Vacation Photo Strategy?

[Disles1]

I've labelled this "vacation photo" as separate from "travel"; the latter being a trip specifically to take high quality photos.

On a vacation trip, moving rather too quickly from place to place (either within a city or between locations), the time of day, photo opportunities and allowed time to stop are limited therefore it may be appropriate to pre-set camera controls so as not to miss a good shot.

In these circumstances would it be better to go with an auto ISO, aperture priority, matrix-weighted exposure or some other combination of control? My camera is a Nikon P7700; so an "advanced" point-and-shoot.

[Mike Buckley]

I always use the configurations you described as my go-to handheld settings for that kind of photography. Additionally, I set my exposure compensation for whatever value I think will be right, check the histogram after taking the shot, and shoot again with a changed exposure compensation if necessary.

[DanK]

I will usually use Av in those circumstances, assuming that DOF will be an issue more often than shutter speed. Matrix or evaluative metering is a reasonable starting point, but I often switch to spot if lighting is tricky. I never use auto ISO, preferring to raise it myself if necessary, but if speed is your concern, it might be what you want.

[Shadowman]

Your Nikon P7700 has RAW storage capability so start there, provided you have space to store large images on your card. Regarding aperture settings, I follow the advice of Joe McNally and if aperture doesn't matter to you, choose a "who cares" aperture setting.

[FrankMi]

I run into the same situation at times with my vacation images as well Ken. Usually, when I am on vacation I leave the bulky DSLR, lenses, and kit home and take just a Canon SX40 P&S on a Black Rapid strap for light weight, speed and flexibility.

What I have found works for me is to first of all, make sure I know the camera well enough so that I can quickly switch to the correct setting for the situation at hand even while looking through the viewfinder. Next, I use Aperture Priority, Auto ISO and Exposure Bracketing as my default setting so that metering isn't as critical and I have additional post processing options.

For wildlife on the move, I have the Scene setting configured for Burst Mode, again, so that I can catch something that has to be shot quickly. For slower moving situations, I have time to select the settings (ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, etc.), I need, but without having to either stop and think or take the camera off the subject.

I have recently fitted my camera with a Red Dot sighting device that allows me to track fast moving objects at high zoom levels. I am still testing this but so far it looks like I should be able to keep birds and aircraft in flight close to centered in the sensor even at 840mm FFE zoom.

This will cover most of the subjects I would shoot while on vacation but it doesn't work well at all for macro, wide dynamic range, focus stacking, night photography, basically anything that requires a tripod or manual focus.

If you look at the SmugMug link posted in the signature below, you can see which images were taken with a P&S and which were taken with the DSLR. Because a high percentage of these image are 'vacation' photos, there is a high percentage of P&S images posted there.

[Glenn NK]

I use the same techniques for "vacation", "travel" and business images. I use the same gear because any and all images are equally important. If it's worth shooting, it's worth shooting well.

It comes down to this I think: know your gear and your craft (and it doesn't matter if the gear is a Point and Shoot or Medium Format Phase One).

Glenn

[Tringa]

Hello Ken,

As you feel you will have limited time in any location I suggest setting your camera the way you usually do. You will be familiar with the settings and the effect those setting will have on the final image. I think that would be better than trying something new, for what could be your only chance to get what you want.

Dave

[Disles1]

Thank you, everyone, for the great suggestions. I think I'm comfortable now to have a great time.

[rpcrowe]

Since I don't have kids to please, photography is a very important part of my vacations. My wife is very understanding and likes to have good images to send to friends and relatives.

I am able, vicariously to revisit my destinations many times when reprocessing or just looking at the images that I shot while on vacation.

It really depends on your final use of the images. If I were shooting mostly "I was there" images, with my wife or I standing in front of various locations, The maximum camera I would opt for is a bridge camera and would probably make do with a P&S. Emailing and posting on Facebook don't require super-high quality imagery. However, many folks don't have any interest in photographs unless they contain images of someone they know...

I once brought a smaller bridge type digital camera in lieu of a full size 35mm film SLR on a trip long ago and was quite disappointed with the total quality of my imagery. This was compounded by the scenery being extremely spectacular. However, that was long ago and bridge cameras have certainly improved since then.

I end up with some rather large prints gracing my home; such as this one of the Grand Canal in Venice which I had done as a large stretched canvas print.



Additionally, I often give large prints or stretched canvas to people whom I care about. I did a large canvas of Shadow, my daughter's Labrador Retriever, in an oil-paint motif for decoration in her home...



I also enter prints in competitions. So I need good quality originals.

[wmoore]

Auto ISO then switch between AV and P depending on what you are shooting.

[Manfred M]

I've labelled this "vacation photo" as separate from "travel"; the latter being a trip specifically to take high quality photos.

On a vacation trip, moving rather too quickly from place to place (either within a city or between locations), the time of day, photo opportunities and allowed time to stop are limited therefore it may be appropriate to pre-set camera controls so as not to miss a good shot.

In these circumstances would it be better to go with an auto ISO, aperture priority, matrix-weighted exposure or some other combination of control? My camera is a Nikon P7700; so an "advanced" point-and-shoot.

My shooting style does not change, whether I am on vacation or not. The main issue with vacation photography is that I find it more difficult to pre-scout the location (I will still try to do so, when the schedule permits), and being limited by the shooting conditions (weather, lighting, etc). I also am limited with regards to the equipment I can take along.

I will generally determine the type of shooting that I will do when I get on location and make my shooting decisions; shutter priority, aperture priority, manual, as well as the appropriate ISO (as low as I can get away with) on the spot. Same comment with regards to lens selection; I usually have no more than 2 or 3 lenses along, and will select the most appropriate one for the type of shots I am after.

Your statement, it seems to me, reflects indicates that you do not know your equipment as well as you might and are relying on a level of automation to make up for this. Practice more and you can control your image capture a lot better.

[RustBeltRaw]

Your statement, it seems to me, reflects indicates that you do not know your equipment as well as you might and are relying on a level of automation to make up for this. Practice more and you can control your image capture a lot better.

No offense intended, but I'd echo this. I will sometimes go with aperture priority, but manual is more common. Back-button focus, continuous AF (AF/MF selector switches are taped down on my lenses), matrix metering, high-speed continuous drive, and max-resolution raw almost never change. Sometimes I used auto white balance, sometimes I set temperature and green/magenta shift manually. Camera settings can definitely speed you up a little, but I find that dialing in exposure compensation in assisted modes takes roughly as much time as choosing settings in manual mode. So with practice, I don't think the speed difference is particularly great. Regardless of your mode, it's a good idea to think about your settings every time you change environments (moving from indoors to out, cloud cover, portrait vs. landscape, etc.).

In Istanbul, these techniques produced this album. The only shot requiring more than a moment was this one, which is a tripod-free 9-shot HDR with over 5 minutes of total exposure time.



Moving fast is great, but don't be afraid to insist on stopping for a while if you see a great shot.

[Mike Buckley]

Your statement, it seems to me, reflects indicates that you do not know your equipment as well as you might and are relying on a level of automation to make up for this. Practice more and you can control your image capture a lot better.

While that's true, I think there is a lot to be said for most photographers' ability to use a relatively high level of automation so they don't have to spend time learning the sometimes overwhelming details of using their camera, much less learning how to gain maximum control of the post-processing. Though a lot of people including me like exerting control over the entire photographic process, that's not for everyone and is actually for relatively few people.

[RustBeltRaw]

...don't have to spend time learning the sometimes overwhelming details of using their camera...

I would argue that, when compared with arranging shoots, gaining access, finding photos, developing one's eye, spending enough time to get to know a subject, and learning post processing, learning and using the camera is actually the simplest and quickest part of photography.

[Mike Buckley]

I would argue that, when compared with arranging shoots, gaining access, finding photos, developing one's eye, spending enough time to get to know a subject, and learning post processing, learning and using the camera is actually the simplest and quickest part of photography.

I agree. However, all of the requirements that you mentioned are the pursuits of only the very serious photographers perhaps comprising no more than 2% or 3% of all photographers that own a camera system costing at least $500. As an example, I have a friend who has been using such a camera for years and is about to upgrade to a $1000 system and he doesn't know the definition of a stop. People in that category wouldn't even think of spending the time to do anything that you mention and those are the people that benefit greatly from the high level of automation.

[RustBeltRaw]

People in that category wouldn't even think of spending the time to do anything that you mention and those are the people that benefit greatly from the high level of automation.

Good point.

[Manfred M]

All good points, but again, I still stick with my original statement that there is little difference between the images that one takes while on vacation (something I am doing right now) and images I take while I am at home or out and about and not on vacation. Ones skill levels with his or her camera equipment do not change.

[FrankMi]

All good points, but again, I still stick with my original statement that there is little difference between the images that one takes while on vacation (something I am doing right now) and images I take while I am at home or out and about and not on vacation. Ones skill levels with his or her camera equipment do not change.

You are assuming that you are using the same equipment in both cases and that you have the time to work the scene for the best composition. I travel light on vacation with a Jpeg only P&S but at home I use my DSLR and shoot RAW. I won't be able to get the same quality of images in both cases nor will I have the same time available during a guided tour with my wife as I would if I was on my own and could dedicate my activities to getting the best angle, waiting for the appropriate lighting and other changing circumstances in order to maximize the capture.

In Ken's request, he needed to know how to best pre-set his P&S controls for the multitude of situations he might find himself in with very little time (and likely limited knowledge of scene specific settings) to reconfigure his camera for the changing circumstances.

I think the point that Mike is trying to make is that the way you approach photography is well suited to your knowledge, experience, and dedication (and likely Mike's as well) but wouldn't address Ken's needs very effectively.

[Mike Buckley]

All good points, but again, I still stick with my original statement that there is little difference between the images that one takes while on vacation (something I am doing right now) and images I take while I am at home or out and about and not on vacation. Ones skill levels with his or her camera equipment do not change.

I also agree with that. However, none of that refutes the idea that a high level of automation is ideal for photographers of a certain skill and interest profile that is very different from yours and mine.

[Manfred M]

You are assuming that you are using the same equipment in both cases and that you have the time to work the scene for the best composition. I travel light on vacation with a Jpeg only P&S but at home I use my DSLR and shoot RAW. I won't be able to get the same quality of images in both cases nor will I have the same time available during a guided tour with my wife as I would if I was on my own and could dedicate my activities to getting the best angle, waiting for the appropriate lighting and other changing circumstances in order to maximize the capture.

In Ken's request, he needed to know how to best pre-set his P&S controls for the multitude of situations he might find himself in with very little time (and likely limited knowledge of scene specific settings) to reconfigure his camera for the changing circumstances.

I think the point that Mike is trying to make is that the way you approach photography is well suited to your knowledge, experience, and dedication (and likely Mike's as well) but wouldn't address Ken's needs very effectively.

Actually, I am not making that assumption at all Frank. What I am assuming is that the level of skill will drive decisions, regardless of the equipment used.

I fired off some very successful shots on a friends Nex-7, after playing with it for about a minute. Unless one is getting into some very complex photography; the exposure triangle is really all that matters to pull off a good shot, after you get the composition and framing right.