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Travel Photography Tips

Darren Rowse, Digital Photography School,  shares his tips for improving your travel photographs and his description of tour photo stops exactly matched my experience. My guiding principle:Take as many photos as possible at each location using various techniques and settings.

In China I used more Kodachrome a day than most of my tour companions used the whole trip but I have one great photo of every place we visited. With digital there is no excuse to not take those extra frames, just remember to put the camera away and experience the place as well.

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Carnival of Cities – April 2nd

The Seattle Traveler is hosting the Carnival of Cities this week and presents a wide variety of stories from around the world. I enjoyed Agra Snapshot, Deepak Jeswal’s description of the Agra traffic reminded me of the fearless trishaw drivers in Penang.

The two California stories about The California Surf Museum and the end of the housing bubble juxtapose the surf culture and wealth of the Golden State.

My own article about Brisbane, and Colin Campbell‘s story about Adelaide highlight two of Australia’s less well known cities.

Thanks to Mary Jo for hosting the carnival.

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Travel Photographs – Vernazza, Italy

Each week I post a few of my personal travel photos to inspire your travel dreams. This week I chose my favourite shots of Vernazza on the Cinque Terre:

Vernazza, Italy

Church Bells

The Sublime and Ridiculous

Fishing Fleet

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Amateur Traveler Podcast

I am a fan of the Amateur Traveler Podcast and this week Chris Christensen spoke with Scott and Sheryl who quit their Silicon Valley jobs to travel through Europe for a year. Documenting their journey in their own podcast, A Year in Europe, Scott and Sheryl share their experiences and show you just how easy it is to travel.

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Five things to see and do in Brisbane, Australia

Brisbane is the best city in Australia, the natural gateway to Australia’s Gold Coast resorts and the Great Barrier Reef but it gets no respect. Often dismissed by our southern cousins as a big country town, Brisbane tries harder to win you over and it is blossoming into a great place to visit. What are my five favs?

1. South Bank. Site of the 1988 World Expo, South Bank was redeveloped into a recreation and cultural centre for the city and hosts a wide variety of events each year.

City Beach #31

2. Breakfast Creek Hotel. The Brekky Creek is a local institution, immortalised by the band Midnight Oil, and one of the few places to get a beer ‘off the wood‘ in Australia. Teamed with one of their world famous steaks you will find simple dining nirvana.

3. Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium). Corporate naming rights changed the name but to generations of Queenslanders it will always be Lang Park. Some Australia’s most intense Rugby League, and more recently Rugby, games have been played at Lang Park. To hear it reverberate with chants of ‘Queenslander’ is an experience for any sports lover.

4. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, less famous today than Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo, but still the best place to get up close to Australian wildlife in Brisbane. Take a boat cruise there and cuddle a koala.

5. Brisbane Nightlife. Brisbane’s vibrant nightlife has something for everyone, and you will find great local talent at affordable prices.