Arizona Vacation

I took a vacation to Tucson Arizona where I went to shoot landscapes. I’ve been shooting street for the past several months and out of habit I was shooting everything wide. I was shooting on feeling vs. shooting the center of interest and making compelling composition. In street you are so close that you fill the frame and you are right in the middle of the shot. With a sprawling landscape it can be difficult to exclude those things that are uninteresting when shooting wide. Sometime there are physical limitations to getting really close to your primary focus. Just because you are shooting a landscape doesn’t necessarily mean using a wide or ultra wide lens is the way to go.

I was test driving my ultra wide, so I intentionally kept it mounted. This further exacerbated the issue. Things got even smaller and less interesting. It was a good lesson. One of the things we have to remember is that we must always keep learning. A bad shot can present a great lesson. As you keep raising the bar you have to remember to enjoy your experience. Not all images are going to be “perfect”. This is especially true for your vacation photos. I sometimes forget to capture the experience vs. capturing that compelling image.

Back to lens selection. Wide angle lenses accentuate the foreground while diminishing the background. Telephoto lenses pull the background closer in comparison to the subject. So if you want big mountains that are far away in the background you want to use a telephoto. For wide angle shots you need a foreground dominate subject.

If your star is in the background you do not want to use a wide angle lens unless you are doing so for effect. It will get dwarfed in the process.

Going Wide here . . . Mount Lemmon

This a more compelling image

A better use of  Ultra Wide with good foreground dominate subject and a huge background.  (Saguaro National Park)

An example of using telephoto lens to enhance a the background subject. Great for sunsets!

Summary: Get in the correct mindset, use the correct focal length for the job at hand, always be open to learning and remember to have fun.

One final note: These shots are vacation shots. In the Pro world these shots would due for scouting with the understanding there would probably be a number of visits that would be required to get the right time of day for an image that would be worth the effort of re-visiting. Landscape photographers have the patience of saints and make the necessary sacrifices to be there when Mother Nature chooses to share that magic moment.

Shooting Street Update

So I’ve been shooting street for a few months now. It has been very exciting and rewarding.  It truly is amazing what you see and feel if you just take the time to look and see.  Hanging out of Flickr I have found some really inspired street photographers who’s images really tell a story and have that unique urban beauty. Each image is a point in time never to be duplicated.

 The Occupy Wallstreet movement has been a lot of fun and interesting.  I like to talk to people out on the streets. One thing I can say is that the media spins things any way they want, so if you really want to get the straight story, you really need to get as close to the story as possible. Talk to people and make up your own mind.  

 So what are some things that I have learned?

Always take your camera with you.
It has been said many times but it is true. So, don’t think about it just grab your camera and if you do ask yourself if you should bring your camera, just do it. It took a while for me to program myself to do this but it pays off big.

Take the time to shoot
I’ve gotten some nice shots on my way to and from the train station and at lunch. We’re talking 15-20 minutes here and there. Feels good and keeps you on your game.

Make sure your camera is set for the first shot.
I missed a shot because I had my camera in self timer mode for some group shots I took over the weekend. It took me a while to figure out what was going on as well.

Take a Test Shot
It is easy to be a little sheepish until you get close and fire that first shot for the day. So get it over with. Get in there close and personal even though you know it’s not going to be a keeper.

Enjoy the Walk
Street photography can be a lot like fishing. You never know if you are going to capture something or not. I had a period where I felt like I was hunting down images and felt bad when I came back empty. Enjoy the walk and appreciate the moment. You always win if you are enjoying yourself. Photography is supposed to be fun right?

Smaller Camera and Glass
The weather here inChicagois getting cruddy so I decided to use my D50 and a 50mm f/1.4 just incase I fall on my ass. I don’t want to risk my main gear, plus it is always stays in my commuter bag.  What did I find? People perceive you in a less suspicious way. They really don’t react much at all. With my D300 and 17 -50 lens, I get inquisitive looks like they might get in the evening paper or find themselves on a bill board. Its been an interesting experiment to say the least.

So here are a few shots that I like. You can see them at Flickr on the Streettog222 photo stream.

 

Keep shooting!

Street Photography Workshop

So I’ve embarked on this journey to shoot street photography. Since I typically tend to observe things in depth, I find the city and its’ activity interesting. I like the interesting looking people from the fashionable young ladies to the distinguished old timer.

I recently took a photography workshop on street photography for the purpose of simply getting the shot. I was finding I would see great images but I was not ready, hesitated or just didn’t have the “stones” to take the shot.

So here is a recap of some of the things I learned.

1) The primary issue with shooting street is mental. We feel we are taking something from someone and invading their space. Part of it may be our own resistance as photographers to have our own pictures taken. Our instructor Eric Kim, in a sense, gave us permission to shoot street. It’s legal, many people enjoy it, it’s not hurting anyone, it can make people feel special and can produce some really compelling images. We are doing it for the art.

2) Next is your attitude. Your attitude plays a large part on how people perceive and react to you. If you feel you are doing something sinister you will come off guilty and suspect. Your attitude affects your body language. Your body language gets picked up by those around you. Hey, it’s OK to shoot street!

If you command confidence and carry a smile, people can be quite receptive and welcoming. Once you begin shooting, all of a sudden you are in the pilot’s seat. People begin to look for your direction from you and respond very well to instructions and appreciate compliments and positive feedback.

3) It is really about your intension. Are you there to exploit someone’s situation and document their personal ugliness or capture their strength, courage uniqueness, expression and beauty. I like to capture what is special about my subject.

Angelo (AJ) a photog from the Philippines said that in his country they have something that is call poorism. This is where those who are well to do go into the poor areas of town as a tourist attraction. It is really exploitive. It is something to think about when shooting the homeless on the street. Unless you’re taking a compelling image or raising awareness, the homeless are simply easy targets. It’s all about your intention.

Misc Thoughts

• Always wear your smile
• Often the meanest looking people can be the most friendly
• The worst thing that may happen is that they ask for you to delete their image.
• Taking street photography isn’t really as spooky as you make it out to be.
• Many people like to have their picture taken – it can make them feel special

 Conclusion

• It’s mental – Get in the proper head space about street photography. You are cheery picking the street’s special moments.
• Attitude – People reflect what you put out there. Put on a smile and say thank you.
• Intention – Shoot with caring and heart. We are not just shooting things. We are shooting real people with live just like us and since we spotted them, we are shooting special people. So treat them that way.

If you are intersted Street Photography, I highly recommend Eric Kim’s Street Photography Workshop. It is a great experience and you will walk away with something you just can’t learn from a book. Check him out at http://erickimphotography.com/blog/

Also I would like to give a shout out to Jason Martini a guest instructor who is also a talented streetog. Good stuff  at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_martini/  

A couple of images from the workshop . . .

Motorman

 

Preach in the Streets

And Then There Were Three

Chicago Street Series 1

Chicago Street Series 1

I wanted to take a swing at shooting street photography. I often cruise the streets of Chicago for its’ architectural beauty but thought I’d change my focus to the city’s activity, its’ bustle and inhabitants. 

 So what is street photography? Wiki’s definition: Street photography is a type of documentary photography that features subjects in candid situations within public places such as streets, parks, beaches, malls, political conventions and other settings. If you cruise the web, you will find lot’s of definitions and personal philosophy of what street photography is “supposed” to be. Rather then get too hung up on it, I thought I’d give it a wack. 

Before I shoot, I like to set out with a mind set or intent. This was my thinking. 1) No rules. 2) Try shooting from the hip and on the fly. 3) Try to capture a verb or action 4) Try to capture the environment 5) shoot a lot without expectation. 6) Capture things that stick out. Number 5 was probably the most liberating. It was fun to just shoot from the gut. 

What about gear? There are lot of approaches to this. Shoot long and sneaky or shoot wide with max depth of field. I decided to go small and light and get up and personal but with a little flexibility. For me that is my Nikon D300 without the grip and a 18-105 kit lens to be shot at its’ sweet spot of f/8. Since I will be converting to black and white I didn’t worried when bumping up the ISO quite a bit. 

If you take a look at the series here, I began shooting on my commute. There is a lot of decaying industrial buildings with tags all over the place. I was shooting through green glass of the train and there is some motion blur that looks pretty cool. You will notice a lot of images that have some lens flare as I was shooting directly into the sun. I couldn’t help but grab an architectural shot here and there. Chicago is a very cool city.

Here are some of my faves but check out the series.
 

Tip: Get your self up high to mix up the vantage point.

I like this because of the juxtaposition of a high performance Ducati Monster and  the financial district business atire. You can see the building reflections in the guy helmet.

 

This was shot from the train. You can see a bit of motion blur which looks sort of cool. One thing to note is that the shutter release can be deafening on the morning train.

All post processing was done in Lightroom 3. I made my own pre-sets that get me in the ballpark and adjust to taste image by image. 

What would I do to improve things for next time?

I would get the shutter speed up to reduce motion blur. While some of the shots looked cool with a bit of “movement”, I like my shots nice and sharp. Wide depth of field can’t cure camera shake.

I think I will continue with this approach for a little while. It was fun just to spot and shoot the city in motion. I have other ideas but I think this concept is worth exploring further.

 Chicago Street Series 1

Eyes to the Skies – Hot Air Balloons

I went to a local festival that featured hot air balloons and a short fireworks display where I volunteered to help a pilot ready his balloon for a balloon glow.  This is where 20 or so balloons get inflated and fire their burners all at the same time.

Helping out got me get up close and personal to the sights and mechanics of what goes into ballooning. Did you know that balloon pilots are licensed just like any other pilots of conventional aircraft? It was also interesting to note that there were three FAA officials present for the event.

We were teamed up with a couple from Albuquerque, New Mexico. They were sporting a new Planet Earth balloon that consists of 436 individually printed panels sewn together. Images were taken from NASA’s “Blue Marble” photographs of earth taken by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972.  Check them out here

Due to wind conditions, the glow ended before the grand reveal but it was fun and did provide a unique perspective.  Check out the Planet Earth balloon as well as others here.

 

 

 

Check out the series here.

 

Civil War Days

Civil War Days 
See the entire series here

 I went to the annual running of the Civil War Days held in Naperville, Illinois this weekend. This was a first time event for me and I had a lot of fun.  Imagine a  Trekkie convention but swap out your favorite klingon with Robert E. Lee or Ulysses S. Grant. The cool part is that all ages can get into act.

 The day was sunny with lots of passing puffy clouds. The re-enactment would begin at 2:30pm.  I was thinking I wanted to be able to go both long and wide and but didn’t want to lug around the whole arsenal. I decided on the Nikon D300 with grip, Nikon 70-200VR, Tamron 17-50 and the Nikon 1.7 tele-converter. That’s an effective range of 24 – 510mm (35mm equivalent). I decided to carry my 70-200 in its’ Nikon carrying case with a better strap from an old camera bag.  I attached the tele-converter to the strap using its’ pouch and had my 17-50 mounted to the camera.

 Before taking on a shoot, I like to set my intentions upfront to help keep me focused. First have fun!!! We all want to create a master piece but that is more apt to happen if you are having fun with your creative juices flowing.   2) Focus on the characters and their dress.  3) Basically check out how things are run with the thinking I would be back next year.

 I arrived on location at about 1:00pm and the light was quite harsh.  I was thinking I would need to find shade and diffused light whenever possible. People tend to hang out in the shade so that gets them out of the direct sun but introduces other issues like dappled light, deep shade and full sun reflections and blown out backgrounds. I was thinking that I really should have brought my flash unit at this point.  Thankfully the D300 has a popup flash which I find does a decent job of providing fill.

 

My first shot was a couple of gals hanging out on the shady side of a covered wagon. The overall light wasn’t too bad and the background wasn’t either too dark or too light.  I wanted to make sure I kept as much modern day elements out of my background. Things like cars and chain linked fences and those wearing their Justin Beeber T-shirts for example.

 

My next shot I would use the full sun to help accentuate the edges of a canon. I went in really close at 17mm to get a bigger than life feel to this image.  

Now into the thick of things I began scoping out characters and attire.  It was crowded the light was all over the place and the backgrounds were blown out or cluttered with modern day spectators.  I needed to get tight to reduce as many of the distracting elements as possible.  I changed to my 70-200 f/2.8 to help compress the background.  I could also use a shallow depth of field to isolate my subject as I did on this image. 

  She was sitting underneath some large trees that diffuse the direct sun yet provided enough light where fill flash was not necessary. The shallow depth of field (dof) makes for a pleasant non-distracting background.

Using fill flash

This is an image of Ulysses S. Grant and he is in deep shade with a background that has number of hot spots. I positioned my self so the background was primarily a pine tree that had a similar exposure value to that my subject.

 I took a reading using aperture priority mode and then switch to manual and dialed in the same shutter speed and F-Stop.  I then hit the pop-up flash to provide me a little fill. The first image was too hot.  I used flash compensation to go reduce the power by a half stop and still a little too hot. I cut down the power by another half stop (a total of 1 stop) which got me to what I was looking for. Just a kiss of light on the face under his hat, nice specular high lights in the eyes and a nicely exposed image.

The re-enactment would be more like a sports shoot, so position is key. I spoke with a couple of photogs to get an idea where to get settled. Think of it as a football game where you want to get seats at the 50 yard line.  The light was change as clouds passed by.  It could be really bright one minute and shady the next. I planned to shoot at F/2.8 for individuals and f/4 to f/5.6 for group shots. I wanted to keep the shutter speed up so I bumped the ISO to 400.  I wasn’t worried about noise because there is ample light to keep the noise to a minimum.  Having action, a long lens and reacting to what might be happening next, a fast shutter speed can really help reduce camera shake and motion blur.

This guy looks like he was plucked out of an old western . . .

Overall I really enjoyed this shoot. The participants are really passionate about the history, the regalia and getting into character to put on a memorable show. I was happy with the overall outcome.  What would I do to improve? I would bring my dedicated flash. I would show up on the fist day of the event as I heard there were more participants on day one. I would take more images of the artifacts of that time period such as muskets, pistols, lanterns, spinning wheels and things of that nature. I would also try to get a better position for the re-enactment where I would have less competition when space shrinks as the activities begin to peak. Would I do it again? Most definitely!

Post processing was done in Lightroom. I decided maintain a antique/sepia look to compliment the time period. As always I shoot in raw.

See the entire series here

Thinking about getting a DSLR?

It seems that more and more people are becoming a part of the DSLR community. I often get asked by people starting out, Can you help me pick my first DSLR? I usually say you can’t go wrong with Canon or Nikon. They both are used by the pro’s and have been around for a really long time. While you will certainly get arguments from both camps, I suggest they make their choice first by handling the products from each manufacture’s offernings.  That means getting your hands on one at the store, from a friend or even renting one.

Why? This is the interface between photographer and camera, the artisan and their tools. I love the way Nikons handle. But that’s just me. It’s really your choice. So what if you’re really not touchy feely and both camps will do just fine? Here some other things to consider.

You should next consider that you are not just buying a camera but a camera system. You are subscribing to their product line, their lenses, flash units, product release cycles and the way they position themselves in the market. You will find that one year Nikon is on top and the next maybe Canon and so on. The thing to remember is that both camera systems are very capable.

I’m not going to go into how to evaluate imaging systems; there are tons of debates on Nikon vs. Canon on the web, so knock your self out. One thing that I will say about Nikon is that my D300 can mount all lenses going back to 1950’s and Nikon has been conscious of protecting the photographer’s investment in glass. As they say past history doesn’t insure future performance but they’ve done pretty good so far.

As technology advances, newer is generally better. The features that were presented in the top of the line cameras eventually find their way into the entry level cameras. So you maybe better off buying a newer camera that is one tier lower than the camera that is at the end of its’ product cycle.

My suggestion: Buy enough camera so you won’t loose a ton of money when you want to sell it to get the next step up, or have to wait until the next camera release. The photography bug can get very expensive. It is better not to have to buy twice.

So to make things simple consider buying the newest camera in the middle of the manufacture’s offering, if you can afford more great. If you have to go entry level, try to go with a model that is still relatively new. Today, even entry level cameras are quite capable. One final note: It’s not the camera that makes great images it’s the photographer.

Understand, this writing is geared toward the beginning photographer looking to get their feet wet with their first DSLR. When it comes to indoor and evening sports, weddings and concert photography, pro gear is required tools of the trade. Don’t expect pro performance from non-pro gear.

Welcome to the DSLR community and happy shooting !

Starved Rock 2011



 

Link to the Starved Rock Gallery for 2011

Link to Starved Rock 2009

 

I took advantage of the warmer than average temperature here in the Chicago area to take a jaunt to Starved Rock State Park. This park has a unique quality in the winter months because it seems to attack a large number of Bald Eagles. An amazing factoid is that Illinois attacks the largest number of wintering Bald Eagles out side of Alaska, pretty impressive.

 

 

Bald eagles are truly amazing creatures with wing spans ranging from 5.5 to 8 feet can achieve flight speeds in excess of 75 MPH. They weigh from 8 to 14 pounds and stand approximately 35 inches tall. They live approximately 20 years in the wild and can build huge nests. Typical size is 5-6 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall! Search the internet for some of the largest nests found in the United States.

 

 

There is more to Starved Rock than the opportunity to shoot birds in flight. The park has 5 canyons which make marvelous ice sculptures in winter and has numerous over looks. You might want to break up your day into two parts, one for shooting eagles requiring some serious (heavy) gear then moving to a lighter rig for capturing the canyons and waterfalls.

 

 

My Gear: Nikon D300, Nikon 300mm f/2.8 with a 1.7 Tele-converter. Most serious birdie-ers start with no less than a 500mm. Lenses of this size require a hefty investment but you can rent these lenses for a reasonable price or consider buying used. Be sure to check out rentals locally and online. I purchased my lens used from KEH and have been very happy with it.

 

For the canyons I took my Nikon 18-105 but would have done better choosing my Tamron17-50mm. The extra degree of wideness does make a difference. You could definitely take advantage of a super wide. Why the kit lens? I like the range and at F/8 it is very, very sharp.  Plus it is inexpensive and I don’t have to worry about destroying it.

 

Misc Gear: Binoculars and Yaktrax traction devices that strap on to you boots to provide additional traction on the icy surface you will encounter on the trails as well as the stairs heading to the overlooks, I highly recommend these items for this type of excursion!

 

I like to shoot hand held but will use support on my next trip to Starved Rock. The gear is just too heavy. One could get away with a mono pod but a solid tripod with a Gimbal type mount would probably work the best.

 

Another fun fact about Starved Rock according to folklore is that Starved Rock State Park derives its name from a Native American legend of injustice and retribution. In the 1760s, Pontiac, chief of the Ottawa tribe upriver from here, was slain by an Illiniwek while attending a tribal council in southern Illinois. According to the legend, during one of the battles that subsequently occurred to avenge his killing, a band of Illiniwek, under attack by a band of Potawatomi (allies of the Ottawa), sought refuge atop a 125-foot sandstone butte. The Ottawa and Potawatomi surrounded the bluff and held their ground until the hapless Illiniwek died of starvation- giving rise to the name “Starved Rock.”

 

Misc Info

www.starvedrockstatepark.org

For information about viewing eagles at other times during the winter, contact the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center at: 815-667-4054

  

 Link to the Starved Rock Gallery for 2011

Link to Starved Rock 2009

GEO Tagging – Did You Know?

GEO tagging is becoming more popular as technology advances. GEO tagging is the recording (tagging) of the coordinates in latitude and longitude of where your image was taken. Some smartphones and GPS enabled cameras store this information in the images metadata. This is the place where the date and time is stored. While most photogs know about metadata, they may not have realized that their smart phone could be sharing this information when images are posted to the web.

While knowing the exact location of a picture taken on vacation can be quite cool indeed, it might not be desirable for that item you posted on Craigslist. Check out this short video

Here’s the link to the website I Can Stalk U mentioned in the video.

You might also consider the legal implications that your prize winning photograph was taken on private property. Just something to think about.

The Mistical Changing F-Stop

So I am shooting a girls freshmen’s basketball game with settings with my Nikon D300 set at ISO of 1600 and Aperture at 2.8 in aperture metering mode using a Nikon 70-200 VR lens. I had taken a gray car reading and have been rattling of a number of shots when I noticed that my settings are changing.

 My aperture keeps shifting to f/5.6. I turned the camera off and remount the lens and everything seems operated OK for a while and then begins to act up again. My D300 has never misbehaved EVER. I was a little concerned but kept focused on the task at hand. All in all, I got some good shots and really didn’t miss anything too important. Check it out here.

 So what the deal? Is it the camera? Is it the lens? Is it going to be expensive? Yikes! Further investigation of the shots the misfired indicated that following reading.

 

Notice that there is an asterisk next to the f-stop. For Nikon D300 this indicates that a non-cpu lens is mounted. This clearly is not the case. So it appears to me that the lens and the camera are not commutating. This leads me to do some investigating. My current default non-cpu lense has the following setting.

When using CPU lenses, there are contacts where the lens and the camera body meet. This is the first failure point to be eliminated.  Since the camera body seems to think there is a non-cpu lens it automagically defaulted to the non-cpu lens I had assigned. This explains why it kept changing to F/5.6.

So it is logical to insure that these contacts are clean.  After searching the web for how to clean contacts, I came across this informative link.  Cleaning the body contacts and Cleaning lens contacts.

I followed the guidance on the link for the most part and cleaned the contacts on the camera body and lens.  I am happy to report that things are now operating correctly. What a relief!

So if you are experiencing a demonic changing f-stop, it is possible some simple maintenance could be in order.

Chicago Air and Water Show 2010

Chicago’s Air and Water show is one of the best summertime freebies viewed along the lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point.  Featuring the talents U.S. Navy Blue Angels, AeroShell Aerobatic Team, Chicago Fire Department Air and Sea Rescue Team, Lima Lima Flight Team, The Firebirds, U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team, Sean Tucker & Team Oracle,Ed Hamill and his Air Force Reserve Bi-Plane,Red Bull MiG, and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights. Check out the 53 year history of the event here.

Getting the shot:

Gear is very important when capturing these high speed speticals.  Your point and shoot will have a very difficult time catching anything really moving and even some DSLR’s and lens combinations will be challenged.  You’ll need to have some reach for single air craft and a bit wider for the team shots.  Several fast, high capacity memory card are also suggested because you will be shooting in rapid fire mode. You will have a low than “normal” success rate so expect to take a lot of shots and be prepared cull your shorts for the winners. Tight crops can also be anticipated depending on your setup.

My gear – Nikon D300, Nikon f/2.8 300m, Nikon 1.7 Teleconverter. Effective reach 765mm

My settings – ISO 400 with shutter speed between 1/1600 and 1/2500 a second + 1/3 EV  

See the slide show here

Chicago Blackhawks Stanely Cup Victory Celebration

I have to admit I am not a huge hockey fan. I am a fan of Chicago and ALL of their sports teams. I don’t get caught up in the whole Cubs / Sox thing. I’d back them both in a World Series. But that’s just me. . .

I think the Chicago Black Hawks got the attention of more than just Chicagoans. Their Stanely Cup victory was a truly exciting. I had a blast. Gotta love the vibe of the TRUE hockey and diehard Hawks fans. They were humming Hawk’s goal song – da, dada dat, dada dat dada dada dat song or over a week. (“Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis)

Topping things off with a good old fashioned ticker tape celebration was the bomb. Check out the slideshow.  Click  here for slide show.

Click  here for slide show.

Travel Tips that Worked for Me . . .

Before you head out on your vacation understand what your photography is going to be about. You’re on vacation. I like to take a bit more of a photo journalist approach with fine art aspirations. Photographers tend to be over enthusiastic compared to those in which they travel. You can drive those around you nuts if you are not careful. Let them know to not to worry about you that you will catch up. Then be sure to keep an eye on them and be willing to make a mad dash to rejoin them. 

 Here are some things to keep in mind that worked well for me (No particular order)

•  Take some snapshots. You don’t have to go for the money shot all the time. Go for candid’s and grab shots. Don’t for get to get it a few shots yourself.  
• Leave Bread Crumbs. When on vacation you’re meeting lots of people and moving from location to location. Leave breadcrumbs by taking pictures of signs of towns and building etc. If you have video have people introduce themselves. You get the idea. You will appreciate when you when you have time to go through you vacation’s images.
• Download Daily. Download your files daily placing your files in folder by date and location. If you use Lightroom add some tags as you import them.
• Take some stitch pano’s.
• Have a list of your gear and serial numbers, just in case.
• Put your contact info on your memory cards.
• Don’t let cloudy days ruin your fun – BW can be quite dramatic and excellent for portraits
• Use a good strap that is comfortable and is not a billboard for your Nikon D3. Be sure to change shoulders through out the day. Your back and neck will appreciate it. Also don’t let your strap become the hook for destruction. Don’t let I hang off tables and always grab your strap and camera together.
•  Use a lens hood and keep the cap in your back pocket. This way you are always read for the shot and still protected against minor bumps.
• Shoot rapid fire for in low light situations where you would have pulled out your tripod. You will be surprised how decent the best of the series comes out.  The sharpest shot often has the largest file size but doing a visual check at 100 percent is still the best approach.
• Shooting through Glass – When shooting through windows get as close as possible and use the lens hood and “kiss” the glass. Be sure to watch your zoom though. Acquire the shot and then get as close to the glass as you are comfortable to reduce reflection. .Wearing dark clothing can also help.

My Travel Gear

My Gear choices . . . yours may differ

Lens

I suggest choosing a walk around lens as your primary lens.  I used and 18-105 but there are other options but be sure to start at the wide end. An additional lens opion might be to include a fast prime like a 50mm f /1.8 or F/1.4.  This can be a good option for portraits or covering an evening show where lighting conditions are more difficult. Another choice might be to have and super wide angle.

Body

I have a Nikon D300 with vertical grip. I left the grip at home. You may also want to bring a capable point and shoot to take when you want to leave your expensive rig in the hotel safe.

Batteries, Chargers and Adapters

The D300 has a very capable battery system. I had no problem with having two batteries and only once did I have to go to the backup for full day of shooting. When traveling to other countries be sure to have the correct adapters. I ran into a problem where my adapter plugged into the wall and ran my computer just fine but did not work for my battery charger. For this I needed a low voltage converter used for operating devices like electric shavers. I have to look into this to see what the differences are.

Memory Cards and Download Options

I had a total of (3) 2 GB cards and (1) 8GB card. Each card was labeled with may name and phone number plus a unique number to identify the individual card.  I downloaded all images to my PC at the end of the day. I  did not format the card  until I had used all of the 4 cards and needed them on day 5 and so on. This was not the perfect solution. Had my PC gone down I would have been left with only the images that were stored on my cards. Next time I would consider adding a couple of more cards.  The Pro approach would be to get a portable backup drive either for the PC or just the memory cards themselves.

Laptop

A cheap Toshiba Satellite with a 500GB hard drive, maxed out memory, loaded with Adobe CS4 and Lightroom 2.2. This is my surfing PC but goes mobile when I do.

Flash

I brought the lighter more compact SB600 over the SB800 or SB900. I only used this unit on one occasion to take some group photos. This did not warrant the extra set batteries I packed but I packed them anyway. I did use the D300’s popup flash for fill on at least a dozen of occasions. It is one of the things I really love about the D300.

Tripod

This decision was a bit of a hassle. I wanted to stay portable but I didn’t want to risk my camera to an option that would struggle to support a D300, ball head and lens. I scanned the net but finally I caved in and went with my hiking tripod.  A Bogen Manfrotto 3021 BPRO and 486RC2 Compact Ball Head w/Rapid Connect. My primary use was to take night photos. I wasn’t planning on carrying it with me everywhere.  Overall I was please with my decision.

FlipVideo

My version of the D300 doesn’t come with video. Video definitely has its place on vacation and having two in one unit is a great option. The Flip worked out just great and having video will definitely be an upgrade for my next DSLR purchase.

Camera bag.

I use an older LowPro CompuDaypack. I’ve use this for my daily commute into the city and for this trip I used it to carry all the gear I’ve listed less the tripod.

Excursion to Passau Germany

Our fabulous hosts teed up an excursion to Passau. As with any road trip there are a number of stops along the way. The first attractions is the Schlögener Schlinge, a horseshoe shaped passage of the Danube that passes through the charming town of Schlögen.

If you look at the lower left you, cans see the restaurant were we had lunch. Providing this view.

After a relaxing lunch we continued our way to Passau. Along the way we stopped at Stiftskirche Engelszell in Wilhering.This is an Abby that has beautiful church and some very tasty liquors, one of which is egg schnapps. Tastes a bit like eggnog.

In the church encased are skeletons of a number of spiritual leaders from the past, clad in fine dress and heavy jeweled. I couldn’t get the whole story of this tradition. If you have additional information please add your comments.

 

On the move again we made our way to Passau Germany

 Passau is a bit more on touristy side but I did find a couple of humors images!

 200 Euro’s !

A Gnome with Tude – Gotta love it !

Day Trip – Hallstatt

Click here to see the Hallstatt slide show.

Hallstatt turned out to be my favorite excursion so far. This town was establish because of its’ salt. According to Wiki it maybe the worlds first know salt mine and it is possible to tour this mine which was established in 1595.

Photographically it provided plethora of different vantage points of view. This is really a small town but has more than its’ fair share of points of interest there’s water and mountains everywhere. There is even a waterfall!

One sight that may leave you with the willies is the bone house. The cemetery is so small the after 12 years the bodies would be exhumed. The skull would be painted with the names, Ivy, garland of roses and black crosses among other things, and then placed in the “bone house”. Some skulls date back to the 1600’s.

Click here to see the Hallstatt slide show. You won’t be disappointed.

Heading back to Linz

Not much time to post today, but did manage to get a couple of grab shots from the train.

A little motion blur can add interest to your images.

Next Stop – Innsbruck

Innsbruck is next on the list. The European railway system is simple and efficient.  As we approached Innsbruck the Alps seem to grow almost overnight compared to Salzburg. No matter which direction you turned you would see a majestic mountainous backdrop. Just in case you forgot, Innsbruck was the stage for the winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976.

 

 For me the mountains and the architecture catch my eye. Along the Sill river there is a row of brightly colored houses.  I used a pan / stitch method to capture this image.

 

  I pack my tripod so that I could take some night shots. It was fun to take the long exposures of the tight cobbled sreets spattered with bicycles parked by most doorways.

Why not take advantage of a long shutter speed to enhance the look of this fountian.

And just one more for fun . . .

Austria – Salzburg

Click here for a slide show of select images from Salzburg.

The next couple of days entailed a trip by rail to Salzburg, then Innsbruck and then returning to Linz. I was excited to be able to see the Austrian countryside. As you would expect there were lots of small towns with their rolling hills and church steeples. As we neared Salzburg we got our first peak of the Austrian Alps. Once situated at our hotel we headed to the Salzburg Castle. Although very touristy this is a must see. The castle provides a great vantage point. You can see the Alps the city and the country side.

The Castle

The City

The Alps and Country Side

This was our view as we enjoyed our coffee at a little cafe situated on one of the castle’s overlooks.

Click here for a slide show of select images from Salzburg.

Austria Day 2 – Heading South East Along the Danube

 

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We took a road trip from Linz heading South East along the Danube. We stopped in a number of charming little towns such as Grein, Melk, Spitz, and Krems. First stop was Grein. The interesting thing about Grein is that in often gets flooded by the Danube. This building shows the water line from past flooding.

The highest (notice the flag) occured in 1501 yet man continues to build here . . .

The next stop was Maria Taferl. The chuch was under renovation and the clouds really started to roll in. Still what a wonderful country side.

As we headed further east we visited the church right outside Melk. This church had a fortess feel to it.

From there we headed to the  Göttweig Abbey near Krems.  We took a tour of the Abbey which was quite interesting.
Check here for detailed information on the Abbey.

Last and final destination for the day is the very cool town of Krems.  I will have to make it a point to re-visit this photogenic village.

More fun tomorrow . . .

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