Top 10 Travel Images
Top ten unique places to photograph (changes semi-annually)
# 10 Athens, Greece by Randall Tomaras
Scroll down to get to #1and don't forget to read the copy for an explanation and a few tips.
Room with a view
A lot of people think the closer the hotel to the monument the better. And most of the time they would be right, and it is more expensive. But having done research I knew that the Acropolis was high on a hill, plus it was being remodeled with scaffolding on one side. Since I wanted a nice Blue Light shot I got a hotel on the opposite side about a mile away. This was the view from my room.
# 9 Halong Bay, Vietnam by Randall Tomaras
Cruising Halong Bay
One of the advantages of being in photography for over 50 years is that you get to photograph history before it changes, then you can capture it after. From what I am told you can't find old junks like this anymore in Halong Bay. It is a beautiful place in Vietnam and like many special spots they become tourist areas and change quickly.
I remember being in China in1984 and the tour guide asked me why I did not photograph all the new things. I commented that the old things were like going back 100 years, 30 years later I met up with the same guide and China was like going into the future 200 years. What a change. So photograph as much history as you can.
# 8 Yosemite National Park California by Randall Tomaras
A dry Yosemite Falls
Yosemite Falls is beautiful, but make sure you chose a time when the water is flowing. For several years in a row it was dry in the Summer and Spring. On the other hand, this nice reflection and the leaves in the water would have been swept down stream.
So regardless of when you are in a place, seek out the best images you can get. If you train your eye to see, you can find images anywhere and anytime. Under my projects I am working on "Photo-Storming" It is a systematic way to come up with creative ideas. It will probably be a huge course in 2022.
# 7 The Vatican by Randall Tomaras
Praying inside the Vatican
The Vatican is the smallest country in the world. Yes, it is it's own country. And really, any historic religious temple is a great place to photograph. They are all amazing to photograph.
I was surprised how big St. Peter's Basilica was. Inside the Basilica there must have been 13 alters. So here is my advise, be the first in line, then when the doors open go all the way to the back, because they start to close off sections as it starts to fill up.
If you have a big camera sometimes they tell you no pictures, but they always allow phones. The new iPhone 12 can take some amazing images. Tripods need to be checked in.
# 6 Oia, Santorini Island, Greece by Randall Tomaras
A Santorini sunset
Santorini is an island South of Athens. I took a plane there from Athens but you can also take a boat. It is famous for it's all white buildings with blue church domes and windmills. The island is big and has many towns. The most famous is Oia.
The island was once a volcano and is considered one of the largest explosion in the last 10,000 years. It is also tied to the myth of the lost island of Atlantis. Consequently, many cruise ships stop there, as many as 5 a day. Most of the cruise ships stop November 1st. However there are a lot of other islands that do not allow cruise ships.
# 5 Burano, Italy by Randall Tomaras
Waiting for my ride
If you like color photography, you are going to love Burano, Italy. It is a small island 30 minutes south of Venice by boat. Every house and business in this fishing village must be painted a different color. The story goes, that when the fishermen came home drunk, they needed some way to identify their house. I doubt that, but it sure makes for a great place to photograph. Stay the night there and you can get some nice early morning reflections without tourists. Ten minutes away is island of Murano, a place that is world famous for glass blowing. I got a chance to photograph both.
# 4 Florence, Italy by Randall Tomaras
Blue hour at Florence
I was in Santorini Greece telling another photographer my itinerary for my next stop. I had Rome and Cinque Terra on my list for the next 9 days. He told me I HAD to changed my scheduled and put one day in Florence and one less day in Rome. I did. What a beautiful town. In this case I got the last room (honeymoon suite) right in the middle of old town. Only reason I got it was that it was November, but there were still a lot of tourists.
Got there at 3 in the afternoon only because I was polite and let others on and off the train. Before I could get off the train, it took off and I ended up in Pisa. Took a taxi to Florence because next train was 5 hours later. Don't be a nice guy, get off the train when the train stops. Lost 3 hours of shooting. Won't make that mistake again.
# 3 Paris, France by Randall Tomaras
Sell the Mona Lisa
While I have been to Paris several times, this time because time was short we decided only to photograph the outside of buildings rather than wait in long lines to get inside building. For those of you who have been to Paris, you know there is plenty to photograph both inside and out.
These were the gates that lead to the Louvre in Paris. originally I was just framing the glass pyramid then I heard this gal yelling on the phone. I moved aside and let her through, got back in position and caught this image. I visioned her as the curator and was yelling over the phone, "I don't care who painted it, I"m the curator and I say, sell the Mona Lisa".
# 2 Budapest, Hungary by Randall Tomaras
Beauty of Budapest
Sometimes it pays to know a photographer in the place you are visiting. I know other photographers have hired me to show them areas around the Olympic Peninsula. It saves them time and they can get more quality images in the amount of time they have because they do not have to search.
Such was the case for me at Budapest. I was there to photograph the World Championships of Wrestling and only had one spare night, so I looked at various photographers websites and hired one to make sure I was at the right spot for a blue light special.
# 1 Yellowstone - America's 1st National Park
Grand Prismatic reflection
There is a reason Yellowstone was our first National Park. I spent 12 hours a day for three days and I only scratched the surface. This particular image of the Grand Prismatic was taken around noon. I actually got up early the next morning and hiked up the hill to the overlook but it was too cold and the steam blocked most of the color. The following day it snowed and that was in June.
