Vacations for photographers

[lohrentz]

The concept of using vintage glass to shoot historically significant places really appeals to me. I regret that when I lived in Miyazaki and Tokyo Japan in the late 80s, early 90s I was not into photography. I'm going back this Nov with some of my favorite Japanese glass to shoot some historical locations in Kanazawa, Nagoya, Takayama, and some old post towns on the Nakasendo Way. Plan to take my Pearl IV, and either Yashica TL-Super or MX.

 

[Pál_K]

The American Southwest has always been a mecca for photographers. I can imagine no climate, terrain, and light more different from those of the UK,

Additionally, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley, Arches. Bryce Canyon is spectacular.

 

[markjwyatt]

As some of you know I am retiring soon. I am planning a few trips over the next few years. I have travelled extensively for work, but never had much time during these trips to do much photography.

What have been your favourite locations for taking your cameras? I am base in the UK where the weather is often terrible so warmer climates are a priority. I am also going to be with my wife so there must be other things to do besides photography 😃

Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I love the French Alps, basically from Corps through Chamonix via Gap to cross at Briancon. I have only had inexpensive digitals and iPhones when travelling there, but that is one region I would go. For warm weather of course, probably late spring through early autumn are best.

 

[Dogman]

I'm from Louisiana. May I offer some advice and, I guess, a bit of warning. The main attractions for New Orleans are food and music. Plus the history if you are interested in that. However, New Orleans is dirty, loud and generally a place I like to avoid. And to top it off, this is summer and summers in the southern USA is a hot, humid, miserable time. If the weather doesn't put you off, I would suggest visiting the smaller city of Lafayette LA instead of NOLA. Music and food are great there and it's a cleaner less smelly place with a lot of history. (I'm NOT from Lafayette, by the way.)

 

[x-ray]

I love NOLA and have been down there quite a few times. My wife has family there so we get a lot of first hand information. NO is not a safe place especially after dark or close to the waterfront. I believe they were recently reported to have the highest murder rate in the US at 41/100,000. Crime is so bad that my sister in law moved from a magnificent 1825 mansion in the garden district to a home out of the city that’s protected by a 12’ steel fence.

It’s a fun city but be advised cities like New Orleans, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC, New York and a good number of other large cities are very dangerous now especially for people that don’t know the city and look like tourists. They’re dangerous even for people that live there.

If you travel to places like the national parks you’re safe and you’ll see things you can’t see anywhere else. We have amazing beauty here. I live just minutes from the most visited National Park in the US, the Great Smoky Mountains and can highly recommend this area of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina for its beauty and wonderful people.

 

[raydm6]

A cautionary note from another forum re: Yosemite (in USA) in case that is a consideration:

A Mess in Yosemite right now--a cautionary

There are no reservations required for entrance this year and the park is being overrun with crowds. Traffic at the gates have been backed up for miles according to park employees who are having a difficult time getting in to work. This weekend on 41, to the Sugar Pine Railroad on this side of...

www.largeformatphotography.info

 

[wlewisiii]

Another vote for the desert Southwest. The southern part of Arizona, the Coronado Mountains, Bisby & it's art galleries and copper mine as well as the classic old US Army cavalry post at Ft Huachuca are all wonderful. If the water situation down there wasn't so dire, I'd be tempted to retire there.

 

[Henry]

My personal feeling is that it's hard to go wrong with any of the major United States National parks. Big Bend, Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc. I (personally) find the area around New Mexico to be stunning, and if you like that then Big Bend and a long (very dull, until it's radically dangerous) drive through west Texas will also bring you some interesting scenes.

One of the most interesting parts of going into the Parks is the towns that have evolved around them. Tourists and locals and old and new and a constant pressure of seasonal interest make some of these really interesting places to see and photograph.

If wildlife is your interest there are numerous (well guided) tours of many of these parks that can lead to some enjoyable (and safe) photography.

 

[Henry]

I love NOLA and have been down there quite a few times. My wife has family there so we get a lot of first hand information. NO is not a safe place especially after dark or close to the waterfront. I believe they were recently reported to have the highest murder rate in the US at 41/100,000. Crime is so bad that my sister in law moved from a magnificent 1825 mansion in the garden district to a home out of the city that’s protected by a 12’ steel fence.

It’s a fun city but be advised cities like New Orleans, Chicago, LA, San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC, New York and a good number of other large cities are very dangerous now especially for people that don’t know the city and look like tourists. They’re dangerous even for people that live there.

If you travel to places like the national parks you’re safe and you’ll see things you can’t see anywhere else. We have amazing beauty here. I live just minutes from the most visited National Park in the US, the Great Smoky Mountains and can highly recommend this area of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina for its beauty and wonderful people.

I think it's disingenuous to call New York a "very dangerous" city. I cannot speak to any of the others, but NYC is not "very dangerous". It is, generally, one of the safest places to live in the US. While I haven't visited most of these places recently (as in, the last five years), I have my doubts that any of them even rise to the level of "dangerous" without the "very". Chicago has a higher than national average rate for violent crime, and San Francisco has a higher than national average rate in property crime, but those are outliers.

 

[x-ray]

Another vote for the desert Southwest. The southern part of Arizona, the Coronado Mountains, Bisby & it's art galleries and copper mine as well as the classic old US Army cavalry post at Ft Huachuca are all wonderful. If the water situation down there wasn't so dire, I'd be tempted to retire there.

My wife and I considered retiring there but the water shortage and border issues kept us in East Tennessee. We went down several times looking for a home and found a great place with 25 acres but it was about a quarter of a mile from the border. Unfortunately migrants coming across destroy fences, run wells dry by leaving water faucets on on your property, break in to homes and trash people property. We used to go to Nogales and cross into Mexico for lunch but due to violence along the border we stopped. We just didn’t want to get into that mess.

Otherwise it’s a very interesting place.

Attached photos of Bisbee.

 

[x-ray]

I think it's disingenuous to call New York a "very dangerous" city. I cannot speak to any of the others, but NYC is not "very dangerous". It is, generally, one of the safest places to live in the US. While I haven't visited most of these places recently (as in, the last five years), I have my doubts that any of them even rise to the level of "dangerous" without the "very". Chicago has a higher than national average rate for violent crime, and San Francisco has a higher than national average rate in property crime, but those are outliers.

The New York Times published an article this year that shootings were down in NYC but other crimes, robbery, larceny and other crimes were up 22%.

My wife and I used to go to San Francisco and have had to walk around people sleeping on the sidewalks and dodge garbage being thrown at us. We even had garbage bags full of trash thrown at our car as we drove. The number of homeless and mentally I’ll were common sights. While visiting a park near the Golden Gate there was a wedding in progress near us and just a short distance away there were three males openly performing sexual acts. This isn’t what I want to be around or want to see. For my wife and I it doesn’t make for a very pleasant vacation having to look over our shoulder, dodge people on the sidewalks and garbage being thrown at you or walk into a group performing sexual acts. There are just too many other nice places to go and relax.

 

[Austintatious]

My wife and I considered retiring there but the water shortage and border issues kept us in East Tennessee. We went down several times looking for a home and found a great place with 25 acres but it was about a quarter of a mile from the border. Unfortunately migrants coming across destroy fences, run wells dry by leaving water faucets on on your property, break in to homes and trash people property. We used to go to Nogales and cross into Mexico for lunch but due to violence along the border we stopped. We just didn’t want to get into that mess.

I believe that you chose wisely. My wife and I retired to Colorado Springs after sixty some years in Texas. The weather is pretty good and there are four seasons unlike in Texas.There are miles of trails and more parks than we can count. Good economy also. We get to look at this every day.

Pikes Peak beyond the Garden of The Gods by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We can also make a few hours drive to places like this :

Morrow Point Reservoir by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

Dallas Divide by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We have been pretty happy here and the property tax is quite reasonable unlike Texas.

 

[x-ray]

I believe that you chose wisely. My wife and I retired to Colorado Springs after sixty some years in Texas. The weather is pretty good and there are four seasons unlike in Texas.There are miles of trails and more parks than we can count. Good economy also. We get to look at this every day.

Pikes Peak beyond the Garden of The Gods by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We can also make a few hours drive to places like this :

Morrow Point Reservoir by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

Dallas Divide by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We have been pretty happy here and the property tax is quite reasonable unlike Texas.

Beautiful! I haven’t been to Colorado in a few years but love the state.

We’re only 45 minutes from the national park here and often drive down and take our lunch. When people ask where I live I tell them paradise. I’ve live here 71 years and appreciate the area more every day.

We have a lot of people moving into our area. Tennessee has no state income tax, low property taxes and lower than average cost of living. The crime outside of the major cities is quite low and we have excellent schools and great roads. We have an excellent state government as well.

 

[Dogman]

Higher altitudes even in the hotter states can be pleasant in the summer. A great respite from desert heat and the humidity found along even the desert states southern borders. Years ago before we were married, my wife and I were tent camping in Tucson area and the temperature was nearly 110 degrees Fahrenheit. We left for the mountains to the northeast part of the state and it was pleasant and comfortable. Same in southern Texas and New Mexico as well as the difference between the canyon lands and the mountains in Utah.

(There are no high altitudes in Louisiana. I grew up near the highest point in the state, the towering 535 ft Driskill Mountain. 🤪🤪)

 

[Dogman]

If I seem a broken record about the summer heat it's because we were out of electricity Thursday to late Monday through this past weekend following a storm that took out some of the main transmission lines for the power company--as well as a lot of the trees, roofs and power lines here in my town. No AC during a continuous heat wave with "feel like" temperatures over 100 degrees can make you kinda cranky.

 

[Henry]

I believe that you chose wisely. My wife and I retired to Colorado Springs after sixty some years in Texas. The weather is pretty good and there are four seasons unlike in Texas.There are miles of trails and more parks than we can count. Good economy also. We get to look at this every day.

Pikes Peak beyond the Garden of The Gods by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We can also make a few hours drive to places like this :

Morrow Point Reservoir by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

Dallas Divide by Carlos Yashinon, on Flickr

We have been pretty happy here and the property tax is quite reasonable unlike Texas.

Oh come on, west Texas has four entire seasons: "Wind and Moths", "Electrical Instability due to Heat", "Cold Wind and Scorpions", and "Electrical Instability due to Cold"!

But yes, Colorado is pretty in a lot of places, even though its climate bleeds into being Kansas/Nebraska in the East and New Mexico in the South.

 

[Bob Michaels]

The concept of using vintage glass to shoot historically significant places really appeals to me.

I am going to Havana on Monday for a week to begin a series using a Holga. Havana is a large very diverse city that I spent six years photographing before I moved to eastern Cuba. So, I know my way around. But I believe old tired historic Havana with all it warts captured with a seriously imperfect camera will be a challenging adventure. Time will tell.

BTW, I am possibly inviting a small (4-8) group of photographers to Havana in September for this project. Requirement is a high degree of self confidence as there will be no team photography or hand holding, just suggestions for special places to go photograph for the day. Not a tour as you just pay your own expenses. If you want to go to Cuba to have someone take you to photograph old cars and women smoking cigars, this is definitely NOT for you.

 

[Bob Michaels]

However, New Orleans is dirty, loud and generally a place I like to avoid. ......, I would suggest visiting the smaller city of Lafayette LA instead of NOLA. Music and food are great there and it's a cleaner less smelly place with a lot of history.

Consider Cajun Mardi Gras down in the bayou around Lafayette. Totally different than New Orleans Mardi Gras. Old culture, Cajun music, family oriented. My sister and I (but independently) did Mardi Gras back in the early 1960's for several years. It was the time and place for us back then but no longer. Now we did Cajun Mardi Gras in Layayette, Mamou, Church Point, New Iberia; a few years ago. Will go back

 

[skopar steve]

I took a photo vacation a few years ago to the highlands of Guatamala. Panajachel and Lake Atitlan can offer great photo opportunities. It felt safe and the people are friendly.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

Great suggestions. I am going to Italy in September. This is going to be our first trip. I have been several times before, but never had much time for photography. This time we are thinking of Sardinia or Sicily. And maybe getting in Corsica too.

The northern part of Italy is very beautiful and photogenic. Trentino, Alto Adige. Beautiful hiking and mountain scenery and villages.