Lessons Learned in Hershey

I had a great time on my little getaway, and was happy I took all of my gear. This is my favorite picture of the trip:



I learned quite a few things (regarding my photography - I'll spare you the other details of the trip, especially the roads). Here's a summary:

1. I still don't like nighttime photography, but practice never hurt anyone.

2. My telephoto lens (that I hardly ever use) actually did come in handy.

3. Twilight is a lot shorter, when you're trying to take pictures in it.

4. I think I've taken enough pictures of Hershey to last a lifetime. Time to try something else!

I'll start with comment 2, because I have the least to say about it. I was on the roof of the Hotel Hershey with my camera body and wide-angle lens. I quickly realized that the rides' lights were on in the distance. I ran back into my hotel room, grabbed my telephoto lens, and began taking pictures. Unfortunately, the ferris wheel lights went off five minutes later. But, I did manage to get a few civilized shots. This one made the cut:



Lesson learned - I was so far away from the park that without my telephoto lens, I wouldn't have been able to get a picture of the ferris wheel that was bigger than a speck. As a corollary, if you've packed everything, you may as well lug it around. I lost precious time during my frantic trip to my room to grab the right lens.

Tomorrow, I'll talk about my (mis)adventures in twilight.