Archive for the ‘Photography tips’ Category
Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:driving the mother road, great photography day trips in the united states, hackberry arizona, kingman arizona, old highway signs, photography along route 66, Route 66, seligman arizona, the best road trip in the united states
Posted in Adventure Travel, Arizona, Car shows, Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Route 66, Tourist attractions, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:americana, las vegas history, neon musum in las vegas, old neon signs
Posted in Family Vacations, Las Vegas, Tourist attractions, Travel photography, United States, Variety | 3 Comments »
Friday, July 11th, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:adobe photoshop techniques, atomic testing museum, ben willmore, chloride arizona, great american history photographs, kingman arizona, las vegas day trips, las vegas nevada, las vegas strip, Route 66, the mother road
Posted in Adventure Travel, Travel Destinations, Travel photography, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Thursday, July 10th, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:Amtrak train options, catching a train in the United States, taking a trip on Amtrak, travel by train across North America
Posted in Adventure Travel, Canada, Family Vacations, Train Travel, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Travel tips, Travel with kids, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:independence day in new york, macys fourth of july fireworks, new york city fourth of july, roosevelt island, watching fireworks from roosevelt island
Posted in Adventure Travel, Family Vacations, Holiday Celebrations, New York, Photography tips, Travel photography, Travel with kids, United States, Variety | No Comments »
Monday, June 2nd, 2008
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 . . .
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Tags:how to photograph strangers, photographer safety when traveling, photographing people while traveling, taking pictures of children, travel photography tips
Posted in Adventure Travel, Celebrities, Cruise Ship Travel, Digital Cameras, Family Vacations, Photography tips, Ports of call, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Variety | No Comments »
Monday, May 26th, 2008
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
Tags:airborne, Alberta, edmonton, extreme sports, jumping cars, monster trucks, st. alberta rainmakers rodeo, tricks
Posted in Adventure Travel, Alberta, Canada, Digital Cameras, Family Vacations, New Technology, Photography tips, Sports | No Comments »
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
There are some things you must do when visiting New Orleans: Take a Hurricane Katrina bus tour; eat seafood gumbo from a tiny deli on Royal Street; ride a streetcar to the huge St. Patrick cemeteries at the end of Canal Street; and visit haunted houses in the French Quarter. Above all, take a walk along Bourbon Street, but do it in the morning.
Bourbon Street is a magnet for the young and lecherous among us, at night, but a morning walk in the bright sunshine, devoid of the nighttime debauchery, can be a truly pleasant experience. Especially if you are a photographer.
Read on . . .
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Tags:avoiding bourbon street, bourbon street, new orleans louisiana, photography, royals street, taking pictures, wax museum, when to visit bourbon street
Posted in Adventure Travel, Digital Cameras, Family Vacations, New Orleans, Tourist attractions, Travel photography, United States | 4 Comments »
Saturday, April 19th, 2008
Okay, call me a traitor, call me a fool, call me any name you like but I had to take the chance. I made a decision, before a recent trip to southern Texas and New Orleans, to leave my heavy Olympus Evolt E-300 DSLR at home. I replaced it with a sleek little 12-megapixel Fuji FinePix F50 compact digital camera.
My husband looked at me askance as he repeatedly asked me if I still wanted to take my DSLR camera. I told him, firmly, “No.” That I would take my chances. And that I would live with my decision. Only time would tell if I had made a terrible mistake . . .
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Tags:choosing a camera that's easy to carry, choosing a small compact digital camera instead of an S, f50, fuji finepix, good 12 megapixel digital compant cameras, olympus evolt, small digital cameras, travel photography
Posted in Adventure Travel, Cruise Ship Travel, Digital Cameras, New Technology, Photography tips, Texas, Tourist attractions, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Travel Products, Tropical Destinations, United States, Variety | Comments Closed
Friday, April 18th, 2008
“Oh, look a snake!”
The urgency in my husband’s voice was alarming. We had just been warned by a local Texan to watch out for snakes inhabiting the bushes. And sure enough, in one of the older, more deserted, most appealing graveyards, just outside of Brownsville, along Highway 281, a snake crossed our paths.
Read on. . .
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Tags:brownsville, hwy 281 texas, Mexico, old military highway, old texas graveyards, progresso, snakes in texas, texas civil war cemeteries
Posted in Adventure Travel, Cemeteries, Texas, Tourist attractions, Travel - General Advice, Travel photography, Travel safety, Travel tips, United States | Comments Closed
