repetition

All photos available for print and licensing >

Traveling to a new photo location can be fun and exciting but also intimidating. You’ve seen all these beautiful images on Instagram before your trip that got you hyped about travel but how can you actually capture images that compare? You’re only visiting this city for a limited amount of time. The pictures you’re seeing on social media are from locals who have spent almost the entire year in this location. They have the luxury of time and patience for the right weather conditions and lighting. You only have a limited amount of time before you have to hop back onto your flight home.

HERE’S HOW TO DO IT:

The key to creating memorable images are creative compositions that show your unique point of view of what it was like being there. Everyone knows what the Eiffel tower looks like, but only you see it with your unique, photographic eye. With a slightly different mindset and perspective on photography, you can make images that stun your friends and locals alike.

So here are a few tips I have compiled that may have you thinking a little more while you are out shooting, but they will be sure to make your images stand out from the mundane tourist images that others are taking. These are also good for any level of photographer, mobile or DSLR, so be sure to send this link to your friends!

Also, if you need a little help prior to your trip about planning your photo locations, click here for a few tips on how to do that effectively.

So pack your camera equipment and let’s go!

1. Tell A Story

One of the most important things you can do to capture a unique/creative image while traveling is to tell a story. It makes your viewer want to read more into the image making it more memorable and adds your own voice to the image. It sounds a lot easier said than done. But there are multiple ways of doing this.

Click here to read more

All photos available for print and licensing >

I live within walking distance to a metro station but that doesn’t mean I ride it very often. If I had to estimate it, I probably ride it about 3-4 times a year. Once for DC fireworks for the 4th of July and then all the other times will be for random events where the roads are closed in the city or if we have a lot of snow and I want to capture it all. Otherwise, I will rather be driving.

Recently I had to ride the metro and get off at the Federal Triangle station. This was my first time taking the metro to this station and it was a long enough ride that I had to find a bathroom almost immediately after I got off. So I ended up wandering around a little bit and found this great walkway. It was especially nice in the mid-morning light as it was coming through the columns and casting these great shadows. I waited around just enough to capture these two people walking. I made sure to capture them while they were in the light and that you could see their own shadows along the wall. I love the way this turned out with so much repetition going on. This would probably be cool at night when the lights above are turned on.

My camera settings for this image are F6.3 at 1/1250th sec and ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.

All photos available for print and licensing >

I’ll be honest, since being back from Norway I haven’t gone out to shoot that much. I’ve woken up for a few sunrises here and there but nothing too serious. So last week I was getting that itch to go out shooting again.

I met up with my friend, Birch and we headed to the Memorial Amphitheater in Arlington National Cemetery. It’s been on my to do list for a while now and I’m so glad we made it out there. It was a beautiful, sunny day after days and days of rain. It felt so great to just be outside and enjoy the crisp autumn air.

When we had made the plans, I immediately had a vision of what I wanted one of my shots to look like. Although this one isn’t it, I love the way that it turned out. These two were just sitting there. They weren’t really talking, they just looked like they needed a little break from walking around. So they were the perfect focal point to break up the repetition of the seating area and the columns behind them.

If ever plan on visiting the amphitheater in real life, I think you would be immediately impressed with the grandness of everything. I love the beautiful lines and the light that reflects off of the white marble. Everything just seems so bright! I definietly want to come back when the leaves start changing in the Washington DC area and photograph this place again. The Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful place to capture the leaves changing.

My camera settings for this image is F7.1 at 1/2000th sec and ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and my 70-200mm zoom lens. I think next time I come back to this spot, I may shoot more with my wide angle 🙂

All photos available for print and licensing >

Last but not least is my favorite image in the whole series. I took this image at the very end of my time shooting sunrise at the National Mall. As you can see I started this week off right outside the Lincoln Memorial, then I went inside, then back to the reflecting pool, and went up the stairs to go to the Lincoln and ended right back inside the Lincoln Memorial. The whole hour I out shooting the sunrise I just walked back and forth between the two landmarks. So instead of coming out with one image, I was able to come out with 5 really cool images that I love. So next time you go out to photograph any location, I hope you keep this series in mind. I think it is a cool example of how many different perspectives you can get if you just keep walking.

By this point the sun was fully out and shining bright inside the Lincoln Memorial. My natural tendencies would lead me to go right but this time I felt the need to go left. I began photographing President Lincoln through the columns but I wasn’t happy with the images that were coming out. I was about to leave when I stopped in the corner of the interior and noticed all the amazing shadows the columns were creating. To be honest, I waited for about 15 minutes for someone to show up. Some kind of foreground element to make this image a little more interesting. The closest thing that I got was the shadow figure on the left hand side. Someone who looked like they were about to come in but for some reason did not. Either way, I still love all the lines and repetition in this image.

My camera settings for this image is F8 at 1/125th of a second at ISO 640 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.

All photos available for print and licensing >

Greetings from San Diego! and Happy New Year! This is my first official blog post of 2018. The first two were prescheduled in 2017. Kinda sneaky, eh? LOL.

So far 2018 has been nothing short of beautiful. I’m currently sitting on the front porch of our Airbnb cottage, listening to water flowing from a water fountain and staring at some beautiful oranges on our orange tree. Not sure how it could get any better than this. Since arriving, Andrew, Frankie and I have just been settling into our new environment. We went to the farmers market to pick up some fresh produce and just been sightseeing and getting to know the area a little better. We’re staying in North Park and loving every minute of it. Every morning we’ve been here has been incredibly foggy. Foggy but so fun and exciting! By mid-morning everything clears up and it’s back to enjoying the sunny skies.

I took this image yesterday in La Jolla at Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier. It was taken about an hour after sunrise and after the fog lifted from the beach. My favorite part of this image is that little hit of sun glow on the wood. To be honest, I’m not sure how busy this place gets at sunrise but somehow I feel lucky to have been the only one there. Well, me and this seagull of course.

I can’t wait to explore San Diego even more with my camera. So if you have any photo recommendations for me, let me know! Also food recommendations. I’ve already had my first official fish taco as my first meal when we arrived but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be my last 🙂

The camera settings for this image is 1/200th of a second at F5.6 and ISO 200 with my Sony a7II and 28-70mm lens.

All photos available for print and licensing >

Even though it was Christmas Eve, I still wanted to go out and capture the sunrise. On this particular morning the sunrise was beautiful but very fleeting. The colors in the sky only lasted for a couple of minutes and then went away. So I figured I would walk around more and see what else I could find. Luckily, my family didn’t have plans of getting together until lunch so I had time to wonder.

I’ve mentioned this before on the blog, but I am constantly moving and walking while I am out taking pictures. I honestly feel like there is nothing worse then going home with a memory card full of the same images. I can understand if you’re standing in the same spot and sky is changing or something like that but I really like to capture a scene and then keep it moving to find a different or even a better composition. So while I was wondering around, I found these cherry blossom branches that perfectly framed the Jefferson Memorial. I mean seriously, could it be any more perfect? *In my Chandler Bing voice*

My favorite part of this image is how cold it feels. Yes, it was a cold day but I think the blue sky and the blue water help exaggerate the feeling along with the bare branches. This image was obviously taken in the winter time. And just like this previous tidal basin image, I really like how the clouds are mimicking the branches. It definietly adds to the framing and repetition of the image.

My camera settings for this image is 0.4 seconds at F22 and ISO 80 with my Sony A7II 16-35mm. You may or not be impressed that this was handheld, no tripods. When I read my camera settings, I was impressed… so….