Capturing the moments...
Vacation Photography
Along with your travel guides and journals, pre-planning your camera, digital camera and video needs well before your journey makes good sense and can save you a lot of money.
I already mentioned some other pre-vacation tasks on other pages such as have a plan, lists, luggage and locks, etc, etc. so we won't discuss those things here. But, there is still an amazing array of travel-oriented products that can make your vacation the focused, pleasant, and comfortable experience you want it to be.
This travel shopping section looks next at some of the top photographic tools to help you capture your next country vacation.
From 10 to 15 megapixels, handhelds, motion and still, low-light to high-light, these cameras will help you store and save your vacation memories. Select your preferred screen display size, zoom length and you're off and running with a great new camera. The selections below provide a wide range of camera functionality, options and pricing.
Your vacation time is well-earned...don't you deserve a new camera to record the fun?
Don't forget the accessories
There is a very bad potential vacation moment when you point and click to take what could be the photo of the entire vacation and...nothing happens. At a country or rural venue this can be even more of a problem since there will not be a convenient store to buy batteries.
Cameras by their very nature, have a lot of required or desired accoutrements. Cables, batteries, straps, camera bags, tripods...the higher your level of expectation or expertise, the more bits and pieces you will probably need to have with you.
Linked below are a few items to consider prior to your next vacation. Buy them online at your convenience. Plan ahead and probably save a few dollars too!
A "must-have" for country travelers...
Are you tired of not having your photo archive or music library with you when you travel? Can't find enough space on your flash drive? Try this compact and convenient storage device.
The Seagate FreeAgent 500GB External Hard Drive is very inexpensive and about the size of a pocket calculator. Simply plug it in to the USB port on any netbook, laptop, or desktop - no A/C power required.
I can tell you that a FreeAgent was handy to have when my main home computer started coughing it's last right after Christmas, 2009. I was able to quickly save all important files from my hard drive and eventually, copied the whole load to the new computer I was "forced" to purchase...so this backup functionality can be added to the "Problem/Solution" list.
"Why do I need this?"
Via Windows, just click the newly assigned drive letter and start playing your music or viewing your photos, or watching your video content - up to 100 DVDs worth. That is hundreds of thousands of songs or photos.
Need more reasons?
PROBLEM: Your camera's memory is full.
SOLUTION: Copy your files to the Seagate FreeAgent for safe, permanent storage.
PROBLEM: Traveling for the holidays and want to share videos of last Summer's vacation?
SOLUTION: Carry your entire archive of video with you in the side pocket of your suitcase!
PROBLEM: Your friends don't want to squint at the 2-inch screen on your camera.
SOLUTION: Connect your Seagate FreeAgent to the PC and enjoy full-size viewing.
PROBLEM: I want to listen to my MP3s in the car without shuffling through CDs.
SOLUTION: Plug your netbook into your car's radio and listen to 1000s of hours of your music through the FreeAgent drive.
Improve your Photographic skills...
Photographers are an interesting group of people. Novice or expert.
As I've spent more time trying to perfect my wildlife photography and have been studying lighting, aperture, speed and composition factors, I've found a wealth of information online and via books that tell me what I need to know.
Professional and semi-professional photographers love to talk about their work. They are so excited about what they do they are willing to share the details of nearly every aspect of getting the perfect photo. Those of us not at a professional level but who want the best possible results of what may be a one-time photo-op, need to take advantage of this knowledge.
Several of the most popular guide books to great photography are linked below. Take time well before your vacation to practice when the outcome is not so critical - especially with a new camera - so that shot of the Eiffel Tower you take next Spring will be perfect!
