OK so my love of travel photography isn’t a new creation; it’s something that’s developed over the last several years.
The other day, while I was going through a box of old things, I came across my very first digital camera. It was a 3.0 megapixel point and shoot that I had purchased before a trip to Germany five years ago. That was a trip of firsts; my first trip abroad, thus the first time I ever needed a passport, and my first time using a digital camera.
I fell in love with photography, and travel, on that trip. The majority of my photos aren’t the “Here I Am at the…” photos that you see from most trips as I much prefer the opposite side of the lens. Most were creatively framed shots (or at least my attempt at it) of the amazing architecture in Munich, the scenery in Heidelberg and Salzburg, Austria, and a “photo essay” of sorts that I shot on our visit to Dachau Concentration Camp. Even with that inexpensive little point and shoot, while admittedly difficult, I found myself twisting myself in to any number of weird poses to shoot from odd angles and, while I didn’t have any manual control over the exposure settings, I did find myself fiddling with those I did have for more creative lighting. Below, you will see one of my photos from my trip to Dachau which, to this day, despite the grim subject matter, is still one of my favorite shots. (This would be of the trees lining the walk between the prisoner bunkers that used to be on either side. They have since been torn down at the request of the survivors.)
"The Walk"
Not long after that trip, I upgraded to a digital SLR and began teaching myself the ins and outs of photography, from framing to manual exposure (my camera is permanently set on Manual exposure, no more presets!). I couldn’t wait for my next trip so that I could try out my new skills and, thankfully, I wouldn’t have to wait very long. Over the last five years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Italy twice, France, England and Ireland, but my love of travel photography isn’t relegated solely to trips abroad. My camera is never out of arms reach, whether it’s on a trip to Wine Country in California, the mountains of Taos in New Mexico or just a drive in the car on a Sunday morning.
I don’t take my ability to travel for granted; I know that I am very lucky to be able to do it and it’s a priviledge that not everyone can experience. That said, I have begun posting several photo series from my trips as a way of hopefully bringing my experience to others and I look forward to being able to post many more trips down the road.
One of my favorite photographs from my trip to France was this shot of the Eiffel Tower, the subject of my newest piece, “La Tour Eiffel.” In person, the Eiffel Tower is awe inspiring. You can see it from almost anywhere in Paris and, from the top of the tower, the views of the city are breathtaking. It’s one of those icons that, despite seeing it multiple times in books growing up, the first time you see it in person, it takes your breath away. I wanted to capture it as close to the bottom of the Tower as I could to capture the wonderful architecture and design while still properly representing it’s majestic height.
I layered this photo with several textures, initially with the idea that I might give it a “vintage” photo feel, however was pleasantly surprised at the multiple vibrant colors in the end result. Sometimes these things happen accidentally but, thankfully I can always figure out how it happened and weren’t we all taught as children that you, “learn from your mistakes?”
This and many other prints are available in my online gallery. Please feel free to stop by and take a peek and check back in with me as I have several new pieces in the works that I can’t wait to share.
"La Tour Eiffel"
