One of the richest assets the city of Paris has as a tourist destination is its location on the river Seine.  Aside from the practicalities of being able to transport goods on the river, it makes Paris all kinds of photogenic.  There are bridges criss-crossing the river linking the city’s neighborhoods on either side, and  a long walking path along the Seine makes for a lovely stroll in nicer weather.  Many of the major tourist attractions, like Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and Musee D’Orsay are located along the river or at least close enough to be seen from the river.  This makes a boat cruise on the Seine a terrific introduction for visitors to the City of Lights.

A Bateaux Mouches boat

Unfortunately, for most of the week I was there, the weather was so wet and cold, I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of a boat cruise.  Finally, on Saturday night, after a brilliantly sunny day in Paris, I decided it was now or never.  I happened to be walking along the Seine anyway near Pont de l’Alma and saw the Bateaux Mouches landing.  It was an ideal time for a boat cruise, as the sun would set in less than an hour.  So I bought my ticket (10 Euros) for a cruise departing at 4:30pm, as the sun was setting.  (There are more expensive options if you want to join a lunch or dinner cruise.)

Contemporary Paris seen from the Seine

Was it worth it? Absolutely.  The only downside of tours like this is the other passengers.  There were a large number of teenagers being loud and obnoxious and unsupervised children running all over the boat. While the former was annoying, the latter really upset me. What would have happened if they had fallen overboard and no one noticed?  On the bright side, I noticed I wasn’t the only solo passenger aboard the cruise.

Notre Dame from the Seine

The cruise itself was as lovely as you would expect at sunset and dusk. . . except that it was also brutally cold, thanks to the wind blowing off the water.  I could have sat downstairs in the heated enclosed room, but I toughed it out on the upper deck, because I really wanted photographs of everything.  One by one, everyone sitting outside got up and went inside. I was one of the last holdouts, but after an hour, even I couldn’t take it any more.  The heated enclosure was like heaven at that point.

The Eiffel Tower as seen from the river

The Bateaux Mouches cruises are narrated in several different languages (English, French, Spanish, German, and others I couldn’t identify) so tourists can identify what buildings and monuments they are looking at.  I really appreciated that at the time, though in reviewing my photos, I realize I can’t remember what some of them are. It was also fun to practice my knowledge of German, Spanish and French during those narrations.

For a different perspective of the major buildings and monuments of Paris, I highly recommend the boat cruise on the Seine.  In warm weather, I imagine this would be one of the most worthwhile activities you could enjoy in Paris.  But even in winter, it’s beautiful.  Just bundle up before you go.

Cruising the Seine is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Eiffel Tower at Sunset from Montmartre

Is it any wonder Paris has always been a dream destination of mine?  It’s got such a romantic allure.  The first thing I always think of when I think of Paris is its most iconic landmark, the magnificent Eiffel Tower, reaching for the sky.  So naturally, the first thing I did when I arrived in Paris was visit. . .Notre Dame.  Wait–huh?

View of Eiffel Tower from Ferris Wheel, Place de la Concorde

Yeah, that’s right.  I didn’t visit the Eiffel Tower first. I didn’t even visit it second.  I didn’t actually get around to going to the Eiffel Tower until day 5 of my trip.  Not that I didn’t get to see teasing glimpses of it playing peekaboo with me as I toured other areas of Paris, such as Montmartre.  In fact, that’s pretty much what I was looking for as I toured the rest of Paris.  I wanted to see what kinds of photos I could take of the Eiffel Tower from other areas of the city.  While the Eiffel Tower is visible from some places in Paris, I was surprised that you can’t actually see it everywhere in Paris.  I mean, are you kidding?  Something that tall??? 

Base of Eiffel Tower

Other than my cat-like desire to stalk my prey from afar before pouncing on it, part of me put it off because I wanted to savor the anticipation of seeing it.  I was “saving the best for last”–a risky tactic which has bitten me in the ass before, like when I was scheduled to visit the Mayan ruins at Tulum in Mexico at the end of my week there, and spent the entire night before throwing up from food poisoning.

But the more practical reason for saving the Eiffel Tower for late in my stay was geography; I wanted to wait until I was staying in the 7th arrondissement, where it was within walking distance of my hotel.  But I thought about it all week long.  Oh, the anticipation!  Should I go up?  Should I not go up?  How will it feel to be standing at the base?  How tall is it really when you’re standing right next to it?

Misty night

On Friday evening, I finally walked up the Champs de Mars to the Eiffel Tower. . .only to find it shrouded in mist, the upper quarter of the tower missing, like the Invisible Man beneath his wrappings.  That was kind of a let down (though it did make for some great photos).

On Saturday, the sun was shining, so I went back and got the full view.  I also got a terrific nighttime view of it that night from my bateaux mouches boat tour of the Seine.  And you know what? I’m glad I saved it until later in my trip because Saturday was one of only two sunny days during my entire week in Paris, and it was really nice to enjoy the area around the Eiffel Tower on a beautiful, sunny day.  In this particular case, the risk paid off beautifully.

Am I crazy for saving it for last?  When you travel to a dream locale, do you save the best for last, or do you do it first?  What influences the order in which you see sights?

Stalking the Eiffel Tower is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons in Vermont.  I can’t quite decide if I love it more than summer or not. I do love the warmth and sunshine of summer, but there’s something special about the fall. . .If only it weren’t immediately followed by my least favorite season, winter.

Autumn is a treat for the senses:  Brilliants reds, oranges and yellows explode like fireworks across the landscape.  The dry, fallen leaves on the sidewalks bring out the kid in me, as I scuff my feet through them, enjoying the rustling sound they make and the crunch beneath my steps. And the tastes. . . oh the tastes of Autumn!  Hot mulled apple cider with fresh, warm cider donuts–could there be a more perfect snack on a brisk day?  Speaking of brisk, the days are becoming crisp and cool and the nights downright cold.  People start firing up their wood stoves, and there’s a smoky overlay to the air, along with the smell of decaying leaves. It’s strange to love the smell of something decaying, but I don’t know a single Vermonter who doesn’t love the smell of the leaves in fall. The sound of Autumn is the honking of geese flying south and the rustling of tree branches in the wind.

If you want to enjoy these sensory experiences, too, October is the best month to visit.  It is impossible to predict in advance when foliage will peak (I’ve seen it peak as early as early September), but generally, October is a safe bet.  Also, foliage peaks at different times in various parts of the state, so if it’s past peak in one part of the state, chances are it’s peak elsewhere just a few hours’ drive away.  Be forewarned that you will run into thousands of other leaf-peepers during October in Vermont, so be sure to book lodging well in advance and be prepared for the unthinkable:  Bumper to bumper traffic in picturesque little towns like Stowe.  Also be very cautious about other drivers on the road: sometimes the foliage is just so spectacular it distracts drivers and accidents happen.

This is Autumn in Vermont.

If you’d like to see more of my Autumn photos, check out my galleries on Smugmug.

Burlington Vacations

Photo Blog: Autumn in Vermont is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Overlooking the Sydney Opera House

I travel by myself a lot, and I am always taking photos and filming myself. Often people make comments to me about my photos and videos and want to know how I am able to get them just right. The secret is practice makes perfect, and I always take more than one photo and film more than one take.  If you do that and follow some of my tips listed below you will never have a problem again!

Tip #1 Don’t be afraid to do it or worry about looking silly to other people!

• You don’t. You look just like any other person who wants a photo of themselves. Would you rather not get that great shot of yourself in front of the coolest thing in the world just to know that no one looked at you funny? Not me.

Tip #2 Be spatially aware.

• Make sure the camera isn’t zoomed in too close or too far out. Try to avoid having your arm in the shot.  That way it looks more natural.

Tip #3 Framing

• Unless the photo is of you and only you, try to frame it so that you are on either side of the photo so the subject of the photo (when not yourself) is featured and can be seen.

Tip #4 Take more than one photo

• Or take more than one take of your video. In the age of digital cameras you always have a quick reference guide right in your hand to see if you have captured the image or video exactly as you like it.

Tip #5 Don’t rush it.

• You may never visit this place again. Stop and take your time (“smell the roses”).  Give yourself the time to get the exact shot that you would like.

Cailin in Barcelona

Tip #6 Don’t forget to smile!

Tip #7 Tools of the trade

• If you want to photograph or film yourself in front of large landscapes or objects, you may want to consider buying an Xshot camera extender. (You can find a link to them on my site.) This allows you to have the camera much further away from you so you can get more scenery and/or more people in the photo with you without needing someone else to snap the shot for you.

The XShot Camera Extender

Tip #8 Let strangers help you.

• If you are struggling, let the nice stranger who offers take your picture for you. I often hate the pictures the random stranger takes of me, but you never know when they might get a good one of you and it’s all about good karma right? At least you can make them feel good about helping you. (Obviously make sure you feel safe with the stranger taking your camera to do this and are in a safe place.)

Cailin in Edinburgh

Tip #9 Try to keep the camera in your left hand.

• For photos, hold the camera in your left hand, even if you’re right-handed. When the camera is facing you, the button is on the left side.  If you use your left hand, your arm won’t be in the photo. Also make sure the landscape or subject of the photo is over your right shoulder, otherwise you will have that arm-in-the-photo problem again. It also looks more natural to have it to your right, as that is the way your body will be turned because your left arm is jutting out to hold the camera.

If you follow all of these tips you should have great photos to remember your solo travels and moments.

Thanks so much for the tips, Cailin!  So, readers, do you have any other self-photography or self-video-related questions for Cailin?  Feel free to post them in the comments below.

Cailin O’Neil is first a traveler, then a filmmaker. She has traveled mostly solo for the past 3 years to 23 different countries blogging and filming along the way. In 2009 she fulfilled her biggest dream by producing and funding the filming of the first episode of her travel TV show “Travel Yourself”. Currently in post production, Cailin now balances editing the show with freelance work in film and TV in her home town of Halifax, Nova Scotia while fitting in more travels every chance she gets.

Tips for Self Portraits and Video While Traveling Solo is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Burlington City Arts Cow

There used to be a saying that there were more cows than people in Vermont.  I’m not sure that’s true any more; but we still do have quite a lot of cows.  Even more this summer, as Burlington is hosting its own unofficial version of a cow parade.  In case you’re unaware of this phenomenon, the Cow Parade is a public art event hosted in various cities featuring life-sized fiberglass cows that have been painted by local artists. The artists use them as a unique canvas.  Often, the artwork reflects something about the culture in the region in which they’re being exhibited.  (As is noted in the comments below, Burlington’s event is not a sanctioned event by the official Cow Parade organization.)

I saw the Cow Parade several years ago in Las Vegas, where there were cows painted to look like a magician, and Elvis, and even a Las Vegas showgirl (that was hilarious!).  Vermont’s cows look understandably different.  They’ve been on display for the past month or so around downtown Burlington, and will remain on display until they’re auctioned off in October.  I’d say you had until then to come see them in person, but you might want to come sooner rather than later, since 6 of the cows so far have been vandalized.  Shameful, I know. The lack of respect for public works of art is a black eye on this city.

Here are a few shots I took of the cow art.  Pretty creative stuff.

Edu-Cow (this is a college town)

The Leunigs Waiter Cow (see his broken left foreleg? Vandals.)

The Cabot Cheese Cow, decked out in Vermont plaid

Thunder Cow, named after the local racetrack, Thunder Road

Sugarbush Cow, highlighting outdoor sports in Vermont

I like to call this one Veggie Cow

This cow has a cityscape of Burlington overlooking Lake Champlain

One of my favorites, the Airport Cow!

The other side of the Airport Cow

My favorite: Winter Landscape Cow (ironic, since I hate winter!)

Close up of the Winter Landscape Cow

Burlington Cow Parade is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

It’s probably a good thing I travel solo, because one of my favorite subjects to photograph is animals (and birds and sealife).  Not truly wildlife photos, like wolves or grizzlies or gorillas in the wild–I’m way too chicken for that–but whatever animals I happen across.  So in New Orleans, I took photos of the mules with their carriages in the French Quarter, little birds splashing in a fountain in Jackson Square, and swans gliding along a stream beneath Spanish moss in City Park.  At Disney World, I took numerous photos of the animals at Animal Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Lodge, as well as exotic birds we don’t see here in Vermont.  In San Juan, I followed feral cats on the beach for photos and got some nice shots of a variety of fowl on the Caribe Hilton property.  I’ve been known to stalk squirrels with my camera during my lunch hour at work.  I can’t seem to help myself.  I see an animal, and out comes the camera.

When I review my photos of past trips, I find that a) I have hundreds more photos from my solo trips than I do from trips I took with someone else; and b) I have photos of animals and birds from those trips, as opposed to just landscapes and people.  I think this is because it takes some time to score good animal photos.  You can’t just stop, click the camera and move on if you want a really good shot.  Most travel companions won’t have the patience to wait while you try to get just the perfect shot of that swan on the river.

Geese on the South Burlington bike path

For example, the other night I took a walk down the South Burlington bike path, which runs past a wetlands area where this summer there are two families of Canadian Geese (one with four goslings, and one with six).  I brought my DSLR with zoom lens, just in case I happened to spot them, and sure enough, they were out next to the bike path, pecking at the strip of grass next to the road, eating grass seed or bugs or something for their dinner.  I slowly approached and stopped when I was as close as I dared to get to them.

I say “dared” for two reasons:  One, they were dangerously close to the road, where cars were going by. I didn’t want to startle them into trying to run away from me and into the road, only to get hit by a car.  Two, geese will attack people if they feel threatened, and I really have no desire to be chased down the street by an angry goose. So I stopped a respectful distance from them and used my zoom lens to get photos.  Interestingly, because all I was doing was standing there, quietly taking photos, the geese didn’t seem all that concerned about me.  A jogger ran past them a little too closely, startling one of the adults, who hissed at her.  But they kept walking closer and closer to me, allowing me to finally get what I call “the money shots”.

A "money shot"

At one point, one of the adult geese raised his neck up high and stared right at me, as if to ask “You’re not going to try anything are you?”

I gave him the same look back.  “You’re not going to try anything are you?”

Both satisfied the other meant no harm, he continued eating, and I continued taking photos.

Had I had a companion with me, I doubt they would have had the patience to stay as long as I did, and quite possibly the geese might not have come closer, as they might have felt more threatened by two of us.  In any case, I appreciated the opportunity to focus on the birds, and not on a companion, while trying to get these shots.

Cute little gomers, aren't they?

No animal was harmed in the taking of these photos. 

Photographing Animals is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Nikon D40 with zoom lens attached

Up until last year, the only camera I brought with me when I traveled was my Nikon Coolpix 885, a 2001 model that was practically an antique by the time I decided I needed to upgrade.  It took perfectly fine photos for 4″ x 6″ prints, but once I started my travel blog and started uploading photos to my website, I realized I  needed something better.  It’s also a bit chunkier than other point-and-shoot cameras, so I couldn’t even fit it in my pocket. Ugh.

Fast-forward to 2008, when I joined a local photography club to learn more about taking better pictures.  I was the only one still using a point-and-shoot.  One of the members loaned me his Nikon D70 to try out, and it was love at first sight.  I knew I had to have a DSLR.  After some research, I went with Nikon’s budget DSLR, a D40.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the money to buy an all-purpose 18mm-200mm lens, so I had to go with the 18-55mm (wide angle) lens that was included and buy a 55mm-200mm (zoom) lens as a supplement.  I love my Nikon D40.  Among its positive points:

• It was less expensive than many DSLRs.
• I can take much better pictures with it than with a point-and-shoot, without having much skill level as a photographer. But there is also great manual functionality for those of you with more skill.
• The zoom lens is the best thing that’s ever happened to my photography.
• It is very girl-friendly, meaning it fits my hand perfectly (whereas my friend’s D70 was clearly made to fit a man’s hand).
• It’s lightweight.

But over the past year, I’ve realized it has some limitations. These are:

• Despite how lightweight the Nikon D40 is for a DSLR, once I’ve been carrying it around for a couple of hours, it feels like a bowling ball around my neck.
• It never failed that whenever I wanted to take a wide shot, I’d have the zoom lens on the camera, and whenever I wanted to take a zoom shot, I’d have the wide lens on the camera, requiring constant swapping out of lenses.  This is very cumbersome and annoying.
• If you take a lot of photos when you travel, as I tend to, there is no way around the fact that you will have the camera on a strap around your neck for much of the day.  This identifies me as a tourist and the camera becomes a target for thieves.

Samsung DualView and its Front LCD

After my trip to San Juan, I realized what I really needed was a new point-and-shoot as a backup for my DSLR for those times when I want something small and lightweight that I can just slip into my pocket and carry with me easily.  I’ve been a Nikon loyalist for the past decade, but after reading this great review by Christine Ka’aloa at Grrrltraveler on her new Samsung Dualview camera, I took a closer look at it and decided this would be a great camera for me.

The front LCD screen makes it easier for the solo traveler to take her own picture.  One of my problems with solo travel is not having a lot of pictures with me in them from my trips.  I’ve tried asking people to take my photo with my DSLR, but have learned the hard way that most people don’t know how to use them.  (Even though it’s pretty much exactly the same way you use a point-and-shoot.  I think the size intimidates them.)

The DualView is tiny enough to fit in almost any pocket

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to be walking past Radio Shack in my local mall and decided to see if they had the DualView in stock so I could handle it and see how it fit my hand.  I’m not the kind of person who normally makes impulse purchases, but having read up on this camera for months, as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it and bought it on site. Since then, I’ve been practicing with it (though I need a LOT more practice, to be sure), and here is what I’ve found are its pros and cons:

Pros:

• The front LCD screen rocks.
• At $179 for the newest model, it wasn’t too expensive.
• It’s very small and lightweight and fits in the pockets of all of my clothing.
• The quality of most pictures is pretty good, though they certainly are not DSLR-quality.
• Automatic smile detection.  This is one of those nifty high-tech features that makes me ooh and aah.
• Not that I’ll ever use it, but there’s also a child photo feature that involves sounds to make the child smile and stay interested in looking at the camera.
• It has video capability.
• It takes the same kind of memory card as my Nikon D40, so I can use the same cards in both cameras without an additional reader to upload shots to my laptop.

Cons:

• The zoom lens doesn’t zoom in very much, so you still have to get fairly close to things. This will never replace the zoom lens on my DSLR.
• No stabilization for handshake.  My hands shake a lot when I take pictures, I’m not sure why. So with the Samsung DualView, I will either need to use  my tripod or rest the camera on something stable, or I’ll need to take a lot of pictures of the same subject to make sure something turns out well. [Edited to add:  Uh, yeah, actually it DOES have Digital Image Stabilization, I just hadn't discovered it yet.  Excuse me while I trot off to read the rest of the user's manual....]
• No viewfinder.  This really threw me off. I’m used to using the viewfinder, rather than the back LCD screen, when I take photos.  Outside on a sunny day, it’s hard to see from the LCD if I’ve truly got the subject I’m aiming for in my shot.
• The smile detector sometimes jumps the gun a bit.  “But I wasn’t smiling yet!” doesn’t seem to convince the camera otherwise.
• I had to turn the volume to high when testing the video function on the camera, because I couldn’t hear sound with anything less than that (despite the fact that what I was recording was very loud).

Despite the cons, I’m pleased with my DualView.  It is definitely a step up from the Coolpix and serves the purposes I purchased it for.  I’ve decided that for my travels from now on, the Samsung DualView does one thing that will help me a lot:  Since it takes good wide angle photos, I could theoretically just throw the zoom lens on my  Nikon D40, throw the DualView in my pocket, and leave the 18-55mm wide-angle lens at home.  No more swapping out lenses.  That alone is worth the price of the DualView.

Test shots:

The DualView takes great wide angle shots

The DualView's zoom leaves a lot to be desired

I took this shot with my D40 zoom lens

Shaky hand syndrome with the DualView means a not-so-crisp photo

The DualView can't replace my D40 for shots like this

My Travel Camera Gear is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Tiger mural

In recent years I find I am enjoying street art as much as (if not more than) art I see in museums and art galleries when I travel.  The first street art I ever saw was in New York City.  Coming from a small town in rural Vermont, I’d never seen anything like it:  A mural on the side of a building.  Later, I saw it in Montreal and Atlanta as well.  I became enchanted by these gems popping up in the most unusual places.

Lest you think street art only exists in big cities. I thought I’d share some shots I took during a walk around downtown Burlington a couple of weekends ago, when we hit record-high temperatures.  Burlington, Vermont is a very arts-friendly small city, so it doesn’t really surprise me to see this kind of creativity turn up in odd places. And for such a small city, there’s actually quite a lot of it.

UVM Mural

This mural, painted on a cement wall outside of the University of Vermont’s Living/Learning Center, might be the oldest in Burlington, but if not, certainly one of the oldest.  It is also one of the most political, featuring slain Archbishop Oscar Romero and a plea for peace in El Salvador.  Sadly, the paint on this mural is chipping now due to the elements, so it’s not what it once was.

UVM Mural

Over the years, the artwork on this wall has been added to, most notably in 2001, following the 9/11 attacks.  But in my opinion, though I’m sure the emotion behind the later art was powerful, the quality of art is not comparable to the original work.

Mural on a Pearl St. liquor and pharmacy building

From the UVM campus, I walked north to Pearl Street and then west down the hill toward the lake.  The next major mural I found was the above one on the side of a building housing Pearl Street Beverage and Lakeside Pharmacy (conveniently located together for all your drug and alcohol needs). [6/6/10 update: My friend Michael tells me the building owner just painted over the mural, so sadly, this work of art no longer exists.]

Dough Boy's Bakery mural

Further along, on the other side of Pearl street,I saw this mural, partially hidden behind some trees along the side of Dough Boy’s Bakery.  I’m trying to figure out if that thing holding the flag is supposed to be an animated pastry of some sort. Odd.

Mural next to Parima Thai

The next mural up was this interesting city scape on the side of a building next to the excellent Parima Thai restaurant.

Skateboard shop

One of the most eye-catching buildings on Pearl Street is this skateboard shop on the corner of Pearl and Battery, which is entirely painted in street art, with cut skateboards decorating the edge of the roof.  Since there was a car in the way of one of the most interesting pieces of art on the building, I had to take a separate photo of that:

Skateboard shop

I have no idea who that guy is.

After grabbing lunch at the Beansies truck in Battery Park, I walked back to the center of town.

Mural on building housing Daily Planet

This fun design decorates the side of the building housing Rapunzel Salon and the Daily Planet, one of Burlington’s better restaurants, located on Center Street. On the back of a service station across the street, facing the Planet is this mural:

Mural facing Daily Planet

Facing the intersection of Center and Bank Streets, there is a parking garage located behind a Texaco station.  The Texaco station features some of the best street art I’ve seen in Burlington.

Texaco station mural

The details on this one warranted a close-up shot:

Texaco station mural

That guy cracks me up.  He totally looks like a Vermonter.  Then there’s this piece of art wizardry on the rear of the gas station:

More Texaco artwork

That looks like “Tooth” to me.  But I can’t for the life of me figure out what “tooth” would have to do with a Texaco station.  Finally, I took shots of this jungle mural, located in an alley off Church Street leading to the parking garage.

Mural off Church Street

This mural is incredibly detailed and shows a lot of talent on the part of the artist. However I do question some of the animals featured in this urban jungle.  Since when do you find penguins in the jungle?

Penguins? In the jungle?

And look out for that most dangerous of jungle predators–the cow:

Jungle cow

There is more street art in Burlington than this, but I made an unfortunate choice of footwear on this day and was developing several blisters at this point, so I called it a day.

If you’re looking for something different to do on your next trip to Burlington, outside of the usual tourist stops, consider just walking around the streets of Burlington and enjoying the street art.  The architecture of this city is also an interesting combination of historical and eclectic, but that will have to be the subject of a future post.

Burlington Street Art is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Camera hood made from Ziploc bag

Travelers love Ziploc bags.  Oh yes, we do. They have so many wonderful uses.  We have to pack those 3 oz bottles of liquids in them, and they’re good for containing anything that might leak in your luggage.  You can use them as a doggie bag for meal leftovers, as an organizational tool, and if you want to separate your dirty underwear from your clean, the Ziploc does the trick.  Something else they are also useful for is to serve as a makeshift DSLR camera hood.

Cut the 2 bottom corners of bag and slip camera straps through

I read this tip online almost a year ago (but damned if I can find the link again), but didn’t have the opportunity to put it into practice myself until my recent trip to the El Yunque rainforest in Puerto Rico.  Obviously, there’s a fair to middling chance it will rain on you in a rainforest.  If you’re too cheap to invest in a camera hood (like me), you can make do with a gallon Ziploc bag.  Just cut the two bottom corners of the bag.  Unfasten the strap of your camera from the camera body and slip the body into the bag.  Then slide the ends of the strap through the bag holes you’ve just cut and attach to the camera as usual. You will shoot your photos through the top opening of the bag, but you can also zip it shut between uses to keep your camera nice and dry. The bag is thin enough that your fingers will easily locate and press any necessary dials and buttons, and believe it or not, you can still see through the viewfinder and the clear plastic of the bag.

Shoot through the opening of the bag

I felt a little silly during the first hour or so at El Yunque, because it was sunny and there was no rain.  The Ziploc bag on your camera does look kind of dorky. But believe me when I say I was very happy I had it on a little later when the skies opened up and it really started pouring as we were hiking through the forest.  It would have been a shame if I couldn’t get photos of such a beautiful rainforest due to a fear of getting my camera wet.

Brook at El Yunque

Bridge at El Yunque

El Yunque Rainforest

Ziploc to the Rescue! is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

May your holidays be filled with laughter and love and your new year be healthy, happy, and supremely successful.  Cheers!

Christmas in Burlington, Vermont is a post from: SoloFriendly.com