Vacation Photography

I had a (too short) vacation this summer to Las Vegas. It was my first trip and definitely had a great time. I wanted to expand on vacation photography in general and a few techniques to be sure you create very memorable photographs.

First thing is equipment. I traveled lite, although my idea of ‘lite’ might be different than yours. I used my ThinkTank Shape Shifter bag and everything fit into one bag except for one lens. I used the case that Nikon provides and packed it in my carry on bag with some clothing.

• Nikon D3
• Nikon D3x
• Nikon 14-24mm f2.8
• Nikon 24-70mm f2.8
• Nikon 70-200mm f2.8
• Nikon 60mm f2.8 Micro
• Laptop
• Backup Hard Drive
• Lens Cleaning Cloths
• ThinkTank Shape Shifter bag
• Black Rapid RS7
• Nikon Sb-800 Flash (did not use but could have)
• Battery Chargers
• Spare AA batteries
• Nikon SC-29 Flash Cable
• Nikon GP-1 GPS Receiver
• Card Reader
• Lots of CF Cards!!
• ThinkTank Pixel Pocket Rocket

I used all of this equipment except for the SB-800 and SC-29. I could have used it for a location or two but decided to switch cameras (D3X to D3) and shoot high ISO instead. Each night I would offload to my laptop and backup to the external hard drive. That way I had a backup in case of any issues.

Photography!
Number one thing is to take in your surroundings. Get a feel for it first, then shoot. While I was shooting photos at the Bellagio Fountains or their garden I walked around and forgot about my camera for a while. Take in the sights and sounds and then start shooting. I do this regularly anyway so it was a no brainer. Shooting RAW files allowed me to not worry about the final output until I got back home. Don’t fiddle with your camera’s jpeg settings, just shoot RAW and process later.

Before you go (or even on the plane) read over your camera manual. That way you will remember your camera controls and don’t have to fiddle for your book. You can even get an app for the iPhone called ‘GoodReader’ that will save PDFs and make them searchable. That way you can leave the book at home!

I mentioned shooting RAW. You will also want to check your exposures as you go along. Be sure to shoot to the right of your histogram for maximum color and quality in your prints. There are always exceptions to this rule but most of the time you will want to avoid any blank spots in your histogram on the right side.

Last thing you will always want to keep in mind is your rules of composition. The major ones are always good to follow but especially on vacation. Here is the key phrase: Don’t just shoot, compose. Every composer will do his best to think of all the highs and lows of his music. Photography is the same. Walk around a bit, check the other angles. Can you come back at another time? If so the sky might be better or the sun might be at a better angle.

• Rule of Thirds
• Foreground, middleground, background
• Fill your frame (don’t crop!!!)
• S-Curves and Triagles
• Frame in a Frame
• Depth of Field
• Balance
• Repeating Lines
• See the Light!

The last one of these is the most important of all. See the light, feel it, study how it falls on your subjects and then do your best to capture it.

I didn’t have any problems with walking through the casino with my gear. I am sure that if I started snapping away I would have had a problem and a security person would have tried to escort me somewhere. Think about where you are shooting, if it seems like a bad idea it probably is.

The key to great memories is doing something with them. Print them out and hang them, make a photo album or a slideshow. Share the photos, don’t just let them sit on your computer! Here are my favorites from Las Vegas, Greg’s Favorite Las Vegas Vacation Photos and I made a slideshow for your enjoyment!