DIGITAL PHOTO ACADEMY EXPERTS RECOMMEND ‘HIDDEN GEM’ PHOTO OPPS IN TOP SUMMER VACATION HOT SPOTS
Digital Photo Academy By Panasonic LUMIX Provides Easy Photography Tips for Capturing Unique Summer Vacation Images and Memories
Secaucus, NJ (June 19, 2008) – In anticipation of summer vacation planning, Digital Photo Academy by Panasonic LUMIX is helping travelers find “hidden gem” photo opportunities in some of this year’s most popular U.S. hot spot destinations. The expert instructors of the Digital Photo Academy, a nationwide series of digital photography courses, also are sharing their professional photo tips, which are easy enough for beginners, and can assist travelers at any skill level to capture their summer vacation memories with beautiful images worthy of being shared year-round.
According to the American Society of Travel Agents’ “2008 Summer Hot Spots” survey, the top 10 domestic travel destinations, in order of popularity are: Orlando, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Seattle, New York City, Honolulu, San Diego and Washington, DC.
Digital Photo Academy instructors, all accomplished professional photographers, are offering their best-kept secret photo opportunity in each city along with a basic tip to help travelers shoot like the pros. Tourists will be crowding the Empire State Building in New York and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to snap photos, but with these hidden-gem suggestions from the Digital Photo Academy, the wise summer traveler can take unique photos that stand apart from typical vacation photos. Scroll below to view all these tips and photos, and more:
 | Zoom in On Details: When photographing the exterior of the temple, using a camera with a super-zoom lens (10x optical zoom and higher) is helpful to isolate the colorful details. Inside the temple, change the settings on your camera to a high ISO (800-1600), which is ideal for a low light environment. Read Complete Article |  |  | Keep it Simple: Valley of Fire State Park is located 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and on exit 75. As with all landscape photography, make sure you are taking the most important pictures at sunrise and sunset. The light is warm in color and it allows the textures and shapes of the subjects to be revealed. Fill the frame with primary photo subjects and make sure the backgrounds are clean and simple. Look in the corners of the frame to make sure there are no distracting elements. Read Complete Article | |  | Composition: Try cropping the road and sidewalk out of your image. Zoom in to create abstract compositions. Be extra careful with reflections of the sun on this building. They can fool your camera into underexposing, although that sometimes looks good too. The shape and color of the building seem to change with the weather. At dusk, try photographing the hall surrounded by speeding cars and high rise buildings. Use a camera preset like night scenery or night portrait. Read Complete Article | |  |
Lighting: Light is one of the most important factors to take great photos. Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to be out photographing. Gardens and flowers are oftentimes best to photograph when you have a light overcast sky.Read Complete Article | |  | Morning Hours: The softness of the morning’s early light makes for a better exposure, and the less people (and cars) is best for this street-shot and other places where it can get busy mid-day in the summer. Also try a wide-angle lens camera, such as Panasonic’s LUMIX DMC-FX35 which sports a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens. Read Complete Article | |  | Relax and Snap: It might sound basic, but let the environment inspire. Your meditation and mood when taking photos can be seen in the final outcome, so in a beautiful garden full of life like this, relax and photograph what inspires you. Take as many shots as you need to, to capture the one that works best. With digital, you aren’t wasting film. Read Complete Article | |  | Zoom: Carlsbad is a suburb of northern San Diego and has a history producing colorful flowers. To create this photo, zoom to a length so that several colored rows could be seen in the frame. Read Complete Article | |  | Time of Day: This archway is near Pier 39 on the Fisherman's Wharf. Morning sun gives the best light. The waterfront faces North and East, get out early for great light and shots of the city as it comes to life. Read Complete Article | |  | Wide-Angles: Angle your camera a little to one side or the other to make compositions more dynamic and add a little edge. Use a camera that has a wide-angle lens (25mm-28mm), so you can get more shot in your frame than a standard 35mm lens. Read Complete Article | |  | Shooting Angle: Crouch or get down on the ground to create a low camera angle - this adds emphasis on the flower pots, while keeping the Capitol visible in the background. If you have a DSLR camera, try experimenting with lens filters. For instance, a polarizing filter helps to make the sky a brighter blue and bring out the clouds. Read Complete Article | |
Back to top |
