Spend St. Pat's Day in Ireland on a Photo Journey with Scenic Ventures

Join Scenic Ventures in March 2013 on an Escorted Tour with CIE Tours International - An Irish Travel company for over 80 years which offers exceptional value by including tours instead of pricing them as "optional."  Professional photographer, Sally Alvarez, will travel with us to provide "on the spot" photo tips and techniques.  Several of her photos are on this blog.  If you just want to enjoy the scenery and let her document your trip, that works too.  Trip Details:

Reflect on Symmetry

Symmetry is one of those elements of composition that makes you want to look at a photo just a little longer - probably without even knowing why.  Symmetry is achieved when two images are mirror reflections of each other, either horizontally or vertically.

City Views

I love to photograph nature and scenery: trees, rocks, flowers, mountains, streams.  Sometimes, though, travel takes me, and you, to a city.  In the past, I would leave my camera back in the hotel room when the day's agenda meant a visit to a historical house or museum.  Now, I accept the challenge and take the opportunity to photograph the "cityscape."

Loving Those Lines

Strong lines - whether they are vertical, horizontal, diagonal or converging can add a whole new dimension to a photo.  Unfortunately, I haven't really started "seeing" the lines around me yet.  This must be another part of the photographer's eye that develops with practice and experience.

Look for the Signs

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a few words are worth a picture too.  Often travelers have pictures of themselves in front of attraction signs to help them remember where they were. The photos are taken to assist in telling the story of the trip.  Not as many people are likely to take photos of road signs, but these, too, can tell a story.

Making it Move

Would you rather view pictures that are static and just "there" or photos that show movement and life?  I vote for the latter.  Video is great when movement is what you are trying to show, but it doesn't work in a photo album.  Fortunately, there are a few simple techniques anyone can use to help pictures come alive.

Capturing Culture with Pictures of Food

What are your reasons for taking pictures when you travel?  First, I want the memories - to be able to experience my trip over and over again as I look through my photo book.  Secondly, I want to share new found cultural knowledge with others through my travel photos.  It wasn't until I started traveling with a friend who never missed an opportunity to take a picture of food that I realized how important it was to capture that memory too.

What's the Flower For?

There are times when you might want to try another feature found on all cameras.  The button or dial with the little flower symbol is for the macro or closeup setting.  This setting allows you to take well-focused pictures of objects that are very close; from a few centimeters up to a couple of feet from your camera lens.

Do you REALLY need more pixels?

After a few years with the same camera, many people start to think that maybe there must be something new and better out there to purchase.  My first digital camera - purchased about 1991 - had 3 megapixels.  I gave that one to my husband because I wanted one I could put in my pocket.  He is still very happy with it, especially as it takes great inside pictures with very true colors. The fewer megapixels are perfect for uploading pictures to newsletters, ebay or craig's list too.  I miss its optical viewfinder and great closeups.

Make the Iconic Landmark New and Interesting - #1

No one would ever travel to Egypt without taking pictures of the pyramids or to Sydney and not take photos of the Opera house.  Yet, people have seen so many pictures of both it may be difficult to excite interest in seeing your pictures.  The challenge is to make your photographs different.