rachiddahnoun

<p>Tioga was open as of yesterday. I was just in the valley (Yosemite) photographing. The colors in the valley haven't reached their peak yet. Some trees are still just starting to turn. I would imagine they would be really good in about a week. The colors around the June Lake area in the Eastern Sierra however are in full swing right now. Good luck!</p>

<p>A tripod is a must. Get yourself a nice lightweight carbon fiber one for hiking. If you want to stay on the cheaper end check out Flashpoint tripods from Adorama. I love mine and they are easy on the wallet.</p>

<p>I just got back from shooting in Morocco several months ago. I took an ultra-wide Tokina 12-24mm, but I used my Nikon 18-200mm the most. I would say take both. I always travel with the two lenses I mentioned. One extra lens won't kill you and if you run into a situation where you want it you'll be glad to have it. That said, don't load yourself down with gear. Take only what you need. I enjoy travel photography because I don't have as much gear available to me. It forces me to be more creative and perhaps shoot something in a way that I normally wouldn't. </p>

<p>The photograph below was shot with my Nikon 18-200mm pulled all the way back to 18mm. It was taken in the Petite Souq in Tangier, Morocco several months ago. Have fun in Morocco! I'm half Moroccan myself and I've been traveling there my whole life. I have quite a bit of family over there. For as many times as I've been it is by far one of my favorite places to return to! Good luck and happy shooting! </p>

<p>If you want to see more images from my last trip check out my blog at www.rachidphotography.blogspot.com or go to my website at www.instantxposure.com. Take care.</p><div></div>

<p>I went into sensory overload as soon as I got past the home page. I'm not personally a big fan of Flash websites with things moving all over the place. It distracts from the main purpose of your site, the photography. I looked at the website design itself more than I payed attention to the photography. You might want to consider simplifying things a bit. Less things moving would probably make the site a lot more slick. Not a fan of the music either. I didn't have a problem finding a way to turn it off though as some people stated above. </p>

<p>Right on Steve,</p>

<p>Bonsai Rock is just south of Sand Harbor. It takes a little poking around but if you've got GPS coordinates you should be fine. Take care and happy shooting!</p>

<p>Rachid</p><div></div>

<p>Hi Steven,</p>

<p>You picked a great time to come to Tahoe. October is probably my favorite month to shoot in the Basin. You'll want to check out Emerald Bay, Sand Harbor and Cave Rock. All of those are easily accessed by car. Emerald Bay is great at sunrise. As far as waterfalls go the ones listed above are pretty much down to a trickle. Cascade Falls is almost nonexistent right now. All of the waterfalls mentioned are better photographed in the spring and early summer. If you want to shoot waterfalls in the fall I recommend going to Horsetail Falls which is about a 20 min drive outside of South Lake Tahoe on Hwy 50 towards Sacramento (across from Lover's Leap). It's a wonderful hike and the waterfalls are beautiful. As stated above, depending on when you come in October you could be in the middle of all the fall color. If that happens you'll want to check out Hope Valley (Hwy 89 to 88 towards Kirkwood). You'll also want to check out the Taylor Creek area. The fall colors are wonderful there and you'll also get to see the thousands of spawning salmon in the creek. If you're lucky you'll also get to see the bears that frequent the creek to snatch up all the fish.</p>

<p>On the other hand they're predicting an El Nino winter this year so you could arrive in the middle of a snow storm. Either way you won't be disappointed.</p><div></div>

<p>I would take the extra time to drive up to Lake Tahoe. As a professional photographer in Lake Tahoe my answer is slightly biased however it's the reason I make my home there. It's absolutely gorgeous and if you have never been it's a must. The drive from the Sacramento Airport will be a little over an hour and a half if you avoid traffic. I drive to and from Sac almost every week and I don't find it to be a problem.<br>

If you go - check out Emerald Bay, Cave Rock and Sand Harbor. Emerald Bay is a great sunrise location and Cave Rock and Sand Harbor make for great morning or sunset shots. Have fun!</p>

<div></div>

<p>I travel at least once a month and have never had a problem. I've heard stories about it, but everytime I go through security with my tripod (very visable, strapped to the outside of my camera pack) nobody says a word. I've heard of it happening more in Europe, although, still it's never happened to me. Worse case scenerio you just will end up having to check it. Get to airport earily so if a problem does arise you can check your tripod if need be. Security won't confiscate anything, they just won't let you through. And if you just don't want to deal with it, check it in the first place. Then you just have to hope that your luggage doesn't get lost or ripped off (both have happened to me). Personally I'll still take my chances with TSA.</p>

<p>I take my Flashpoint - F1228 carbon tripod everywhere. As a professional landscape/travel photographer I'm always on the move. I shoot with a D300 most of the time. The F - 2 ballhead works great. I currently have them both with me in Morocco right now. The tripod is very light and straps easily to my photo pack. I consider Gitzo tripods' performance the same but <strong>the big difference is the price! </strong> My photo pack with my tripod strapped to it go right with me on the plane everywhere I go.</p>

I am a big fan of the Flashpoint carbon fiber tripods. Very lightweight and durable. I have taken my smallest one (model: F-1128) on many backpacking, travel and climbing adventures. I like to use a Flashpoint F-2 ballhead with it also. The tripod itself weighs just over three pounds and extends up to 52 inches (60 inches with the extended column). It is priced at about half of what you will pay for other carbon fiber tripods and, in my opinion, delivers the same performance. Good luck.

 

Rachid Dahnoun

Just to mention, Joshua Tree is a HUGE rock climbing destination and December there is prime climbing season. I have spent a lot of time there climbing and photographing. I usually shoot landscapes in the early mornings and evenings and turn my attention to climbing during the day. From a photographers perspective it is a great venue to shoot climbing and climbers even if you don't climb yourself. All of the routes are fairly short and the abundance of boulders to situate yourself on can make for some fun angles. Just an idea. Hope you have a great trip.

 

Rachid Dahnoun<div></div>

Without a doubt I would go with the 18-200mm. The versatility for traveling is far greater than the 17-55. Ideally I would say get both but that doesn't seem to be possible. For traveling and being on the go the 18-200 is great and the VR helps out in tricky, "borderline" situations. Good luck.

 

Rachid Dahnoun

Also if your camera not performing in the cold is an issue, you need to always remember to keep your batteries on your person (in your inner layer) or in your sleeping bag at night when you're not shooting. Good luck.

 

Rachid Dahnoun

Sorry to disagree with almost everyone here but the D300 is not a heavy camera. I do adventure photography for a living and I have no problem carrying it around. I just finished a documentary of the Tahoe Rim Trail (168 miles in 12 days) and I was very happy with my D200 and 18-200mm VR lens as well as a Tokina 12-24mm. I would never take something like a D3 on a trip like that (that's too much weight and camera) but the D300 or 200 is a perfect camera to manage on a long trip. Point and shoots are great but they don't offer me the same flexibility that a D300 or 200 does. The extra two pounds aren't really a big deal, in my opinion. It's not just me. If you look at most adventure photographers out there, all of us are fine with something like a D300. You don't need to carry a lot, but you have to be willing to carry a little bit more than "the average bear" to be ready for that truly exceptional shot. A carbon fiber tripod is also a good bet for saving weight. If your that worried about your camera getting ruined while you're out in the field, consider taking out insurance on it. It's just part of being a photographer. Hell, Ansel Adams used to take a 4x5 up to Half Dome a couple times a year. I'd say we've got it pretty easy.

 

Rachid Dahnoun

Learn how to market yourself. You could be the next Ansel Adams and if you don't figure out avenues to get your work out there it will be "the best work that no one ever saw."

 

In the beginning I'd worry less about that though. First take some time to build up your portfolio to something you're proud of. Don't put bad photos up for people to see to compensate for a lack of photos in your portfolio. Build up a solid body of work and the photography knowledge to back it up.

 

Once you have a good portfolio, start marketing it. Becoming a professional photographer is a long hard road, but if you love what you do, it's worth it. Good luck and happy shooting.

Hey Ryan,

 

 

I am a pro photographer based out of South Lake Tahoe, CA (also used to live in San Diego). I have spent A LOT of time in Mexico, specifically Baja, including one trip for 5 weeks by car all the way down to Cabo and back. Word to the wise, Baja and Mexico have changed considerably in the last year to year and a half. I didn't use to worry and went down there a few times a month to photograph and surf. There have been numerous incidents involving Americans in the last year and simply put, I won't go down there at all right now. There is a lot of tension with the government and the cartels. The government is cracking down on the cartels so the cartels are cracking down on the tourist industry to hurt the government. It's a vicious cycle that you don't want to be caught in the middle of. It used to be that once you got south of Rosarito it was pretty safe, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I don't want to scare you off, but I just wanted to make sure you knew what you're getting into. I have traveled all my life and am not afraid to go to foreign countries. I only say that because I want you to know that I'm not one of these reactionary people who think they're going to die if they leave the comfort of their own home. Check out these links for some recent stories.

 

http://www.worldhum.com/weblog/item/surfing_mags_reporting_tale_of_robbery_carjacking_in_baja_20070911/

 

http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/bullets-over-baja/

 

Many long time San Diego locals have simply stopped going down there. You might go down there and have no problems at all, or..... I view the whole thing as a big roll of the dice these days.

 

If you still decide to go here are some things to remember.

 

1. Bring only what you need

 

2. Keep your cash in different places in your vehicle and on your person

 

3. Don't bring a gun or a knife that is large enough to be considered a weapon

 

4. Make an effort to speak Spanish (it will get you a lot farther in most situations)

 

5. Don't advertise that you're an American (don't clean your car before you go or have the car so full that you can't see out the window, it's like putting a big target sign on yourself)

 

6. Don't drive at night...ever.

 

7. If you do have any run-ins with the police and they want money ask them to go to the station to pay whatever fine or ticket you received. Nine times out of ten you will be let go.

 

8. If your in a situation that feels bad or wrong, get out, it probably is bad and wrong.

 

9. Get through Tijuana and Rosarito as quickly as possible. Things are better down south. However, there still have been recent incidents south of Ensenada.

 

10. Get the Mexican car insurance before you get down there

 

Hope that helps. If you go, have a great time and be safe.

 

 

Rachid Dahnoun

There are a lot of scams out there these days and I've noticed more headed in the direction of photographers. I've gotten several "suspect" emails in the last couple months. I've followed up with all of them and found them to be total scams. Good advice is, "IF IT'S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THAN IT PROBABLY IS!" You never know though. I'm supposed to be getting a check from a guy in South Africa that just got a huge inheritance but needs someone to hold on to it for awhile for a percentage of the sums. Fingers crossed....

 

Rachid Dahnoun

www.instantxposure.com

rachid@instantxposure.com

Make sure you have a polarizing filter. That, more than anything, is the most important. The neutral density

filters are great but if you're on a budget get the polarizing filter first. Get one for each lens you take. I

personally don't carry neutral density filters. The polarizing filter usually gives me the added length in

exposure that I need. If the scene is too bright I simply wait and come back when the waterfall is in the shade.

Bracketing exposures is also a good idea. Seven years ago I graduated from the Maryland Institute College of

Art with a degree in photography. The subject for my entire senior thesis was waterfalls. I did almost all of

my shooting exclusively at dusk. This provided me with very even low light to work with. If the scenes were in

sunlight and too bright at the time I arrived to shoot them, I would use that time to hike around to scout new

locations. Then when the light was right I already knew what lens I wanted and what angle to shoot from. This

would enable me to move from scene to scene quickly and efficiently once the light was good. If you would like

to see many of the images from my thesis go to my website, www.instantxposure.com and go to the "waterscapes"

gallery. Hope that helps. Good luck and have fun!

 

Rachid Dahnoun<div></div>