Words of Wisdom for my first big European Trip

Hi guys,

 

Well I am embarking on my first trip to Europe in 2 weeks and and I am looking for any advice or words of wisdom so I can come home

with many, many good shots.

 

I have a 5D but I have made the executive decision to leave it at home and I am taking my new Canon G1x which I love...

 

Anyway I'd love some advice regarding anything you may seem pertinent. Composition, equipment, safety, locations or techniques. I am

soo excited yet getting scared I'm on a once in a lifetime trip and want to maximize the oportunities.

 

Thanks in advance guys. George.

Europe encompasses dozens of different countries and a wide range of climates, cultures, and terrains. Also, your interests will have a huge effect on what would be "good" recommendations.

<p>I've never been to Europe but there seems to be a lot less tolerance for shooting in public (this is a street photography forum so I presume this is what you are referring to) then in the US where I also presume you are from. Some people seem not to have a problem, but many others have posted about being hassled by police; particular in places like London. I would worry less about what camera you chose to bring and more about your inter-personal skills that may get put to the test in Europe. </p>

I have been to a few countries in Europe, and I encountered no problems at all shooting in public.<P>

 

<i>many others have posted about being hassled by police</i><P>

 

Could you provide more specifics? I recall various links to news stories about people being hassled by police; I recall very few first-person accounts of that happening.

Thanks guys. I realize it's a very open question but guess I am curious about others experiences etc.

 

I did post in Street and Doc as I imagine most of my shooting will be on streets.

<p>No problems at all shooting street in Barcelona--I much prefer it to the USA. In many major European cities, at least in the popular areas, so many tourists are carrying cameras that noone cares what you shoot (for the most part...never been to London), Keep your eye on your gear...petty theft is probably the most likely possible crime (as in any big city). You will have a blast!</p>

<p>Mike, I just seem to recall some people who had personal accounts while others simply posted links to articles concerning others, and these go back a number of years so no, I do not have specifics (I'm lucky to remember when to return my library books). Overall, the impression I got from all of this was that it was getting more difficult to shoot in public in numerous parts in Europe. When the OP returns, lets hope he shares his experiences. </p>

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<p>Overall, the impression I got from all of this was that it was getting more difficult to shoot in public in numerous parts in Europe. </p>

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<p> <br>

You hear about a few cases of harassment out of millions of photographs taken every year. You are more likely to win the jackpot on the national lottery than have a problem taking photographs in public.</p>

<p>Theft is one of my biggest concerns... How do travellers manage their storage?</p>

<p>I have 7 16gb SD cards and I was going to cycle through them every so often. I wasnt going to fill them up and then hide them in my main pack. I figure if my camera gets stolen it wont be all bad as I want lose any photos. </p>

<p>It seems most street photography is done in BW so any tips?</p>

<p>Is there any sure fire compositions for laneways etc that you can help me with. PLEASE I understand that is so open but I just would love advice. Or any mistake you have made technically and things I should be on the look out for?</p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

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<p>I have 7 16gb SD cards and I was going to cycle through them every so often. I wasnt going to fill them up and then hide them in my main pack. I figure if my camera gets stolen it wont be all bad as I want lose any photos.</p>

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<p>Seven 16g cards for two weeks, really? You must be really trigger happy and a bit paranoid... </p>

<p>Going for a month...and very paranoid!!!!</p>

<p>Well, I think you have more than enough memory cards even for one month. The best bet is still getting a small net book and transfer your files on a nightly basis imo. A cheap netbook is no more than $300 and you can surf the web using the hotel's wifi...If you are really paranoid, you can make CD or DVD copies and send it home, say, every 4 or 5 days... </p>

<p>Thanks Leslie. I was thinking of getting a netbook but thought a tablet maybe better. I guess it depends on price.</p>

<p>Shoot early or late if your time permits. Make an effort to get up early or be free to shoot at the end of the day. You will get better lighting and fewer people.</p>

<p>It's your trip, they'll be your experiences. Take photos of what interests <strong><em>you. </em></strong>Ten years from now you might end up wishing you'd taken different photos because your interests might change. Doesn't matter, you can't know that now.</p>

<p>You're excited and full of anticipation about the trip, just take that excitement and anticipation with you and let that guide your shutter finger. It's too common a trap to fall into asking other people what you should photograph. Churches?, museums?, festivals?, waiters?, urban?, rural? Who can tell you? The only thing you can be sure of is there will be plenty of opportunities for memorable photographs. Take your own, somebody else may well make a better job of capturing/documenting the trip but just be happy with what you do.</p>

<p><em>"Composition, equipment, safety, locations or techniques."</em><br>

<em> </em><br>

Composition - You're going in two weeks, take with you what you know about it and look for inspiration from the subjects you encounter, there isn't a sub 2 week crash course.<br>

Equipment - You're taking the G1X, be sure you know it, understand it and are aware of any of its limitations. I'd add a tripod for the more staged shots, your carrying capacity will have to dictate if that's possible. And take something you can back up your flash cards to - your choice of device.<br>

Safety - Allow the excitement and anticipation to occupy most of your brain and keep a little bit of it attuned to where you are, what you're doing and what might happen next. It could also help with seeing your next photo opportunity. 99% of tripsters come back safe and sound.<br>

Locations - How about Europe :-) Wow<br>

Techniques - As per composition above.</p>

<p>Have a good trip, keep your seat belt fastened whilst seated on the plane.</p>

<p>Where are you going and what do you want to see? Europe stretches from the Arctic in the North to the warmer climes of Southern Italy and from a potentially damp Ireland to a rather warm Ukraine. There are the northern states, the southern states and the old eastern states. I would guess that you are including London, Paris, Venice, Rome. There is no more hassle than you will find in New York and Europe is no different for street crime; go to a tourist area with bags and cameras and you take the same precautions as you would at any tourist spot. The language varies but so many speak English now that you won't have a problem. There are wide and wonderful food variations but if this doesn't appeal you can get universal tourist food everywhere. Never eat in the middle of a tourist spot or square - wander away for a street or two and you will probably get better food at a lower price with less of a tourist overtone. The further north you go at this time of year the longer are the days and you get some magnificent light in the Nordic countries. From now on there will be tourists everywhere but you can still get great pictures. If you want to go a bit more off the beaten track consider Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey. Some of the Roman remains in Turkey (which straddles Europe and Asia) are not seen by many American tourists. You can buy SD and CF cards in Europe of course if you run out but be aware most things are more expensive in Europe. For getting about we tend to uses buses and trains. These are cheap in Italy to very expensive in Britain so look at the various train packages you can purchase ahead. I've always found TripAdvisor to be quite a good guide regarding hotels, restaurants and attractions.<br>

A European</p>

<p>There is a constant exhortation to "travel light". Myself, I could not contemplate travelling without the best equipment I have for the opportunities I'll face. I guess it depends on how important photography is to you. Oh, and I'd take the G1X as well because I don't go on any major trio without two bodies and a tripod. If I don't feel I can use my best equipment for a major trip, then maybe I should just put it on eBay right now. </p>

<p>You still don't seem to realise that you can't simply come on here and say "Europe" and get meaningful help. Do you have an itinerary, and if so what is it? Are you in charge of the itinerary, can you flex it, or are you on a trip arranged by an agency or others? What sort of places are you staying in- matters quite a bit from a security angle. </p>

<p>It is unlikely that you'll use the cards you've got. Card corruption isn't very common, but a netbook may be an idea - cheaper than tablets and more versatile for what I'd want to do anyway. One way to limit your space needed is to review your shots at night and lose the ones that just don't work - I do this on the camera's screen. Also among the things that puzzle the **** out of me when I see other photographers in action is just how many people are firing in bursts for every shot. I don't bracket at all- I can tell from the histogram whether I've got it or not and unless the shot is very important I'll take as many as I need to get the exposure I want and then just keep one that works. Habits formed from the days when pressing the button on a MF film camera cost me almost a dollar I guess. Irrespective , we do sell cards over here , and they're not hard to find in any town, or via mail order with delivery tomorrow. <br>

Finally think hard about how you're going to carry your gear. Carrying it whilst moving between centres is different from carrying on a walk round a city where you might want to do photograph every few minutes and where you might need to act quickly. Irrespective of the means I'd employ to the means I use to carry equipment on a flight, I would't use a backpack as a camera bag. As well as being clumsy and slow to access your gear, police here suggest that they are more commonly stolen from</p>

<p> </p>

>>> I have a 5D but I have made the executive decision to leave it at home and I am taking my new

Canon G1x which I love...

 

Excellent decision.

 

Two months ago I went on a 1,400 mile road trip through the Mohave Desert, Death Valley, and in and out

through Nevada heading back up Hwy 395. My 5DII stayed in the trunk the whole trip. And I thoroughly

enjoyed the trip just using a Canon Elph 100 and my iPhone.

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<p>I am embarking on my first trip to Europe</p>

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<p>Like Mike said, you got to narrow that down a bit if you want some specific advice.<br /> All in all most cities are the same in at least one respect the world over. Use some basic common sense and chances are you stay out of trouble. Most European cities are quite safe if you don't act dumb. Most natives will go out of their way to help you despite language barriers. Outside of Great Britain and the Netherlands however you'll find that most people don't speak English very well (if at all). That however is not a practical problem. I've been to many places where I didn't speak the native language and I never had any real trouble getting around. It's part of the fun actually.</p>

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<p>yet getting scared</p>

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<p>no need for it. Just enjoy it.</p>

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<p>but there seems to be a lot less tolerance for shooting in public</p>

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<p>I shoot all over Europe and this is absolutely not true in my experience</p>

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<p>but many others have posted about being hassled by police; particular in places like London</p>

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<p>yes, it's true about these posts but many, like me, have pointed out that these were mere incidents. In London, like in most other places I found the police to be polite and helpfull time and again and I don't consider myself the typical tourist, far from it.</p>

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<p>Outside of Great Britain and the Netherlands however you'll find that most people don't speak English very well (if at all).</p>

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<p>I agree with most of what Ton writes, but my experience travelling throughout Europe is that most, especially younger people can understand and communicate in English. They all have learned it in school. <br>

I would add one advice to you making street photography. Mix with people and try not to dress and behave too much as an obviously lost tourist. </p>

<p>Take a pocket tripod, gorilla pod or some sort of camera support. Personally, I'd take both cameras if it's the 'trip of a lifetime.'<br>

have fun.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>>>> I have a 5D but I have made the executive decision to leave it at home and I am taking my new Canon G1x which I love...<br>

<strong>Brad - "</strong>Excellent decision."</p>

<p>I agree with Brad on this. After years of taking the kitchen sink, I changed long ago, in the film era. Traveling light works for me. </p>

<p>On the storage thing, I use a netbook. </p>

<p>I would recommend Rick Steves book as he covers all the subjects you are asking about. Especially security. He mentions that some cities have a lot of pickpockets and he recommends a money belt. <a href="http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&theParentId=163&id=20">Here </a>is a link to his website. My experience traveling with a Swedish friend was that you need to be as security minded as you would be in the U.S. when in the larger cities. In Sweden and Norway there are a lot of English speakers and most tours we took were conducted in English. Its a little harder to find English speakers in the back country of Norway but if its a tourist destination it shouldn't be a problem. I stopped at a Post Office in a small town in Norway which is also the bank, to get money and there was one English speaking employee working there. </p>

<p>It is right, that you should be aware of pickpockets in all bigger cities in Europe, but mainly in the tourist areas, major railway stations and subways. Keep an eye open and surely moneybelts are helpful. They love cameras and smartphones and they have an eye for people looking like tourists ! </p>

<p>"If you travel light, you freeze at night"---my Platoon Sargent</p>

<p>I don't do Europe, but I go just about everywhere else. I still use film, usually medium format. For a one month trip, you've got 7-16 bit gizmos for your Canon...but only one Cannon. There's your weak link.</p>

<p>George, you have to think "What if?" I'll help: <em>What if</em> you happen to meet Maria Sharapova in one of those quaint little sidewalk cafe's in the Old Country. She desperately wants to pose nude for a photographer of your stature, BUT, lo and behold...your GX1 thing suddenly falls from your nervously trembling fingers, shatters into a dozen pieces right in front of her dainty toes, and you miss the opportunity of a lifetime....always have a back up my friend. Even if it's 'just' an iphone or decent point and shoot.</p>