Travel Photos: What not to do
So you've saved all year or maybe a lifetime and you are finally ready to get the suitcases packed and the camera ready. You dream about the fun you'll have and the things you'll see. You contemplate the pictures you'll bring back to show to your friends. The memories you'll tuck away forever. And this time won't be like the last time. Not even if you have to buy a new camera to make sure. This time you'll get great shots, every one will be beautiful.
Unfortunately, after having worked in a photo processing lab and seeing the results of many vacation pictures, I'm here to say that for 90% of the vacationers, this just won't happen. I have witnessed the devastated looks on peoples faces when they open the envelopes and see the results. Their Kodak moments are looking pretty dull compared to their visions of travel brochure splendors. What happened? What went wrong? The worst is the kids; the look of total devastation on their faces can break your heart. Adults are used to putting up with failure right? Kids aren't. They want to take great pictures too and they try their little hearts out.
Most of the time it is plain to see that a few simple solutions would have avoided the whole problem. Usually the problem is that the film is loaded wrong, or didn't advance to the next frame, or that the camera back was opened with film still inside. But sometimes you can't tell what went wrong and can offer no solution.
Here are a few simple tips to keep in mind before heading off on your vacation this year.
Don't make the mistake of buying a new camera to take on your vacation. I mean, just don't do it. Living here in Europe I see people all the time walking around in sheer frustration trying to force, fiddle and coerce their cameras into responding. They have paid a bloody fortune to take a perhaps once-in-a-lifetime trip and they can't figure out how to work their camera. As a photographer, I invariably get panic calls from people, "Please help, I have this new camera and it doesn't work and. . . ." My first response is usually to tell them to put the camera back into their suitcases and buy a few single-use cameras instead. Not because I am trying to offended them, but because I'm trying to save their vacation. It's a great last resort and the only way to go with children. You really can't go wrong with a single-use camera. It is much better to have some photos of your wondrous vacation than none, or even worse to spend your entire vacation fighting with a new camera and worrying like crazy if any of the pictures will come out.
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