Phaleonpsis "Moth" Orchid. © Brenda Tharp
It’s almost time for me to leave town again - for a month this time. Seems like I was just coming home not to long ago...yet I’m excited about the two main destinations I am going to - Delray Beach, Florida, and Egypt. I’ve been to both places now, and the first time in both areas I was not aware of the possibilities, nor where to go to find those photo opps. But in both cases, I simply opened my mouth and started asking questions, lots of them. I told people what I was interested in, and the feedback I received was very helpful. Delray Beach in Florida is just such an example; I had never been there before January of 2005. I was attending Fotofusion as a presenter, and a month later I’d be teaching a 5-day workshop. I asked everyone there where some great outdoor/nature spots were. I also asked about colorful ‘art deco’ buildings, nature spots, murals, interesting beach locations, arboretums, flower gardens, tropical plant nurseries. The information I received was invaluable - and it saved me a lot of research time. Not everything panned out to be great, but fortunately, by asking enough people, I got a sense of what would be really terrific, and what I might skip.
Walls and Pink Steps. © Brenda Tharp
If you are ever in a situation where you don’t have time to research before arriving in a place, don’t despair. Check out the local postcard stands for popular picture spots - then go photograph them in your style. Take a local 1/2 day tour if that’s appropriate, and using a compass, determine when a better time of day might be to return for pictures. Ask shop owners about their favorite ‘secret’ spots in the city/village or environment. Your use head, your instincts, and your mouth and you’ll find yourself with a focus, a plan, to photograph no matter where you ‘land.’ The American Orchid Society was a great find - after telling people I wanted to photograph orchids and other flowers, with diffused light - I was lead to this great spot and spent two 1/2 days there making pictures. I then brought my class back and they had a great time, too. The artful colors of the other image came from a 5 minute walk away from the touristy main drag in Delray Beach, an off the beaten path find for me and my students.
The moral of this story is to use the resources available to you to get the most out of a location that you can. And be willing to do some footwork once you get there to find special places of your own. It pays off, and the people you meet in the process can become photo subjects themselves!
I’ll be posting my next blog from D.C., then it’s on to Florida and off to Egypt. Warm sun, here I come!
All the best, Brenda
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