About Travel and Travel Pictures

Snapshots bring back the memories about happy journeys

About travel: I rely on my travel pictures to tell me where I've gone and what I've seen, since I don't trust my memory. Like this picture I took on a trip to China.

It was a hot and humid afternoon, and Nanning China's Green Park gave the illusion of coolness as I wandered the paths, then across this charming bridge.

Though the air was thick with hazy smoke from Nanning's many stacks, at least it was quieter away from the hundreds of motor scooters on the streets outside.

I bought a bag of food pellets from a vendor to toss to the koi circling under the bridge. Now, when I look at this picture, I remember how the koi roiled the water, clambering over one another to feed, and how children came running at the sound, squeeling excitedly.  I am back in China.

Stick a pin in a map of the world . . .

And I'm there! Avid and armchair travellers alike can take Snapshot Journeys - using my travel pictures  to travel to distant lands, to see what a place looks like, or at least, how it looked when I was there. And when I'm planning a trip, one of the things I want to know is, What does a place really look like? I want to get a 'feel' for a destination so I want to see pictures first. Yet most tourism pictures are provided by public relations companies and photographers who have the luxury of time and ideal conditions.

Real photos, real life

Most travellers do not have the luxury of unlimited time and perfect weather: We take our pictures 'on the fly'. And unlike travel and tourism brochures photographers, who can take pictures at leisure and under optimum conditons, my pictures (like most travellers' pictures) show the reality of 'take what shot you can get while you have the chance.' Even if the photo isn't the best, it will still bring your memories flooding back.

Of course, I've tried to include the best pictures, but if it comes down to publishing a less than optimum picture or no picture at all, I publish. At least you can see for yourself the smog, the drizzle or smoke haze, and see that's what it could look like when you visit. If it doesn't, then you'll have some great photos.

TIPS About Travel Pictures, Cameras and Lenses

This is not a comprehensive list, but a few tips about travel pictures that I found useful when using my Canon EOS SLR camera; my Canon digital is a small, back up one that I cannot add filters or change lenses.

• Lenses For taking pictures of wildlife, start with a 600 mm telephoto lens. I have a 300 mm, and while it takes good closeups, it is not enough for wildlife pictures (image shoud fill at least a third of the frame). See Telegraph Cove BC Canada pictures of grizzly bears and dolphins. For the pictures of the bears,I needed higher power telephoto!
• Filters For filtering out some smog, glare etc., use a polarizing filter. I also keep a UV filter on my lenses at all times to protect them from scratches.
• Batteries - always carry spare(s) with you. As soon as you replace the battery(ies) buy more.
• Film As with batteries, carry more than enough rolls of film to get through the day.
• Clean it Carry a lens cleaning cloth at all times. Beaches can be the worst for wind-blown sand clogging your shutter.
• Care for it Windy beaches have a lot of camera and lens - detroying sand and moisture.  In the Dominican Republic, I took many pictures on the beach at Playa Dorada, then I came home to Canada. I left my camera in the camera bag for some months, using my digital camera instead. When I needed my telephoto for the Toronto Air Show, it was jammed. The lens was fine; the mechanics were jammed, and unrepairable. New lens - a few hundred dollars.
• Rain Storms I risked the life of my SLR Canon in a torrential downpour on north western Vancouver Island, Canada, but thoroughly dried it off and left it open to the air right after. It was fine. Always take along a rain poncho large enough to cover you and your backpack/camera bag.
• Carelessness pure and simple Getting out of the van in Valparaiso Chile, I thought my camera strap was around my neck. It wasn't. As I stepped down from the van, my camera bounced from my lap to the pavement. You can imagine how sick I felt! Kudos to Canon! - The only damage was to the closing cover on the back. With a little duct tape and thick elastic, the camera back stayed closed and still took pictures. When I got home to Mississauga, I found a Canon service center close by, and my EOS had a new back door within a week. (Hundred dollar carelessness :-))

Travel the World

Have a look at China (Beijing, the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven Hong Kong and Hong Kong Islands), tour around Ethiopia (the Highlands -- Gonder, Axum, Addis Ababa, Debark and the Simien Mountains, Bahir Dar and Lake Tana), Australia (Far North Queensland, Kangaroo Island wildlife), Sri Lanka (Kandy, Sigiriya, Galle, Colombo), Thailand (Bangkok, Floating Market and the River Kwai), the Dominican Republic (Sosua, Santiago, cigar making, waterfalls) and Haiti (Cap-Haiten, Fort Liberté, Labadie, artisans), Portugal's Algarve , the Rock of Gibraltar and Chile. Go for the scenery, stay for the friendly people!

Go Alone if you Have to!

If you've 'always wanted to go to ____________ ' (fill in the blank) and still haven't, my advice is Just Go! And go alone, if you have to, You'll be glad you did.

As many times as you may wish someone was there to share the experience, there are just as many, if not more, times when you congratulate yourself for being so self-reliant, adventurous, and just plain self-indulgent. There's something that verges on guilty pleasure about going where you want, when you want, or eating when and where you want, and seeing the sites and attractions that appeal to you.

Hopefully, these photos will help you decide to go see for yourself. See my travel tips and my tips on what to pack . And take along your travel guide books.