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<p>First, shooting sunrise/sunsets in the DC area is compounded by the number of trees and rolling hills/topography. It doesn't mean you can't shoot them, only that if you're looking to actually shoot a sun that disappears into the ground, you need to plan wisely.<br>

Second, here are some locations that I've gotten some lovely sunrise/sunset pictures from:<br>

--Jefferson Memorial facing to Virginia (you can get the sun reflected into the Potomac and framed by the columns of the Memorial). Or go walk among the Cherry trees on the tidal basin (even more impressive when they're flowering but still great now)...this is relatively flat ground, ability to shoot with water in the foreground, good for sunrises and even better for sunsets.<br>

--Potomac River near the American Legion Bridge: running water and at the right part of the Potomac (varies with the time of year), it faces East and you can get a lovely sunrise framed by the trees and banks of the Potomac plus the big rocks.<br>

--top of the parking deck for Pentagon City Mall (good vantage point for shooting sunrise or sunset with various buildings and monuments). Close to that (and a good sunset location) is the AF Memorial near the Navy Annex. And as a bonus, you then wait 30 minutes and shoot timelapse of all the taillights of commuters driving home on 395-South.<br>

--Kennedy Center, outside patio, facing West into Crystal City and Virginia.<br>

--National Cathedral (at the top of the bell tower).</p>

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<p>I'm going to Alaska in early May. I'll be in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have the opportunity really venture too far out into the countryside. My specific question is about the aurora borealis. <br>

What tips can anyone give me for shooting the northern lights? I know I'll need a tripod. I know that ambient light from cities has some impact. What other tips can anyone give me about shooting them?<br>

Thanks,<br>

Ed </p>

<p>Thanks to all who responded. I didn't make it out to the Red Rocks performance stage. But among the venues I shot at (based on recommendations here or elsewhere) were: Botanical Garden, DAM (superb space--especially the Hamilton building), Dicks and Coors fields, Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, various Estes Park/RMNP venues, the performing arts complex (lovely space both inside and out), LoDo, and the REI mothership. I appreciate the suggestions and tips from all of you.</p>

<p>I'm traveling to Denver in mid-August for a vacation. Yes, I know of all the great vistas and locations to shoot at outside of Denver (for instance, I'll be making my 3rd trip in two years to Estes Park and RMNP and am scouting out other venues in Colorado to shoot at and have more candidates than I have time for). But I'll be spending about a week in Denver itself. I'm looking for suggestions and recommendations on interesting locations to shoot, distinctive sites within the city, locales that other photographers have found to be great times/places to shoot. I'm open to a range of genres (architecture, abstract, people-watching, art, nature). Also, any tips on the logistics of shooting in the city (do police flip out when they see a tripod? Are all of the museums photo-phobic? Is August a lousy month for sunrises/sunsets?) would be appreciated. </p>

<p>First, I probably fly 2 times a month (mostly within the US, sometimes to Canada) and I always take a bag of camera gear as carry-on. It includes a Manfrotto tripod, body, 2-4 lens, charger, filters, batteries, sometimes a powerpack, sometimes portable light (once even had a halogen worklight in the bag), speedlights, AA batteries, cards, cords. I've never had a problem. I've never even had my bag open (black duffle small enough to qualify as carry-on..it usually has some clothes in it as well to provide some padding). I've been told that flying across borders, you may be asked for receipts/proof of ownership on camera gear (to be sure you aren't cheating customs) and that this has been an issue with Canada but I've never experienced that issue.<br>

Second, I've been told by a couple of other serious photographers that most major airlines in the US allow you to have one carry-on, one personal bag and ONE CAMERA BAG. I've never tried to test this (fearful that I'd show up and have to leave a bag of some sort at the gate) but you should check. And as always, rules for international travel vary from domestic.</p>

<p>I live in DC and have been taking photos in the area my whole life. Here are a couple of thoughts:<br>

1. Security has been told to look out for potential terrorist threats "scouting" targets and taking video and pictures. So if you set up and appear to be anything more than "Joe tourist" taking a picture of the wife and kids in front of the White House, expect someone to come over and ask you what's up. Don't be alarmed, don't act scared, have a story ready and access to your ID. Additionally, most national parks require a fee and permit for "commercial" photography. Commercial sometimes gets defined as "more than one person, has a tripod, and lots of expensive gear". You'll find this interpretation to be loosely applied.<br>

2. You can shoot almost everywhere in the DC area. Private museums, airport security lines and a few exhibits will specifically prohibit you. But I've shot orchids in the Smithsonian, the Calder mobile in the National Art Museum, exhibits in the Hirshorn, reflections of the moon off of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, cherry blossoms outside the Jefferson Memorial, the Elephant at the Natural History Museum, shadow and light patterns inside the Museum of the American Indian. Your default should be that you CAN shoot rather than you can't.<br>

3. Expect parking on the Mall to be a mess. Lots of tourists and remember, DC is a working city (so even though it slows down in July and August, congestion is terrible here).<br>

4. Expect all bags and backpacks to be searched. Some sites will ask you to take your lens cap off and look through your viewfinder. Some places won't allow you to bring in water or (like the Holocaust Museum) you'll have to take a drink from it (to show it's not acid).<br>

5. Not sure specifically what you want to shoot. But here's my list of great DC photo venues on the Mall or just off it: Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (polished marble offers great reflections), Hirshhorn (great sculpture garden and abstract art), US Botanical Gardens (beauty plus 3 different ecospheres within 50 yards!), Butterfly Garden, sculpture outside of the Holocaust Museum (can't remember if pictures are allowed inside), Korean War Memorial (on a foggy or rainy day the platoon becomes alive), grounds of the Washington Monument (lines for people watching, joggers, flags whipping in the wind), and Carousel on the Mall. Finally, go to Arlington National Cemetery--lots of great options. But especially Section 60 (where the Iraq and Afghanistan fallen are buried)...be prepared to have your heart torn out and see some powerful shots.</p>

<p>I'm not a lawyer nor do I play one on TV. That said...here are some thoughts....<br>

1. Models do this all the time. To avoid stalkers, to separate between portfolios (artistic nudes vs. fashion and design work), or just to avoid people at work googling their nude portfolios.<br>

2. I don't see a problem doing something like coming up with a name for your photo business that is separate from your computer business.<br>

3. Here's the challenge with a separate name: I think you could use a nickname or middle name for your photo work. But especially if you're shooting artistic nudes (where many models are initially going to be cautious with a new photographer), if they find out you're using a fake name then their radar will really go off.<br>

I think the simplest advice is to have an appropriate business name for your photography work, a PO box or mailing address and email address that do not match your computer business ones, and then use a middle name on the photography website (ie: "Hi, I'm Yves and I have 3 years of experience with fashion and artistic photography.") Leave the last name off the photography website if you can and bring it up with models when you need to.</p>

<p>Some excellent ideas folks--I like what I'm reading. Please keep 'em coming!</p>

<p>Okay, on it's face this isn't very exotic "travel" but....I'm taking a drive south from the DC area to Florida. I've done the drive with family before (so the premium is on getting to the destination not going off the beaten track for a really great shot or to capture that sunrise on the beach). But this time it's just me in the car so I've got a lot of leeway in where I stop and how much I go off of I-95. Without making huge detours off of I-95 (ie: detouring to the Smokey Mountains to shoot frozen waterfalls or driving/ferrying the length of the Outer Banks), what recommendations would fellow photographers give for some intriguing places to stop and shoot within about 50 miles off of I-95? I'll be making the drive this winter (January) so have a wide range of climate options. Where would you recommend stopping/getting off for a particular location to shoot? I've already started to put together a list of options (Savannah architecture, Cumberland Island National Seashore, South of the Border--yeah, it's kitsch but I"m open to a lot of different themes here, a couple of small waterfalls in Rocky Mount just across the border from Virginia, Caladesi Island State Park in Clearwater which is my final destination). What other ideas do people have?</p>

<p>I'm going to take a different approach in answering this question. If you look specifically at the photo on the Merced River, there are a couple of things that a good nature/environmental photographer is going to know. First, in the mountains (or a valley with some series peaks--ala Yosemite), sunrise and sunset hours are off b/c the peaks shut off light. So no, you aren't always forced to camp out (though plenty of really serious do camp out or tie up to a wall or do other extreme stuff to get that incredible shot). Second, part of the reason that Yosemite is so popular as a photographic target is because of the confluence of elements that make it possible to produce incredible photos if you have the right skill. You get exposed granite faces which--when covered by ice--appear to be on fire when the sun's magic hours of sunrise and sunset.<br>

I was just in Yosemite this Fall and you can see the elements that make up/contribute to such a shot. And a great photographer determined to capture that shot doesn't just show up but they research. They know that an iconic shot like that is going to happen in Yosemite but another park without the granite face won't give the same impact. Or a shot without the ice on the face won't capture as much color. Or showing up in August may produce a river volume running so low that the reflection shots require tremendous post-production work to get a decent looking mirror. So research, work, patience and timing around where you're shooting matters. To illustrate this, I was told that some people camped out in Yosemite in February for a whole month waiting for a particular shot at Bridal Veil Falls and they didn't get one clear day all month to get the shot.<br>

So yeah, there are technical aspects to it--using GND, etc. But really great, iconic outdoor shots often involve a tremendous amount of planning and a butt load of knowledge and research about where you're shooting. For every great shot that Galen Rowell produced through happenstance, he probably produced 50 more through patience, getting up early, walking the ground, anticipating what was going to happen given the season.</p>

<p>I'm going to be working with a model outdoors. We're both traveling to this site and unfortunately, postponing to a later date isn't realistic (trying to capture fall foliage at the peak, my schedule, her schedule, existing commitments--so it's basically the date we've chosen or forget it until October 2010).<br>

Unfortunately, the current weather projection is for rain. Not a heavy downpour but enough that the ground will be wet (not damp), anyone not covered will get wet very quickly.<br>

I'm not looking for shot ideas (because there are some things we can do involving a "wet look"). Rather, never having shot for an extended period in a high moisture environment, what kinds of things can I do or need to bring to pull this shoot off? Yes, we can look for indoor or covered spaces. Yes, I'm going to bring towels and wipes for the model and lots of lens cleaner for me. But logistically speaking, what other tips/advice/hard-earned wisdom can other suggest? Minimal makeup (to avoid runs and streaks)? Store a dry set of clothes to change into post-shoot (since the model is looking at a 5 hour train-ride home after we finish)? What gear makes sense? <br>

Also, just some additional background, we'll be shooting in West Virginia in the mountains, it's likely to be a bit nippy (50's/60's in addition to the rain), most of the shots will be in the forest and out of populated areas and I might have an assistant.</p>

<p>I was using a Nikon D70 on a Vivitar tripod, natural light with a reflector, manual focus, set to aperture priority. I found the model through "Model Mayhem." Her name on MM is Hannah Perez. She is excellent--very professional, shows up and on-time, meets her commitments, works with you to get the shot you want, is flexible but also contributes her own ideas, is obviously comfortable nude. She's in Charlotte NC but travels up and down the East Coast.</p>

<p>I appreciate everyone's tips and suggestions. Let me give you some "post mortem" analysis from the shoot. We unexpectedly did get some direct sun (all forecasts had said "cloudy, overcast, chance of drizzle"). So I did have to deal with some dappling. And as a result of getting some sun, reflectors would have been a great idea. So those are examples of being prepared for stuff that you "know" isn't going to happen (my mistake). But all the other tips (especially the sequencing) came in handy. </p><div></div>

<p>Joseph, thanks for your answer. To answer your questions: color and digital.<br>

I hadn't thought about IR shooting--that's an interesting idea to kick around as I think about this shoot. Thanks!</p>

<p>I'm going to be doing an outside shoot with a model. At our location, I've got a body of shallow but still and/or slowly moving water. Any suggestions for lighting and setup for a water reflection shot (model reclining on the bank of the stream, face reflected in the water)? What do I need to watch out for in terms of common mistakes/errors for this kind of shot? Any any general advice about this is welcome too!</p>

<p>Chas and Brian--good tips! Definitely thought of bug spray and towels and wipes. Sequencing shots (doing standing shots first) makes good sense. I don't think I'll need to worry about dappled sunlight--weather projection is for overcast sky and tree cover is significant (unless we do any poses in two clearings I picked out). Thanks a bunch!<br>

Also, any suggestions in terms of composition? I'm usually a minimalist when it comes to nudes in the studio or in an indoor setting. Part of what intrigues me about this shoot is the complexity of the potential background (trees, river, a couple of abandoned buildings, fallen trees).</p>

<p>I'm going to be shooting some figure studies outdoors. We've got some private space. I've worked with this model before (and she's an experienced figure model). The ground is heavily wooded with open space. We're not likely to have much direct sun. I'm seeking advice in terms of composition and lighting. I know that shooting outdoors dramatically increases the range of variables that a photographer has to control for. What advice can you give me about doing nudes in a forest--especially in terms of composition and lighting?</p>