Even if you are a photographer traveling to make photographs ...

In my description of this Blog I state,

“Travel, whether on a vacation to the shore, or a 'trip of a lifetime' to exotic locations like the Galapagos Islands can be one of the most rewarding experiences we can have, whether we are photographers or not.

 Meeting new people, experiencing new cultures, learning about our 'Blue Planet,' or viewing the infinite variety of Earth's majesty, and it's wide range of flora and fauna is an incredible opportunity for broadening one's knowledge and viewpoint.

Travel promotes understanding and amity among people, and not only enhances, and enriches the life of the traveler, but encourages a better world in the ever increasing integration of the societies of our planet.

The friends one makes, the places one visits, and the experiences one lives while traveling provides incalculable value for us all.

Travel photography is the best way I know to preserve the memories of the journeys taken. It provides a concrete method of commemorating our new friendships and knowledge.”

Smartphone Apps for Photography: Tide Graph

One of my photographic passions is wildlife photography, I've traveled to many locations in the world and the US to see and photograph wildlife. When home, you'll generally find me visiting the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge for a number of hours each week.

An important part of wildlife photography is understanding the conditions you'll encounter when visiting a particular location. I'm often visiting wildlife locations with tidal bodies of water, such as harbors, rivers, or tidal marshes, such as you can find in the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.

Knowing the tides is important along harbors and tidal marshes, so you'll know what kind of birds you might expect to see at various locations you're visiting. If you want to maximize your chances of seeing smaller shore birds such as sandpipers yellowlegs, and dowitchers, you try to visit during low tides.

Keep your DSLR/lens safe in May's "April Showers"

I don't know what it's like where you live, but in the US' Northeast those “April showers bring[ing] May flowers” have come a month late. It's been raining daily since Friday night, and its expected to continue until the coming weekend.

When we travel, rain or shine, our visits to parks, historic locations, museums, and other locations continue. Travelers get out umbrellas, rain coats, and other foul weather gear and trudge on.

Unfortunately, when it rains, many travelers leave their cameras at the hotel, or at best, put them in their pockets, except for indoor photos. I'm well aware that even inexpensive DSLR cameras and lenses aren't “cheap,” and if they're caught in a storm, they could be ruined. Not only would that be expensive, you wouldn't have their use for the remainder of your trip.

Smartphone Apps for Photography: Focalware

One of the ideal times for taking photographs is during the golden hours, sometimes known as the magic hours, essentially the first and last hour of sunlight during the day.

The wonderful tones you can get in your photograph due to angle of the sun during those times is amazing.

Focalware is one of the best Sunrise/Sunset apps for the iPhone I've found. It's not currently available for Android smartphones.