Common Sense Tips For Better Travel Photographs

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Colorado River Walk, Laughlin, Nevada

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Common Sense Tips For Better Travel Photographs

By: Edward Mercer

When you have free time to travel to any of the beautiful locations of your choice, your camera and your knowledge of how to use it will be the difference of having beautiful visual memories to reflect on forever, or to experience the disapointment of lost memories.

There are so many wonderful places to travel to around the world, and for most of us it can be a once in a lifetime experience. It is wonderful to have photographs as seen through your own eyes to relive those times over and over.

Most of us nowadays have a digital camera to record our travels and they are fairly easy to use, usually just a point and shoot method. But many people forget small basic steps that can lead to disaster and lost photographic opportunities.

Simple things like not having spare batteries or making sure their rechargeable batteries are charged. Making sure to have more than one memory card in case one has a problem or you get caught up in the moment and take too many photographs. Not having your owners manual with you to explain a possible error message from your camera and how to fix it, or how to do an advanced photography technique that you may not be able to do in automatic mode.

Try to make sure you have had the camera for a while and are fairly familiar with it, you will be gambling if you go with a brand new camera that you are not familiar with.

When you are traveling and on different tours you do not always have a lot of time to compose and capture your images, so knowing your camera and being ready will prevent you from missing great photographs.

When taking your photographs, you do not want to point your camera into the sun unless you want a silhouette effect. Always try and have the sun or light source behind you to get the best results.

When photographing people in a scene try and photograph them in the shade otherwise they will be squinting and the photographs
will have too much contrast.

Try and use objects in front of the camera to show perspective. Along with your beautiful landscapes try and pick a subject within the landscape as a motif. A small mini tripod is also a great piece of equipment to take low light or night photographs.

These are just a few small tips to insure that your travel photographs are as close to the real thing as possible. Enjoy your travels and return to relive them again in photographs.

Author Resource: Ed Mercer and his wife Sue are professional photographers and studio owners. They have been in the business for 30 years. Samples of their work can be seen at:
http://www.travelphotographysecrets.com
http://www.mercerphotography.com
http://www.photoshopsolutions.com

Article courtesy of Richard's Photography Articles Directory

Lost - Keith Birmingham

Lost - Keith Birmingham
Copyright, 01/02/2012
This song was written by the author of this blog. Please contact Keith Birmingham if you think you would like to use the song.


D
Well a nieve kid from lost small town
A
With a dream of becoming a star
G
Left his home and his friends and his family
D A
In a search that would take him afar.
 
D
Well he thumbed his way to the west coast
A
Became the front man in a band
G
Well, his records sold, and he was the toast
D A
In the land of the golden sand　

G
But, when the lights grew dim something
tortured him
A
And, he could not find his way
G
Something called to him from a distant place
A
And, he found that he could not stay.

　

D
And, a lost young man from a lost small town
A
Made his way to the eastern seaboard
G
And, he found a life of fortune and fame
D A
It was clear that he could go far.

D
Well, he worked the bars with another band
A
All the people were loving him
G
Well, his records sold, he was rollin’ in doe
D A
And, the offers were coming in
 
G
But, when the lights grew dim something
tortured him
A
And, he could not find his way
G
Something called to him from a distant place
A
And, he found that he could not stay.

Lead - DAGDA
D
Well, his car broke down in a lost small town
A
Somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line.
G
And, a small town girl showed him the light
D A
He had finally found his way

D
Now his days are filled with the light of his life
A
With his woman and his kids
G
And, the dreams he had of being a star D A
They were lost along the way
 
G
But when the lights grow dim nothing tortures
him
A
And, he finds that he doesn’t need
G
All the lights and the glamour of the hustling
crowd
A
All he needed was his family

Lead - DAGDA

14 Ways to Make Traveling with a Disability Easier

If you travel with a disability, handicap, physical limitation, mobility limitation, or developmental disability, have special needs, or use an electric wheelchair or handicap scooter, it's a good idea to learn as much as you can to make disabled travel easier.

Or if you're a mature traveler or senior who is a slow walker or just wants a slower pace, becoming more informed about disabled travel services and disability travel resources, will lessen the anxiety that often accompanies disabled travelers.
The following travel tips, resources and information for the disabled will help make trips, tours, holidays and vacations a lot easier for you, or for a child with a disability, whether short-term or long-term.
1. Plan your trip well in advance! Do you need to order extra supplements, medications or renew prescriptions, fix eyeglasses or change prescriptions, get a physical, have dental work done, have your wheelchair fixed or tuned up, etc.?
2. If possible, always book your travel through an agency that specializes in helping people with disabilities. This is important because specialized travel agents and tour operators for the disabled are experienced and can save you some awful headaches.
They offer a lot of good tips and a wide range of services for the handicapped traveler. Among other things, they can arrange for a: wheelchair at the airport, wheelchair accessible hotel room, wheelchair rental, lift-equipped accessible van, full van, minivan, RV, handicap scooter, or any other handicap vehicle.
Travel agents for the disabled can help arrange accessible transportation, help plan the best accessible cruise, give cruise line and cruising tips, arrange travel insurance and take care of special needs.
Agents can check with hotels for: inner and outer door widths to accommodate your wheelchair, ADA-approved handicap bath tubs, grab bars, or for roll-in showers. Just tell them your needs.
Travel agents can help you find cheap airfare, cheap tickets, cheap flights, cheap travel auto insurance, cheap hotels, cheap car rentals, cheap cruises, cheap vacations and cheap travel of all kinds.
3. Besides taking along your travel agent's phone number, you'll also want to take with you the phone numbers for the travel agencies that specialize in disabled travel at your destination, in the event you can't reach your own agent.
These travel agents may know how to solve problems that come up regarding your hotel, car or van rentals, etc., even if you didn't order your tickets through them.
4. When traveling to another city, check out the local health and medical associations before you go. For example, get the phone numbers for the local MS chapter if you have MS. These organizations can be great resources.
They usually know what museums, restaurants, theaters & other local facilities are wheelchair accessible and where you can get oxygen, emergency supplies or medical assistance. They may be able to help you with any problems that arise.
5. If you plan to rent a handicap scooter, wheelchair, electric wheelchair, handicap van, full van, mini-van, RV or other vehicle in another city, don't wait until you get there. Make all the arrangements before you leave on your trip.
Make sure you ask any specifics like, are there tie-downs, ramps, or hoists, etc. Check on what van, RV, car or auto insurance you'll need before you go.
6. Don't leave anything to chance. If you can, double-check all the arrangements your travel agent makes. Call the airlines, hotels, scooter, wheelchair, car, RV or van rental companies, medical equipment rental companies, etc., and verify the specifics, especially if you're traveling in a wheelchair or have any other special needs like oxygen.
This is important if you haven't used the agent before.
7. If you need oxygen or any other special medical equipment, call airlines and suppliers well in advance of your trip. Don't wait until the last minute. Start calling them as soon as you know you're going to be traveling or taking a trip.
Then double-check with your travel agent and the airline at least three to four days before your flight.
8. Arrive early at the airport. It's better to wait around there than miss your plane. This will eliminate some of the pre-trip anxiety you might feel and make for more leisurely travel. This seems like common knowledge but many people still arrive at the gate just in the nick of time.
With all that's going on in the world today there are many reasons why you want to allow for more time at the airport.
9. In your airplane carry-on bag keep copies of the prescriptions for your medications and eyeglasses, extra eyeglasses, sunglasses, all your medications and supplements, and a list of your doctor, dentist and other health professionals with their addresses, and phone numbers.
Include your doctor's fax number for prescriptions in case you lose your medications. Keep duplicate copies of these in your luggage and at home by the telephone. Know where your medical records are kept.
10. When you travel, and for any other time too, if you take medications, learn their names and exactly what they're for if you don't know. People come into the emergency room all the time and don't know what medications they're taking. You might be surprised to find out that most people say 'a little yellow pill' or 'a white capsule', etc.
Emergency workers need to know what you're taking so they don't give you medication that would interact adversely with it, overdose you or somehow interfere with their treatment and your recovery.
11. If you're traveling by air, tell the flight attendants when you board, of any medical problem you might encounter on your flight. Note the location of the closest restroom before getting seated. Tell the flight attendant if you think you'll need assistance getting to it during the flight.
You may need or want an aisle seat for easy access to the restrooms. Discuss seating with your travel agent.
12. If you need someone to travel with you, ask your travel agent for ideas or suggestions. Call the local chapters of medical associations and ask if they can recommend a travel assistant or travel companion to help or accompany you.
There are national companies who offer traveling nurses, traveling companions or travel assistants to accompany disabled travelers or people with serious medical issues.
13. Make sure to take with you: any medical cards, Medicare cards, discount cards, car or auto rental discount cards, auto insurance policy numbers and agent's phone number, passport, airline tickets, etickets, American Express Travelers Cheques, debit cards, credit cards, and drivers license. Photocopy everything.
Keep photocopies in your luggage and at home by the telephone or someplace where someone has access to it in case you need it.
14. Read everything you can about traveling with a disability. Read disabled travel books, access guides, accessible guidebooks, disability travel articles and travel publications for the disabled traveler. Read the personal travel experiences of wheelchair users and others who have traveled with disabilities. Be informed.
These travel tips, information, resources, and services for the disabled should help you, or anyone with a disability, handicap, physical limitation, or who uses a wheelchair, have an easier, more pleasant, anxiety-free, trouble-free trip, tour, holiday or vacation.

Helen Hecker R.N. is the author of 'Travel for the Disabled' and the 'Directory of Travel Agencies for the Disabled' and other books for travelers with disabilities. Get FREE weekly 'Travel Tips for the Disabled'at www.AllAboutDisabledTravel.com Also get FREE 'Disability News You Can Use'

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Helen_Hecker

The Art Of Selling Photographs To Magazines

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The Art Of Selling Photographs To Magazines

By: Victor Epand

Magazines are a great market for freelance photographers. These days most magazines are focused on providing substantial visual content, compared to the textual content and stories they publish. Therefore, good quality photographs appropriate to magazine content can fetch great rewards from these magazines. Let us see how to get these photographs published, and get paid well for doing it.

Understand the market

Photographs differ in subject, as do the magazine cover stories. The range can be vast - politics, sports, entertainment, disasters, technology, social concerns, food, cuisine, fashion, comical situations, serious concerns, health, education or nature, all things great and small.

The scale and focus could also be different - local to state, national and international, or rural or urban, or glamor or plain and truthful reporting. There exists a place for every slot and every setting. It is therefore essential for you to understand the market for your work. After knowing your market, it is much easier to find potential customers for your work.

First, compare and assess your work

Before approaching suitable magazines, first study the photographs already published in the magazines that are relevant to your category of work. Make an honest comparison of the work you want to submit to those magazines. After an impartial assessment, if you feel your work is as good as the work published, then you are ready to approach the magazines.

Care to be taken while submitting your work

Write or send a mail to the magazine\'s photo editor giving a brief idea of your work. Give the details of your website in your mail, if you have one. It is easier for the photo editor to visit the site and view your work. While sending photographs by post, attach a stamped self-addressed envelope to ensure return, in the case that it is not accepted.

The monetary aspect

The money offered for accepted work depends upon the magazine management. There are well-paying ones and also lower-paying magazines. However, sometimes there is a general structure of fees common between several magazines. If they place your shot in the cover page, you will get paid the most for your photograph. The double center spread is a close second.

The points to look for, while sending your work:

It is in your best interest not to send your work to any other magazines after selling it to one magazine. If you get caught for doing that, it is likely that you will lose the magazine as your customer permanently. Also, understand some basic things such as the copyright laws. Whenever you click a photograph, it carries your own copyright. Generally, the custom is that a magazine can publish a photograph for one-time use. Therefore, if they are publishing the same photograph twice in a period of five months, you must be paid by them again, the second time.

Author Resource: Victor Epand is an expert consultant about magazines and comics. When looking for magazines and comics, we recommend you shop only at the best magazine and comic stores for magazine photographs, used magazine photographs, and comics.

Article originally submitted to the Come and Read Article Directory

Article courtesy of Richard's Photography Articles Directory

Like a Kid in a Playground

Every now and then I like to take a good look at my life to see where I have been, where I am, and where I am going. I am now working on month 26 of my retirement from a 35 year career in the trucking industry. It has not been easy for me to get used to being at home almost every night, sleeping in the same, big bed, going to bed when I want, getting up when I want, eating and drinking when and what I want. No, it has not been easy. But, it has been fun.

However, I must say that I have stayed just as busy in retirement as I was as a truck driver. And, believe me, I was busy. So busy, that it forced be into retirement with exhaustion. But, that is behind me now. Except for the fact that I have had a quadruple bypass heart surgery, and suffer from sleep apnea and a few other less taxing ailments I am feeling better almost everyday than I did for my last 25 years on the road. One problem that I do not seem to be able to overcome is expanding the capacity of my lungs. Yeah, cigarettes. But, I keep walking almost every day, and I occasionally do other exercises. And, I stay very busy for about 14 hours every day.



Since my retirement I have been trying to build new professions using my photography and music. Most people might say that the time I spend on the computer is a waste of time. And, sometimes I wonder about it myself. But, I post a lot of photography on the web. And, I post to several blogs, several web sites, several forums, several Facebook pages and profiles, and a Google+ site. Yes, much of my work is on networking sites. But, it is getting attention for my photography work, and for my music. I have made some money with my photography, but I cannot yet say that I can rely on it for my income. But, I am getting better with the camera, and better with Photoshop. And, it is getting noticed on the web. I write songs, and I am beginning to surprise myself with how far I have come with my guitar abilities. And, I am having fun.

And, for the first time in my life I am confident and happy that everything that I am doing in retirement is leading me to where I am supposed to be. I am happy, like a kid in a playground.