Excursions 'with a local photographer'

Has anyone done any of the 'with a local photographer' excursions? They always seem quite costly however I'm a terrible photographer by any standard and sometimes think I might get something out of one.

I thought there were two on our upcoming (barcelona round trip, August 18th) cruise but I only see one listed now so perhaps they cancelled it or it sold out.

Wondered if anyone had experience of one.

(and typically as soon as I'd posted I found the other one, so there are actually two as I originally thought).

I have done this twice and both excursions were excellent.

The first was in Juneau and was more 'technical' than the second. Essentially, the photographer had us changing shutter speeds for different situations. So very fast shutter speed for wildlife and slow shutter speeds for still life in the rain forest. It made me think much more about how I set the camera up and now I shoot entirely in manual.

The second was in Yangon and was superb. The photographer was more about the composition, getting interesting angles and shooting people than the Juneau one. It got me over my reticence for shooting people I don't know amongst other things. It was also good because we were a small group of people, we went to places the other tours didn't (e.g. the night market) and we finished up at a local restaurant. That excursion was probably the highlight of our cruise.

I sell photos for stock and have already sold several of my Yangon ones.

Hope this helps.

Hope this helps.

Very much does, thanks Roxburgh, I think I'll invest the dollars and a day in one of the two this cruise offers.

I made a mistake in my post ..... it wasn't so much slow shutter speeds in the rain forest but having the aperture more open with less depth of field so that we could blur the background.

As a practical matter, if you are not using a tripod, you really need a shutter speed of 1/250 sec or faster to minimize hand shake. Another of the tips I got on these tours.

Another thing I learned was that having people in the shot really brings it to life. I always had a tendency to try to take shots of buildings and landscapes, etc. without people. Obviously it depends on the situation but I think that can be a mistake. Something to think about.

There was a photo excursion to Avignon on our Med cruise last year which I had booked but it was cancelled by SB a couple of days prior. I was told it was due to lack of interest (numbers).

I have taken several photo tours in cities but not with Seabourn. If you Google a bit you will find professional photogs who do one on one photo tours and will modify it to the type of shooting you want to do; e.g. street or architecture.

I think also depends on the weather.

One caught my eye. I the the Gozo 4x4 photography tour. But something about an open top tour in August Gozo heat didn’t seem quite as appealing.

I made a mistake in my post ..... it wasn't so much slow shutter speeds in the rain forest but having the aperture more open with less depth of field so that we could blur the background.

 

As a practical matter, if you are not using a tripod, you really need a shutter speed of 1/250 sec or faster to minimize hand shake. Another of the tips I got on these tours.

 

Another thing I learned was that having people in the shot really brings it to life. I always had a tendency to try to take shots of buildings and landscapes, etc. without people. Obviously it depends on the situation but I think that can be a mistake. Something to think about.

Hi Roxburgh.

The golden rule with photo shake is actually related to the mm of the lens size with slr cameras. So a zoom with 28-70 should be a minimum speed of 1/70s shutter speed or 1/90 which is more typical. However, my lenses have image stabilisation, which is worth 1/2 stops. So, for a 70mm max zoom, I could in theory drop through 1/60 or to 1/45. Hope this helps. Obviously if it is windy, or I want to be sure of a good shot, I won’t risk this and take several with different iso or aperture.

Hi Roxburgh.

 

The golden rule with photo shake is actually related to the mm of the lens size with slr cameras. So a zoom with 28-70 should be a minimum speed of 1/70s shutter speed or 1/90 which is more typical. However, my lenses have image stabilisation, which is worth 1/2 stops. So, for a 70mm max zoom, I could in theory drop through 1/60 or to 1/45. Hope this helps. Obviously if it is windy, or I want to be sure of a good shot, I won’t risk this and take several with different iso or aperture.

I was aware of that but I have noticed a difference in sharpness since I started using faster shutter speeds. Maybe I have a shakier hand than most but if I'm not using a tripod then I am generally at 1/250 or faster. I haven't found that to be much of a problem for most of my photography.

The other aspect of this is really understanding the autofocus on the camera. These things are so sophisticated now that it is a steep learning curve. I have my D500 since last Christmas and I am still learning how the autofocus works.

Both galeforce9 and Roxburgh have amazing photos, by far the best I've seen posted on CC. I hope to sail with either of you in the future to learn from you (maybe we did, as we have over 330 days on Seabourn...)

Both galeforce9 and Roxburgh have amazing photos, by far the best I've seen posted on CC. I hope to sail with either of you in the future to learn from you (maybe we did, as we have over 330 days on Seabourn...)

Appreciate the compliment.

We are on from Sydney to Singapore .... Dec 11, 2018 ...... if interested.

The thing about photography is that you are always learning and always trying to get better.

We are on from Sydney to Singapore .... Dec 11, 2018 ...... if interested.

 

The thing about photography is that you are always learning and always trying to get better.

The other aspect of this is really understanding the autofocus on the camera. These things are so sophisticated now that it is a steep learning curve. I have my D500 since last Christmas and I am still learning how the autofocus works.

Somewhere around here is where I start falling down. Being generally techie I spend loads of time fiddling with the autofocus point or the metering mode, dickering about with the ISO, changing from raw to in-camera processing (thus having to work out the white balance and what creative scene mode might work) and back and .. somewhere down the line I forget I'm supposed to be actually taking a picture of something, looking through the viewfinder (or rear screen) and composing the shot.

Hence my feeling that a few hours with a real photographer who knows the area and the buildings and the light etc and is hopefully not afraid of pointing out my failings and keeping me focused (no pun) on what I'm shooting might be very handy.

I know, I have a friend who when he was in the 5th grade started taking pictures w/ a black & white and developing them in his friend's basement. He has an incredible eye, missed his calling in life. When I wanted a new camera for Antarctica I only asked his opinion and bought based on his suggestions.

Roxburgh, I wish we could join that cruise but we will be just getting back the prior night from Cabo when it starts (although luckily for you, you get to have the company of our mutual friend Chairsin and her DH) but we will be on the Ovation in February. I do think we sailed together in the past without meeting, but off hand don't recall the cruise but seem to recall a thread where we realized that. Maybe LA to Sydney? Like you we have 15 cruises and over 330 days.

We were with Chairsin and her DH on Cape Town to Singapore and looking forward to renewing our acquaintance on this next cruise.

We did Sydney to LA some years ago but not the other way around.

Re: camera shake. It is the inverse of the focal length. However, unless you have steady hands, it may also be prudent to hard a half stop.

Also take into account the subject. Food photography you can use 1/15 with steady hands and image stabilisation. It doesn’t move. People and landscapes with wind will. 1/125 or faster is usually safe except for kids where I would shoot 1/250.

Autofocus - the cameras are smart. Yes you can do spot focus but technology has gotten good enough I just let it work.

You can save in both RAW and jpeg simultaneously. JPEG for instagram and quick wifi transfer. RAW for post processing if you ever want to take it to print.

Above all, just do it. Have fun. Experiment with aperture. Shutter speed. Exposure compensation. White balance - you can fix post processing. Usually.

We were with Chairsin and her DH on Cape Town to Singapore and looking forward to renewing our acquaintance on this next cruise.

 

We did Sydney to LA some years ago but not the other way around.

That's the cruise it was, Odyssey 2012 - with Captain Dexter where we rescued the 3 presumed dead Samoan fishermen who got blown off course in a storm and after 21 days their families were planning their funerals. I'll never forget getting off in American Samoa and seeing them walking down the gangway, the happiest people I ever saw. (If you haven't noticed, next time on the Odyssey look at the rescue boat:) )And the pax taking up the donations to pay for the boat they had to abandon. Great cruise, we were always closing the Sky Bar along w/ 3 other couples who we did almost everything with.

And who can forget snorkleman?

That's the cruise it was, Odyssey 2012 - with Captain Dexter where we rescued the 3 presumed dead Samoan fishermen who got blown off course in a storm and after 21 days their families were planning their funerals. I'll never forget getting off in American Samoa and seeing them walking down the gangway, the happiest people I ever saw. (If you haven't noticed, next time on the Odyssey look at the rescue boat:) )And the pax taking up the donations to pay for the boat they had to abandon. Great cruise, we were always closing the Sky Bar along w/ 3 other couples who we did almost everything with.

 

And who can forget snorkleman?

That was indeed the cruise. Will trying to get snorkleman to stop splashing everyone, a well know Australian lady falling over at the patio (possibly vertigo or too much champagne).

We were very friendly with two other couples - still are - and tended to spend time with them.

I had just got my first DSLR so it was all a learning curve.

Nick was the CD as I remember ....

And the rescue ....... Cruise Critic actually used a couple of my shots in their article on it (suitably attributed of course) .......

Telephoto lenses (bigger numbers in mm) will always induce more camera shake because a small movement of the camera equates to a big movement a long way away.

Wide apertures allow you to have a faster shutter speed but the downside is less depth of field and potentially less sharp images.

A solution to consider is increasing the ISO number or "film speed" of the camera. This makes it more sensitive to light meaning you can have a smaller aperture AND a faster shutter speed without the image becoming too dark.

I've been contemplating offering myself as an enrichment lecturer covering photography and in particular video making onboard. One of the things I was planning to include was a "walking with the photographer" much along the lines of shopping with the chef.

Having done many of the ports of call already in places like south east Asia I have a bit of a head start although just wandering around you see loads of opportunities for a great image.

Henry :)

Telephoto lenses (bigger numbers in mm) will always induce more camera shake because a small movement of the camera equates to a big movement a long way away.

 

Wide apertures allow you to have a faster shutter speed but the downside is less depth of field and potentially less sharp images.

 

A solution to consider is increasing the ISO number or "film speed" of the camera. This makes it more sensitive to light meaning you can have a smaller aperture AND a faster shutter speed without the image becoming too dark.

 

I've been contemplating offering myself as an enrichment lecturer covering photography and in particular video making onboard. One of the things I was planning to include was a "walking with the photographer" much along the lines of shopping with the chef.

 

Having done many of the ports of call already in places like south east Asia I have a bit of a head start although just wandering around you see loads of opportunities for a great image.

 

Henry :)

I’ll join you Henry. 80 countries and counting. Highly commended in international competitions. Stock photographer on a highly respected travel photography stock site. Great comments on this board ...

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