 Clay Turner |
Going To France Next month I will be going to France. I have never traveled outside of the country before (I'm only 15) so this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience. What are some general tips for travel photography. I'll be in Paris for 8 days but most of the touring will be done at night. Then I'll go stay with my host family. They live out in the country, in central France. I think that there are some mountains so I'll most likely be doing a lot of landscapes. Also I think that they get a lot of snow in the winter. I have NEVER taken pictures of snow before. (I live in Louisiana). So this will be a great photo opportunity. If anyone has some tips on any of the above, I really need some advice. Thanks,
|
|
|
|
||
|
Andy |
Since you mentioned night photography, a tripod and a remote shutter release (wire or wireless) are necessary. If you let us know what equipment you have, we may help you with more tips. For example, if you have a point and shoot or light weight camera, you may get by with a light weight tripod or even a tablepod. For landscape, if your lens can accept filters, then a circular polarizer is a very usful tool. Hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Steven Chaitoff |
Clay, it sounds like you're in some sort of exchange program. When I was in elementary & high school I actually went to Greece and Paris on similar adventures. I hadn't gotten into photography on my first trip so my arsenal was just a few disposable cameras. Later on in France I had a compact camera -- a bit more sophisticated than a point and shoot. Anyway, I do remember that we were moving from place to place quickly, there are throngs of people (tourist attractions), & you may be in vehicles a good amount of time. So my suggestion is this: go lightly & effeciently. If you have a Single Lens Reflex camera & you're up to bringing it, then go for it. Those suggestions Andy made are fantastic & will get you the best shots if you can use it well. But keep in mind that it's quite a hassle (especially a tripod) & a big commitment. I don't know how serious you are about photography, but from what you described, the first priority of this trip is seeing famous stuff & just experiencing & leaning about France. But obviously you want good photos, no matter what equipment you have. Aside from the snow, shooting in France is like shooting at home, so I'd practice there. I mean, it's not like shooting in a jungle or in bizarre conditions. Basically portraits, landscapes, & probably lots of landmarks. They know that people want good pictures of famous stuff, so landmarks are pretty well lit at night. The eiffel tower is always nice & bright & the lights bring out its definition well. The biggest challenge is of course shooting at night, so I have two tips. Firstly, if you can bring one piece of equipment, you must have a flash, even one built in to the camera. I mean it's just necessary. Secondly, get as close as possible to everything, & if not, zoom. If your standing atop the eiffel tower at night & you shoot -- with flash -- a panorama of the city to light everything up, it's not gonna do a damn thing. Really fill the frame up to get good shots. As for the snow, many people purposely overexpose a little bit for compensation because the meter will underexpose the white snow. I don't know if you have that kind of control. One final thing, just in general...when I went to Kenya the first time, I was 15 also, I was thrilled & amazed to see all these wild animals so I took picture after picture. Anyway, looking back, I must have 200 random prints of just a zebra eating some grass or something...terrible shots, but it was so exciting at the time. So make sure you really analyze & compose the shot your taking & don't get overwhelmed by the lifetime experienceness of it all.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Clay Turner |
Thank you so much for responding to my question. It really helped! My camera is a Canon EOS Rebel GII. I have a 28-90mm and also a 100-300mm lens. I do have a built in flash but I also have a larger flash. Any more advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,
|
|
|
|
||
|
doug Nelson |
Don't buy any more stuff. You will be needing a lot of wide angle shots in narrow streets. Get used to using the wide end of your 28-90. Here's a hint on avoiding the inevitable bowlegs effect (called barrel distortion) at the edge of pictures shot at the 28 end. Don't zoom all the way out to 28. Also, try to keep straight architectural lines away from the edge of the frame. If you want to shoot through an arch (a good technique, BTW) come in some from the full out 28 setting.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Andy |
Since we know what you already have, here's a couple suggestions. If you want to go light, bring only your camera, 28-90mm lens, plenty of batteries for the camera, lots of professional 36-exposure films (price wise is barely a little more than consumer 24-exposure rolls, but the quality is better and cost of development is mostly cheaper, not to mention you have more film if you carry the same amount of rolls) and get a light weight tripod (seriously; there are ones that is so light weight, can be extended to about 4 feet and small enough to put in your backpack). If you don't mind about the weight, bring your long lens and the external flash too (and batteries for the flash). And the tripod. Your camera can accept a remote shutter release but you can use the 10 second self timer instead. I bought a camera pouch to protect my camera and put the small tripod, films and batteries in a backpack and I still got lots of room for other stuff. Also learn how to use a polarizer. It really helps in landscape photographs. If you are shooting in the cold, make sure you have spare batteries for your camera. Here's a link about things you should know when taking photos in cold weather: http://www.nyip.com/tips/current_coldtemps.php Hope this helps.
|
|
|
|
||
|
Clay Turner |
Thank you everyone for responding to my question. Now I will be able to go to France and get some GREAT photos. Clay Turner
|
|
|
|
||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||