a guest blog by Ewen Bell
I’m thrilled that Ewen Bell of PhotographyforTravellers.com agreed to share his top tips for travel photography with us. I say “Ditto”!
Nepal Kathmandu Valley photo by Ewen BellRead on for Ewen’s advice for how to return home with vacation pictures that will make your friends and family feel they went along on the trip.
1. Get Closer
The easiest way to improve your photography is to get closer to the subject. The world changes when you are closer to it.
2. Go Slow
Take your time and you will take better photos. Rushing about gives you lots of shots that you might not want to keep, so maybe it’s better to go slow and enjoy the travel.
3. Shoot Wide
Get a wide angle lens and get more into the shot. Many compact cameras shoot the equivalent of 24mm wide, and that’s good.
4. Look for the Light
Cameras shoot light not objects, so you have to practice seeing the light as your camera does. Lovely light makes for lovely photos.
5. Ask first
Show respect for other people and ask permission before shooting. It avoids offending strangers and gives you a chance to better connect with the locals. Getting local is what it is all about!
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With their hard plastic chairs, plastic food and service to match, airports are about as inviting as a root canal. Sure, elite members-only lounges are a wonderful perk if you have access. But thankfully, more and more airports, especially in Europe, are offering in-house options where even the economy-flier can relax, work and freshen up in civilized surroundings. Here are a few airport rest-stops worth checking out next time you’re passing through.
MUNICH AIRPORT photo by llinke via flickr (commons license)
MUNICH
As the five-star Kampinski Hotel Airport Müchen, designed by Helmut Jahn, passengers are welcome to use the indoor pool, sauna, steam bath, whirlpool and gym for 22 euros. Thus refreshed, head to Airbräu, the world’s first airport brewery with an outdoor beer garden, for a cold one brewed right on the premises.
HELSINKI-VANTAA AIRPORT
At Helsinki’s award-winning airport, known for its Finnish cutting-edge design and first-class telecommunications capabilities, Finavia offers free unrestricted wireless Internet connection, but for a private microenvironment where you can watch a film or work online in peace and techy comfort, check out the “artpod” chairs at eService Bar near gate 20.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
photo courtesy of Austin-Lehman AdventuresFrom Yellowstone to Utah and Arizona, adventure travel specialists Austin-Lehman Adventures offer a tempting line up of fall adventures to choose from. They also report space available on several of their favorite biking tours in Europe.
Learn more at www.austinlehman.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Travel Photography Scholarship - Bhutan
WorldNomads.com is giving one exceptional individual the chance to travel with National Geographic on-assignment photographer Jason Edwards to The Kingdom of Bhutan - Land of the Thunderdragon. Apply and the winner could be you!
photo by Wonderlane via flickr (common license)
Without a doubt, mentors have played an inspiring role in my life, helping me build the skills necessary to transform passion to profession. So it is with great enthusiasm that I share this amazing Travel Scholarship program from our travel insurance partners at WorldNomads.com that gives passionate individuals the opportunity to further their skills through professional in-the-field mentorship. There’s no better way to move forward than learning on the job from some of the best in the biz.
Apply by October 17, 2010 and you’ll qualify for the chance to travel with National Geographic on-assignment photographer Jason Edwards to The Kingdom of Bhutan - Land of the Thunderdragon! It’s that easy.
Plus, the lucky scholarship recipient will also win AU$2000 worth of Pentax photographic equipment. NICE!
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Look for complimentary homemade pie at Rockland Maine’s Berry Manor Inn 24-7-365. Photo by Jumping Rocks. a guest blog by B&B expert, Marti Mayne
Mark Orwoll, trusted travel journalist, recently published a story about the exorbitant $12 hotel minibar fee for a can of nuts (which also resulted in a $12 stomach ache). This confirmed my contention that B&Bs are simply the better way to stay. In his story about the world’s most outrageous hotel fees, Orwoll unveils how hotels stand to gain $12.5 billion in add-on fees that you simply do not find at a bed and breakfast. I know I beat my “B&Bs are more affordable” drum over and over, but Orwoll’s insight into the ever-increasing hotel add-on fees proves my contention.
Read on and you may never stay at a hotel again.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
I’ve always wanted to see the polar bear migration in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. With regret, I’ll be off adventuring in Scotland in October when space is still available on The Great Canadian Travel Company’s fall migration tours. Perhaps you can make it. Hope so!
Better still, if you do go, I hope you’ll share your experiences and photographs in a guest blog. Read on for details…
Every autumn, polar bears gather along the water’s edge near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of the Hudson Bay, about 650 miles north of Winnipeg, anxiously waiting for sea ice to form. Once the bay freezes over, hungry bears move out onto the ice where they will spend the winter months hunting seal.
photo courtesy of Great Canadian Travel Company
The Great Canadian Travel Company, which has been operating polar-bear observation tours to this area since 1980, reports that there is still limited space left on its 2010 polar bear tours.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".