North to Alaska…sunset near Dawson Creek

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We only got about 15 miles up the Alaska Highway before we were stopped by Farmington Fairways, a combination golf course and RV park about 15 miles outside of Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We checked in, got set up, and then signed up to play nine holes late in the evening.

Sunsets that can last for hours and slowly evolve into sunrises are some of the really great things about being in the far North. Our late evening golf game was no exception. As the clock eased forward to nearly 10 p.m., the sky became an endless panorama of color, constantly changing as the clouds moved about in the wind. I shot this picture as we were leaving the course.

Get an autographed copy of Ron’s book, Guide to the Alaska Highway, by contacting him at rdcomm@gci.net.

Macro Photography

Macro or “Close Up” photography is an interesting process.  It is also one that the point & shoot photographer usually has an advantage over the digital single lens reflex (DSLR) user.  Most point & shoot cameras either have a built in macro mode or are designed so that they will focus within a couple of inches. A DSLR owner generally needs to purchase a macro lens.  Even if your camera or lens does not do close focusing, there are a couple of alternatives that work with either system.

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Photographic EXIF Data

I’ve mentioned EXIF data a couple of times - it might be a good idea to spend some time explaining what it is… Back in the point & shoot film days it was not unusual for cameras to print the date in the viewing area of the film: (Photo Credit - Anne Guido) The advantage - you knew when the photograph was taken and, if you kept good notes, could figure out where you were that day and be able to identify the location. The disadvantage - You end up with numbers in all your photographs! Some of the pro cameras provided solutions - I used a MF-23 Data Back with my Nikon F4 that, among many functions, was capable of printing all kinds of data about the image either in the picture area or in the space between frames on the film. Of course when printing the data between frames & working with slides, you had to peal open slide frames to see the data, but at least it didn’t have to be part of the picture.

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Photographing Fireworks

I thought I’d post this a couple of days early so you can try some of the techniques over the 4th of July weekend. Great fireworks photographs can be taken with almost any film or digital camera. This (and the rest in this post) are images from the Oswego Harborfest celebration. The “Fireworks by Grucci” are presented by the the Entergy Corporation & consist of about 30 minutes of fireworks choreographed to music. I’ve also included links to more images of the shows for 2006 & 2007. There are a couple of tricks that can be used that will make it easier to capture the show:

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Producing HDR Images

One of the problems photographers often run into is the inability to capture the dynamic range (brightness) of a scene. Either the sky will be burned out or the shadows so dark you can’t see any details:

In the first image the sky is OK, but the detail in the foreground shadows is lost. In the second you can see the details in the foreground, but the sky is burned out. (You may need to click “Read More” to see the second image)

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Picasa Slideshow for your Blog

Are you one of the hundreds of RVers who keep a blog? I am. I love that I can post photos and stories for all my friends and family to know where we are and what we’re doing. I post both pictures and stories of our travels. Sometimes, there’s just too many pictures! That’s where a slideshow comes in handy. Instead of posting 25 pictures and making my reader scroll down and down and down, Picasa Web Albums lets me insert a slide show like the one above.

If you have Picasa Web Albums, you can copy a few lines of code for a slideshow of any one album. Those lines of code can then be pasted into most any blog or other website. If you don’t have Picasa Web Albums, there are ’show me how’ tutorial videos on my website at www.GeeksOnTour.com. To see exactly how I made the slideshow above, play the video below. Or, here is a higher-quality version of the video.

Chris Guld
www.GeeksOnTour.com

Toys For The Photographer

There are a few essential accessories the photographer needs to add to his or her camera bag, but there are many things that not essential; they just add interest to the process of taking pictures. Although I call them toys, most of these devices will extend the photographer’s capabilities & improve the resulting photographs. Although most of these devices are designed for the DSLR user, Point & Shoot photographers will find some of them useful as well.
First, you might take the time to read my articles on two of the essential devices I feel all photographers should have, the tripod & filters.

Click “Read the Rest of this Entry” to see some of my suggestions.

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Photo Safaris

If you look through photography magazines, you will find advertisements for photo excursions all over the world. Some are actual safaris to Africa and the like, with a chance to shoot exotic animals, but many others are to photogenic locations almost anywhere in the US or the rest of the world. These excursions are often expensive, and, unless you are familiar with the guide’s work, may be below or above your experience level. Although it is possible to learn a great deal working with individuals that have far more experience than you, it can also be a bit intimidating. In any case, the good excursions give you a chance to go to popular photographic locations with an experienced guide who will save you many hours of scouting to find the ideal camera positions, time of day to shoot, places to stay, etc.

Although you may not consider yourself a “guide”, there is no reason you can’t put together your own “Photo Safari” for a group of friends or local photographers.

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Photographic Props

As a retired theatre technician, I am quite familiar with props; they are a essential part of any theatrical production. The photographer can also use props to improve his or her work.

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Best Alaska Trip Journals

I love living travel vicariously through others’ footsteps. Definitely the next best thing to being there.

Alaska rivals any place on earth for its sheer beauty. Here are my favourites of the best Alaska Trip Journals over the past 12 months. A huge thank-you to these incredible authors/photographers:

Most beautiful sunset, from ‘Wiseman9′:

Most territory covered, from ‘AlaskaExpedition2007′:

Cutest bird, from ‘Tschumper’s Alaskan Journey 2007′:

Most colourful photo, from ‘Holladays in Alaska’:

Trip farthest afield, from ‘BinkleyAlaska2007′:

Best glacier shot, from ‘Holladays in Alaska’:

Dan Parlow

Personal Travel Websites by RV.Net ; Online Travel Journals by MyTripJournal.com ; Explore Good Sam Club Trip Journals ; Woodalls Trip Journals ; Travel Journals by Trailer Life Directory ; Traveling USA Travel Blogs

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