Travel Articles And News On Vacations

Travel and Scenic Photography 101

When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you notice a car parked half off the road and some guy leaning to the left to avoid a branch with his Rebel 2000 camera in the act of focusing, you've met me. I do this because, to me, a trip isn't fulfilling unless I've preserved that beauty for posterity. I'd like to share some of the techniques that make scenic photography such a wonderful artform - simple, yet elegant.

First off, equipment. As much as the cheapo disposable camera beckons, get real. These cameras have fisheye lenses which I call "spam" lenses. They cram everything in, with equal blurriness and boringness. Good photos are sharp, unless you use blur for artistic effect. Sharp comes from an adjustable lens. It can be a fixed lens or a zoom, but it must focus specially for each picture. Fixed lenses are limiting for scenic pictures, where to frame the shot you may need to move long distances. Imagine using a fixed lens on the Washington Monument, when you're half a block away! Zooms get my vote, even though they often don't have as wide an aperture, which limits their capabilities in low light situations.  

Practically speaking, an SLR is the absolute best. They are lightweight, and can be used with top quality lenses. Film SLRs tend to be less expensive, but have the limitations of film, meaning you have to  get it developed and so forth. Digital SLRs are VERY expensive, so for the budget conscious either go with a film SLR or a high quality basic digital camera. With digital, resolution is also a critical factor, so look at the specs before you buy.

OK, we've got the camera, emotions are running high, and that's great, but not too great! Sometimes I find a spot that is so wonderful, I start shooting like a madman, only to be disappointed by the pictures. What happened? Emotions. When you experience a place, there are sounds, aromas and breezes as well as the visuals of the spot. Needless to say, you can't photograph all of these elements, only the visual. When overwhelmed by the spectacle of a scenic hotspot, we are often overwhelmed by all of these elements.

So what to do? Look through your camera. The viewfinder does not lie (usually). Try to see what you are looking at as the finished picture. Most people perfunctorily take pictures, hoping that somehow the shot will come out great. If you wonder how the pictures came out when you are on the way to the drug store to get them, you're doing something wrong. At the moment you click the pic, you should know exactly what you will get. (Of course with digital, that's not a trick!).  

Now, I was a tad dishonest in saying that you can't capture all of the elements of a scene. You can hint at them. For starters, motion. Yes, even in a still picture, there is motion. Something happened before, during and after your picture. In a mountain vista scene, you may find something that hints at motion, whether it be a branch of a tree that has been swaying in the breeze, or a river flowing through the valley below. These add a sense of motion.  

Then there's the "rule of thirds." When you place the main object of the picture smack-dab in the middle, it is static and boring. Place it one third of the way from either side, and you IMPLY motion. Put the horizon in a landscape photo a third of the way up or down, not across the middle.

Remember, when a person looks at a picture, their eyes move. You want to frame your photo to help that movement. If you can find some lines in the scene, such as a skyline, cloud formation, path through the forest, etcetera, use it interestingly, and with the rule of thirds to draw your viewer's eyes into the picture.

Avoid "summit syndrome." You get to the top of Mount Washington and shoot the majestic vista. Great. The pictures come out ... boring! How? No PERSPECTIVE. Big vistas will be flat unless you have an object in the foreground, such as a rock or a tree, to give them perspective. Then the eye really grasps how big this scene is. People enjoying the view is a real winner, because the viewer may identify with their emotions, giving the image real impact.

Cheese! Yes, you do have to take the family photos. It's obligatory. But when you do, make sure that they show the LOCATION of the photo. Otherwise, you might as well do it on your driveway. Frame the scene in context, with landmarks as part of the picture. Find a way to tell as story in the picture, such as little Sara climbing up the rocks by the waterfall.

Finally, any element in the picture that hints at more senses than just the visual will make it  remarkable. Actor headshots for example, tell a story about the subject. You can almost hear them saying their next lines. If you photograph a garden, the viewer may experience the aroma of the flowers. A tourist street with an accordion player on the corner may have your amazed friends   whistling "Dixie."

In summation, picture taking on travel is recording the experience in a satisfying way. Use motion, perspective, sensory, storytelling and so forth, to bring your photos to life. Oh, and needless to say, make your job easy and go to great places! See you at the overlook!

Seth Lutnick is a photographer, composer, and performer. He has taken thousands of scenic photos, recorded two albums of original music, and appeared on stage, TV and film. Visit his website - www.getitdone.biz - for more detailed plans on photography, music, health and education, and extensive product links for the resources to fulfill your goals.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Brookstone Holiday Travel Gifts Bring Peace on Earth to the Skies and Special Memories to the Road
Innovative product developer and specialty retailer Brookstone has the perfect holiday gifts for the traveler who just wants to fly in peace or share special memories on the road.

Travel Content For Website
Google Search Engines Blogs Adsense Dictionary Education Results? The couple will be more than happy to pay for all the services you provide. Isn't that great? Comprehensive Internet marketing for online business is more than just launching a campaign. You won't make money online though by adding numerous links that have nothing to do with you or your product.

Costa Rica White Water Rafting Trip
Costa Rica's mountainous topography and copious rainfall are both responsible for one of the best white water rafting river choices in the world. Experienced rafting outfitters regularly run about half a dozen of rambunctious rivers, and those river trips not only provide plenty of excitement, but also allow enjoying gorgeous scenery.

Advertising Your Vacation Rentals Online - Pros And Cons
Advertising on the web is one of the most important ways to promote your vacation home rental property. To get the most out of your advertising dollar and get the most exposure you must advertise on multiple web sites. Failure to do so will eventually result in your bookings falling off; remember that there is increasing competition on the market for vacation homes as vacationers drift towards private rentals instead of hotels.

TripWiser and Wcities Team Up to Create Unmatched User Experience in Family Trip Planning
TripWiser, a prominent family trip planning site, and Wcities, the world's premier location-based information service, enter into a strategic partnership to create the most affluent user experience in family trip planning. State-of-the-art trip planning capabilities by TripWiser combined with expert-rated content from Wcities create a truly unique co-branded site, wcities.tripwiser.com (http://wcities.tripwiser.com), that moves far beyond blogging and offers an unmatched trip planning service.

Owners of Ontario Cottage Resort Offers Tips and Solutions to Simplify Vacation Planning
How do you find the "most suitable" vacation destination efficiently without spending hours surfing the web?

Central Asia Travel Destinations: Kyrgyzstan
This mountainous country, filled with natural beauty is often referred to as the Switzerland of Asia The Tian Shan Mountains cover more than 3/4 of the land and furnish endless hiking and mountaineering opportunities

Putting Together An Amazing Scuba Diving Vacation Package
Today, in the age of the Internet, savvy travelers can quickly and efficiently package vacations that include the options that matter most to them. For scuba diving enthusiasts, putting together a scuba diving vacation package ? that bundles all the features you most look for in a vacation ? is as close as your home computer.

Google Search Partner's Sweepstakes Is Giving Away A Vacation Every Hour
Prizola.com, a Google search partner, is giving away free 3-day/2-night vacation getaway certificates and other prizes to randomly selected searchers every hour in a brand new sweepstakes.

How To Find A Great All-Inclusive Mexico Vacation
In recent years the traveling public has really taken the idea of an all-inclusive vacation in Mexico to heart. Being able to pay one fee and just relax on vacation without having to worry about how much you are spending on food and drinks or if you can afford one more hour on your windsurf board can be wonderful. Knowing that your room, food, drinks, and activities are all paid for can remove all monetary concerns and let you just enjoy your vacation the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Family Fun Vacation - Philadelphia Family Holiday Reservations
Philadelphia, which is located in Pennsylvania, is one destination that pulls you endearingly to come and visit this superb family destination When you decide on making a Philadelphia vacation there are many options to choose from

Travel To Rome, Italy
For new travelers who never been to Rome before could find out that it is very hard to imagine how Rome looks like and how to prepare themselves before visiting Rome. There are already plenty of this kind of information but this one probably the in-dept one that you are looking for. There are some good tips about what kind of attractions that you should visit when you are in Rome as they are particularly interesting even some of them may not be the highlighted attractions.

Devon Hiking Spa Bridges the Gap - New Spa Blends 'Real Life' with Spa Vacation
Devon Hiking Spa offers a new option for health-minded travelers. Participants enjoy a fun, active vacation and learn how to integrate healthy practices into their daily lives.

Saving Your Trip With Basic Camping Supplies
Camping trips are great Camping allows you to have fun, adventure, and learning while embracing the challenge of living outdoors

Scuba Diving And Snorkeling Vacation In Hawaii
Millions of vacation tourists visit Hawaii every year. Most of them came to explore the beautiful Hawaiian Islands and volcanoes while some came with the intention to scuba dive in the tropical seas and to explore Hawaii's magnificent underwater world. According to Rodale's scuba diver magazine, Hawaii is one of the world's top ten diving destination for scuba divers.