Photography holidays

[MJP]

Okay, so I have to go to Thailand because of the kids, which is great and all that but . . . . blimey I'm so tired of flying a 13,000 mile round trip just to go to Makro and bl00dy Home Shop. Issan offers very little in the way of tog material and subjects especially after 13 years of the place.

 

So,  I'm thinking about short European breaks and perhaps further afield (like Morocco!) to take the gear and do interesting shoots. I'm not a sex tourist so I don't need any of that. I don't drink and I don't do drugs, although Amsterdam does have tulips and canals. All I want is interesting street/landscape/culture/architecture and wotnot to shoot.

 

Any recommendations?

 

 

[sustento]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Issan is full of immensely photogenic people. When you take a people picture that makes others smile you capture all of humanity in one moment. 

[MJP]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. Issan is full of immensely photogenic people. When you take a people picture that makes others smile you capture all of humanity in one moment. 

 

I've had 13 years of these photogenic people. It's boring. Issan is boring. After 13 years of it, it's boring. In fact Thailand bores me rigid. It's no different than driving to work to me.

Edited August 8, 2014 by MJP

[Goshawk]

So,  I'm thinking about short European breaks and perhaps further afield . . .

 

quit wasting money on needless equipment, save it up & then take a look at this . . .

 

http://www.virgingalactic.com/booking/

 

some nice snaps me thinks to be gained on this trip . . . i've got my seat booked (lottery win pending)

[MJP]

^^ I'm finding suitable all inclusive for around £300, GH. Just to establish the sort of budget.

[rhythmworx]

Barcelona. has Gaudi architecture, street performers on Las Ramblas, the Nou camp stadium (wide angle), Catedral De Barcelona, the Font Magica, the Salvador Dali museum etc.....

 

 

[MJP]

Barcelona. has Gaudi architecture, street performers on Las Ramblas, the Nou camp stadium (wide angle), Catedral De Barcelona, the Font Magica, the Salvador Dali museum etc.....

 

 

 

Oh diamond!!!

 

Thanks Worx!

 

 

List so far . . .

 

1. Morocco

 

2. Near Earth orbit

 

3. Barcelona

 

 

I'm going to add Paris too.

 

 

So that's . . .

 

1. Morocco

 

2. Near Earth orbit

 

3. Barcelona

 

4. Paris

[rhythmworx]

As for the near earth orbit if you want to save a few quid you could try out a trip in the old Lockheed U2 spy plane.

 

My uncles, brothers, wife's, sisters, husbands cousins grand dads, grand daughters, husbands brother is qualified to fly that can take you up to the edge of space just for a few pints of John Smiths.

 

Just let me know what dates you want to fly.

 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoMDq4AyLc[/media]

[MJP]

As for the near earth orbit if you want to save a few quid you could try out a trip in the old Lockheed U2 spy plane.

 

My uncles, brothers, wife's, sisters, husbands cousins grand dads, grand daughters, husbands brother is qualified to fly that can take you up to the edge of space just for a few pints of John Smiths.

 

Just let me know what dates you want to fly.

 

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJoMDq4AyLc[/media]

 

I'm up for that.

[MJP]

Bruges . . . that's in Belgium.

 

Florence.

[Goshawk]

^^ x2,  just to say that neither virgin galactic or especially a lockheed u2, come anywhere close to a low/near earth orbit . . . they're both suborbital aeroplanes, but i guess i'm just being pedantic/corrective. but If that's what you really want, then contact the Russians at Baikonur Cosmodrome. Alas, it'll be a bit more pricier than Branson's ride . . . 

 

me . . . i'd just settle for a rainy weekend in Bognor.

[rhythmworx]

This is an absolute cracker at nigh time in low light.

 

 

[attachment=278495:article-2349761-1A885C5B000005DC-417_964x619.jpg]

[MJP]

This is an absolute cracker at nigh time in low light.

 

 

article-2349761-1A885C5B000005DC-417_964x619.jpg

 

I do fancy a stint in India. But know little of the place. Don't really want to end up in tourist traps.

 

There's package tours of Eastern Ukraine available at the moment. Seriously, the areas where there's fighting. I thought I might ask Sunshine for some guidance on war photography.

[fimgirl]

Totally agree with you. Thailand ain't the least bit photogenic. It's people are but that's it.

Venice. That's where I'd head off to. If you can catch the Masked Carnival even better, but the place offers so many photo opportunity you'll be in heaven.

[MJP]

Totally agree with you. Thailand ain't the least bit photogenic. It's people are but that's it.

Venice. That's where I'd head off to. If you can catch the Masked Carnival even better, but the place offers so many photo opportunity you'll be in heaven.

 

Yes, yes, yes!!! Venice!

 

Sadly, Thailand is about the least photogenic place for me because my least favored subject is photo'ing beaches. I think a trip up to Luang Prabang, perhaps up the Mekong might be in order at some point. Also pop over to Vietnam. But at the moment I want to concentrate on Europe.

[MJP]

I'm quite angry at myself for wasting so much life already. I'm looking at the costs of going to all these places and it can be done so cheap. 3 nights in Venice inc. flights from Bristol (20 mins from my place) less than £300. Morocco, less than £300 for 7 nights.

 

It's pennies.

[fimgirl]

If you're into castles, scenery, architecture, quaint houses, festivals, lakes, stunning countryside.


Bavaria.

[MJP]

If you're into castles, scenery, architecture, quaint houses, festivals, lakes, stunning countryside.


Bavaria.

 

I used to go to Eisenach in Thuringia when I worked for a big German outfit a decade or so ago. Stunning, just stunning,

 

We did a candlelit walk up to the castle for dinner one evening. Wonderful.

[Guest]

Dubrovnik in Croatia could be one option. While I was searching possible locations where to relocate myself inside EU, I heard plenty of good things about Croatia. 

 

Or you could head up north and see how the arctic life feels and looks

http://oilinki.com/blog/turku-aurajoki

[MJP]

Dubrovnik in Croatia could be one option. While I was searching possible locations where to relocate myself inside EU, I heard plenty of good things about Croatia. 

 

Or you could head up north and see how the arctic life feels and looks

http://oilinki.com/blog/turku-aurajoki

 

Yes Croatia.

 

I think I may add Iceland to the list. For landscape et.al.

[sunshine51]

MJP...Yes Croatia...or for that matter anywhere in what used to be known as Yugoslavia.

I spent 4 months in Split during the war; 2 months when it was quiet and simply lovely

and then the fecal matter hit the rotary air circulator...which is what I was waiting for

anyway. Ukraine....yes! Seriously. Georgia...yes! (not the Georgia in the USA).

Speaking of the USA...yes! Especially if you have never been. Spring and Autumn

in the Tetons is a sight to behold. Alaska is great too but bring heaps of mossie

spray and find a guide. South of the equator in the Americas is Chile & Argentina

both include Patagonia, plus Paraguay & Uruguay...unspoiled and can be a bit rough

at the edges. Out here in these parts...well there's Burma (Myanmar) which sure as

hell ain't gonna be a "forgotten" isolated country in 10 more years when a tourista will

easily spot a plethora of KFC, McD's, Taco Bell's, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts & Domino's

Pizza, Red Loster's (crappy fish & steak house chain) and the taxi mafia's & pimps &

wotnot will have ruined the country forever. By then it may be easier to get way up

north...then again...maybe not. I mean...waterskiing and jet boats on Inle lake

would turn me off completely. So would dirt bike races around Bagan. My great

grandfather is buried way up in Kachin State near Putao and it took me nearly 40

years to get approval to visit his grave. Kachin State is like going way back in time,

way...way...way back in time and also there's some agro up there but not targeted

towards foreigners...not yet anyway. By the way anywhere in Myanmar..."the natives

are very friendly"...Get to Burma before it gets spoiled...seriously. One big plus...

Burma is still virtually crime free.

 

My suggestion since you have kids...forget the war adventure type of photography

as it only takes one bullet. Plus being wounded ain't like Hollywood portrays it.

Wounded, in all it's forms, simply means...not dead. Think of your kids M.

However...if you must go & see for yourself...PM me.

 

Sri Lanka is also nice and the calm after the storm is slowly returning. Kandy

is a neat place...Yes M there is a place named Kandy on Sri Lanka!

 

There's also Russia. Try the Trans Siberian Railway once in your liife. Nowadays

one can do Moscow to Vladivostok without any hassles...takes a while to go the

distance though....and you will have all sorts of fun & meet some interesting

characters!

 

Perhaps closer to home for you...Ireland? All that green! You know...The Emerald

Isle and all that!!??

[Guest]

Iceland is very nice. You could take a tour in Norway first, then take a ferry from Bergen to Faroe islands and then to Iceland. There is a ring road around the country. Worth of doing simply because of the sceneries. 

 

 

[OccamsRazor]

Rome - Naples - Pompeii (Mount Vesuvius) route was one of my most memorable photo journeys.

[MJP]

^^ G, I was kidding about the war thing.

 

US is a possible, but then I reckon I'd just get stuck at my Uncle's house in LA for a month helping him rebuild his pool since the Mexican contractor screwed it up (never heard the end of that one). My Auntie in Beverley Hills passed away recently so no Rodeo Drive for me, although I think one of my cousins now lives near Venice beach. Rollerblading bikini's seems interesting zoom lens material.

 

Russia. Not at the mo. Tricky.

 

I've come to realise that Europe and even north Africa present the most interesting tog matter and aren't that far away. I'd come to relate any air travel to the 13 hour slog plus the 20 hours of additional travel to get back to demanding children whilst I push a huge trolley with wonky wheels round Makro.

 

However, just down the road from my present location is Bristol airport, which seems to offer all manner of routes to interesting places. I used to fly the old mans Piper Cherokee out of that field twenty years ago and had entirely forgotten that, in fact, you can get someone else to do the flying and land in fascinating places rich in culture and history within a couple of hours . . . and for not much money either. Hell, I don't even need to put the car in long stay!

 

Here's a link to all the destinations . . .

 

http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/flights-from-bristol/browse-destinations.aspx

Edited August 9, 2014 by MJP

[MJP]

Trey Ratcliff's 'Stuck in Customs' website . . .

 

http://www.stuckincustoms.com/treys-travel-locations/

[FracturedRabbit]

http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/08/stunning-views-of-iceland-captured-by-jerome-berbigier/


Sent from my iPad using ThaiVisa app

[guzzi850m2]

I don't agree that there are no good motives in Thailand, if you think that then you need to leave Thailand (well you are in the UK now as I understand it). Bangkok or Changmai are great if you want city photos. Try the Chang Rai area for mountains/jungle and so on. Yes the Golden Triangle is also great. In my garden here outside Pattaya, I have taken photos of snakes and squirrels and there is a beautiful little blue bird that always eludes me but one day I will get it.

[MJP]

I don't agree that there are no good motives in Thailand, if you think that then you need to leave Thailand (well you are in the UK now as I understand it). Bangkok or Changmai are great if you want city photos. Try the Chang Rai area for mountains/jungle and so on. Yes the Golden Triangle is also great. In my garden here outside Pattaya, I have taken photos of snakes and squirrels and there is a beautiful little blue bird that always eludes me but one day I will get it.

 

That's the point, I have to keep returning because of the kids and MIL and wotnot. But this means I've never gone anywhere else (apart from international work). Every time I decide to hang it up a while I go straight back to Issan. It's the same old routine. Never see anywhere else. I see the inside of a plane, the airport, the inside of a taxi, the same old view outside the taxi window, the same view going into town and the same view pushing the trolley around Makro. Realised I haven't seen anything different (from a travel perspective) for years.

[sunshine51]

M...I forgot to include...Prague...one of my favourite cities on this planet!

[MJP]

M...I forgot to include...Prague...one of my favourite cities on this planet!

 

Deffo!