ISO settings also extend flash range. Faster films have better color tracking mixed light too, meaning they tend to give more natural-looking results when your subject is lit by, say, a combination of daylight and household lamps.
Shoot the tourists: Fellow vacationers make great subjects. This classic family trio was photographed in Dingle, a seacoast town in Ireland, but the subjects, on holiday, are from Latvia! Nikon N75 with 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina lens, on Kodak Max 400. Exp
5. Record first impressions: You often get memorable images when you shoot pictures that capture your first, fresh impressions of a new place. Be sure to include distinctive local features such as local architecture, dress, flora, signage, etc. to convey the unique feeling of the place.
6. Shoot local events: If there is a festival or scheduled local event, find out about it beforehand and plan to get there early if possible. These are almost always great picture opportunities. Also check out local market days, street fairs, religious or civic ceremonies, and sporting events, all or which are highly photogenic.
Focus on faces: Nothing beats pretty girls and engaging smiles. This fun group was found on the ferry to Aran island off the coast of Ireland. Nikon N75 with 20mm f/2.8 Nikkor lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unrecorded.
7. Photograph ordinary people; Nothing communicates the sense of a vacation destination like photos of ordinary local people going about their tasks or just interacting. If you’re an extrovert, go right up to people, smile, says something friendly and they’ll usually let you take their picture. If you’re not the type who can do this doing this, shoot people at a distance using a telephoto or tele-zoom lens.
8. Look at picture postcards: These commercial pictures by pros often give you a good idea of the best angles for shooting landmarks and iconic images of your vacation location. You don’t have to imitate them exactly, but they can suggest the optimal vantage points and times of day to photograph, say, a cathedral or monument. Buy a few picture postcards for reference so you can study them— and you can always mail them to friends.
Get your feet wet: Nice semi-silhouette of a dog and kid enjoying the surf was taken at Sunset Beach, north of Myrtle Beach, in South Carolina. Yashica T4 point & shoot 35 on Kodak Max 400. A dunkable one-time use camera lets you wade in even deeper!
9. Take beach and pool pictures: What’s a summer vacation without water? People at beaches and pools are usually having fun, and it will show in your pictures. When shooting white sand beaches, your meter can be fooled into underexposing the scene, making the sand look gray, so hold in the exposure compensation or backlight-compensation button (or set your camera to give 1-1/2 stops more exposure) as you take such shots. Lighting on the beach is usually high contrast, leading to squinting expressions and unflattering portraits, so use your body to shield your subject’s face from direct sunlight, pose your subject under a beach umbrella, or have somebody hold a white towel as a reflector to even out the light on your subjects’ faces. This is especially important with digital cameras. Fast film (ISO 400) works fine at the beach. If you’re afraid of taking your expensive camera to the beach and subjecting it to possible spray and fine blowing sand, consider using a one-time use camera, such as the Kodak Max Waterproof One-Time Camera, which will even let you wade in to get close-ups of frolicking swimmers.
10. Keep your equipment cool: The worst place for a camera (film or digital) is in a locked car with the window’s rolled up, in the broiling sun. Keep any cameras with you or in the shade. Store your stuff in light-colored reflective cases---small inexpensive, soft plastic zippered picnic coolers work nicely.
11. Zoom in for details: In addition to overall scenics and people pictures, nothing conveys a sense of place as effectively as little details, whether it’s a distinctive post box, telephone booth or shop window. Look for something colorful that typifies the area, and get as close as possible, framing your shot to eliminate all distracting elements.
Get their attention! To get these two shaggy donkeys near the Kylemore Abbey in Connemara., Ireland to look in my direction, I made a sharp sound by hitting a small stone against an iron post. Nikon F5 with 80-400mm VR lens on Kodak Max 400. Exposure unr
12. Always bring your camera: The main purpose of your vacation is to relax and have fun and picture taking probably comes second at times, but always take a camera with you just in case. It’s when you least expect it that you’ll see something at the next table or across the street that turns out to be your best shot. Even if you leave you SLR back in the hotel room, bring along your compact point & shoot 35 or digital camera. This is also an excellent reason to bring more than one camera on your vacation.
One final suggestion: Make vacation picture taking a family or group event by involving everyone in the process. Give the kids cameras (e.g. one-time-use with flash). Ask your spouse to spot great shots for you. Tell your travel buddies to scout interesting subjects or shooting locations. Not only will you get better pictures this way—you’ll get far fewer complaints when you stop to take pictures. Above all, enjoy yourself. Good hunting and great vacation shooting!
Best Regards......