Have you been told to shoot in RAW? Have you looked at photographs that seem not up to par? Are you having trouble getting great shots from your expensive DSLR?
Then maybe you should put down the camera, and do some reading instead.
Read on . . .
My husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary yesterday. Our formal plans had us dining at a very cool eatery called “The Bootlegger Italian Bistro,” in South Las Vegas. We had eaten there when we first arrived in Vegas and thought it would be a nice place, with its classic old gangster ambience, to have our anniversary dinner.
But our plans changed. Vegas has a way of doing that to plans. So, we cancelled our reservations in favor of another place. And we are so glad we did. We had one of our best times yet in Las Vegas.
Read on . . .
Are you planning a trip to that Mecca of Nevada: Las Vegas? Maybe you have never visited this city of bright lights and money-grabbing slots, or maybe you haven’t been there in awhile.
The good news? Many things haven’t changed.
The better news? Many things have changed. Especially at the airport and at the car rental building.
Read on . . .
There are almost no words to describe traveling an authentic portion of Route 66. If time machines exist, then this is one of the finest.
There is an ambience of days gone by, the good old days, when Mom and Dad packed up the old Chevy with 3.5 kids, a dog, a cooler, Dad in his best driving hat, and Mom in her finest traveling clothes, and hit the road in search of adventures, or maybe a new life on the other side of Amercia.
The atmosphere, the sense of nostalgia along “The Mother Road” is so poignant, so acute, that it will bring tears to your eyes. At least, it did, to mine.
My husband and I set out yesterday in search of Americana history. We left Vegas about 7 AM and reached Kingman, Arizona about 3 hours later. With a few stops in the desert along the way, we had set up the perfect photo safari. But we had no idea just how perfect our day was going to be. Because the adventure that is Route 66 still lay ahead of us.
Read on . . .
There is a place in Las Vegas that very few visitors know about. Even fewer will ever see it. It is a place called, “The Boneyard,” and it is a photographer’s dream, even if all you can get is a glimpse through the thick mesh and wire fence surrounding the compound.
The Boneyard is aptly named as it is a sanctuary for old Las Vegas neon signs - the bones of historic Vegas, if you will.
Read on . . .
Planning our next trip is nearly as much fun as taking the trip itself. Well, nearly.
My husband and I are bound for one of our favorite hot spots, and I mean, hot! Las Vegas, Nevada. But we aren’t really into the Strip; we tend to tool around in other parts of Vegas, spending most of our time off the Strip, visiting spots like the Nevada Atomic Testing Museum.
But we have gotten the Route 66 bug, so we’ll go further afield this time. Also, known as the “Mother Road,” Route 66 is just barely visible on modern maps, but a little research shows parts of the roadway can be reached in just under a two-hour drive from Vegas. But it’ll be one hot drive, since we’ll be headed right into the Mojave Desert, at the height of summer heat. But the photo opportunities are just too hard to resist.
Read on . . .
If you have never taken the train, or you haven’t ridden the rails in some time, then check out the nearest Amtrak station. Especially when exploring a new city. That’s the Philadelphia Amtrak station showing above.
With the high cost of rental cars, gasoline, insurance, and with the irritation of battling traffic in a strange city, travel by Amtrak train is like a gift from heaven.
My husband and I have just decided to include at least one Amtrak day trip while traveling, and we are very glad we did. We took the Amtrak between New York City and Philadelphia, and loved the trip.
Read on . . .
With millions of people, all eager to catch a glimpse of some of the world’s best Fourth of July fireworks, where does a visitor - or for that matter - a local New Yorker go to catch the show?
It’ll be my first visit to New York during the 4th of July, and I wanted to do this visit up right. I have already done Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day - so I am expecting great things from New York City on Independence Day.
But I am glad I did the research first. Here’s what I discovered about how best to enjoy the Fourth of July in New York City.
Read on . . .
A man ran up to our table at the local farmers market, and boom, he and his camera were in my granddaughter’s face. No preamble, no “Hi. How are you?” No nothing. Just wham, bam . . . you get the picture (pardon the pun).
I was stunned. It was all I could do not to grab the guy by his camera cord and demand that he erase the picture. He stupidly bobbed his head, mumbling something about how he “hoped I didn’t mind,” but I knew he wasn’t asking permission. He was just reacting to the look on my face.
He scuttled away like the vermin he had proven himself to be.
Do you photograph people this way? If so, you are WRONG! And worse, you are a coward.
As a photographer, I am very opposed to this grab-and-run style of thievery. In my estimation, it is a type of violence, a rape, if you will. Without some form of permission, be it a slight nod of acceptance or a full model release, modern day shutterbugs should NOT be zooming in on people, and taking their photos.
Here are some suggestions to ensure you remain civilized when shooting photographs of strangers. Read on . . .
Monster truck jumps cars
I am a huge fan of both monster trucks, and my new little Fuji F50 12MG compact digital camera.
I sat at the top of the stands, opted for the Top 3 shots instead of a single shot, set my ISO to 200, chose a medium aperture, pre-focused on the spot where I thought the truck would be, and fired away.
Great jobs done by both “Sheer Insanity” (the truck), and my wonderful tiny camera. Gotta love ‘em.
Caught the monster truck show, recently, at the Rainmakers Rodeo held in St. Albert, a city just a few minutes drive from my home of Edmonton, Alberta.
Cheers,
Sheree Zielke
