Not sure if this belongs in the tech forum or here.
The first couple of tips are probably pretty obvious but I seem to make those mistakes and just thought I would share them here so hopefully others won't make the same mistake and maybe I learn not to make them too.
In today's digital world, pictures are basically free so take lots of pictures. Even if it's a picture of nothing really special like a train station, your rental car or maybe a picnic spot. While you might not want to share these boring pictures with your friends, it's a great way to look back and remember your trip.
You may meet a lot of very nice and/or interesting people on your trip. Don't be afraid to ask if you can take their picture. The worst that can happen is that they say no.
If you have a GPS, set you camera and GPS to to the same time, before you start your trip.. You will need additional software at home like Google Earth or the mapping Software from your GPS manufacturer but you will be able to come home, look at the map, compare the time of the picture to the time on the track and know exactly where the picture was taken. If you have Google Earth, you can use it as a photo album of sorts to help you to relive your trip.
Posts: 600 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA U.S.A. | Registered: 16 December 2005
It would be nice to have a very high capacity video cam running all of the time. Even if the video had very low quality, it would be a great way to capture everything you saw.
I tour by bicycle and they have helmet cams. Very convenient to carry around but they are just not high capacity enough to cover all of your trip.
I would imagine that if such a high capacity camera existed, it could probably be mounted on a pair of glasses for non riders.
Well maybe someday.
Posts: 600 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA U.S.A. | Registered: 16 December 2005
I moved this to the tech forum and linked back to ETE forum.
Spinnaker, this is a good topic. I also try to take pictures of everyday experiences such as a street that I frequently walked or road we drove everyday to an apartment or rental. I've found that I don't take enough pictures. There are several places that I wish I would have taken more pictures that would covey a bit of living in a place like the shop I frequented or my favorite bakery.
I also do a slide show on my computer a work. You can also do a personal slide show as your screen saver in XP. In Vista, you can have your slide show running as a sidebar. I enjoy having it at work because it plays while people are in my office and they often get distracted by the photos.
Great topic! I also have my travel photos as a slide show on my computers. It is a heavenly reminder of where I was yesterday and what I'm saving for today!
Here's my little problem... I struggle with setting my digital camera for excellent quality photos and getting fewer pictures, or setting it to take the maximum number of pictures, but losing some of the quality. Can anyone help me with this? Does it really matter which I use for general travel photos?
"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." ~ Ansel Adams Brenda
If you want to frame and display your photos when you are home, you may find that modern color photography may or may not work with your decor. Most digital photo packages (free ones) will let you convert to black & white or sepia tones.
Here's a few of my Florence photos converted to sepia and framed. Printing these was $3.99 each. The frames and mats came from Pottery Barn (around $22 each), but if you want to spend more money, you can do custom framing.
Originally posted by Marta: I moved this to the tech forum and linked back to ETE forum.
Spinnaker, this is a good topic. I also try to take pictures of everyday experiences such as a street that I frequently walked or road we drove everyday to an apartment or rental. I've found that I don't take enough pictures. There are several places that I wish I would have taken more pictures that would covey a bit of living in a place like the shop I frequented or my favorite bakery.
Thanks like I said I was not exactly sure were this belonged.
You put it exactly right, everyday experiences. Even if they have no interest to others they may have interest to you.
The main reason I brought this up is I pretty much have full recollection of most of my trip except for a few areas. One was the train station in Cremona, I remember hauling the bike off of the train but I have no memory of the station itself. We must have seen a sign to Centro because I can see from our GPS track that we headed straight to Centro but I don't remember leaving the station.
Another is somewhere between Cremona and Lecco. I remember the details of the incident but don't remember the exact location. We came across a group of men gathered in a square. It was a Sunday and I suppose, they were meeting after church. I couldn't help to think that these men have been probably been meeting their all their adult lives, and their fathers before them and their fathers before them, no telling how far back. I wished I had taken a picture of that and had the time synced to my GPS because I would know exactly the town where it was taken.
I meet a very nice and intelligent homeless man riding the train from Genoa to LaSpezia, a friendly lady riding her bicycle in Creamoa, a man that took us on a little tour of Bremate on his bicycle, and many other people that helped us along the way. I really wish now I had the courage to ask to take their picture.
Posts: 600 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA U.S.A. | Registered: 16 December 2005
I've gotten some great photos by turning on my camera's multi-shot function
What is this function, Travelling Knitter? I've never heard of it!
“Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes one photograph, or a group of them, can lure our sense of awareness.” ~ W. Eugene Smith Brenda
Check your camera's manual. It most likely has the function. It is mainly used for sport shots where something is happening very fast. It automatically takes several shots in succession. TK uses it out the window of a car to take several pics of the same thing, that way TK doesn't need to worry that the picture was snapped just at the right time. One or two of the pics will be good and the rest deleted.
Posts: 600 | Location: Pittsburgh, PA U.S.A. | Registered: 16 December 2005
Even if it's a picture of nothing really special like a train station, your rental car or maybe a picnic spot. While you might not want to share these boring pictures with your friends, it's a great way to look back and remember your trip.
Yes, I always take pictures of our rental apartments, for example, even though there's nothing great about them as photos. We have our travel photos always running as slide shows when the computers aren't in active use, and it is fun to reactivate memories of special times we had in those places.
I split this thread into another thread since we had a little bit of drift. If you are looking for the discussion on how to display a photo slideshow screensaver on a Mac, click here.
Roz, my apologies, I didn't realize that the move function moved post and reposted it when I requested the move versus the original post time. I accidently moved your post to the other thread and then moved it back. Your post above is now out of sequence. I think it still in context of the thread.
I'm a bit curious as to what Knitter means with by the multi-photo function. Is it what spinnaker is taking about where you can take multiple shots at one time? I was wondering if you meant the 'stitch function' where you can take multiple photos and create a landscape photo. One of my cameras can do that. Sometimes I've had luck with it such as the following:
Brenda, I recommend sending your camera on as high quality as you can and get a bigger memory car. This will allow you to enlarge your photos or give you more options if you want to drop and print your photos. Memory cards are pretty cheap today so it is not too expensive to buy a couple of big cards for a trip if you are not taking along a lap top or another way to store photos.
Cameron, that is a nice framing of your photos. Did you have to matte or set your photos in those frames? I've been looking for a less expensive way to frame my photos but I've been uncertain of how well frames like these will work.
Posts: 7717 | Location: Edmonds, WA | Registered: 25 October 2001
Spinnaker is exactly right. Both of my digital cameras have a button, that when pushed, let me take multiple photos in quick succession. In your camera manual it may be called "burst" mode. My camera has three speeds of "burst". It's really great if you are taking sports photos or birds/animals (or out the car window). I discovered it by accident (why is this camera taking multiple photos -- oh, so that's what that button does!) I have really gotten some wonderful photos - that were quite unexpected. Burst Photo Samples The two photos on this page are part of a series of 5 shots done in burst mode (Bamberg, Germany, Dec. 2006). (They may be very slow to load on dial up.)
Because I often get lost, I take pictures (similar to the Hansel & Gretel fairy tale) to help me find my way back to my hotel until I become familiar with the area.
I have also taken pictures of signs that display the hours the museum or tower to climb will be open. It is easier than writing the information down.
This advice I used for shooting people when I travel and orginally came from from travel photographer Bob Krist
Make it goal or better yet your job, while on your trip a certain amount of photos you shoot have to be of the people that live and work in the places you are visiting.
I make it 30%-35% of all my photos I shot have to be people and treat it as work.
As soon as you make it a goal/job the barriers drop from you and you will find yourself wanting to take photos of people. Most people I have met on my travels seem to not mind or even enjoy that I am want to shoot their photo. There also have been times they have said no and I respect their wishes.
Since it is work and I am looking to take the best photo possible of them, when I feel it needed, I polity ask them to move a little, to get into better light or maybe there is something in the background I do not want or want to included in my shot.
I not saying your photos will improve but it does get the ball rolling for you wanting to shoot photos of people.
Also carry a note pad and pen to write down their emails address to email their photo to them. If you are using digital is costs you nothing to email it and you just might make a friend or two. I certainly have.
I much prefer candid shots of people going about their daily life and work to posed ones, but I often find that when I ask permission to take a picture - especially in Italy or Greece - my subject will hasten to fix his/her clothes, put on a jacket or hat and a special smile and look straight into the camera. Often this makes lovely pictures, but it is not what I had in mind and I hesitate to ask them to get back into the olive tree or whatever because they have already been so cooperative! Any suggestions to offset this syndrome?
Girasole, I love your breadcrumb method. I also get lost frequently, but had never thought of backing up the camera to find my way out. Thanks for the tip!
Another breadcrumb idea...since BA frequently has lost my luggage, I take photos of my bags (taking one set goes with me and I leave another set with a friend who is willing to call BA if I can't) and then when I pack the bags I take photos of the layers of stuff, especially before the trip home -- I can never remember what gifts I have purchases!
I also take lots of "food" photos so I can remember the great meals we had!
I also take lots of "food" photos so I can remember the great meals we had!
I often wondered why people take pictures of food. But I guess it is just another way to remember your trip
Yeah, I do this also. This pizza in Pompeii was memorable http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/showphoto.php?photo=30413&cat=527 I am not sure, but I think my daughter used the burst mode on her digital camera on me acting out like a gradiator in the Pompeii Amphitheater. She made a quick time movie out of them and even put them to music. She uses it as a demo for Apple software in her job as a Apple Campus representative, to show what you can do with the software.
Posts: 3853 | Location: St Paul, MN | Registered: 10 February 2006
I think it still in context of the thread. 
