FROM TANZANIA TO TULSA, TAKE PICTURES LIKE A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PRO
Budget-Friendly Vacation Photo and Travel Tips From Jim Richardson,
A 20-Year National Geographic Photographer
In this economy, what people need is a new perspective on summer travel the chance to look at a trip from a different angle, in a fresh light with renewed focus the perfect solution: a budget-friendly photography vacation! Making photography a part of this summers vacation can add a fun and inexpensive twist while ensuring even close-to-home trips are unique and memorable.
Jim Richardson will offer tips to help your listeners make the most out of their summer vacation budgets and ensure they capture great memories wherever their travels take them, such as:
Dont think you have to travel far Experiencing close-to-home destinations through the lens of a camera provides a whole new perspective. A trip to your local zoo, botanical garden or nature preserve offers endless opportunities to make and capture unique memories.
Carry a notebook to capture your first impressions First impressions are invaluable sparks of interpretation, and by definition are not repeatable. When you enter a new place, record what immediately draws your eye, what you see, what you smell. Capturing these memories will bring your photos to life for years to come.
Get up early and stay out late If youre staying close to home, youre probably familiar with what places around you are like during the peak of the day. To discover something entirely new, get out when the usual crowds arent be there when the sun rises and stay long past when the sun sets.
Get lost Dont stick to just the sites listed in your guidebook when you visit a new city. Pick a street and see where it leads; find out whats around that bend or over that hill. Dont be afraid to get away from the crowds.
Always carry a camera You never know when the perfect photo opportunity will strike. An outing to a grocery store may seem simple, but the colors and people at a local market can be great subjects. Be prepared and keep your eyes open.
Making the most out of weather When bad weather strikes, most photographers head for home, but experienced photographers head out the door. They know there will be great moments that will transform a standard scene into something special or even dramatic.
Listeners can put Jims tips to good use by entering the second annual Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest. There are only three weeks left to enter, which listeners can do by visiting www.nationalgeographic.com/lithium. The grand prize winner will have their photo appear in National Geographic in an ad for Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries and will also be awarded a trip of a lifetime a National Geographic Expedition for two to the Galapagos Islands.
Judging the 2009 Energizer Ultimate Photo Contest will be Jim Richardson, an internationally acclaimed photographer with National Geographic magazine. He developed his love of photography as a youngster by experimenting with his father’s second-hand box camera and taking pictures on his parents’ wheat and dairy farm in north-central Kansas. Now, more than 50 years later, he is a 25-year veteran of National Geographic and is known as one of its most productive contemporary photographers. Not only does he travel the world on behalf of National Geographic magazine, he also serves as a contributing editor for National Geographic Traveler magazine, providing photographs and the narrative essays that accompany them.
A native of Kansas, Richardson’s color landscape story on the state’s Flint Hills was published by National Geographic magazine in April 2007. The piece, repackaged as a traveling exhibit sponsored by the National Geographic Society, Epson, and the Kansas Division of Tourism, toured galleries within the state throughout 2008 after being unveiled at the State Capitol in Topeka.
In addition to his work for National Geographic, Richardson teaches photography workshops in the U.S. and abroad. He also speaks to audiences about building communities based on his work around the world, as well as in his home state. Richardson and his wife, Kathy, returned to their native Kansas in 1997, having lived 18 years in Denver. They now reside in Lindsborg, Kansas, where they operate Small World: A Gallery of Arts and Ideas on the town’s Main Street.
Richardson’s Web site is www.jimrichardsonphotography.com. His work also can be seen at nationalgeographic.com, corbis.com and nikonnet.com.{enclose jim_richardson.mp4}
