Travel Experiences and How to make the most of them

Embrace diversity as you travel

As I left camp today, I did not expect to meet a biker gang. Or a busload of Korean tourists.

Today I only wanted to get a quick sandwich at Subway nearby for my lunch before my hike in Bryce Canyon. That Subway was the craziest place. Busiest Subway I have ever seen!

While I am in line to order, there is a biker club of about 30 or so guys stopped for lunch as well. Leather jackets, tattoos, … you get the idea.

There is also a tour bus full of Korean tourists stopped at the same time.

After getting my order, I sat in my truck to eat my lunch. It was then that I observed the most unusual exchange. One of the Korean ladies goes over to the bikers, as they are getting ready to leave on their bikes, and asks for a photo op. They oblige.

Then one of the bikers goes over to an outdoor table of the Korean tourists and asks for a selfie with the Korean lady! Half the members of the Korean tour jump up eager to get in the photo op.

Then it becomes a free for all. The Koreans are all going over to the bikers to get pics with them and the bikes, and the bikers all want pics with the Koreans! What a cultural exchange!!

No, I didn’t take pictures. Sometimes it is more interesting to just observe.

Four things I try to cultivate when I travel

1. Be brave

Both of these groups of people were curious and interested in the other and it only took one brave woman to strike up a conversation. People travel to experience new things. Be brave enough to follow through!

As I travel all over the United States, I am excited and sometimes a bit disoriented (in a good way) as I discover new people, places, landscapes and local customs.

The change forces me out of my comfort zone and allows me to experience many things in different ways.

My brain is excited!

New ideas and surroundings are ways that our brains and opinions grow.

Allow your curiosity to blossom as you travel.

Ask questions. Find answers. It opens up a new world and a new appreciation of the life around you.

How do you do that?

2. Be open to trying new things.

Food is always an easy thing. A food you never tried might be just the way to start a conversation with a local.

If you are a bit shy and not used to striking up a conversation, ask your local waitress or restaurant owner or fruit stand owner. I always find it easier to talk to a person who is going to be talking with you anyway!

I like to get fresh, local fruits and veggies wherever I travel. The variety from one location to the next is usually significant. I stopped in several fruit stands in Utah and they had over 20 different kinds of peaches!

You will find that most people are more than happy to share their knowledge and expertise with you.

Be polite, be cheerful, be genuinely interested and be grateful for the advice you get and you will be amazed at the wealth of knowledge that people will share.

Whether you visit a city or a national park, there are always people that have knowledge about a place. All it takes is a little investigating in the right way and the courage to speak to other people.

3. Be observant

Large cities or the wide open spaces of national parks, it doesn’t matter. The process is the same. Bryce Canyon is about as far away as you can be from Cleveland, Ohio. Culturally, I mean. But Cleveland is what is normal for me. It is comfortable and known. I feel relaxed and at home there. It is a place that has memories and routines. And few surprises. For me, at least. But for other visitors, it can hold lots of treasure.

I grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area. Lots of eastern European immigrants historically settled there. So, lots of German, Polish and Czechoslovakian ethnic foods. I grew up eating sauerkraut, kielbasa and perogies. Not everyday, mind you, but these are not unknown to me. But they are to many people. Try them if you get to the area!

In any city, try to go to an area where you might find people going about their everyday lives. You will be able to observe more people in a shorter period of time and will be able to get a feel for the area.

If you get to Cleveland, be sure to visit the Westside Farmers Market for the most interesting experience. I wouldn’t say it would be on the tourist recommended circuit, but I highly recommend it for the cultural immersion into the heart of the area.

I remembered going there when I was a child and young adult. When I went back recently, my friends took me there to visit.

Early mornings are best, check days and times especially around holidays. The diversity of people, the good-natured feel of the salt-of-the earth customers and vendors and the smells are out of this world. And the architecture is not to be missed!

Pre-made pastries, perogies to take home and sandwiches made to order, along with all the fruits, veggies and meats available make for a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and smells. Culturally diverse and different from any Market that I have ever been in.

Start a conversation with one of the vendors or locals.

Some of these people have been here in the same “stall” for over 50 years! Locals know the most amazing things. Anything from the best pastry in their booth to the best restaurants to eat at. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Shared interests are always good conversation starters.

While you are there in Cleveland, be sure to observe the architecture. Lots of German stone masons settled the area and the expertise and uniqueness of the bridges, buildings and even the gravestones reflect that. So if you had an interest in architecture, local history, German heritage, stone masons or the WPA (Works Project Administration), these would be all great conversation starters.

Ask questions, listen with interest, be open to trying new things and local people will regale you with interesting stories! Wherever you go, you will find people are proud of their heritage and the place they live in.

4. Develop a sense of wonder

Traveling involves experiencing the diversity of the local culture and developing a sense of wonder about your surroundings.

Get accustomed to finding the differences in age groups, clothing styles, gender stereotypes, subtle accents, cultural heritages stemming from generations of immigrants and local customs.

If you travel with a sense of wonder about the world around you, you will never be bored.

You will always find something to be fascinated by from the landscapes to the architecture, the food to the clothing styles, the diversity of the people impacted by everything from the weather to the economy.

Just look and experience the rainbow of diversity that surrounds you from place to place.

If you travel for the experience, I encourage you to embrace diversity. Explore off the beaten path and be open to new adventures. You won’t regret it!

motivational travel quote — Road less traveled by Robert Frost

When visiting a landmark, national park or other place of interest, actually talk to the docent or ranger there.

They know lots of things! They are there usually because they love what they do and have more knowledge about the area than what they can say on the daily tours they give.

Ask – they will love you for giving them the opportunity to share knowledge. I have found the most unusual trails, the most beautiful scenic roads and remarkable stories about the history of a place. Be open to “take the road less traveled” and you will more often than not, be delighted.

Embrace diversity as you travel to gain the experiences of a lifetime.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.

July 12, 2019June 12, 2020

4 Simple Photography Hints to create Beautiful Travel Photos

creating-memorable-travel-photographs-findingnaturesbeauty

Beautiful travel photos using 4 simple tips.

Being a portrait photographer for over 30 years makes me look at things a little differently.

I am used to directing my clients to help them achieve their best look by posing them. This little guy took direction quite well……

Head up, sit up straight, front foot to camera, weight on your back foot, relax your hands, smile with your eyes, ears up straight…oh wait, not the ear thing.

But this little chipmunk patiently posed in all the right ways to create a charming portrait in Bryce Canyon! I just love this shot!! He literally just sat there and gave me a half dozen different poses. I wished I had had a snack to reward him with (although there is no feeding of animals allowed in the park).

I would like to share with you my 4 simple photography hints to create beautiful travel photos. After creating thousands of photographs, these are my top time tested hints to share with you. They are fairly easy to remember, don’t involve any new camera equipment and there is only 4 for you to focus on at this time.

1. Use known objects or structures in your photographs to create relationships between them.

Placement of known objects, animals, people or structures within a photograph helps the viewer relate to what they are looking at. Remember that photography is two dimensional whereas life is 3 dimensional. Because the viewer does not have the ability to be there and experience the dimension of space or depth, it is helpful to give them a known object to use as a point of reference.

In the above photograph, the oddity of the chipmunk being so small within the greater context of the enormous Bryce Canyon, make you stop and look twice.

He illustrates a sense of place and dimension by combining a commonly known item (chipmunk) with a not so commonly known place (Bryce Canyon).

Besides the fact that he is cute as a button, this also works because he is color coordinated with the background

2. Use a dominating color technique when possible

Try using the dominating color technique next time you create an image. Be aware of the color in an area that you want to photograph and see if you can enhance it by cropping or framing the picture creatively to enhance the dominate color and its variations, allowing only one main color to stand out.

- Dominate color is when one color is predominate in the photograph and represents one base color with varying shades, tints and tone.
- Shades in a photograph show lighter and darker versions of the same hue. Technically, a shade is the color you get when you add black to any given hue. Various shades just refer to how much black you add.
- Tint is the opposite of shade, in that it is technically the color you get when you add white to a particular color.
- Tone is what you get when you add both black and white to a color and create a tone. Saturation and tone are close cousins in terms and are often used interchangeably. Tone is more often used when referring to painting and saturation is used when talking about digital images.

The above image also uses the coordinated color theme idea and presents a strong impression. The sheer abundance of greens-tones, shades and saturation combine to focus your eye on the textures and light coming in from above. (If you want to see examples of opposing color nature images, please check out my post here)

This photograph was taken on a small trail through the Federated Forest in Washington State on Mt Rainer near the White River.

It was a complete surprise when I found this trail ( I like to use the All Trails app) and really not too difficult to hike. Each bend provided a new view of this lush forest and I felt like I was in a real life episode of Lord of the Rings, expecting Frodo Baggins to pop out any minute!

Both of the above images show two different different single dominate color schemes.

2. Look for the unusual to make great travel photos

Yellow Evening Primrose — Yellow evening primrose near Bryce Canyon

When I am in a place, I like to look for images that are out of the ordinary type of travel photos.

This image above is of the evening primroses that grow around the rim near Fairyland Canyon in Bryce Canyon. I loved the way they are backlit.

The softness of the grasses and flowers against the dead log in the background create a mix of textures. New flower growth and old logs side by side show differences that make a scene interesting.

This is definitely not the typical image taken in Bryce Canyon, in fact no part of the canyon is even hinted at!

But there is always more to a place than the obvious dominating landscape features. A smaller more intimate scene can bring back memories of the details surrounding a place.

Also, mixing textures adds greatly to the story that a photograph can tell. To get new and unusual images when you travel, look beyond the obvious, no matter how overwhelmed you are with the place!

4.Use Framing to give a sense of size and intimacy.

Framing is a great technique to learn and use when creating memorable travel photos. This image is framed by a Ponderosa Pine in the foreground, giving the background a sense of scale and dimension. (remember that from the first image above with the chipmunk?)

There is nothing that says you can only utilize one technique.

It is usually quite easy to use framing no matter where you are. For instance:

- - frame a landmark through a tree branch,
  - frame a person in a doorway,
  - frame a mountain by using the meadow of flowers in the foreground

Try using framing next time you create an image and really think about how it enhances the image.

To sum up, think about these four ways to enhance your photography. They are quite easy to do once you get used to using them.

Your images will have much more impact and story telling ability by using just these 4 simple photography hints.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.

July 8, 2019July 8, 2019

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park

I began my journey into full time travel in Florida, but quickly started to explore the west. I wanted to be in Utah for a family commitment and have taken the opportunity to extend my stay in the area. Going from Logan, Utah , then to Orem and Bridal Veil Falls, on to Capitol Reef and then Escalante Staircase National Monument and finally here in Bryce Canyon National Park.

This is only the beginning of exploring Bryce Canyon National Park and I am stunned by the scenery surrounding me.

I look out into the vast expanse and realize that my eyes truly are capable of seeing 30 miles in the distance. I can tell by the signage explaining what I am observing and how far away the mountain or plateau is. This knowledge alone surprises me. This is a capability that my body has that I was unaware of.

As I see this scenery that is new to me, except for what I have seen on TV or in the media, I feel a sense of surreal surroundings. Even the cloud formations are different from what we have in Florida. Thinking about it, I understand it intellectually but it is a bit disorienting. And my experiences expand with each bit of newness that I am exposed to.

Traveling changes a person.

Traveling not only enhances my experience in the present time, but it also changes me. The way I look at things from that point on is changed and enhanced because of my exposure to new things.

The image to the left is one of my favorites from today’s travels because it is so stark and unique to today. Bright and clear today with very few clouds. I suddenly see this composition on a hill overlooking the canyon. This image works because of the very starkness of it against the cloudless sky. The composition is good with the bottom third anchored by the hill and the trees pulling your eye upward into the top of the image.

Looking for Composition

As I walked some of the shorter trails to get an overall sense of the park on the first day, I was impressed by the vastness of the canyon and by the individual colors and intricate detail in the landscape. Shapes angles and curves provided by nature became perfect composition.

The image to the right works for many reasons.

First, I have included a foreground (the tree coming out from the side) which helps to establish size relationship. The middle ground is the magnificent rock formation itself. Then the background of forest and trees sliced through by the winding road.

Ponderosa Pines and Bryce Canyon — Bryce Canyon viewed thru mountain pines

The last image included today is about the Ponderosa Pines that are everywhere in Bryce Canyon National Park. Looking through the trees gives you a more intimate view of the canyon and establishes a sense of size and dimension as it allows the eye to wander around the image and come to rest on the valley itself.

Thanks for reading. I hope I expand your view of the world and give you a few tips for creating your own gorgeous images.

If you would like to see more of my travels and hints for creating better travel pictures, please subscribe to this blog below.