I have been going back through the images of 2008 and have put together a gallery from my trip to NYC earlier this year. 

The full gallery is here: NYC 2008

One of the most interesting things was that I was using the new Sony A200 DSLR as my main camera. It worked great as a walk around camera and a lot of the images from the trip ended up in my book, the Sony A200 Digital Field Guide.

I hope you enjoy the images. Here are some travel photo tips.

  • Practice at home. It is easy to forget that the place where you live has attractions that visiting photographers would love to shoot. Think about the unique places close to home and practice your travel photography in your hometown or nearby countryside.
  • Protect your gear and yourself. As a photographer, you can make an easy target for thieves because you carry your expensive camera gear around in the open all day. Use some common sense and keep your gear close to you at all times. Pay attention to your surroundings; exploring new places is great, but don’t put your safety in jeopardy.  Don’t take more than you need when traveling.
  • Know your gear.  Traveling in new and exciting locations will offer countless photo opportunities.  Being familiar with your camera will let you get the shot without having to think about all the settings and maybe miss the shot altogether.
  • Plan your day. Shooting landmarks and other scenic areas on your travels is best done in the early morning or late afternoon; use the midday to shoot interiors and for planning the afternoon shoots. Keep shooting after the sun goes down because many cities take on a whole new life at night.
  • Take one more shot.  It is not often that we get to travel to the same places over and over again, so chance are that whatever photographic opportunity you have while traveling will be a once in a lifetime chance.  If you have taken your photographs and are ready to move on, take one more look and one more photo.  Change the orientation from portrait to landscape or visa versa. 
  • Shooting through a window. At times you will be traveling by car or train and will see a scene you want to capture. When shooting through the window, place the camera as close to the window and at a slight angle to cut down on reflections. Make sure you focus on something in the distance and that the shutter speed is high enough to avoid the image being blurry.
  • Ask permission. Always ask permission to photograph people, especially children. Even if the people don’t speak your language, try to communicate your intentions and get a confirmation that photographing them is allowed.
  • Take a tour. No matter how well you think you know a place, a trained guide can show you the best places to photograph and the best times to do it. Many specialized photography-based vacations and travel workshops are available for the novice and the professional photographer.