You can do this, too - Historic Places

As some of you know, I started a new job this week. This new job requires some travel. Sunday, I go away until Thursday night. More on that tomorrow.

I've mixed business with pleasure before, and therefore knew I'd take my camera. However, because of everything else I have to pack, I'll be limited to my point-and-shoot. I initially thought, "Oh, no, this is going to be terrible", but reminded myself that 1) I have a new point-and-shoot and 2) I have traveled overseas with only a point-and-shoot and did fine. I then thought back to 2007.

I went to Damascus, Syria, and Aleppo, Syria in 2007. At the time, I'd just bought my DSLR, but I was afraid to take it with me - I didn't want anything to happen to it. Also, it's important to note that I had had VERY little training at the time. I was by no means an expert.

So, I took my 4MP Canon point-and-shoot. If that's all you have, and if you're going somewhere historic, here are some ideas:

Panoramas:



Interesting interiors:



Twilight shots:



Historic items:



Foreign calligraphy (a personal favorite):



Some tips:

1) Try your best to avoid harsh sunlight. Use the shade, or wait - if you can. It's very hard to correct overexposed pictures.

2) Conversely, if you're shooting in low light, bump up the ISO. You won't be able to control much more than that, but it's better than nothing.

3) For closeups, experiment with the macro capability (it looks like a small flower on a Canon). You'll be able to have fun with shapes and textures.

4) For buildings, try not to tilt the camera upward. If you do, your building will look like it's leaning in from the sides - not very pretty. Either move (far) back as I did, or look for an area of interest in the lower half of the building.

Till tomorrow!