Great Vacation Photography Workshop

I had a great time the past two weekends leading a Vacation Photography workshop here on Bainbridge Island, Washington.  We discussed how to take great vacation photographs while still enjoying your vacation with friends and family (or even solo!).  The workshop participants were actively engaged and even did their homework assignment!  So did I - though I used my iPhone to take special shots here on the island.  One of my favorite spots to just "get away" (temporarily at this time!!!) is the Port Blakely Cemetery.  This image, with both black-and-white and color elements, struck me as simple yet with a clear story to tell.  While I usually shoot with a digital SLR (Nikon D300), I like experimenting with other tools from time to time, such as the camera phone. 

Anyway, I'm planning on doing another Vacation Photography workshop this fall.  If interested, please send me an e-mail to get on the list!

A Festival About Gelato! Sign Me Up!

Came across notice on the "Dream of Italy" website of the Florence Gelato Festival, May 28-31.  I'm always up for a music festival - but a festival about Gelato?  Count me in!  They even have a daily session explaining ice cream (gelato) to kids.  ?  I don't recall the need to explain ice cream to my daughter!  Anyway, if you find yourself in Florence in late May, consider yourself very fortunate! 

http://www.dreamofitaly.com/public/42.cfm

Make Your Grandkids Proud!

On Julia Dimon's blog, she describes herself as a "Travel Junkie."  She's been around the world several times, visited 80 countries (compared to my 40 - &#^&*$) and obviously loves to travel.  What started her obsession? 

"So what prompted this desire to gallivant across the globe? Strangely enough, it was an inspirational postcard I found at a dingy backpacker bar in Byron Bay, Australia. It read:

“Why tell your grandkids you worked 9-5, five days a week for 40 years and quietly sat in traffic jams while people went to war,      suffered disease and shot their own classmates? Tell them you refused to live in fear. Tell them you crossed the Amazon, saw the Lost Cities of Gold and met your soul mate in Casablanca. Travel to the ends of the earth. Go now and live adventures that will make your grandkids proud.”

Definitiely gets you to thinking, doesn't it?  Especially on a Monday morning.
 
http://www.traveljunkiejulia.com/

Finding Time for Travel and Photography

I know - you'll get to it later, or when you retire or sooner or later or ...  Finding time seems to be our bane - assuming you have enough resources for food, shelter and clothing of course.  But for most of us, its finding the time for ourselves and our passions seems problematic.  In glancing through the April issue of Sunset magazine - not exactly the publication where this kind of article normally appears - I came across Anne Lamont's feature on "Time Lost and Found."  Definitely worth a read. 

http://www.sunset.com/travel/anne-lamott-how-to-find-time-00418000067331/

The Volcano puts it All in Perspective

Eric Weiner, in an article on World Hum, outlines the 7 lessons learned from the eruption of the Icelandic volcano.  I agree with them all, especially - most especially - number 7.
http://www.worldhum.com/features/eric-weiner/seven-lessons-from-the-great-volcano-shutdown-of-2010-20100419

Memorable Travel Moments I

Sometimes the most memorable travel moments arethe simplest.  I had attended my cousin's wedding near Devils Lake, North Dakota.  My next destination was Ireland (via Minneapolis, Chicago and London!).  So when it was time to board by United Express flight to Minneapolis (via Jamestown, ND), a number of my relatives drove up to see my off.  The Captain, seeing the gathering crowd, suggested I do the "Presidential" wave at the aircraft door.  And to the cheers and waves of the crowd, I began the continuation of my journey.  Almost ten years have passed, but its still a profound memory of my travels.  Travel and the stories that travel generates are best when they are personal - and worth sharing!  Journey On!

Travel Observations

I just returned from a 2 week trip to Peru, attending a photo book workshop (more on that later) and visiting the Sacred Valley, including Machu Picchu.  In the course of the trip, I made several observations which I think are worth passing on.

1. When reclining your seat on an airplane, do so SLOOOOWLY and only as far as you need to.  The person in the seat behind you will be appreciative!  This applies in Business/First class as well.  I experience the guy in front of me reclining his seat as fast and as far as he could at the first possibly moment in flight and then forcing it back even more by pressing his feet against the bulkhead and then bouncing in the seat.  I would almost have rather been in an exit row in coach than in the domestic first class seat.  (Note: "almost" is the operative word here.)

2. Always carry an extra pair of socks in your carry-on bag in case you beat your luggage to your destination.  It was easy to get toothpaste and a tooth brush; not so easy to get a pair of socks during the 30 hour delay in getting my checked bag in Cusco.

3. After an all day and all night flight, avoid a 5-hour layover before your final connecting flight.  'Nuff said.

4. Airport security varies WIDELY among airports.  I went through security screening at Seattle-Tacoma, Lima, Cusco, Lima and Miami on this trip.  Shoes off at SeaTac and Miami, thorough carry-on baggage search in Cusco and Lima, body pat-down on the return flight from Lima.  Never took more than 5 minutes to get to the front of the security line. 

5. American Airlines serves the BEST ice cream sundies in its business class cabin!

6.  The Alaskan Airlines digiEPlayers are an interesting feature - a dozen or so movies, television programs, music, etc.  I kind of prefer the seatback systems that the major airlines use on their trans-continental and international flights, but its a reasonable alternative.  And certainly beats the lack of personal video entertainment systems on the American Airlines 757 fleet.  As soon as they've scrapped their MD-80 fleet, they need to purge their domestic-type 757s.  And, believe it or not, TACA airlines actually had in-flight entertainment on their Airbus 320 planes on the 70 minute flight between Lima and Cusco.  Nice planes too.

7. The check-in agents at American are great; not so great at Alaska suprisingly.  On board, its the opposite - Alaskan flight attendants are THE best, while it was more of a mixed bag at American. 

8. All 8 flight segments were on-time and I made it safely back home.  That's really all I can ask. 

9.  If you want to go to Machu Picchu by train, do so quickly.  The line just re-opened after a two month closure due to floods, mudslides, etc.  The trackbed still looks precarious and its hard to imagine that the tracks can survive another round of torential rains like they experienced earlier this year. 

10.  In spite of delay luggage and other minor inconveniences, the trip was definitely worth it - as are nearly all trips!  So, Journey On!