The Best Lenses for Travel Photography

May 23, 2014

As we travel, my husband Nick captures the world so beautifully around us and many of the photos on these pages of Land of Marvels are his, taken as we travel to different cities and landscapes. Travel photography requires a different skillset and Nick is asked a lot what his favorite lens is and what lens he would recommend for a traveler who needs a new lens. There really is no right or wrong answer to this question. Below he gives you his thoughts about favorite lenses for travel photography!

THE SIGMA 35 / MY FAVORITE LENS FOR TRAVEL

Right now my favorite lens to use for travel photography is my Sigma 35 F/1.4. The Sigma 35 has been reviewed a ton online but I’ll add some more to the conversation as it relates to my travel and landscape photography. I love this lens, across the frame it’s really sharp. It annoys me when I’m trying to shoot travel, landscapes, and architecture and the corners are soft. This is not a problem I’ve found with my Sigma. The 35mm focal length is a pretty nice spot to be for me. For me it’s wide enough to shoot many landscapes, is a great perspective for street scenes, I even like to shoot some portraits on the lens and while it’s not as flattering as it would be with an 85mm, it’s still a fun look. Some people might complain that the lens is a prime and you are stuck at 35mm. I actually really like this. Primes historically have been higher quality optics than their zooming counterparts. I also like that by locking yourself at 35mm it forces you to work the scene to get a good composition by moving your body and the camera.

Another reason I love the Sigma 35mm for travel is its F/1.4 aperture. That’s really large and is great when you are shooting in low light situations or want to get that creamy out of focus background look. The price is around $900 and for a lens of this aperture size and optical quality that is a great deal!

Here’s our recommendation!

WHAT Other LENSES WOULD I RECOMMEND for travel photography?

What kind of lens to get really determines on your shooting style, what kind of images you like to take and how you like to take them. I tend to take my time at a location. I compose, shoot, think about the framing and shoot again. I tend to be more methodical about my approach. If you are a more run and gun person who needs to be fast and nimble because your shooting from the hip, your needs will be really different than my own. Below are my general recommendations for 3 types of shooters.

The Flexible Run and Gunner

For most travelers you want to keep your photography simple. Walk around, explore, see something interesting — shoot a picture. You don’t want to be stuck at a single focal length or have to waste time changing lenses. What you should be checking out is a versatile zoom lens that will let you be flexible. The 24-105mm is a lens I would consider. It lets you cover a wide range of situations from landscapes at 24mm or portraits and detail work at 105mm. When working with this kind of lens it’s easy to walk up to a spot, zoom in on your subject, take a shot, and leave. Don’t fall into this all the time though, take a moment and make sure you look around to see if there is a more interesting spot to shoot from. Work the scene!

Here’s our recommendation.

I went really wide at 17mm with this image of the Taj Mahal so I could get the entire archway in the frame. It was nice to have the option to zoom out this way when I needed too.

I wanted to add one more lens option to this section as an alternative to the 24-105mm. If you constantly find yourself shooting wide angle images, I tend to do this a lot when I’m shooting buildings or interiors. You may want to opt instead for the 17-40mm. At 17mm you can get a really wide look and then zoom into 40mm to get a more standard perspective. The 17-40 has served me well in my travel bag. I don’t use it as much as I used to but when I need to go wide this is where I look.

Here’s our recommendation!

The Slow Methodical Bag Carrier  

For people like me that tend to take their time, setup their camera for the situation and compose more methodically, I really would recommend looking at a 35mm Prime lens. It’s my go-to lens in my bag. When I’m traveling I have a day pack and I carry three lenses with me: a super wide lens for churches or landscapes that require a wide angle to view, a middle-of-the-road lens that can cover a lot of ground (my 35mm), and a telephoto zoom (I carry the 70-200 f/4). The majority of the day is spent at 35mm and I switch to the others when I want to get a specific look. The problem with this is you have to take the time to get the shot. Sometimes a shot isn’t worth it and you waste time shooting a photo that really is mediocre. Keep asking yourself is my time really worth it for this scene. If your gut says YES, then compose and create!

Here’s our recommendation!

The 35mm as you can see in this image is a nice lens for landscapes that don’t need to go super wide. If you click the image to view you can see the sigma 35 is really sharp!

The 35mm is really versatile and works great for shooting images on the streets.

The Budget Conscience (I’m Out of Cash)

If you are on a really tight budget because you spent most of your money on the travel expenses then another great alternative is a 50mm f/1.8. For just over $100, it’s a fantastic value. It’s small, light, and cheap. The image quality isn’t nearly as good as the Sigma 35 but for the price, it’s workable and the size is great for walking around travel destinations. For generic shooting, this is a nice lens to keep in the bag. For me, I take this lens with me when I want a lighter load and plan on shooting tighter framed detail shots. Having an aperture of F/1.8 you can knock the background out of focus pretty well at 1.8. I highly recommend this lens to keep handy.

Here’s our recommendation!

I shot this Moroccan lantern outside of a restaurant in Marrakech with my 50mm lens @ f/1.8 – even though the lens is cheap you can set the aperture all the way open and get a creamy soK background.

Travel Tips : How to Get Around Europe (On a Budget)

May 15, 2014

Getting around Europe can end up being a huge part of your budget for a trip there, not to mention the endless options there are to get from one place to another that can be confusing if you’re not familiar with them. Over my many trips to Europe, I’ve found some of my favorite ways to get around the continent easily, quickly and most important, without a huge investment. Part of the luxury of Europe is that everything is so close, so transport between locations shouldn’t be a huge headache. These options should help you narrow down your search when you’re trying to figure out how to get from A to B.

Unlike the US, Europe has a wealth of budget airline options. And when I say budget, I mean it. We’ve gotten deals like $35 from London Gatwick to Marrakech, Morocco and many others over the years. Our favorite budget airline is Easy Jet. With a wealth of destinations, Easy Jet is not only a fantastic option to get places in Europe and the Middle East, it’s also clean, cheap and we’ve had amazing luck with service and flights being on time and such. I’ve heard some horror stories about its competitor Ryan Air, though I’ve never flown it. Easy Jet has been a fantastic option for us as we jet around Europe and is often half as much to fly with them as it is on major airlines.

One thing to note with budget airlines in Europe though is that they often fly into different airports than the large carriers (one reason they can charge such low fares), so be sure to check out where you’ll be flying into before booking as often times the airports these carriers use are farther outside of cities and smaller than the large hubs. Also confirm costs for items like checked bags and such as they can often be high.

While it can be a scary thought to drive in foreign countries, Europe is actually a fantastic place to rent a car and drive wherever you’re headed. Whether it’s through the UK or over mainland Europe, traveling by car can be a really fun way to travel. You can stop where you want, take in the landscape and enjoy the journey a bit more. We drove all through the UK last Fall and it made our trip that much better as we got to really enjoy the countrysides of Ireland and Scotland.

A great way to save money on rental cars in Europe (as sometimes that cost can add up quickly) is to use credit card or airline points for car rentals. If you don’t have enough for a flight or hotel, often times cars take a lot less points. I use my BA avios points for car rentals all the time and it’s a great way to save a bunch of money.

Perhaps my favorite way to get around Europe, trains are so easily accessible and efficient in Europe. We have traveled all over Europe on trains from the simple London to Paris trip, the scenic journey from Milan to Nice, France, the quick shot from Dublin to Belfast, and many other smaller trips in between. Trains are so nice because most of the time they are quite a bit cheaper than flying, you don’t have to show up as early as you do at the airport and most European train stations are an experience in themselves, usually housed in gorgeous old buildings with lovely coffee shops and restaurants.

Trains are also really efficient in Europe (unlike ours on the West Coast of the US) and super fast for many of the trips offered because of the bullet train options. You can also be flexible most of the time when traveling by train (although do your research prior to traveling because certain trips do require advance bookings), especially on smaller trips and you can purchase tickets when you arrive, so you can be more flexible on timing. European trains (in general) are also a really comfortable way to travel and can be a great option to see more of the country as you go.

Off the Beaten Path in Asia

May 14, 2014

I really enjoyed the first post I did on places that are a bit off the beaten “tourist” path in Europe earlier this year and as I got to thinking about it, I think it’s so worthwhile to not only show off the large cities that everyone goes to all over the world but also the ones that don’t get as much attention. Asia is no different and there are so many amazing spots all over the continent that aren’t the typical places for tourists to choose to explore, but so worthwhile all the same. These are some of my favorite spots in Asia that aren’t going to be your typical suggestions when traveling.

During my trips to South Korea for work, I spent a lot of time traveling throughout the country to go to job sites at American military bases throughout. One of the spots that I got to visit and that really struck me was the city of Dongducheon in the Northern part of South Korea, about 45 minutes away from the North Korean Border. This tree lined town has a gorgeous landscape, surrounded by green mountains and filled with small side streets, offering amazing local Korean food and small shops and markets. For a real dose of local Korean culture without the crowds of Seoul, this little gem is a perfect spot.

While Siem Reap is sure to become a tourist staple within the next five years, I’m so glad we got to experience it while it’s still relatively unknown to many people. Before we went I had so many people say to me, “Where is Siem Reap and why would you go there?” To be honest, I was kind of glad to hear that thinking it wouldn’t be super crowded. And while there were definitely a large number of tourists there, the town of Siem Reap still feels authentic. A good majority of people we tell about our trip there don’t know it until we mention Tomb Raider, though I have a suspicion that Siem Reap is going to only get busier and busier as more people flock to the Angkor temples in the years to come.

While most people planning a trip to India hit the major designations like Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai, there are so many amazing hidden spots within the country too that offer the uniqueness of India without the masses of people. Udaipur is one such destination and while honestly, I’d love it to stay that way for years to come and I secretly hope that people don’t really catch on to the beauty of this city, it really is a hidden gem. We fell in love with India, much credit to this gorgeous lakeside city. The magic is Rajasthan is real here and among colorful buildings, incredible landscape and grand palaces, Udaipur is one of those places you’ll want to return to as soon as you leave.

Finding Home

May 12, 2014

We’re starting the week here off a little bit personal today. I don’t talk about Portland nearly enough on the blog here and my home city is one that’s pretty special and I think I should definitely highlight it more. It’s a place that has finally become a true home for me over the years and a place I love dearly.

I’ve talked before about my search for a home for many years, the way that after leaving Saudi Arabia as a young girl, no where ever truly felt right until Portland. For many years I felt like I was floating, like no where really held roots for me. When we left Saudi, we knew full well we’d probably never be back and with their strict visa requirements, it would be difficult to ever return, even as a tourist and even then, we probably wouldn’t be able to get back on the compound I grew up on. I left Saudi as a 12 year old girl knowing that the home I spent my entire childhood in, that stucco house with marroon carpet and a nail polish stain on the wall in the downstairs bathroom, would never again be part of my life. I left knowing that the beach on the Persian Gulf that we spent so much time on, the small man-made reef that we snorkeled through, the restaurants, the people, the feeling of my childhood home, I knew I’d never see it again. And through the years, that weighed down upon me. I envied the people I met whose parents still lived in their childhood home. I felt adrift for a long time.

So when I moved to Portland for college, there was something about the city that immediately held me. I immediately felt like I had found my real home, a place that I fit, a place that I felt whole again. It was a feeling I hadn’t had since leaving Saudi 6 years earlier. This city, that I still call home, has been a constant in my ever evolving life and it’s a place that I have come back to again and again, even when life took me elsewhere.

What I’ve come to find is that “home,” at least for me, is a fluid concept. It doesn’t have to be a childhood home you still go back to visit, a house full of memories. It doesn’t have to be one place that you’ve always known. Home is about how you feel, what memories it evokes, and a place that makes you feel safe, that makes you feel understood, that makes you feel complete.

Over the years, I’ve spent a lot of time away from Portland. I lived in Honolulu for a couple years after college, I spent a lot of time working in Korea, I’ve traveled a lot, near and far, but in the end I still get that feeling when returning to Portland. I still feel like this is truly and finally home. I don’t know that I’ll always be here, but I do know that I’ll always come back to this city in the end, because it’s the one place in the world that has become such a constant for me, it’s the one place that holds a very special part of my heart.

Travel Tips : How to Choose a Trip Location

May 9, 2014

I get asked a lot how Nick and I choose the destinations we travel to. With a never ending list of possibilities around the world and even in our own home country of the US, let me tell you, it’s often a daunting task. We each have so many places on our “lists” that we want to see and experience and sometimes they line up and sometimes they don’t. We spend quite a bit of time, over a span of a few months brainstorming where we should head next and the process really does entail a lot of research and gathering information. So today, here is the process we go through of choosing a destination and all that it entails.

We start brainstorming for trips about a year in advance. For example, right now we’re in the process of discussing options for our Spring trip for next year (2015) and while that may seem like a long time in advance, that’s one reason we can travel so much because we plan ahead and can work it into our schedules. We won’t book anything for a while, but it’s important to give yourselves a few months of brainstorming ideas for locations. For us, we talk and see where the other person would like to go and try to meet in the middle or match up locations that might be close to each other.

Often times we start off with totally different locations than we end up going with too, so keep your options open.

After you figure out some of your ideas while brainstorming, choose a specific part of the world that interests you. For us, we were thinking the Mediterranean or Middle East for our Spring trip next year so we looked into a few different options for countries in that region during our brainstorming. Once you narrow down a specific area of the world, it makes everything easier because you have less to choose from. Narrow it down even further than continents, try and figure out particular areas such as SE Asia, Southern or Northern Europe, etc.

This is a big step in narrowing down locations even further. Some places just aren’t great to travel to at certain times of the year. For example, Nick and I don’t like to travel in the Summer as it’s too hot for us and there are too many tourists, which narrows down a lot of spots that might be best that time of year. For our Spring trip next year, we started with the idea of Greece, specifically Santorini, however upon further research and contacting people we know there, we realized that when we’d want to travel (February or March) that really is too early to really experience the Greek islands, not enough would be open and we’d miss out on some of the great weather and beautiful sunsets which are so specific to that part of the world. Learning that, we moved our area of focus to Spain, where the temperatures will be warmer (but not too hot) and things will be more available and easier to get to.

There are also places that I personally wouldn’t want to see in the Summer time in the heat with hords of tourists. It’s important to confirm what your location will be like in the time of year you’ll be traveling as that can really narrow down your options even further.

Once you finalize a location, you’ll want to do some good research on things to see and do and how you’ll get to your location. Keep in mind that flights often only operate during certain times of year or specific tourist attractions might be different in off seasons. Confirm you’ll really be able to experience your destination before you make the final bookings.

Once you’ve finished up all your research and confirmed that everything will work out for your trip, make the final bookings. I usually start with flights, as that’s the most important to lock in, especially if you find a good price. Then I follow with hotels and then transport options if we need to book in advance. No matter how far in advance, if I see a good deal on hotels or flights, I jump on it, because you can work the rest of your trip around those good deals usually. I also usually have an idea of places to stay and flights we’ll want that I find while doing the research in the above steps, so usually this part is pretty easy and quick, since you already have the information you need.

New Mexico : Santa Fe

May 7, 2014

After exploring the scenic Tent Rocks on our first day in New Mexico, we drove North to Santa Fe which had a storm blowing through and was freezing cold and snowing for much our time there. Santa Fe is much higher elevation when coming from Albuquerque and often has much stormier and colder weather than a lot of the rest of the State.

We spent Saturday night in Santa Fe and ventured around the Historic area of the town (built all in the pueblo style) as much as we could before we were frozen and retreated to the lovely Hotel St. Francis in the town center.

We went to sleep as snow fell outside the window and awoke to a blizzard (though thankfully none of it was sticking) and 30 degree temperatures. We wandered around the old town for a bit Sunday morning, grabbed breakfast at the Plaza Cafe on the Historic Town Plaza and then circled back to our hotel through the streets of shops full of pottery and chiles hanging out to dry before heading back to Albuquerque to catch our flight home.

I really enjoyed New Mexico overall and in some respects, it was exactly as I imagined. In others, it totally blew away my expectations. While this was a somewhat difference trip for us, with much more exploring the countryside and the open expanses of land, I loved seeing the red clay everywhere, the pueblo style architecture and the pops of turquoise every so often in the landscape and buildings. The Native American culture is rich in New Mexico and around every turn we were reminded of the history of this nation as well of that of Mexico, which all seem to blend in this ever diverse and beautiful State.

Photo by Nick

New Mexico : Albuquerque & Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks

May 4, 2014

A week ago, Nick and I made a weekend trip down to New Mexico for a quick holiday. I’ve been wanting to make it to the American South West for a while and as someone who loves desert landscapes, New Mexico was high on my list. Since we only had really 1 full day there (flying in to Albuquerque Friday evening and leaving mid-day on Sunday), we found a few spots we really wanted to see to get a taste of the State.

We stayed Friday evening in Albuquerque, had breakfast there Saturday morning and then headed out into the desert to explore the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Park which is about 45 minutes North of Albuquerque and only about a half hour South of Santa Fe. The Tent Rocks had intrigued us when we did research on the area, though we didn’t do enough research to fully realize the immense offerings of the park. We ended up doing a 3 mile hike (spontaneously) into the canyon and back, which ended up being really beautiful. We walked through tiny slit canyons into open spaces full of the incredible tent-shaped rocks and finally 600 feet up the rocks (literally climbing at some spots) to the beautiful view of the entire area from the top.

To be honest, it was a really hard hike (not just walking, but climbing and maneuvering throughout the path). Anyone that knows me personally knows I’m not an outdoorsy person and I’m not one to usually trek through the wilderness. I’m still not sure that had I known the trek ahead, we would have gone forward with it but I’m so glad we did. The landscape in this part of the country is just stunning and so unique and I’m so glad to have experienced it.

Photo by Nick

Easy Ways to Save Money While Traveling

April 30, 2014

There are so many lesser known ways to save money while traveling that aren’t often thought of – everything from which airport you fly into, to where and how you find lodging, where you spend your money on food and how you go about using transit spots, they can all end up saving you quite a bit of your hard earned money on a trip. Over the years, we’ve slowly figured out ways to cut off costs here and there as we travel and today, here are some of those tips that we’ve slowly learned to hopefully help you chip off a little bit of what traveling costs.

Fly into Smaller Airports + Take Advantage of Lower Fares

Which airport you choose to fly into in any location can really make a difference on your fares. There are tricks to picking your airport at your destination, so do your research. Often times, fares can be half as much (or less in some cases) if you just pick the airport that works better for your situation. The issue is that not many people even think about this and they just search for their city destination, not knowing that if you do the research and see what the options are, you could save a ton of money.

For an example of this, most major cities have multiple airports, usually a large international hub but also usually a smaller, more easily accessible airport as well. Paris has Orly, which we love and try to use as much as possible. It’s closer to the city, connects to the Metro and offers low cost carrier hubs there like EasyJet (which is one of our favorites in Europe.) London has Gatwick, Milan has Linate and the list goes on. This is also true in the United States, as you can often fly into Newark for a lot less than JFK, depending on where you are coming from. LA is the same, and often times fares to Burbank and Ontario are cheaper than LAX.

Another thing to check into is how to get into the city from each of the airport options you might use as sometimes it’s way cheaper from certain locations over others. For example, Newark has a train connection right into downtown NYC that’s way cheaper transport than grabbing a taxi. In Paris, Orly is a way quicker metro trip to get to than Charles de Gaulle from the center of Paris. Many times, these options can also save you money depending on where you’re headed.

Stay Outside of Expensive Areas

Often times, certain destinations you want to travel to can be quite expensive to stay and find accommodation in your price range or availability on your travel dates. Sometimes (depending on the situation of course) it’s cheaper and easier to find places to stay outside of where you’re headed and can even often turn into being able to explore more places. A good example of this is is a place like Santa Barbara where hotels are expensive, especially around holidays, and often book completely up. You could stay in LA (where there is a wealth of hotel options in every price range) and use points to rent a car and drive up the coast for the day to Santa Barbara. This scenario would allow you to explore more of LA as well as Santa Barbara and same goes for places in most expensive areas around the world.

Explore Away from Tourist Areas

In certain cities, for example like Paris or Honolulu, there are definitely “tourist spots” and restaurants that surround them are always way more expensive than going a few streets away from the tourist attractions. For example, in Paris, the cafe right next to Notre Dame is going to be way more expensive (and honestly, probably not as good) as the one down the street or across the Seine. In Honolulu, everything on the main boulevard through Waikiki is going to be double the price of what you can find if you head to more local spots.

A good option is asking people in those cities what their favorite local spots are or just wandering down side roads away from the masses of tourists and you’ll save a ton of money on food costs while traveling.

Stay at Train Stations or Airports while in Transit

Another thing that is super easy to do in Europe and Asia is staying some of your nights in transit at a train station or airport hotel. Sometimes you’re just passing through a city and want to stop off for a night. It’s often cheaper to stay at transit spots like train stations or airport hotels if it works with your schedule.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this for multiple nights as you don’t really get to see the great spots of a city by doing this, but if you’re going to be in transit anyway, sometimes this is a good option to save money and time instead of having to go into the city center while traveling.

What to Wear for Travel in SE Asia

April 28, 2014

More What to Wear posts for more destinations here!

We’ve been to SE Asia a few times throughout a few different countries and I’ve found on our trips that what you need to pack is quite similar between countries. Here I share some of my travel style inspiration for you to pack for your own trip to SE Asia, specifically for Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

What I Wore in Cambodia:

Outfit Details:

Madewell White Tee Shirt | Cargo Vest | Shorts | White Converse Low Tops |

Ralph Lauren Orange Cross Body Purse (similar) | Scarf (similar) | Lumix Camera

Outfit Details:

Madewell White Tee Shirt | Green Cargo Vest (similar) | Gap Cargo pants (similar) | White Converse Low Tops |

Ralph Lauren Orange Cross Body Purse (similar) | Linen Scarf (similar)| Lumix Camera

Tips for Dressing for Cambodia:

-Wear lots of linen to stay cool

-Add a vest and scarf knowing that in the evening it would get cooler

-Wear fabrics that breath, since it’s so hot and humid in Cambodia

-Wear dark cargo pants when exploring the temples – not only did they help to keep my legs covered while it was cool, they were also a dark color and didn’t show the dirt as much as lighter colors would

-Comfortable shoes are a must as we spent a lot of time wandering around and climbing in and out of temples

-A cross-body bag is also a must, as it was small enough to not be heavy and easy to throw over my shoulder

What I Wore in Thailand:

travel style for Thailand

Outfit Details:

Old Navy Maxi dress (sold out) | Madewell Tee Shirt | Tan Flats (similar)

Tips for Dressing for Thailand:

-The temples don’t let you in showing bare legs or shoulders so wear maxi dresses

-Throw on a scarf when you’ll be out until after dark as it cools down at night

-Wear loafers or flats so that your feet don’t get too dirty and are comfortable to walk around in.

What I Wore in Myanmar:

Outfit Details:

Madewell Tee Shirt | White Tennis Shoes (similar)| Loose Pants (similar) | Linen Scarf (similar)

Headed to SE Asia?

See our posts on Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar.

A Weekend in Seattle

April 23, 2014

A couple weekends ago, Nick and I drove up to Seattle (which is only a 2.5 hour drive for us) and spent the weekend in the city. I was taking my certification exam up there all day on Saturday so we drove up Friday after work and spent a lovely Spring evening wandering around downtown Seattle. We ate at one of our favorite restaurants and took in the gorgeous warm evening. Saturday, I was at the Art Institute of Seattle all day for my Practicum exam (basically 8 straight hours of drafting), followed by dinner at Palomino downtown, one of our favorite Seattle spots, and a quick stop through the brand new Zara before heading back to our hotel for an early night in after a very long day. Sunday we had brunch with my brother who lives in the area at the delicious Toulousse Petit in Queen Anne (thanks for the recommendation Erica!), which was delicious and then got on the road to head home.

It was a quick weekend but a lovely one at that. I always enjoy visiting Seattle and we got lucky with beautiful Spring weather and a nice little escape. We stayed at the recently renovated Kimpton hotel Vintage Park, which was fantastic and a hotel review will be on the horizon for that, but for now, here are a few photos from the weekend and some that Nick took while I was at my test all day and he wandered around the city!