Panorama Photography

Panorama photography is an interesting way to show off a lot in one picture. Panorama’s are often used with landscapes in order to get more of the area into one picture. The format of a panorama is an elongated photograph – as seen below. The creation of panorama’s is really quite easy. On a lot of camera’s, there are often settings that you can use to specifically create panorama’s. You just choose your starting point, and then move the camera in a straight line to the right until you reach your endpoint.

Here are my top 3 tips for panorama photography –

1)      Make sure the area you are doing a panorama in has a lot to show off, you don’t want it to be a boring image!

2)      Try to avoid having things that move in your panorama (people, animals, cars) unless they are perfectly still because if they move when you are in the process of taking your panorama, it could mess up the image.

3)      If your iPhone has a panorama setting, I would recommend starting with that instead of an actual camera’s setting – as this can be a bit easier to work with. I have found that my iPhone’s panorama setting works better than my camera one, and it even allows you to choose how long you want the image to be. With the last one, that is an example of a shorter panorama.

Around the World Mini Golf

Around the World Mini Golf in Lake George, NY is a wonderful tourist attraction and I figured it deserved its own post. I have been going to this mini golf attraction for as long as I can remember, and I can personally tell you that it never gets old. It is a challenge each time, and is a lot of fun as well. There are two separate courses that you can choose from when you go, or you can play both in the same day if you want to! There is the US course, or there is the other course which features landmarks from around the whole world – hence the name Around the World Golf. Both courses provide a challenge, but are still fun for children as well as adults. Tickets are $8.25 (adults) and $6.75 (child), and then if you do decide to play a second game, you get a discount at $5.95 (adults) and $4.50 (child). They also offer a senior discount, as well as coupons.

My top 5 tips for going –

1)      Wear appropriate shoes, so if by chance you happen to accidentally hit your toes with your golf club it won’t hurt so bad.

2)      I would recommend going either in the morning or in the afternoon/night when it is cooler outside so you don’t get too hot.

3)      Going in groups of 3+ is a lot more fun, so gather up all your friends for a round of golf!

4)      Be mindful of other groups when you are playing. Don’t move on to the next hole if there is still another group there – wait your turn!

5)      Lastly, be mindful of the statues! Don’t stand on them or deface them – admire from afar if you must.

If you go, parking can be tricky to find, especially during the busier times of the day/summer. This is a tourist area so it is bound to be busy up in the lake during the summer. They do have a small parking area; however, it is usually full. You can also park on the street, you will just need to remember to bring a bunch of change to put into the parking meter. Around the World is open from 9 to midnight May to September, just be sure to check the weather because they could close if it rains or storms badly. Here is a link to their website, if you want to check it out - http://www.aroundtheworldgolf.com/index.asp.

Still Life's

Still life photographs are a great way to essentially show something off. For instance, if you have a new coffee cup, take a still life to show it to your friends! These are also great for taking photographs of flowers in a vase, like I have below. You can also be creative with your still life’s, and assemble them into a creative “pose” and then snap away, occasionally readjusting what you are working with – like my paintbrush/palette examples.

Here are my top five tips for still life photography –

1)      Be creative! Don’t be afraid of thinking outside of the box with still life’s, as this is how you will get some of the most interesting shots.

2)      Use props that you like, so that you will feel passionate about photographing them. It is easy to get bored or discouraged with still life’s because they are unmoving and never change (unless you change them)!

3)      Set your props up on a flat surface with a plain background, so as to not distract from what your subject is.

4)      Experiment with the whole “rule of thirds” idea – essentially divide up your image into three. I think of it as left, middle, right and top, middle, bottom. Then move your object within this perimeter so as to not have it in the middle at all times. Like with the Chip cup, it is set more to the right of the photograph – this is an example of the rule of thirds.

5)      Black and white has the ability to enhance some still life’s (like the first picture I posted) so experiment a bit with that as well!

All in all, have fun! Still life’s are a great way to showcase how creative you can be, so don’t hold back with them, and let the creativity flow!

Semiahmoo/Birch Bay

I decided to combine Birch Bay/Semiahmoo because they are essentially pretty close to each other in Washington State. Both of these locations are scenic and offer places to sit and have a picnic, Birch Bay offers fire pits that you can have a fire and cook s'mores and hot dogs in. These are both lovely locations to take a nice stroll during the spring, summer, and even fall. Parking to get to these two locations is also pretty good, there are a lot of spaces to park at that are pretty close to each location. 

My top 3 tips for if you plan on visiting -

1) These beaches are rocky - not sandy, so wear shoes that you will be comfortable walking on rocks in. 

2) Be mindful of cars, with Birch Bay you have to cross the road to get to the water so just make sure there aren't any cars coming before you cross.

3) Don't litter! There are birds and fish, as well as whatever other animals live in and around the water so pick up your trash and discard of it in the proper waste bins.