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Is losing your camera the worst end to a trip ever?

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My family and I recently returned from a week-long early spring backcountry camping trip.

This trip involved canoeing in snow squalls and an extended portage where the lake was still frozen solid. Physically, it was a challenge, but it was also an amazing family bonding experience with my wife and our 9 and 12-year-old kids (the golden years when they are useful humans but not yet teenagers).

At the end of the trip I sat my trusty old Fuji X100 (the original model) on a post in the parking lot to snap one final family portrait in self-timer mode.

Then we drove home…

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Tourists waste too much time trying to get the perfect holiday snap. Try these tips and get back to enjoying your break.

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I do love these ‘research findings’ that drop into my inbox periodically. I get all sorts, from ‘Brits value their digital photos more than their cars’ to ‘Customers more likely to have nude pictures printed on canvas rather than cars.’ (The syntax is dreadful there. They didn’t mean that canvas was a more likely medium for a nude print than a car; rather that people were more inclined to print nudes as opposed to photos of cars.) But the latest one suggests that tourists are getting frustrated trying to take photos of tourist hotspots because of tourist overcrowding. When you’ve recovered from the irony overload there, I’ll continue. [Read More…]

Lowepro finally releases a 4 wheeled carry-on roller case – The PhotoStream SP 200

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Roller cases aren’t something I use very often. They’re just not practical for most of the locations at which I shoot (rocky, rough ground around rivers, lakes, etc). But sometimes they’re absolutely the best tool for the job. Last week, for example, DIYP covered The Photography Show. And on an exhibition hall floor, a roller case is perfect for carting gear around.

Lowepro has made roller cases before, but until now they’ve all been two wheeled cases. They’ve upped the wheel count to 4, though, with the new Lowepro PhotoStream SP 200. Lowepro had a couple on display at their stand during the show, so I got to see one in person, and boy is it a nice roller case.

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Secrets of A Full Time Travel Photographer: Q&A With Sara Melotti

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Next in our ongoing Photographer Spotlight series is Sara Melotti.

Sara is an Italian photographer, content creator, storyteller and world traveler, currently based in New York City. Sara’s work has been featured by many international brands and publications including the New York Times, Vanity Fair and Glamour.

In 2015 Sara created Quest for Beauty and began traveling the world to photograph women immersed in their everyday life “to show that real beauty can be found in every woman no matter the age, size, bone structure, skin tone or background”.

(We have also featured Sara before with her sensational article: Instagram Created a Monster – A No Nonsense Guide To What’s Really Going On.)

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Photographer Spotlight: Q&A With Micky Wiswedel – Outdoor Adventure Photographer

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Next up in our ongoing Photographer Spotlight series we have Micky Wiswedel.

Micky is a Cape Town, South Africa based documentary, travel and outdoor adventure photographer.

His work has been featured by Red Bull and Outside Magazine. He is the winner of the 2016 Red Bull Illume photo contest in the Wings category and he is currently working with free solo climber Matt Bush.

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Tourism Has Run Amok…And Ruined Photography

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Photography is and has always been a very personal vocation.

For many photographers, the process of capturing an image is just as important as the end result – the long hours of preparation, planning, overseas travel, getting to the right place at the right time and the inner satisfaction of clicking the shutter at just the right moment, knowing you’ve got it.

However, in recent years there seems to have been an explosion in tourism that has completely drained the joy out of the process of photography – from world renowned locations like Moraine Lake to simple local locations like a nearby waterfall – if it is a tourist destination it will be overrun with hordes of people and the experience of photography is ruined.

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How to erase tourists from your travel videos without VFX

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As a location photographer, tourists are the bane of my existence on some days. You turn up to a gorgeous location with your subject, ready to shoot, and the place is packed. Or, you face the other problem, one I had recently on a photo shoot in Scotland. A constant trickle of tourists throughout the day. And you can’t stop them. They have just as much right to be there as you do.

Filmmaker Brandon Li regularly runs across these sorts of issues, too, when making travel videos. But there are things you can do to still be able to get the shots you want. In this video, Brandon shares some tips he uses to help get the shot despite the tourists.

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Seven Essential Gadgets For A Travel Photography Road Trip

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Travel photography can be a real pain if you’re not prepared and organized.

Besides your essential camera gear, there are a few thing you might want to pack that may not be immediately obvious – but the best part is you can pick these items up for relatively low cost.

Based on a few of my past road trips, here are my recommendations for five essential gadgets for a travel photography on the road.

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