Photography in Europe: 2002
Which cameras, film, and gadgets work best for your travel photography? Any tips on getting the best shots? Carry a big 35mm camera or a point 'n' shoot? Is a camcorder worth the trouble?
Recovering data from a damaged hard drive or storage card
Drivesavers.com has helped me recover irreplaceable digital photos from a damaged hard disk. They also recover from memory cards. Give them a try, but they are not cheap.
Shiny Bob
San Diego, CA USA 12/19/02
Losing Digital Photographs
Digital photographers, plesase be careful and make sure your photos are safe. A friend of mine just lost ALL his 6 week vacation photos (New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Thailand) when his disk drive failed. Back em up to a tape, another hard drive, or CD. Remember that NONE of these are archievel. A CD for example can develope problems, de-laminate, etc.
Raul Lithgo <email>
Seatte, wa USA 12/03/02
Buying/developing film in Europe
I do not know why so many people worry about the cost of film in Europe-- just be a smart American and buy the film at Costco! There are several Costco warehouses in England and they even offer 1 hour photo services-- allowing you to develop your film on that continent and not having to worry about the hassels of checking it in or x-rays. The film cannot be damaged once its been developed, plus Costco is just plain cheap! Keep it in mind if you're taking off or landing in England (there are several locations near London, and several scattered across the rest of England) Check www.costco.com for warehouse locations.
Robert <email>
Spokane, WA USA 10/13/02
Enlargements from Digital Camera
Just to follow up on my previous post... I just received a 18"x12" print from my Kodak DC 4800. It looks great. The finite resolution is not noticable. However, if you get up close you can notice a little chromatic abberation near edges where there is a sudden change in brightness (flower of some daisies in front of dark plants and grass). But I'm quite happy with it. Also, my tip for travel photography. Get a couple of gradiated neutral density filters (preferablely the rectangular kind with a cokin mount). They allow you to photograph a foreground and also capture the sky as something other than a washed out white blob. Most of my really good pictures came from when I used such a filter.
E <email>
Princeton, NJ USA 10/10/02
28-mm wide-angles for Europe
All the big 35-mm SLR makers in the 70's had f3.5 28-mm wide angles that were extremely sharp and almost distortion-free. In those days the cheapest lenses were often sharper. I still use a Canon 28 from 1970.
Olympus has a 28 f2 for the OM-series that is legendary for sharpness, although it's rather expensive, even today. It seems to me that the 28 is the widest I can go without getting distorted architectural lines and bowed doorways. 28's are a dime a dozen these days, as 28 is a bit out of vogue. All the more reason to try one. Just the same, don't forget to take a 50 because the 28 is sometimes just too wide.
Doug Nelson <email>
McLean, VA USA 09/06/02
Enlargements from Digital Camera
I recently purchased a digital camera before my upcoming first trip beyond North America. So far I've taken lot of pictures learning to use the camera and freshening up on my composition and lighting. I also orderd some prints to see how well they turned out. I was pleasantly suprised that an 8"x12" print (from ezprints.com) from my 3.1 Mpixel camera (Kodak DC 4800) looked impeccable. In fact, under a magnifying glass, it looked so good that I'm going to try a 12"x18" next. (Ezprints offers 12"x18" for $7.50, but I haven't found a place that makes larger without a big jump in price.) So for those of you considering going digital, I think that the average American will be more than happy with the print quality from a 3 MP camera even beyond 8"x12".
E <email>
Princeton, NJ USA 08/06/02
Wide-angle lenses
I'll second the previous comment about wide-angle lenses. I tend to use my cheapo 28mm f/3.5 a lot more than my standard 50mm lens. (Of course, others with more money to invest may prefer a good zoom instead.) Wide angle lenses suffer less from shake too, and they capture critical, once-in-a-lifetime subjects that might get cropped at 50mm. *However* -- there are some subjects where the standard 50mm would be better. One problem is photographing trains. A wide-angle lens always makes an engine look goofy if you try to fill the field at 28mm. Another problem comes when trying to photograph Cologne Cathedral from 100 feet away, unless you like the loony perspective. Better to buy the postcard.
DC <email>
BC Can 07/31/02
Good tip
If you want great photos of European (or other) sights, use a very wide-angle lens. Many experienced amateur and professional travel photographers use something like a 20-35mm lens almost exclusively, and use it at the 20mm end most of the time. Longer focal lengths -even a 28mm- just don't capture a scene as you remember it because they show only the central portion. The exception to this would be photographing the Alps or some other grand landscapes, in which case a zoom going up to 120mm or a bit more would be useful. There is really little need for a telephoto lens, which unless it has an image stabilizer won't produce a sharp image except with high speed film and very bright light (or a tripod). If you have an SLR and can afford it, get an ultra-wide lens (they are not cheap but they are not prohibitively expensive). Chances are that you will keep it on the camera almost all of the time (in cities, probably all of the time). Here is where digital cameras fall down. Their sensors are quite a bit smaller that the image on 35mm film. This increases the effective focal length of a lens. The digital equivalent of a 20mm lens is something like 15mm. Such lenses are really expensive.
USA 07/27/02
Digital to CD
Just got back from 3 weeks in Germany, using my Sony Digital for the first time. I had purchased a 64 and 2 128's, along with the 16 that came with the camera. I was able to get a CD made at a photo shop for 2.50 -- I thought thatwas cheap, and it was a small, touristy town at that. So much easier than lugging a camcorder, batteries and charger, and rolls of film.
Karen <email>
Buffalo, NY USA 07/26/02
Don't Throw 'Em Out Yet!
You digital fans, don't be too quick to delete shots that may not look good on your LCD screen. You never know what a simple fix in Elements or Photoshop might do when you get it home. A simple crop or tonal correction might do wonders. You folks in the know are shooting full resolution, and saving these files. A few more on your CD's won't hurt.
Doug Nelson <email>
Fairfax, VA USA 07/23/02
Digital for Travel
I totally agree with the switch to digital. After many years of 35 mm photograpy, I just returned from a 4 week trip to Europe with only a digital camera for the first time. Not having to carry 40 rolls of film in itself was a joy, especially since 9/11. I was able to preview my shots, and when I missed, take it again. Never was able to do that with my 35 mm. By deleting the duds I was able to conserve on memory. As far as batteries, I also had 3 sets and used the Maha charger. All of my photos were taken in the highest quality compressed mode. The uncompressed files are 15 meg each and I can easily print 11 X 14's which I enter into competition. Even with a 1 Meg Microdrive, I did need to burn 2 CD's while on the trip (I took about 800 photos). If I had not known that I was going to be able to burn CD's, I would have brought along a Digital Wallet which is a battery driven hard drive that can store up to 20 Meg of photos.
Robert Sheldon <email>
Reading, PA USA 07/22/02
Happy with digital
I'm in no position to contribute to a debate concerning digital vs. conventional film since I haven't owned a camera for most of my 27 years. However, I just bought a Minolta S404 (4 megapixels) before my wedding and my wife and I had a wonderful time with it on our honeymoon. Being a moderate technical geek I knew I would enjoy playing with this new toy but I was suprised that my wife (without the same tendancies as myself) was excited and very interested in taking photos with this camera. The technical learning curve was easily navigated and as well the photographic learning curve was lightened by being able to instantly view our results.
Fortunately we prepared with enough memory and batteries to avoid the common digital pitfalls. We carried a small (computer mouse size) and quick (3-hour) AA battery charger. The Maha PowerEx C-204F charger was recommended by this wonderful photography equipment site: http://www.imaging-resource.com. We also carried three sets of 1700mAh batteries; one set of PowerEx and two sets of Energizer. Also, we bought a 220V/50Hz (input), variable output power supply at a local electronics store to use with the charger. The company distributes their own for an additional charge but we didn't have time to order it. We never changed the batteries more than once a day and we used the LCD screen constantly.
For memory we took 3 128MB CompactFlash cards. They cost less than $60 each at Costco. Using the highest resolution (2,272 x 1,704) and the best compression (5:1) we got 60 pictures per card. By keeping our eyes open while walking the streets of Paris we had no trouble finding a place that downloaded all three full cards to a single CD for about $9. In Koblenz, Germany we found a place that also downloaded each card to a separate CD for $15 total. We did come across the Kodak stations at camera stores but I think that the system requires that you purchase prints. This can be expensive. We tried to see if they could just do the CDs but they couldn't/wouldn't so we found a place that would (significantly more practical and cheaper).
Overall, for us, the digital route has been great. I think we took more pictures than we would have otherwise and I think we will continue to do so. We haven't gotten prints back yet (several online companies with varying prices and services) but I'm sure our images will produce quality prints up to 8"X11". I know that anything bigger than this will probably not be the best quality but we haven't owned a camera, much less enlarged prints, for many years so we're just thrilled to have over 400 images from our trip. I read somewhere that 13 megapixels can be equated to the quality of standard film so maybe we won't have this tough decision in the near future. Until then we're happy with our camera and our photos. If anyone wants to know more from our experiences please feel free to e-mail me.
Joshua Bettencourt <email>
Roseville, CA USA 07/19/02
Digital vs Film debate
There is no question that for our digital lifestyle, digital cameras offer a great level of convenience. There's also little doubt that the "per shot" costs are lower - - but only if you're not going to use high quality ink & paper to print out an equal number of photographs.
But there's no such thing as a free lunch.
For example, one common complaint about digitals is poor battery life. The reason I haven't converted is because the digital resolution still isn't equal to 35mm. Sure, the current generation of 3-5 Megapixel cameras provides sufficient resolution for typical photo album shots, but my question is what happens for that every 100th photo that's really something special? If I didn't record under high resoluation for that "WOW" shot, I'm not going to have the option to blow it up to a nice 11x14 (or larger) print to hang on the wall at home or in my office.
I want to shoot every frame at the camera system's maximum resolution potential (and in a non-glossy format), just in case that particular image turns out to be a "WOW". You get this automatically with 35mm film. The implication for digital cameras is that you're going to eat through memory like a child goes through M&M's if you shoot everything at max resolution. And even then, the best consumer digital cameras out there today are ~4 Megapixels, which is roughly a full order of magnitude short of the data content of 35mm film. Which means for what I'm looking for, the technology isn't there yet, at least at a reasonable price point. The best I've found to date is 16 Megapixels, for a mere $10K.
So the question to ask yourself is: "for this costly (despite all of Rick's great hints) trip to Europe that I'm going to carry some sort of camera for, if I'm lucky enough to capture an image of something absolutely fabulous, am I willing to carry a system that will never be able to make a quality enlargement bigger than X" x Y" in size? That's always going to be a personal choice. -hh
Hugh Huntzinger
Denville, NJ USA 07/18/02
Your eyes are as important as your camera
The way you look at things is just as, if not more, important as the type of camera and film you bring. Looking back at photos my father and I took last summer I found a great difference in our photos. He used an 35mm SLR w/ auto-focus and I took along my favorite travel buddy, a Canon Elph (APS film, very compact and portable).
His shots were very head on, staged, nothing candid, lots of landscapes that were half or 3/4 sky. They were pretty, but kind of boring, nothing you couldn't get from a postcard. I enjoy looking at things from a different perspective, trying to capture culture more than scenery. Or trying to capture scenery and architecture in unexpected ways.
I think this is an essential attitude to creating the best shots. Look at things differently, and don't ever be afraid to get up close. You'll find that each photo will truly be worth a thousand words and vivid memories, and not just "Here's a church, and here's another church."
You don't need a photography class or book to teach you creative angle and perspective. The best practice is going out in your own neighborhood and try to make the mundane look extraordinary. For ideas, look at books and websites of travel photography. Be inspired even if you're only using a disposable camera.
Stephanie <email>
Philadelphia, PA USA 07/10/02
Improve your photographic eye
Often photographic forums end up in a lot of talk on technology and hardware. My biggest advice is simply to take some time before you travel to improve general photographic skills. Once you get a better sense of composition, or even rules of thumb (i.e. don't always center the subject, put things in the foreground, etc.), you'll get much more impactful photos regardless of equipment. There are many excellent books and websites. I would almost avoid books specifically dedicated to travel photography but would opt for easy to understand (like the "Dummy" or "Complete Idiot" series) and try some shots. Many of these techniques you can apply with any camera.
Tom Lee <email>
Waterloo, ON Canada 07/09/02
Photography Inspiration
If you're looking for inspiration, I think this is a good example of how good photography an Europe can be! www.amnesta.net
Sarah Brightman
San Francisco, CA USA 07/01/02
What camera to bring....?
Just got back and digital is the way to go if...you have enough storage media (128 MB CF card gave me 250 images of high resolution), and solve the battery issue. I brought my plug -in charger and two sets of NiMH batteries. Unfortunatly, the charger burned out, in spite of the power convertor I used. So I went with alkalines at $7 a pack. However, the ability to KNOW you got the shot is great.
I used a Minolta S304 which has auto and manual capability (so you can be creative, too). It is small enough to carry but has big camera optics and features. It also takes short digital video.
Video vs. Still- Go with still. Very few images will benefit from being recorded on video. However, some of the digital videos I saw being used were very small and might be the way to go. I'm really glad I left my SLR and video cam at home.
Angus Black
USA 06/28/02
Heartbreaking self-timer pitfall
I use an old Olympus Stylus for about half my travel snapshots. From time to time I used the self-timer to put myself in a snapshot. But after developing these shots, I was upset to see that they were all out of focus.
Later I came to the conclusion that the autofocus engine was getting confused. When I set up the camera and started the timer, I was expecting the autofocus to take its reading when the shutter opened. But it didn't work that way. I believe it was actually reading my stomach. My theory is that, with self-timer mode selected, the autofocuser takes its reading when you press the shutter button to start the self-timer cycle.
I verified this later by experimenting without film in the camera: (a) I pointed the camera at a wall a few inches away, (b) selected self-timer mode and pressed the shutter button, (c) pointed the camera over to a distant scene before the shutter opened, and (d) watched the lens.
Sure enough, when the shutter opened, the lens cranked all the way out as if focusing at minimum distance. If I tried this with the camera pointed at the distant scene at all times, the lens behaved normally.
Other cameras may work the same way. I *think* the problem involves the so-called feature that lets you lock the autofocuser on an object that is not in the centre of the scene, i.e. by half-pressing the shutter button with the selected object in the centre of the field.
Lesson learned: Don't stand in front of the camera when using the self-timer. Stand to one side to let it see the scene.
Dan C. <email>
BC Can 06/23/02
Panorama Prints
Don't mean to discourage Jean's recommendation but panoramas are no different from regular 35 mm pictures. It is just in the printing process. The negative is exactly the same size 35mm pictures that is taken by a standard 35 mm camera. For the panorama effect the camera used a screen to block the top and bottom quarter of the film leaving a narrow strip in the middle. If you look at the negatives of your panorama pictures you will see what I am describing. When printed the pictures are enlarged and printed on long skinny paper for a dramatic effect. You can do exactly the same thing with any picture that you have taken by enlarging to 8x10 or larger and cropping the top and bottom. No such thing as something too tall for a normal shot. However, by making you think it is something special they get away with charging higher fees for processing and printing.
Frank P. <email>
Centennial, CO USA 06/21/02
Photography
If you're choosing digital or real film for your trip, you can get the best of both by doing what we did: We each took along a modest point and shoot 35mm camera. Twice the cameras are twice the chances you'll return with photos. If you lose one, you can buy another cheap camera over there. You'll still have your exposed rolls, and you don't have to try and find a PC somewhere to upload your digital photos. (If you do find one, good luck figuring out the foreign language keyboard and paying by the minute as your photos upload!) When you get home, get the film developed and have the prints transferred to photo cd's. You will have high-resolution digital photos without the brain damage, big techno investment, or worry about losing your best shots.
John Culp <email>
Denver, CO USA 06/18/02
Panorama Cameras
I purchased two, $7, disposable, Fuji panorama cameras before my 21-day trip to Europe. This was a great investment! I took panorama shots across Europe, in Pompeii, Sorrento, the Colosseum, Schonbrunn Palace, Neuschwanstein, Rhinesfeld’s Castle, the Eiffel Tower…. It was also great to use to catch photos of cathedrals too tall for normal shots. I have just finished my photo album and the panoramas look awesome!
Jenn <email>
Greeley, CO USA 06/13/02
Digital Camera vs Mini Digital Video
Thanks to the many great ideas & info posted here, we will go digital to Europe for the first time. I have been looking over the digital cameras, however my husband likes the new digital video cameras {MiniDV} that will take individual shots. I'm very particular about photography, and worry that the MiniDV shots will be inferior in quality to the photos from a good digital camera. Anyone have an opinion about which one to take along to Europe? Thanks!
Ann <email>
Indianapolis, IN USA 06/04/02
Check digitals after FORMAT
Check the first couple of pics on your digital cameras. I just took a set of 80+ pics, got back to the room and started to download to my PC, ALL of the pics were blank. I had formatted my camera's memory stick just before the outing. The format appeared to complete, but it had in fact erred. Simply checking the first two or three pics using the LCD would have clued me in that they were not being saved, and I could have run the formatting again.
Eddy Smalley
Newnan, Ga USA 05/29/02
35 mm fan says take the digital!
I have to agree with the digital crowd. My husband and I took our video camera, our fancy 35 mm and a couple of disposables with us to Paris this winter. More than a few great shots I worked hard or embarassed myself for, and thought I'd gotten, either didn't turn out or weren't exactly what I wanted. This could've been avoided by bringing the digital along...
A word to the wise: It's easier, and cheaper, to bring along a digital camera than to go back and HOPE to get the shots that you missed. Some of them can't be duplicated, and neither can your memories...
Sherita Bryant <email>
Southfield, MI USA 05/28/02
Digital vs film
I cannot resist adding my bit here. I am an American living in Paris ( as a "trailing spouse" ) and have used the time to study my lifelong passion --photography. I shoot a lot of both digital and traditional film and I can say without question--get a digital for travel!
You can see my pics on line if you want to see the quality of digital shots. I am including only a few, but you can see plenty more ( mostly of Paris ) by following the links on the left side of the page when viewing those:
Cut and paste any of these URLs:
Maui, Hawaii ( November 1999 ) http://community.webshots.com/album/20837144uNRPgWnPlo
Paris, Our Neighborhood ( late August 2000 ) http://community.webshots.com/album/34159309PMEakz
Luxenbourg Gardens, Paris ( May 1, 2001) http://community.webshots.com/album/13632480GBoxkyqQbG
Provencal Roses ( May 2001 ) http://community.webshots.com/album/15247212ThcNJDJOhj
The Flowers of Monet's Garden ( April 2002 ) http://community.webshots.com/album/36023850Pcboes
Amsterdam ( May 2002 ) http://community.webshots.com/album/37716904xknBQg
Le Petit Parisians, Photo Class Assignments, May 2002 http://community.webshots.com/album/37945224ELxIdz
Unless you are a near professional or a professional, you should seriously consider a digital camera for travel Not to mention the new x ray exposure risks to film. Most European airports, especially Paris will not hand check film!
I have been studying photography with professionals at a very well known school in Paris and they mostly agree. Yes, there is a quality level with film that cannot be achieved with digital, but it really can only seen with very fancy photography ( studio lighting affects, special exposure affects that are enhanced or achieved in the darkroom, enlargements greater than 11 x 16 etc ) For “regular” shots use a digital, then print only those you really want a print of by sending them to Kodak ( www. Ofoto.com ) If your digital camera has at least 3 megapixels ( most new and fancy ones now have 5 ) then you will not be able to tell the difference .
I have tested this setting film photos side by side with digital photos set shot with a digital camera ( consumer level “point and shoot Nikon and consumer level point and shoot Olympus with 3.4 megapixels ) and then printed by Kodak ( 4 x 5” prints ) I did this to make the point with a very reluctant photo professor.
Keep in mind, that what I am talking about, and what you will see with the web site photos are photos shot with a moderately good quality 3 year old point and shoot digital camera. The price for those have come down dramatically in the past five years. Even those photos that I scanned, were scanned from prints put on a Scan Jet 3500 HP printer that I paid about $200 for 3 years ago (a really basic scanner.)
What if you want more? What is the ideal if you have no budget restrictions? If you want to have digital images only, then probably either semi professional Nikon D-100 ( around $1000 ) digital or a Nikon D 1 X ( around $5000 ) These are cameras that look like 35 mm or SLR cameras in size, weight and appearance and allow you to add any Nikon lens etc. Therefore you can control aperture, have better depth of field and choice of lens length etc when you shoot. The Nikon site defines the specific differences between those 2 cameras, but mostly it is in speed and highly technical specs. I am saving for the D-100 as I want to have the ability to change lens etc.
One of my professors swears the best affect is achieved by shooting with a regular SLR 35 mm camera and then having the film digitally scanned with a very fancy ( like $20,000 fancy ) professional scanner at a pro lab. This will cost about $ 5 a shot, but is worth it for very special shots.
Mary Beth <email>
Paris, france 05/14/02
I'm Going Digital!
Just got back from a month in Italy. Took my beloved classic Nikon F2 with wide-angle, normal, and 70-210 zoom lenses, and 54 rolls of film, half ISO 800, the rest ISO 200 and 400. I was not allowed to have the film hand-checked, it had to go through the x-ray. I had to lug the weight of camera and lenses for a month. I dropped my zoom and broke it. It cost me $350 to have my film developed when I got home (plus the cost of the film in the first place). So it's a no-brainer -- much as I love my old Nikon, I'm now in the market for a digital (probably Nikon 950).
Terry <email>
Oakland, CA USA 05/04/02
ideal travel camera
Now that digital cameras are all the rage, the camera industry seems to abandon the good ol' 35 mm film market. Which makes specialist, discontinued camera models more accessible to non- and not-so specialist users. For the past decade, I've been using a Nikonos V underwater camera to capture sub-zero mountain summits to mediterranean sealife. Built like a brick, with spartan but excellent optics, I find it the ideal camera when quality and dependability are crucial in extreme environmental settings. Now that prices in this segment are dropping fast and retailers are clearing their shelves, see if you can get your hands on one before stocks run out.
Will <email>
The Hague, NL 04/30/02
The wonderful virtues of video and slides
I would like to put in some good words for video and slides. I have taken a video camera on six or eight trips to Europe in the past decade. Watching these later on has been a source of enjoyment to me (as well as friends and family) and I look at them with great pleasure every now and then. The sights, plus the sounds not only show me what I saw on a trip but make a very watchable travelog. With a little practice anyone can make a good video (make each each shot long enough, don't pan too much and cut down the number of shots is very good advice). The latest cameras not only record very good pictures and sound (never underestimate the value of the sounds of Europe) but are quite small and easy to use. So far as digital cameras and prints are concerned, the fact is that neither is remotely as good as a slide. Slides (though somewhat inconvenient to project) have a brillance and realism that prints never approach. That goes for mega-pixel digital photos also.
amateus photographer
USA 04/12/02
Shoot Digital on your Trip
I'm a professional photographer; but when I'm on a trip I shoot the same kind of things to chronicle and remember my trip that anyone does. We just got back from 2 weeks in Tuscany (our first ever trip outside the US) and this time I took a digital camera – a Nikon CoolPix 995. I will NEVER take film again on a trip!
I bought a couple of 128 MB cards (they’re down to $60 now) which each held almost 300 photos EACH at a medium resolution. (1024x768). Here are the advantages I found: - Cost of film and prints would have been over $400. My cost was $120 (for the cards) And I can use them again! - Saw immediately if the photo was what I wanted. If not, deleted it and shot it again. - No extra rolls of film to carry around or keep cool. - Single zoom lens; so no additional lens to pack (although I did have a tiny separate wide-angle lens for those tight Venice street shots) - No problem with aggressive X-Rays at airports - Files are numbered and time-stamped, so I know exactly where they were taken. - Took a photo of my wife in front of the leaning tower, then she took one of me. Put us both in the same shot when we got home! - Great ice-breaker for meeting new friends on your trip. - At the end of each day, I could “re-live” our experiences by reviewing the images. - Burned them to a CD when we got home. They will never fade, and “duplicates” costs just pennies. - Used the Slide Show feature of CompuPix (free demo at www.photodex.com/downloads/index.html ) to show edited images to my friends. What a world!
You do want to be sure you have additional batteries available in your camera case at all times. (I bought a 24 pack at Costco and kept the extra sets in my backpack.) Here’s one more tip, for either digital or film: When arriving at a new location, first take a quick photo of a sign with the city or town’s name on it. Makes it much easier to tell exactly where the following photos were taken when you get home.
Jamie Hooper <email>
Junction City, OR USA 04/04/02
High Altitude Radiation worse than airport x-rays
a 3/29 article in the WSJ mentions that the extra radiation film recieves on a long air flight might actually be greater than the amount of X radiation recieved at airport carry on inspections. Personally, I have taken 400 speed film through carry on x-rays up to four times and never had a problem.
Raul <email>
Seattle, WA, USA 04/03/02
a web site for travel photography
My web page is devoted to travel photography. I hope you find it interesting. My main premise is that you won't see anything you can't do yourself. Visit dougnelsonphoto.com.
Doug Nelson <email>
McLean, VA USA 04/03/02
Film
I carry about 15 rolls of film on my trips, which I keep in my carry-on and have hand-checked whenever possible. Since I keep both exposed and fresh film in the same bag (in the cannisters), it used to take me a few minutes to find a new roll when I was midway through my trip as I often had to open several cannisters. Now I put those address labels (that every company seems to send me) on each new roll and take it off as I use it and can find the fresh film quickly.
I have an SLR which I use most often but I also carry the tiny Olympus Stylus Epic which is great for either a different type of film (B&W) or to fit in my pocket when I can't take the big camera.
steve <email>
dallas, tx USA 04/02/02
journal
I use a pretty note pad to journal while taking pictures. I put new sights on a new page, when at home I can scan and reduce the pages and use the scanned page on the photo page, like scrapbooking. This eliminates the need to copy info.
Deb <email>
Akron, Oh USA 03/31/02
X-Rays do not hurt flash cards
Airport x-rays will not damage magnetic media due to the fact that their wavelengths are many orders of magnitude different from those that created the media in the first place. This is proven by the thousands of laptops that go through x-ray machines every day. Metal detectors, however, are another story since they produce strong magnetic fields. Whatever you do, don't walk through a metal detector with magnetic media if you want to keep what's on it.
That being said, digital cameras in general do not use magnetic media at all, but rather use flash memory cards. Although these compact flash cards can be susceptible to ionizing radiation, so far the doses being used by airport security systems do not appear to affect them at all.
Bob Williams <email>
Tualatin, OR USA 03/21/02
Airport Security
But it is my understanding that magnetic media also will be damaged by the new x-ray machines being used to screen CHECKED luggage. Magnetic storage devices and film need to travel with your carryon luggage.
Frank P. <email>
Centennial, CO USA 03/21/02
One more reason to switch to Digital photography
A trip to the airport after 9/11 convinced me that it was time to switch over to digital photography for my trips. Airport security is now warning that all checked film will be fogged by the screening. I found a solution, it is called a Digital Wallet (some other devices are similar) which is basically a portable hard drive with a battery power and PCMCIA cord input. You can use any of the digital media, like a Sony memory stick, to take the photos on and then transfer them to the DW. It holds a tremendous amount since the capacity is over 3 gig. I used it this year and it was the solution. I found myself taking even more images since they have no cost and I can pick and choose. I use a 5 megapix camera so the quality is right up there. Without the DW I might have had to have a dozen momory sticks so it really makes sense.
Jim Meehan <email>
McLean, VA USA 03/18/02
Better photos!
Author John Shaw has written some very good "How To" photography books. The absolute best tip that I've found in them is his explanation as to how your camera's light meter works. In a nutshell, the lightmeter doesn't know what you're aiming at. It doesn't know if its red, blue, black or white. So it makes an *assumption*. The assumption is known as 18% Gray. So if you aim your camera at a whitewashed wall, the camera says to itself: "what exposure is needed to make this look 18% Gray?" So it underexposes.
Camera & film manufacturers have been struggling for years with how to deal with this problem. The two "fixes" they have are to have cameras with multi-matrix metering (it tries to find the brightest & darkest spots and makes an educated guess as to what you want). And on the film side, this is called "exposure latitude". Print film has better latitude than Slide film, but the idea here is to get the exposure closer to perfect so that less adjusting is necessary.
To get better exposure, you need to do one (or both) of these things. The first is to see if your camera allows you the capability to "bump" the exposure up or down, and if it offers spot-metering. These features are typically found on more advanced SLR's. It takes some work, but the results can be worth it. The second is to cheat, by finding a suitably mid-tone subject to take your exposure setting off of, and then recomposing.
Shaw has excellent guidance on various rules of thumb that can be used for unusual photo conditions, such as sunrise/sunset, and snow (as in Switzerland!). One example of his rules of thumb is that the palm of the hand (for us Caucasians) is +1 stop lighter than 18% gray. So a perfect exposure of me & my wife would be to spot-meter our face and then open up ("overexpose") to take the final image. Good luck!
Hugh Huntzinger <email>
Denville, NJ USA 03/14/02
x-ray
I called Kodak today after reading many conflicting stories about x-ray effects since 9/11. The effect on film is cumulative and Kodak said that they are recomending that you purchase and develop your film at your destination. The reason for this is not knowing how high the machine will be turned up by the operator. I am leaving next week for Paris, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen and based on the guide books I have, it is similar in price. The only difference being, I will have to pay as I go instead of paying to develop when I can afford it.
Rick <email>
Denver, Co USA 03/12/02
X-rays and Camera goodies
I just spoke with a man from England at our local camera store and he couldn't emphasize enough that film should be in your carry-on! Especially with the 9/11 events, airports are beefing up checked luggage x-rays - they are MUCH stronger than the carry-on x-rays and will damage your film. Also, remember, anything over 400 ISO runs the risk of damage even in carry-on.
Here are a couple other tips for travel photography: if you are using an SLR, bring a polarizing filter! LOVE IT! It makes a blue sky "pop" and even works in black and white - more contrast. I also bring a "Unipod" - this tiny little tri-pod that folds up for the times I need a photo of my husband and I together. All this (the tri-pod, filter, a flash, lens cloth and a bag for my daily film ration) fits in a Eagle Creek Quarter Pack-it Cube. I only take one lens (zoom 28-70) which meets most of my needs. My husband brings a digital camera and has a blast with that. This way, we have the best of both worlds (paper and digital) and a back-up camera just in case. Have fun!
Anna <email>
Bothell, WA USA 03/05/02
To Web scrapbook makers
Since this seems like the most appropriate place... Here's a few suggestions for web-gallery makers. 1. Design your pages to be able to be enjoyed at 800x600, because this is the most common monitor resolution by far. 2. Please use enough JPEG compression so that your pictures don't take forever to download (most of us still use dial-up modems). Few pictures need to be more than 100K to enjoy them on the web. 3. Go for it! Sharing your adventures with others can be a great experience. See the testimony page of the tour section of Rick's site for many great ideas!
Bob Williams <email>
Tualatin, OR USA 02/26/02
More Than One Camera
When we travel, my husband & I each carry a small camera. When one person is doing all the picture taking, it looks as if the other person went on vacation alone. We also get some cool shots of eachother.
S. Siwinski <email>
Eugene, OR USA 02/25/02
Labelling photographs
Here's an easy way to label photographs for future reference without having to write everything down twice.
1. Buy a box of labels (I like the duotang-label size - 1 1/2" x 3" - 4 labels to a 3 1/2" x 6" page).
2. Cut a piece of sturdy cardboard an inch larger in each direction, and fasten the labels to the cardboard with a small bulldog clip (available at most stationary stores).
3. Voila! You have an instant mini-clipboard, can write the date, place, and whatever other details you want to remember on the labels, and can just peel the appropriate label off and stick it on the back of your photo once you have had them developed! Quick, easy, and no duplication of writing. The mini-clipboard gives you a solid surface on which to write, and is small enough to fit easily into a camera bag, while the clip keeps the labels organized and in place, even if it is windy. I've been doing this for over a year now, and will definitely be taking the labels with me when I travel this fall.
N. MacNab <email>
Victoria, BC Can 02/24/02
Add a personal touch
Pack a small "friend" along (stuffed animal, figurine) so that when you can't find a person to put in front of that church or mountain you can use your friend. This prevents you from taking the same boring pictures that everyone else does and provides a theme for your scrapbook.
Bob Williams <email>
Tualatin, OR USA 02/23/02
Papa got a Brand New Bag
Zing is a brand name for nifty little rubberized fabric pouches. The medium size is perfect for a digital or small point n' shoot. The small size is great for lenses, or a tiny camera like the Olympus XA. The bags are extremely light weight, close with a drawstring, and are thick enough to offer good protection.
Doug Nelson <email>
Chester, VA USA 01/29/02
All the tips you need
I would like to stress to everyone who thinks you should pack light and bring as little as possible, you're right. But, splurge on the things that matter, like photography and great foods. I am a profesional photographer and heres's a few suggestions
1) Don't worry about bringing that extra lens, figure out how to fit it into your bag.
2) Bring a least 2 rolls of film per day. At Walmart you can buy a four pack of Fuji Superia 400 for 10 bucks or less. I
3) Bring a variety of film, 400 ISO, bring 100 ISO, and a couple of 50 ISO's. Again bring film for all occations, if the weather is overcast and dull the 400 will be a welcome sight. If it is sunny and bright 50 or 100 not only will give you better grain in your enlargments but in most cases is cheaper.
4) Don't bring slide film unless you are experienced and own an SLR or a hand held meter. Slide film just can't handle the uneven light that you get in Europe. The way to get around this is bringing your camera up close letting the camera judge the exposure then bring the camera back and take the photo, this only works on a camera that has manual control.
5) Very important, when you come home, go to a film processor that is really good. Anyone that doesn't hand print their pics is not good. Each print has to be individually given a certain amount of light.
6) Have fun when you shoot, if you are too frustrated and can't get a good shot, take a break. If your film can't handle the situation and you don't want to change to another film, relax go get a beer, look at the people and the scenery, a picture will open up.
I'm glad to answer any questions. www.tayloryoungphoto.com
Taylor Young <email>
Media, PA USA 01/28/02
Digital Camera 1 MONTH
We took only my Canon S110 digital, three 128 MG cards, extra battery. We went to Germany, Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland, Southern France, Beynac, Loire, and finally Paris. I met more people wanting to see the picture I'd just taken and then take one of them. This camera and extra battery fit in my shirt pocket. Each card would take 200 pictures! I found myself taking more pictures of every day life. It took a month editing the pictures, but with my journal all went well with labeling over 400 pictures. I then put them on three CD's (one for each country) via MVP software. NO MORE SLR and 20lb camera stuff for me.
Ed Swafford <email>
Oakland, ca. USA 01/17/02
photography in Europe
After several trips abroad and in country packing my SLR, extra lens, filters, mini tripod, etc. I've learned the major benefit of simplicity. With the remarkably sophisticated point & shoots nowadays, there is no reason to be so bogged down with stuff, or the worry of theft. Read the manual carefully, take it with you, practice with several rolls of film at home, and enjoy your trip much more. You can concentrate on composition and be more spontaneous when meeting new people in a cafe, for instance. Then just slip it back in your pocket and continue your activity. As for the airport xray concern, I've never noticed any problems with my pics even after several security checks along the way.
Jack <email>
Salem, Or USA 01/13/02
Keep That Journal!
Photography can be another form of writing, of communication. Having been to Europe three times I find both camera and journal to be indispensible. I don't remember everything; in fact I found an old post on this site from myself, that talked about my first trip to Paris, and how kind one of the doctors had been, and I had forgotten some of the details but reading the post brought it all back! What's more, even though I've kept a journal WHILE on my trip, other feelings surface afterwards that belong in the journal, so I need to put those in too!
Also, one way to combine camera bag and day bag is to buy one from Tamrac. They have bags that can contain my SLR, two lenses, flash, film, and still has room for stuff I'd normally carry in a daybag-hairbrush, travel wallet, lipstick, maps. I can't wait for my next trip!
CA USA 01/10/02
Correct dates on pictures
After I developed my pictures from our last trip to Scotland, I couldn't figure out why the date (printed on the picture) was wrong some of the time. I am going to Europe again this spring and will not make the same mistake again. Be sure and not only change the date if it is programmed in your camera, but also the TIME. That way, when midnight rolls over, it will be the midnight in Europe, not in the USA, and thus the date will change accordingly.
Shannon
Round Rock, TX USA 01/09/02
too much sky wil bite ya
Looking back through my slides , I find that my most frequent mistake is to allow the sky to influence the light meter reading too much. This is easy to do when using lenses of 35-mm and wider. If you know you really want the shot, expose normally, shoot, then use your exposure compensation control to give it a half a stop more exposure, shoot, and then a whole stop more(that's the + side of the dial). This will keep your shadow areas from going too dark. The two extra shots will be cheap insurance. One of the shots will be dead-on. I blew a few Swiss meadow shots by letting the sky and snow on the peaks over-influence my light meter.
Doug Nelson <email>
Chester, VA USA 01/07/02
X-Ray Tips & Managing Inventory
Part I - keeping your film safe from Airport X-Ray equipment.
1. Film always goes Carry-on. Always. The machines for checked baggage are significantly stronger.
2. All X-ray always causes some damage, and it will be cumulative. Minimize your exposures when reasonably possible.
3. When asking for hand-inspection, note the following:
a. If they're busy, its unlikely. Also budget extra time.
b. Use clear plastic zip-locks and have each roll in a clear plastic case - - make the inspector's job easier.
c. In the USA, FAA regulations say that you cannot be denied a hand inspection. But most of the inspectors don't know this.
d. Don't forget that the X-ray machines are only rated as safe up to ~1000 ISO. Films faster than that will require a hand inspection. It doesn't have to be all of your film...catch my drift?
Part II - Take the time to manage your film inventory before your trip, and as you go along.
1. Ziplock bags help keep exposed/unexposed and print/slide films sorted. Always have a spare or two.
2. Do NOT use the (old) Kodak black plastic film cannisters. They're harder for the inspectors and you can't write notes on them with a "Sharpy" marker. While you're still at home, build up a supply of the translucent cannisters (such as from Fuji).
Note that Kodak & Fuji lids are not interchangable.
3. Mark your film cannisters. Here's what I use:
a. Before the trip: the film's ISO rating. I usually write this on the bottom.
(Note: after you've built up a good pile of cannisters, you may also be able to "color code" the lids - - the idea is to make your special film types stand out from the rest).
b. Before the trip: if you carry both print & slide film, you can color-code with red & black.
c. Before the trip: If you're carrying a roll of film whose ISO is higher than 1000, it can't safely go through any of the X-ray machines (wink), so add a couple of "racing stripes", down the side of the cannister to help make it stand out.
d. During the trip: Divide your film into 3 groups:
- your "backroom stock" film
- your "ready room" film
- your "exposed" film.
Your backroom stock is every roll of unexposed film that you don't plan on needing to shoot today. Use it to replenish your "ready" film, which stays in your camera bag with your camera at all times.
(For ready film, I usually carry 3-4 rolls & my wife 1-2 rolls)
As your film gets exposed, it initially returns to your camera bag. At the end of the day, remove it, MARK IT, and put it in your exposed bag (and replenish your ready film).
e. Marking your film: time for the Sharpie marker again. Keep one in your camera bag. - mark on the plastic cannister whenever possible. It helps identify an exposed roll. - If you have the time, mark each roll as it comes out of the camera, instead of later. At the very least, do it at the end of the day, when you're removing & replenishing your ready film supply. - Develop a code system so that you have a leg up later on as to where/when the film was shot. I find that having the date that the film was shot is usually enough. Knowing which roll it was on that day also helps and is easy. Film Coding. Here's the system I use: 020526.3 02 - the year 05 - the month 26 - the day .3 - the third roll of film shot on that day. Most good film developers will transpose your ID# onto the envelope if you ask them to. If you envelope each roll yourself, you can write your ID# next to the envelope's ID# on the receipt part that you keep.
Hugh Huntzinger <email>
Denvill, NJ USA 01/06/02
Photos and postcards
As I was perusing this wall, an 8/12/2001 entry from Candice caught my eye because her comments were RIGHT ON! Specifically, she stated that memories are more important than pictures and that's so true! Last summer, when I visited Ireland, I left my SLR at home and took a tiny Cannon ELPH APS camera. It's smaller than most women's wallets and it took excellent photos. The only downside is that the red-eye reduction isn't very effective when snapping shots of people inside those dark pubs! Another "photo tip" is this: if in doubt about how your photos are going to turn out and/or if you'd just rather enjoy the view in lieu of being "snap happy", buy postcards. My scrapbook is full of both photos and postcards; they complement each other nicely and arial views are usually easier to obtain in the gift shop than from one's own camera!
Susie Peyton <email>
CA USA 01/03/02
Film
I was recently in Germany for 2 weeks and took several rolls of film. To avoid the film being fogged by the x ray, I had the film developed and printed in Germany so I took back with me prints. The quality of the prints was excellent.
Rick
Montpelier, Oh USA 01/02/02
Best Photos in Venice
If you want some of the best pictures while you are in Venice then try this: You will need a wide angle lens ( I used a 20mm) When you are on the vaperetto (water bus) go to the very back of the boat where there are seats. You will need to get the middle set by the flag. Then just compose your photos to include the Italian flag and the water along with the buildings you are passing. The pictures really scream VENICE when you get them back. I did this for only one or two photos. When I returned I had one enlarged to 20" x 30" and it was a great picture. Use 100 speed film to be able to enlarge them later. It would also be fun to try this at sunset! If I could go back I would take 100's of shots this way. Jimmy
jimmy <email>
St. Louis, MO USA 01/01/02