Travel Photography in a Day For Dummies

Chapter 1

Gearing Up for Your TravelsIn This Chapter▶ Choosing a camera for travel▶ Gathering your accessories▶ Finding out what to expect on your journey

Finding the right camera to be your travel companion is the first step to taking great photos to share with your

family and friends. But there are many other things to consider, such as selecting handy accessories, knowing how to keep your gear safe, and familiarizing yourself with what to expect when you’re abroad.

This chapter covers smartphone, point-and-shoot, and dSLR cameras as well as the accoutrements they demand to make a great trip even more memorable.

Selecting the Right Camera for Travel

You have many great options to find the right digital camera equipment to take on the road. Today even some of the smallest cameras can capture remarkably good photos in a large-enough resolution to print and adorn your living room. And, although there are definite advantages and quality differences among all the myriad models from which to choose, first consider what kind of shooting you’ll be doing and what you’ll do with the photos you take. Deciding what equipment you want to use comes down to a few key factors:

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Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 4 ✓ Are you just taking snapshots, or do you intend to enter

photo contests and put your photos on display?

✓ Are you going to travel where weather and other outdoor conditions could affect your camera?

✓ Do you mind devoting extra space to carrying a camera and gear?

✓ What’s your budget?

These factors may drive your decision toward the camera(s) you purchase and use, and help you overcome that helpless feeling you get when you enter a camera or electronics store and find yourself staring at a sea of products.

Prolific shutterbugs often use several types of cameras on a trip, depending on the situation and the type of photos they’re shooting. In the upcoming sections, I look at the three main digital camera groups and then apply the preceding factors to them so that you can determine what best suits your travel photography needs.

SmartphonesWhat teenager today hasn’t taken photos and then instantly uploaded them to Facebook? Smartphones are cellphones that can capture decent snapshot-type photos, store them internally or externally on a memory card, and display them on its large LCD screen. One example is the HTC Incredible S, as shown in Figure 1-1, which has a camera and a large screen for viewing images. The camera lens doubles as a front-facing camera. (I also consider photos you can take with a tablet, such as the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab, in this category of cameras.) Even if the phone’s cell service is turned off (for example, when you’re on an airplane or in a foreign country), you can still use the camera and save images. They are very handy, but short on true photographic capabilities and features.

If you need some help posting your photos on Facebook, take a look at the article “Posting Photo Albums on Facebook!” at www.dummies.com/inaday/travelphotography.


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 5

Photo courtesy of the HTC Corporation

Figure 1-1: The HTC Incredible S.

With a large LCD screen but a small form factor, the smartphone camera is very convenient and a great choice for snapping quick photos of friends and places as long as the light is reasonably good. There’s usually a minimal flash capability, but other camera control features are very limited. Uploading photos directly to Facebook or Twitter and e-mailing or texting images are easy, convenient ways to share your pictures. Compared with dSLRs and even point-and-shoot models, smartphone photos are smaller in size with less quality because of fewer megapixels, a very small image sensor, and a tiny lens. One thing to keep in mind is that smartphone batteries are notorious for draining quickly, and using the camera only makes this worse.

Comparing a smartphone to a point-and-shoot or dSLR is a bit of an apples-and-oranges exercise because the smartphone is, well, a phone and not just a camera. However, generally speaking, you get a lot of camera features, plus the ability to link directly to Facebook, Twitter, and the Web in general. As a device, they are reasonably hardy for most moderate conditions, but I wouldn’t leave them out in the rain or snow — at least not for very long! From a purely simple, portable standpoint, however, they’re exceptionally simple to carry around and are very easy to use.

Some new-generation phones, such as Apple’s iPhone 4 and 4S, offer higher-megapixel images (up to 8 MP) and are


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 6essentially capable of replacing the point-and-shoot camera in terms of both portability as well as quality. The new iPad offers greatly enhanced image quality as well; this trend will likely be echoed by most smartphone and tablet manufacturers in forthcoming products. As a result, the market will undoubtedly narrow for the point-and-shoot market, and many up-and-coming amateur photographers will probably migrate directly from the smartphone to the dSLR. If most of your photography is ending up on the Web in social media sites, this quality will more than satisfy your needs.

In addition, new gadgets are being developed all the time for smartphones. For example, there are even a few lenses (telephoto and wide-angle) you can now attach to the iPhone!

Point-and-shoot camerasThese small, moderately priced cameras (often under $200) offer a variety of photography features, including preset camera exposures for specific scenarios, such as for sports, nighttime, portraits, and so on; more control over settings, such as ISO (image sensitivity) and shutter speed; and the ability to optically zoom in and out of a subject, meaning the lens actually shifts to bring a subject closer or to take a wider shot, respectively.

Point-and-shoots often have other snazzy features, including interesting presets, editing capabilities, and Wi-Fi — and some point-and-shoots are even waterproof. For example, the FUJIFILM FinePix XP170, as shown in Figure 1-2, is a versatile point-and-shoot with a large LCD viewing screen, lots of shooting mode options, full High Definition (HD) movie capability, a high ISO capability, and a 5x optical zoom lens. This camera is also water- freeze-, dust-, and shockproof and features a wireless image transfer capability.

However, point-and-shoot cameras have only one lens, so you’re limited to whatever is permanently mounted on the camera. However, a few point-and-shoot models offer some additional lenses you can mount over the fixed lens.



Photo courtesy of the FUJIFILM North America Corporation

Figure 1-2: The FUJIFILM FinePix XP170.

A point-and-shoot camera is a step up from a smartphone but is still small enough to be handy. These cameras typically lack manual control features and instead offer a lot of preset exposure settings for various lighting and subject scenarios. They also often have interesting capabilities, such as smile or facial recognition, on-camera editing, and Wi-Fi support for Facebook. Point-and-shoots offer a somewhat better flash; a few have image stabilization; most have a larger image sensor and higher megapixel count; and some are even waterproof. Best of all, these cameras offer better quality overall lenses than what you get on a smartphone, and the ability to optically zoom means you have the same quality image whether you’re taking a telephoto (far-away) or a close-up photo (an optical zoom is better quality than a digital zoom, which only crops your photo).

The following are some alternatives to a standard point-and-shoot camera:


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 8 ✓ Mirrorless/Hybrid Cameras: If you want a few higher-end

capabilities than a regular point-and-shoot camera but you still want a small camera and you’re not quite ready to step up to a dSLR (or those expensive lenses are putting you off), compact camera systems, also known as mirrorless or hybrid, cameras have gained a lot of popularity. These cameras are small, point-and-shoots that feature larger, better quality, interchangeable lenses. They offer a modest selection of lenses and accessories (such as an external flash), essentially becoming a near-dSLR. The Nikon 1 J1 and the Sony NEX cameras provide significantly more functionality, versatility, and quality than a point-and-shoot, but without the expense and size of a higher-end dSLR. (The Sony NEX-5N is featured in Figure 1-3.)

Photo courtesy of Sony Electronics Inc.

Figure 1-3: The Sony NEX-5N.


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 9 ✓ (Practically) disposable cameras: If you cringe when

your kids grab hold of your camera, if for no other reason than it’s basically impossible for them to avoid touching the lens just after eating a peanut butter sandwich, Vivitar has a good option for you. Vivitar is a well-established name in photography that offers digital cameras bordering on disposable. These “beginner” cameras, such as the ViviCam V15, can also double as a webcam, sell for less than $20, and boast only a meager 1.3 megapixels.

✓ Waterproof cameras: Vivitar, Kodak, and FUJIFILM (refer to Figure 1-2), to name a few, produce cameras that can withstand water — as long as you aren’t diving too deep. Most are rated to withstand anywhere from 10 to 30 feet and can resist dust, temperature extremes, and moderate shock. Attach the floating camera straps (often included with the camera), and you’re set for your next cruise to the Bahamas without a care in the world.

dSLRsDigital single-lens reflex (dSLR) cameras look like classic cameras (see the Canon EOS Rebel T3i in Figure 1-4) and let you mount and interchange a variety of lenses for whatever you want to shoot. When you look through the viewfinder, you actually look through the lens (as opposed to a video display on an LCD screen), which means you see what the lens sees. These cameras also have more sophisticated, higher-quality image sensors, which convert the light coming through the lens into a digital image. From entry-level to very high-end profes-sional models, dSLRs provide the most options, flexibility, and control for shooting virtually anything… but they come at a price. Camera bodies typically begin around $500, and lenses range from those of lesser quality around $150 up to many thousands of dollars for pro gear. Professional-quality dSLR cameras can be equally pricey.

In addition to needing lenses, maybe an external flash, and other accessories with a dSLR, you will also need a camera bag to carry everything in. Like everything else, the options are vast.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 10

Photo courtesy of Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Figure 1-4: The Canon EOS Rebel T3i.

A dSLR is the top-end choice for shooting excellent digital images. You buy a camera body and then choose from a wide selection of lenses that can be interchanged to suit whatever type of image you’re photographing. Many of these cameras offer a variety of common presets, and you can also easily control the camera in semi-automatic or manual modes (I get into this more in Chapter 2). The image sensors are better quality; the megapixel counts are higher; and features, such as the flash (including being able to mount an external flash) and image stabilization, in various lenses are extremely good. In addition, most new dSLR cameras let you set the ISO to attain reasonably to remarkably good photos in limited light — even without a flash. From reasonably small and affordable entry-level models, such as the Canon Rebel series, to the very high-end, expensive models used by pro photographers, the dSLR is much bulkier but has what it takes to shoot virtually anything.



Determining the right camera for your situationOnce you’ve gotten familiar with the playing field of digital cameras, it’s time to determine what’s right for you. Everything, including your budget, the kind of photos you’ll be taking, how much gear you want to schlep around on your trek, and how much you want to impress the other people on the cruise ship, factors in deciding what camera is right for you.

The smartphoneFor many people, myself included, taking photos with the camera feature on my smartphone works really well for quick snapshots while I’m walking around a city or hanging out with some friends. The nice thing about smartphones, such as the Apple iPhone or various Droid models, is I can upload the photos to Facebook or Twitter immediately using my 3G or Wi-Fi connection (assuming I’m in proximity to an accessible Wi-Fi spot). I can even do some basic editing or special effects using a variety of free or inexpensive photo apps available for smartphones.

The point-and-shootIf I’m visiting a museum or other touristy destination, and I want some reasonably good photos but I don’t want to carry a bunch of gear, taking a point-and-shoot gives me better quality pictures and more options than my phone. But I don’t have to lug around a bulky camera bag.

Recently, while walking around Venice and going to the opera with my daughter, I didn’t want to carry a big camera but I wanted to have more options than what my smartphone would capture. Instead, I used my daughter’s Samsung SH100 point-and-shoot, a physically small camera that could deal with a larger variety of lighting situations. Plus, because the Samsung camera has Wi-Fi capabilities, if I’m in range of an open Wi-Fi connection, I can upload directly to Facebook from the camera. Increasingly, smartphones are getting better cameras, and point-and-shoot cameras are beginning to have more connection options, such as Wi-Fi.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 12 Look for a sign that says Wi-Fi available or features the Wi-Fi

symbol (shown in the margin) at restaurants, hotels, airports, and other locations to access the Internet. In many places, Wi-Fi is free to use. Wi-Fi is even available on some airplanes now (usually for a fee).

The dSLROn the other hand, if I want to take some really nice photos, I may decide to bring my digital SLR — meaning I probably have to carry a camera bag to hold the camera along with some extra lenses and accessories, such as an external flash. Of course, I can just sling the camera and one lens, but that might limit my ability to shoot something in which a telephoto or wide-angle lens would come in handy (see more on lenses in the next section). For all your troubles carrying the gear, however, the images you can take with a dSLR are going to be better quality due to the higher-quality image sensor, better lenses (and more of them), stronger flash and/or external flash, and more. The highest-end dSLR cameras are what virtually all pro photographers shoot these days.

Camera quality and the misunderstood megapixelI recently stood at a counter in a major retailer and heard the camera salesperson say, “This camera has more megapixels, so the photos will be much better quality.” Hogwash! When looking for a digital camera, one of the most touted features manufacturers like to use is how many megapixels (MP) a specific camera model offers. Don’t be fooled by this little marketing gimmick! Because bigger usually seems better, you might think more megapixels means a camera with 12 MP will produce nicer quality photographs than one with, say, 8 MP.

In fact, the number of megapixels refers only to the size of the image created, a measurement of area such as square inches or feet. One megapixel is equal to one million pixels, the tiny picture elements that make up digital images, and they determine how large the image can be shown without distortion on a computer screen or when printed. So an 8 MP image, although producing a smaller photo, may have better quality than the 12 MP one, depending on a variety of other factors unrelated to the megapixel count.


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 13 If you want to know how megapixels and resolution affect a

display or a print, check out the “Digital Camera Resolution Chart” at www.dummies.com/inaday/travelphotography.

Very small point-and-shoot cameras and smartphone cameras sometimes offer just as many megapixel images as a professional dSLR. The manufacturers have packed a lot of megapixels into a smaller image sensor, and as a result (among other things), those crammed little megapixels don’t produce the quality they do when enjoying the spacious luxury of a big camera’s roomy interior.

Many things affect image quality in addition to megapixels:

✓ The wide variety of lenses (and lens sizes) used among all cameras

✓ How the camera and lens handle camera shake (how the camera moves when you hold it)

✓ The exposure and focus

✓ How sensitive the camera is to light, dictated by the ISO

✓ How well your subject is lit

The bottom line on megapixels is that if you’ll be producing larger prints (for example, 11-x-14 inches or greater), a higher megapixel count will ensure your prints look their best. As for the actual quality of the images your camera produces, read reviews of various camera models, test some, and consider all the factors before buying.

Photographs will always look better in print than they do on a screen (even on those snazzy, big monitors). In turn, photos look better on a monitor than they will on the camera’s LCD display.

Packing Must-Have AccessoriesI’ve known photographers who carry more accessories than actual cameras and lenses. If you’re a gadget freak, you’ll quickly be drooling over all the accessories available, especially for point-and-shoot and dSLR cameras. I look at some of the more useful and interesting ones that will make your travel easier.



TripodsA tripod lets you keep your camera perfectly steady while taking a night shot or a long exposure, because it stands perfectly still (unlike holding the camera with your hand) while you take a longer exposure. It also allows you to run and pose as part of a group for a timed photo. Tripods are typically rated to hold various sizes of cameras, which affects their price, which can range from less than $50 up to several hundred dollars. For instance, some carbon-fiber models are very lightweight and strong, but carry a hefty price tag. For most tourist travelers, using a versatile, small tripod strong enough to withstand a moderate breeze can come in handy.

Be careful when using a tripod while traveling, especially when you’re around a lot of people. They easily can get knocked over, and thieves love cameras sitting all by themselves, so don’t leave them unattended for long!

I also like JOBY’s GorillaPod tripods (see Figure 1-5), which allow you to attach the camera to objects, such as tree limbs, or stand evenly on uneven surfaces.

Another option to consider is a monopod, a tripod with one leg that doesn’t stand on its own; instead, you set it on the floor, hold it with one hand, and shoot with the other. If you think you need a little help steadying your shots, these are useful and lightweight, and some, such as models from Mountainsmith and Leki, even double as walking sticks.

If your camera and/or lens has image stabilization to reduce camera shake, turn this off when mounted on a tripod or monopod. Not doing so can actually have the reverse effect, and what would otherwise have been a decent photo, will be blurry.

LensesIf you have a dSLR, lenses are essential accessories, and their features, capabilities, and (perhaps most significantly) price range widely. In addition, a few compact/point-and-shoot cameras, such as the Nikon 1 J1 mirrorless digital camera, offer lenses you can either interchange or mount to an existing


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 15(fixed) lens. Typically, only a few lenses are available for point-and-shoot cameras, as opposed to true dSLRs, which support dozens of lenses of all types.

Photo courtesy of JOBY, Inc.

Figure 1-5: The JOBY GorillaPod lets you mount your camera nearly anywhere.

Broadly, lenses are either fixed-focal length or zoom:

✓ A fixed focal-length, or prime, lens has only one focal length, such as 50mm or 300mm. If you want to get closer to a subject or shoot a wider shot, you have to physically move yourself closer or farther away. However, these lenses offer the best possible optical quality because they have fewer lens components.

✓ Zoom lenses let you change the focal length, such as 24mm–105mm or 70mm–200mm. This way, you can optically zoom in on a subject, such as a person’s face or an interesting food dish, making it look closer; or you can zoom out to take a wider shot, such as a landscape or a city skyline.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 16Zoom lenses are the most common and versatile because you can essentially have many lenses in one lens body, shifting from wide to normal, or normal to telephoto. However, many photography purists and professionals prefer prime lenses because of the superior image quality they produce with minimal distortion. Typically, however, prime lenses are much more expensive, and you need more of them to achieve the various focal lengths. Zoom lenses are very useful for traveling, especially because you can have normal, wide, and telephoto capabilities in one or two lenses.

One important limitation of some zoom lenses is that as you zoom in on a subject, they can’t maintain an aperture as wide as if they’re fully zoomed out. (An aperture is the opening in the lens that lets light through to the image sensor.) So when you adjust your camera to one aperture setting and zoom in on something and take a photo, it appears darker than you expected because the lens can’t let as much light through. I get into apertures and exposures in Chapter 2, so don’t worry about it for now. Zoom lenses that don’t have this limitation are referred to as fast lenses, and, you guessed it, you pay dearly for that capability as well.

Camera focal lengths for dSLR cameras, whether zoom or fixed, are further divided into several groups:

✓ Normal lenses: Normal refers to the accurate representa-tion of a subject, without distortion — just as your eye sees it. If you’re taking a portrait of someone or shooting a piece of architecture, such as the staircase in Taranto, Italy shown in Figure 1-6, a normal lens makes the image look the most realistic. The normal focal length for these lenses ranges, on average, between 40mm–60mm, although the type of image sensor your camera has makes a difference. A zoom lens that, for example, ranges from 24mm to 105mm would shoot a normal image when zoomed to the midrange of its focal range.

Some image sensors have a physical layout equivalent to what 35mm film used to be, regardless of the number of megapixels. Others, including many entry-level dSLR cameras, employ a crop factor that can limit a lens’ field of view. In other words, you can put a lens on one dSLR with an image sensor that’s cropped and you can’t take as wide a photo as if you put the same lens on another camera with a full-frame image sensor. Typically, entry-level


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 17dSLRs — and even some professional, pricey models — have cropped image sensors. Full-frame sensors are most often in demand with studio or nature photographers who want to be sure they can use 100 percent of their lenses’ visual field, and they’re willing to pay the extra bucks for this capability.

Figure 1-6: A normal lens helps capture the most natural-looking image.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 18 ✓ Wide-angle lenses: If you want to shoot big stuff, this

is your lens. Perfect for shooting groups of people, landscapes and cityscapes, or exaggerated close-up views of large objects (such as within close range of the Eiffel Tower or a giant statue at the Louvre), a wide-angle lens optically compresses a wide field of view to your image sensor. You have to be a careful, however, because a wide-angle lens often distorts parts of your image — especially on the edges of the photo. Typical focal lengths for wide-angle lenses for dSLR cameras range from 15mm to 24mm.

The fisheye lens is another type of wide-angle lens, which provides a distorted, wide-angle view. A fisheye lens helps in photographing something big such as the ancient Treasury in Jordan’s Petra (see Figure 1-7, which was taken with a 15mm Canon lens), especially if you’re quite close to it. The fisheye capability isn’t part of a wide-to-normal zoom lens — you have to purchase a fisheye lens by itself. If you really like the fisheye look, however, and want to buy a specialized lens that can be lots of fun, it’s worth considering. Fisheye lens focal lengths typically range from 8mm to 15mm.

✓ Telephoto lenses: A telephoto lens can accomplish shooting a close-up of a grizzly bear without getting in mortal danger. A telephoto lens is like a telescope, meaning it lets you see things far away as if they were much closer. These lenses also can distort an image by compressing what you see. They also affect an image’s depth of field, or what parts of your image are in focus. I discuss this in more depth (no pun intended) in Chapter 2.

When traveling, a telephoto lens can get pretty bulky, so you need a camera bag to safely hold it (either mounted on the camera or off it inside the bag). Typical focal ranges for telephoto lenses are 70mm–200mm (for most purposes, 200mm is more than enough), although you can get lenses as much as 800mm or even 1200mm — just in case you happen to win a lottery. I was actually standing about 15–20 feet away from this Ukrainian matryoshka doll to capture the image in Figure 1-8 with my 70mm–200mm zoom lens in a Kiev market. Notice how the depth of field is quite narrow.



Figure 1-7: A fisheye lens helps photograph something big, especially if you’re close to it.

Some people interchange zoom with telephoto lenses, perhaps because many zoom lenses will zoom to a telephoto focal length. A telephoto lens only refers to a lens — either zoom or prime — that lets you see things far-away up-close.

Another higher-priced feature on telephoto lenses, in particular, and on many point-and-shoot cameras, is image stabilization to reduce camera shake. Telephoto lenses are particularly sensitive to very slight movement, so hand-holding photos perfectly steady can be challenging. Image stabilization technology allows you to shoot images steadily, even if the light is somewhat subdued. When buying a telephoto lens, be sure to check whether it has this feature.



Figure 1-8: A telephoto lens lets you take far-away images and make them look closer.

✓ Macro lenses: Some photographers really enjoy looking at the world, such as bug’s eyes, a flower (see Figure 1-9), or jewelry, very closely. This optical feature is a macro capability, and some expensive dedicated macro lenses let you get a mere few inches from a subject, whereas others require you to be a foot or so away. (Many other lenses feature a macro function — meaning you can get close to a subject and still have an in-focus shot.) Nonetheless, macros lenses allow you to fill your viewfinder and image sensor with something very small.

For some tips on taking close-ups, try the exercise “Taking a Macro (Close-Up) Photo” at www.dummies.com/inaday/travelphotography.



Figure 1-9: A macro lens lets you take close-up photos, which is good for detailed nature images.

When traveling, a telephoto, normal, and wide-angle lens, even if that’s accomplished through only two zoom lenses, is probably the minimum lens setup you want to have with a dSLR. From there, you can add specialized lenses or other accessories.

Lenses come in a broad range of quality and price. A good lens helps you achieve amazingly good photos, whereas a bad lens does just the opposite. You get what you pay for (sorry for the disappointment). One thing to avoid are the dSLR kits, in which you can buy a combination dSLR and one or two lenses, popular at many stores. Very often these lenses are of rather poor or basic quality, and you’d be better off buying just a camera body and then finding a higher-quality used lens


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 22to save some money. Check out www.keh.com for a broad selection of used lenses with rated and guaranteed quality and some very good prices.

FlashesAlmost every camera, from smartphone to dSLR, has a flash of some kind. The flashes integrated with cameras either pop up (automatically or manually) or are integrated into the camera (or phone) body. Although you can turn them off, force them to be on all the time, or use them automatically, sometimes you need more control and they need more power. In that case, and for all dSLR cameras and some point-and-shoot models, look at an external flash that you can mount onto the camera.

External flashes use their own battery power, and many of them have controls that let you make them brighter or softer, adjust for closer-up or distance photos, and alter other features related to lighting. They sync with your camera and attach to its hot shoe at the top of the camera body, so they fire automatically when you take your photo.

An external flash, such as the Nikon SB-900 Speedlight is useful because it provides more light, you can control flash better, and prevent red-eye. Integrated and pop-up flashes are rarely powerful enough to illuminate much more than a couple of friends sitting at a dinner table, and rarely can you increase or diminish their brightness.

Most photographers don’t like flashes a whole lot, in general. They tend to make images look flat, show a bright subject in the foreground with nothing behind it, and don’t serve any function in big spaces (ever seen the twinkly flashes going off in a stadium, illuminating nothing more than the person’s head in front of the concert-goer or sports fan?). But sometimes you have to use the flash because it’s just too dark to take a photo. If you plan to shoot a lot of darker environments, having an external flash will give you more light, be less of a drain on your camera’s battery, and give you the flexibility to do things like fill flash (for more on this, see Chapter 2). But, yes, it is one more thing to carry!



BatteriesAlmost everything requires batteries, and they never seem to last long enough. Is there anything more frustrating than being ready to take that perfect sunset shot on the beaches of Waikiki when your camera battery poops out?

Digital cameras either come with model-specific rechargeable batteries, or they can run on garden-variety AA or AAA batteries. A lot depends on your camera’s size. If you’re using a smartphone, which is too small for regular batteries, it has its own rechargeable battery that seems to never last long enough. Bulky dSLRs also always have proprietary rechargeable batteries, but because they’re bigger, they tend to last a lot longer and you can often get 1,000 or more shots from one charge. Point-and-shoot cameras can go either way — regular or proprietary batteries, depending on the model and brand — so be sure to consider this when buying one.

Being able to carry some extra AA or AAA batteries, or easily buying them at a shop virtually anywhere in the world, is a definite advantage (although it can be alarmingly expensive for a simple pack of four, especially at the beach or other tourist trap). But, depending on your camera and what you’re doing with it, a couple of typical alkaline AA batteries might give your camera only a measly 15 minutes of power, which is why many manufacturers use their own batteries instead. The downside is, unless you have an extra battery for the camera that’s charged and ready to go, you’re out of luck without an AC connection and some extra time to charge it, which means the sun will have already gone down.

Here are some points to consider about batteries:

✓ If you’re traveling internationally, virtually all cameras with rechargeable batteries come with chargers that support voltage around the world. However, you need to remember an adapter that fits the kind of wall outlet common to the region you’re visiting (see the “International consider-ations” section, later in this chapter).

✓ If your camera uses regular AA or AAA batteries, consider buying rechargeable ones made of nickel metal hydride (NiMH). These last longer and can be recharged hundreds of times. When you buy a charger, also make sure it works on voltage everywhere in the world.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 24 ✓ If you’re really roughing it on your trip, a number of

solar-power chargers are available for various batteries — especially the AA and AAA types. For instance, Sundance Solar produces a wide variety of solar chargers that recharge batteries and smartphones.

✓ How you use your smartphone or camera affects battery time significantly. Constantly oohing and aahing at your photos on a large LCD (such as a smartphone screen) or taking lots of videos will ensure your battery will be dead before dinnertime. Using the flash a lot, too, will run down the power. As you use your camera, you’ll get to know just how power-hungry it is and you’ll be able to minimize power-draining activities and/or be ready with extra batteries (you will, won’t you?).

✓ Cold weather drastically reduces battery time. If you take your camera skiing, for example, keep it close to your body when you’re not using it. If you’re carrying extra batteries, keep them in a warm pocket, as well. See Chapter 3 for more on this.

✓ If your battery is dead and you need to take one or two more critical shots, take it out and smack it smartly against a hard surface (or if there are two batteries, smack them against each other). This can give you a drop more of battery juice, just enough to capture that Hawaiian sun before it sinks below the horizon.

Cleaning kitsA cleaning kit has all the items you need to keep spots off your glass. They typically contain a microfiber cloth, a bulb blower to puff away dirt, a brush, and some cleaning fluid. Don’t use just any glass cleaner on your lens because it has a special optical coating. These kits can be used with smartphone and point-and-shoot camera lenses as well as dSLR interchangeable lenses.

Don’t rub your lens with the microfiber cloth until after the big dust particles are off, or you could scratch the lens.

With dSLR cameras, there’s an especially big risk of dirt being introduced not only on the lens glass, but also into the camera itself. To avoid this, try to change lenses out of the wind or any environment where water, dust, sand, or anything


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 25else can get into the camera. Sometimes dust particles will get onto the image sensor inside your camera, which is known as a CMOS spot” (“CMOS” refers to the technical term for your camera’s image sensor).These spots are different than dust on your lens because you see them in the same spot in your digital photos no matter what lens you have on the camera.

Many dSLR cameras have a sensor-cleaning function that works to automatically remove the dust from your sensor. However, sometimes this isn’t enough, and you need to clean the sensor with a bulb blower or take it to a technician to be cleaned professionally. To clean a sensor yourself, follow the directions in your manual for cleaning the image sensor; however, be extremely careful. Clean your sensor in a dust-free, non-windy, safe environment, and be sure your camera has a full battery charge. Because you have to remove the lens, expose your image sensor, and blow air directly onto it, if you’re uncomfortable doing so, have it cleaned by an expert.

Never use “canned air” to clean a camera or lens. Aerosol-based spray contains a propellant that can put a permanent chemical film in places you really don’t want it to be.

Travel casesCamera portability has never been better, even if you’re the fashion-conscious type. There are many cases to suit everyone these days, ranging from bags designed to withstand harsh elements to ones you could even carry to the Academy Awards and still look trendy.

When traveling, you often have more than just your camera to carry, and it’s good to keep things together. Extra memory cards, batteries, chargers, cables, and the like are best kept together if you can, making a dedicated camera bag very useful. That said, when you’re out and about, most likely you want to leave your accessories in the hotel room.

For point-and-shoot cameras, which fit easily into your pocket or a small bag, there are many padded and fashionable options for carrying your camera and accessories. Case Logic, for example, has numerous fun and protective cases for small cameras perfect to accompany you on a trip to a museum, amusement park, or out on the deck of your cruise.



For some tips on shooting in a museum, check out “Telling a Visual Story: A Museum Tour” at www.dummies.com/inaday/travelphotography.

Lowepro and Tamrac are prominent companies that manufacture a variety of travel photography bags that can be suitable for adventure sports and still fit under an airplane seat. For dSLR owners, it’s important to carry a camera body, lenses, and even a flash and/or a tripod, which can all get pretty bulky. A number of bags, such as Tamrac’s Evolution Speed Roller Backpack, even hold a laptop with your gear and a variety of travel enhancements. This nifty contraption can be carried on your back or rolled, holds up to two camera bodies and multiple lenses, features an outside tripod attachment, and has lots of doodads to keep even fussy professional photographers happy. It even features a rain cover to protect your gear in a downpour.

If you plan to fly a lot, make sure the bag you buy is rated as a carry-on. You really don’t want to check a bag with camera gear in it.

Memory cardsDigital cameras store images on flash memory cards. Figure 1-10 shows three common memory cards: a 32GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) card (upper left), a 32GB CompactFlash card (upper right), and a 16GB microSDHC card (bottom). Secure Digital (SD) cards are the most common in cameras, and microSD cards are the most common in smartphones. CompactFlash cards are used most often in professional cameras.

To use memory cards, follow these general steps:

1. Insert the card into your camera.

2. Format it for your camera type.

Format your card so that your camera records special information on it to ensure they communicate, so your photos will be recorded on it, and so nothing else (or information from another type of camera) is on it. Format your card each time you put it into your camera, after you’ve safely copied your photos to your computer. After you format your card, you’re ready to shoot.


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 27See Chapter 4 for how to safely download photos.

Figure 1-10: Three common memory cards.

CompactFlash cards are memory cards used mostly by higher-end dSLR cameras. The cards are physically larger and very reliable, but seldom seen for consumer-type point-and-shoot or dSLR cameras.

Card capacities have increased over the past few years, and their prices have dropped. If you’re going on a vacation for a week or so, you can possibly record your entire set of photos on one card. Note, however, that it is important to have a backup of your photos, just in case something happens to your camera or card. I discuss this more in Chapter 4.

How many photos you can store on a card depends on

✓ The card’s capacity (measured in gigabytes, such as an 8GB card).

✓ The megapixel size of the images your camera produces.

✓ The size of images you set your camera to produce. You can often select a smaller image size — handy, for exam-ple, if you’re shooting images to put only on the web and don’t intend to print.


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 28In general, Table 1-1 offers a handy guide for how many images you can store on a card, based on the megapixels your camera supports. For instance, if you have a 14MP point-and-shoot camera and you use an 8GB SD card, you can store 1,634 images on it at full size.

Table 1-1 Megapixels and Storage

Camera Mega-pixels (MP)

File Size (MB)

Photos Stored on a 1GB Card



Photos Stored on an 8GB Card

Photos Stores on a 16GB Card




4 1.2 715 1,430 2,861 5,722 11,444 22,888 45,776 91,5525 1.5 572 1,144 2,288 4,577 9,155 18,310 36,620 73,2406 1.8 476 953 1,907 3,814 7,629 15,258 30,516 61,0327 2.1 408 817 1,634 3,269 6,539 13,078 26,156 52,3128 2.4 357 715 1,430 2,861 5,722 11,444 22,888 45,77610 3.0 286 572 1,144 2,288 4,577 9,155 18,310 36,62012 3.6 238 476 953 1,907 3,814 7,629 15,258 30,51614 4.2 204 408 817 1,634 3,269 6,539 13,078 26,15616 4.8 178 357 715 1,430 2,861 5,722 11,444 22,888Source: SanDisk Corporation

SD cards are also rated for speed via a Speed Class Rating, or how fast the card will accept images the camera is working to store on it. For example, if your camera can shoot several frames a second (or if you have a very fast trigger finger) or if you’re shooting video, you want a card that won’t choke as you throw a bunch of images at it in a row. That means you’d want to buy a card with a faster speed rating. The following table shows SD card speed rated by class.

Class Speed (Megabytes per Second)Class 2 2 MbpsClass 4 4 MbpsClass 6 6 MbpsClass 10 10 Mbps


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 29The class logo appears on SD cards and/or packaging, so if you think you’ll shoot lots of photos quickly or if you’ll shoot a lot of video shots (especially in HD), get as fast a card as you can afford.

SD cards come in a couple different flavors:

✓ SD: The Secure Digital card is the standard, original type of card. Older cameras do not support anything except regular SD.

There are also micro and mini configurations of the SD card, used in smaller devices, including a few cameras and, most notably, in smartphones. The microSD card is a very tiny card, and oftentimes, it comes with a special, regular-sized SD card that allows you to insert the microSD card into a small slot, and then use the card like a regular SD card. This is especially handy for inserting it into card readers, such as the types you find on various laptops and desktop computers. MicroSD cards also come in microSDHC and microSDXC versions.

✓ SDHC: Secure Digital High Capacity cards have a capacity up to 32GB. All cameras available within the past year or two support SD and SDHC.

✓ SDXC: Secure Digital eXtended Capacity, the newest cards, can store up to a whopping 2TB (yes, that’s terabytes) per card, but you’re not likely to find any cards of that size anytime soon (and, trust me, they will be very expensive). As of this writing, a 64GB card can easily cost more than $100. The newest cameras support SDXC, but double-check your camera’s specifications before springing for a pricey SDXC card and finding out it won’t work in your camera.

There are other less-common types of SD cards, but we don’t need to go into detail on them for this book as they aren’t typically supported by most common digital cameras.

Protective waterproof gearAs I mention earlier in the “Travel cases” section, some bags feature rain covers that carry dSLRs. But what if you want to take photos in a downpour?


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 30A few cameras, such as the FUJIFILM FinePix XP50, are rated as shockproof, freeze-proof, dust-proof, and, yes, even waterproof (this model is rated to 16.4 feet deep). So if you have one of these cameras, you don’t have to worry about accidentally dropping your camera in the hot tub; it even comes with a floating strap. Most cameras, however, don’t like any of those environmental hazards, and even a brief rain shower can be potentially damaging.

If you’re a point-and-shoot photographer, unless your camera has waterproof features, the best thing to do is keep it out of the elements if at all possible. A few raindrops won’t hurt these cameras, but water has a way of sneaking into amazingly tight places, so be careful. In a pinch, you can put your camera into a Ziploc bag and still take decent shots, or you can purchase a waterproof case designed for small cameras.

In any event, if you’re traveling where you’re likely to get wet, such as whitewater rafting or fishing, either have a waterproof camera or a sealed waterproof enclosure. At the very least, you can put your non-waterproof bag and camera into another waterproof bag (available at many sporting goods stores) so the camera is protected from bouncing around and moisture.

For dSLRs, keeping the camera and gear in a good travel camera bag — especially one with a rainproof cover — is ideal. If you need to shoot in bad weather, a variety of protective covers are available for a camera and lenses, such as the series of waterproof cases from DiCAPac and Aquapac. Their products protect cameras from rain or snow, and allow you to operate and shoot while your equipment remains protected. Both companies offer a full range of protective gear for all types of cameras, even for smartphones and tablets.

Drop a point-and-shoot or smartphone in water? Here’s what to do:

1. Do NOT turn on the device.

2. Gently dry the device with a paper towel or dry cloth; then remove the cover, take out the memory card and, if it’s a smartphone, the SIM card, dry these off, and set them aside.


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 31 3. If you have a vacuum cleaner handy, use it to suck

any moisture out of the device.

DO NOT use a hair dryer to remove moisture; this can actually force water deeper into the phone.

4. Immerse the device in a bowl of uncooked rice and leave it for at least 48 hours or longer.

You can also put the device into a sealed plastic bag with a few packs of desiccant (the substance that comes packaged in electronics boxes, noodle pack-ages, and so on), which absorbs water.

5. Remove the device and try turning it on.

StorageWhen you’re traveling, unless you carry a laptop with a hard drive, you may need to download pictures from your camera’s memory card (say, for example, if it becomes full). I discuss this in a little more detail in Chapter 4, but for now, suffice it to say that you have some options: storing images on a media device or in the cloud.

You can store images onto a portable media device you may take with you, such as an iPad or another tablet. Many let you connect an SD card directly to them, or in the case of the iPad, through an extra attachment you can purchase.

You can store images in the cloud, or an online photo storage area. Simply find a computer, such as one in your hotel’s business center or lobby or at an Internet café, and via a USB cable connection directly from your camera or via a card reader, you can upload your photos to an online photo storage area that you can safely access when you get home.

A card reader is a small device that plugs into your camera via a USB connection, and into which you plug your SD card. This lets a computer look at your memory card like it’s a hard drive, from which you can copy your photos to the computer. Some computers come with card readers built into them.

There are a number of cloud-based storage services, and many of them even provide a bit of space for free — but most charge a nominal amount (such as $5/month) to have some


Travel Photography In A Day For Dummies 32online storage. Yahoo!’s popular Flickr site, for example, lets you store unlimited photos (up to 15MB per photo), although with a free account, you can see only the most recent 200.

Be careful when uploading photos that you aren’t using a service that compresses the images, making them smaller, to store your photos. After your photos have been made smaller, you can’t get them back to full size. That’s why you should always keep original image files!

I recommend finding a service before you leave town, upload some full-sized images to it, and then download them just to have the peace of mind that your all-important shots will be just as fresh when you get back from your trip as the day you took them.

What to Expect on Your JourneyCarrying a camera on a trip is like traveling with a child. You have to protect it, be prepared for any problems, and not leave it unattended in public places. Earlier I discuss a camera case, and here I discuss a few other travel-related issues worth mentioning.

Customs and securityYou can put your camera and memory card through an airport x-ray machine. The machine will not affect photos at all, no matter how many times you do it. Airport security staff may want to look at camera gear and make sure it’s okay, and they might even have you turn on your camera or look through a lens for a dSLR camera.

A bigger issue, if you’re traveling internationally, is that you should declare your camera to customs before you leave the country. Why? If you don’t and you return to the United States with all your camera gear, the customs agent may want to know if you bought it while on your trip. If you can’t prove you didn’t, she may want to levy an import duty on your equipment (no, it’s not very nice, is it?).

To avoid this, visit your local customs office (often located at or near the airport) with your camera gear and before


Chapter 1: Gearing Up for Your Travels 33your trip, fill out a U.S. Customs Form 4457, Certificate of Registration for Personal Effects Taken Abroad. This is a declaration of what you’ll take with you, including short descriptions of your gear and any serial numbers on your camera, lenses, and flash. You can also list your computer, tablet, or other electronic gear — essentially, anything with a serial number. This form is good for multiple trips, so keep it with you whenever you travel. When coming back into the country, the customs agent may ask to see it. If you happen to have your sales receipt for the camera, it could help, but having the serial number on an official (U.S. government or store sales document) is very important.

If any customs officials in other countries get nosy with your camera gear, you can always flash your official U.S. Customs Form 4457 to them, and often it will calm them down.

Keeping your gear safeCameras are one of the most commonly stolen items from travelers. To protect your gear, always keep it close to you or safely locked in your hotel room (preferably, in a safe). Keep the camera strap around your hand, and if you store your camera in a backpack, be aware in large crowds. Bring a small combination lock to secure the zippers on your pack and keep it locked.

In fact, even on overseas flights on airplanes, lock your gear. If you’re like I am and you fall asleep instantly on a plane, locking the zippers of your briefcase or backpack containing your camera will deter most thieves. If you’re on a train, which is another common place for unsavory photographers to expand their gear, you can usually lock your stuff to something like a seat leg. You can get cable locks, similar to those used with bicycles, to lock your bag to virtually anything; some even feature very loud motion alarms (although those aren’t advisable to turn on while in a plane or train; trust me, I’ve tried it).

You can purchase some extra secure packs as well, such as Lowepro’s Flipside 500 AW camera bag. Its zippered flap opens on the side that’s against your back while you carry it, meaning it can’t be opened from the outside unless you take it off. It’s big enough to carry a dSLR and several lenses.



International considerationsBeyond the discussion of the customs form at the beginning of this section, international travel has some other challenges. The biggest of these is that when you’re out of the country, unless your camera runs on regular AA or AAA batteries, you may need an AC travel adapter to charge your batteries. Most camera battery chargers will support virtually any voltage around the world (which usually ranges from 100 to 240 volts), but the AC plugs are different sizes everywhere.

Most stores that carry travel gear, luggage, or electronics will have international AC adapters. Some will support a variety of types of plugs around the world, and others are specific to a type of plug in a given region. Either way, make sure your device is physically able to plug into the adapter — some of the portable chargers will require a secondary adapter to fit an AC travel adapter, so check before you take off. Several online resources have information about travel voltages, and I often use www.kropla.com to check what the electrical situation will be wherever I go.


Documents

Travel Photography in a Day For Dummies