Creepily personal: Abandoned Update

So many of you like the Abandoned Photo Reel I posted a few weeks ago. Just found this new picture to go along with the previous post and it was a bit to close to home. You'll see why.

Yellow brick road from abandoned theme park - The Land of Oz

Abandoned

That title was rather ominous, but what I really plan to share is this image I found on Pinterest. Some of them are kinda scary, but others are definitely making the next bucket list! Check this out:

Favorite: Cambodia
Most Terrifying: For some odd reason, the sunken yatch just freaks me out every time!

Beauty is everywhere

Wow, my bucket list just keeps expanding.

Some Inspiration

Amazing photographs from places I've never been always have a way of kicking me in the ass and start planning a trip... So here are some awesome pictures!

The fairy pools on Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Great Black Hole, Belize

Cliff face in Romania

The Yannan Stone Forest, China

The River Guardian, Florence

Not the work of an artist

I've never taken a photography course or followed a blog about it, but throughout my travels I have been fairly lucky with my pictures. I'm not sure what makes a great photo. I think it's something to do with lighting and composition, but for me, it's usually luck. Here are my favorite pieces of art down by my own hand. Share some of yours as well!

Lake Arenal, Costa Rica- I like the contrast of Shadow and Sunset.

Prague, Czech Republic- These are just parking barricades, but they lined up nicely.

Kassel, Germany- Looks like something from Lord of the Rings to me.

Rhine River, Germany- Perfect visual summery of late autumn in Germany.

Washington D.C., Human Art

Amsterdam, Holland- This was the set up of some little tourist shop and it turned out so great! Definitely my favorite!

Gothenburg, Sweden- The Grass on either side makes this photo really pop!

So are there any photos you've taken that have made you stop and think "Wow! Did this come from my camera?!" Share them with us!

pARTing keepsakes

Like most travelers, when you visit a new and exciting place you want to take a piece of it home with you. Jade statues from China, a pair of wooden shoes from the Netherlands, mini Eiffel towers sold in Paris... NICKNACKS! Or as my mom calls them: Clutter. Over time and many new apartments and cities, I have come to hate my junk. It looses it's meaning and just becomes one more thing to dust. I mean, I seriously own a hammock from Brazil when I spent my entire 3.5week trip sleeping in one... I haven't had a YARD in 4 years, why did I buy a hammock?!?!?! Oh the mistakes I've made.
Finally, I have discovered a new approach. After establishing that I want something different, even one of a kind that really speaks from the heart of a destination, I was offered this advice: buy the something that grows with you. Buy Art. Over time, you'll learn more about your style and taste.
In 2008 I went to Prague and on the Charles Bridge the street vendors fill the sides of the path with their paintings, drawings, and photography. The choices were overwhelming and every piece was beautiful. Finally, I found two that spoke to me. 5"X7" Water colors of the bridge. They were perfect and easy to carry around for the remainder of the trip. Upon returning home, I had them frame and they have decorated my various apartments ever since!

Art! The perfect keepsake. It varies from affordable to priceless. It's easy to transport... for the most part. Oil paintings are the exception, the canvas can't easily be rolled and they are sensitive to temperature. The best part, is that every place you travel becomes a part of your home as much as its be become a part of you!

Happy Travels!

8 Epic types of Travel Photos

So that you may have some fun of your own on your next vacation (or even when you are sitting on the couch, because why must travel be the only excuse for photos?) I am sharing some of my tips with you. Be warned: I am not a photographer. I don’t know what I am doing. But I am blissfully, consistently amused by my own life and the photographic record of it. That, and only that, is what gives me an air of legitimacy.

1. Group album cover.

2. Using Props.

3. Squeeze into tiny alcoves or niches.
4. Make out. (Note: this only works if you are on a trip with your significant other. Otherwise, it can make a family trip really awkward.)
5. Challenge the photographer to a duel.

6. Pretend your travel buddies are famous.
7. Take advantage of reflective surfaces.

8. Take a series of similar pictures, and compile them into a gif.

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