sf
Veteran
It would be great to have threads devoted to a number of countries and cities and regions.
I really can't add that much here, but it would be enormously valuable to have our members add their 2 cents - a single thread filled with personal advice and experiences about a country for travelers (RFFers planning on spending time away from home).
I'd start with a feeble bit : a link to my website where i have pics of Paris/Versailles : www.shutterflower.com, and to say that knowing how to count to 20 in french, how to order food, how to ask where the bathroom is, and where the bank is are all the skills that I most needed while there for almost two weeks.
As far as actual advice, I'd say that for RF users here is MY list of things to bring :
camera. . .
smallest/lightest tripod possible. I brought one, and it was just fine for two weeks of carring it around. It just sort of slid into a couple loops on my camera bag. Nice. Very useful for after hours shooting, or for when I wanted to make use of that f32 aperture on the RF645. Get a tpod with a ballhead.
Film - I definitely appreciated having faster film, since during the winter there isn't a lot of light. I do, however, wish I had taken more color photos in France.
Have a good hood on your lens.
Ok, ok, this is pretty much spam so far . . .but here is the other stuff :
hand warmers - very nice when you want your fingers to work in the extreme cold. I actually NEEDED these during my day in Versailles. Fingers were literally numb and dead. I also put one in the camera bag (separate compartment) just to keep the temperature somewhere above freezing.
Lens wipes. Really, a can of air would have been great. But that is a bit excessive.
Comfortable shoes - I walked at least 10 hours solid every single day. My pinky toe on the right foot was bleeding.
Wipes - for hands. All those pastries will make your fingers sticky - gotta clean them before handling the camera!
a coat with a hood or a good, warm, waterproof hat.
Bread is usually around 80 cents (EURO style), and I spent a number of days eating just the bread and maybe a piece of cheese. Keep cash in your pocket - 5 euro will last the day if you eat like a bird. Lots of great places don't take cards.
pockets that are inside your coat AND that zip. Both at the same time. That was the one thing that saved me from losing my passport/wallet. ANd those crowds, in certain areas, have lots of hands. . .
If you smoke cigars, the only place I could find in Paris was across from the Louvre by the Jardin at the Palais Royal. Davidoff, I think.
In Versailles, see the palace. ANd have a place where you can keep your train ticket that is zippered and separate from everything else. I saw so many lost tickets . . .my cousin lost his once. Not a big deal, but it is hard when you have little $$$ to spend on replacing things.
someone add more. Or start a thread for another city/country.
I really can't add that much here, but it would be enormously valuable to have our members add their 2 cents - a single thread filled with personal advice and experiences about a country for travelers (RFFers planning on spending time away from home).
I'd start with a feeble bit : a link to my website where i have pics of Paris/Versailles : www.shutterflower.com, and to say that knowing how to count to 20 in french, how to order food, how to ask where the bathroom is, and where the bank is are all the skills that I most needed while there for almost two weeks.
As far as actual advice, I'd say that for RF users here is MY list of things to bring :
camera. . .
smallest/lightest tripod possible. I brought one, and it was just fine for two weeks of carring it around. It just sort of slid into a couple loops on my camera bag. Nice. Very useful for after hours shooting, or for when I wanted to make use of that f32 aperture on the RF645. Get a tpod with a ballhead.
Film - I definitely appreciated having faster film, since during the winter there isn't a lot of light. I do, however, wish I had taken more color photos in France.
Have a good hood on your lens.
Ok, ok, this is pretty much spam so far . . .but here is the other stuff :
hand warmers - very nice when you want your fingers to work in the extreme cold. I actually NEEDED these during my day in Versailles. Fingers were literally numb and dead. I also put one in the camera bag (separate compartment) just to keep the temperature somewhere above freezing.
Lens wipes. Really, a can of air would have been great. But that is a bit excessive.
Comfortable shoes - I walked at least 10 hours solid every single day. My pinky toe on the right foot was bleeding.
Wipes - for hands. All those pastries will make your fingers sticky - gotta clean them before handling the camera!
a coat with a hood or a good, warm, waterproof hat.
Bread is usually around 80 cents (EURO style), and I spent a number of days eating just the bread and maybe a piece of cheese. Keep cash in your pocket - 5 euro will last the day if you eat like a bird. Lots of great places don't take cards.
pockets that are inside your coat AND that zip. Both at the same time. That was the one thing that saved me from losing my passport/wallet. ANd those crowds, in certain areas, have lots of hands. . .
If you smoke cigars, the only place I could find in Paris was across from the Louvre by the Jardin at the Palais Royal. Davidoff, I think.
In Versailles, see the palace. ANd have a place where you can keep your train ticket that is zippered and separate from everything else. I saw so many lost tickets . . .my cousin lost his once. Not a big deal, but it is hard when you have little $$$ to spend on replacing things.
someone add more. Or start a thread for another city/country.
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