Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[Dianausa]

We are first timers, we have already been in Spain and my hobby is photography. It is possible to create a section where photograpers can share questions and solutions about photo gear recommended, gear used in el camino, experiences, recommended places to photograph, where is allow or not allow to photograph .... etc ?

Here some sample of my work in Spain, I would like to share with others about photography in El Camino.

http://www.jaimephotos.com/europe.htm

[JohnnieWalker]

These pics are wonderful. Can't wait to see your Camino series.

[peregrino_tom]

Just a thought - I guess you've already looked at the Flickr groups?
Admittedly not many people post there unless someone poses a question, but I think Flickr is better set up and frequented for talking about the technical aspects of photography and of course, it's easier to see the examples of people's work!
cheers, tom

[skilsaw]

Great pictures! I like how you put something in the foreground of scenery shots. It gives the picture depth.

I think the photography questions we've had previously are pretty simple.

- Where can I charge my camera battery?

- Can I leave my camera charging, or do I need to stay with it?

- My chargers run on good old USA electricity. Can I plug them into Spanish electricity?

But you have been to Spain already so have a handle on these issues.

[dazzamac]

Diana,

Flickr is a great resource and I believe Ivar has set up a group there for people to share their Camino photos (http://www.flickr.com/groups/santiago-today/). I'm a member of that group and a few other Camino groups on Flickr and they are great places to share your images. The only issue with Flickr is that some of the discussion groups are visited somewhat sporadically and you might wait weeks or months for a response whereas this forum is very active and quick to respond to people's questions.

I would also welcome a photography section where people could share their experiences and offer technical advice relevant to the Camino. While I agree with skilsaw that many of the photography questions have been pretty straightforward (mostly along the lines of whether to bring a camera at all and if so how to charge batteries and keep it safe) that doesn't mean that there aren't people out there with technical questions looking for advice and recommendations from those who have walked before them.

You will find the Camino inspirational and for the most part you can take photos in just about every public place along the way. Some buildings have restrictions on photography within their walls and most will not allow flash photography. However these are clearly sign-posted.

The most important advice I can offer is that your camera should be easily reached without the need to take off your backpack. Otherwise, it is extremely likely that after a few days (or perhaps only hours) you will simply decide to leave it in your backpack rather than keep shouldering and unshouldering your pack.

If you have any other questions, please ask. You will find this forum a valuable resource.

[Dianausa]

These pics are wonderful. Can't wait to see your Camino series.

Thank you all for your response, I will consider some of your suggestions. Actually my name is Jaime, I'm Diana's husband, she is more into walking, I'm more into photography. I don't mind the walking effort as far as I can take my photos.

I will create my own account in this forum jaimephotos.com so I can post my photography questions and comments here.

Thank you
Jaime

[Jaimephotos.com]

Diana,

Flickr is a great resource and I believe Ivar has set up a group there for people to share their Camino photos (http://www.flickr.com/groups/santiago-today/). I'm a member of that group and a few other Camino groups on Flickr and they are great places to share your images. The only issue with Flickr is that some of the discussion groups are visited somewhat sporadically and you might wait weeks or months for a response whereas this forum is very active and quick to respond to people's questions.

I agree with you, I consider Flickr a place more to share and criticize photos, but not to have a continuous conversations about photography on El Camino. I will use Flickr or Picassa to post my photos, but not to chat about photography

[SkyDancer]

Hi Jaime,

Just wondering if you went yet?

[FreerangerMartin]

I have been using Blurb.com for the purpose of putting together books of my walking photographs: you can make them "private" or "public". And you can - if you wish (I do!) - allow the whole photobook to be read online.

In case of interest, my four books published this way are as follows:

* With an eye on the Via de la Plata (Seville to Salamanca) - see http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/1488414

* Puy people (Le Puy to Figeac, 3-15/5/2012) - see http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3278102

* Puy paysage (the landscape between Le Puy and St Jean-Pied-de-Port) - see http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3334576

* Puy ouverture (a "window" onto the whole Puy-St Jean route) - see http://www.blurb.co.uk/books/3410147

Obviously, I am hopeful that some people might also buy copies of the books, which indeed they have done. It pleases me that they are print-on-demand, so there is no wastage. And you can usually find a coupon discount code for Blurb by searching the net (though Blurb won't thank me for telling you this)!

Martin

[Mpfreebird]

So I have my fabulous Nikon DSLR, but it is just too big. What camera do you recommend to carry that is portable and light weight. Have a goPro so don't need video, but alot of the point and shoots just don't cut it. Any advice?

[DrDale]

MPFreebird... I too use Nikon DSLRs (D2x & D300). I like the Canon Powershot G12 (have owned 4 starting with G4). Can't recall the current name, not G13 (Canon is superstitious I guess). I like the fact that it has a view finder besides the LCD screen. Also the screen is moveable (you could hold the camera over your head and look up at the screen if the need arose). Also the battery life is excellent. I have used it twice on 10 day medical trips to Honduras, taking over 500 images each time and still had battery left. Dale

[Stephen Nicholls]

So I have my fabulous Nikon DSLR, but it is just too big. What camera do you recommend to carry that is portable and light weight. Have a goPro so don't need video, but alot of the point and shoots just don't cut it. Any advice?

I find my Fuji Finepix F300EXR ideal. 15x optical zoom, and 12 MP pictures. Very lightweight, and good battery life.
Links to over 700 of my photo's are on my web site http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

Stephen
http://www.calig.co.uk/camino_de_santiago.htm

[jmcarp]

MPFreebird... I too use Nikon DSLRs (D2x & D300). I like the Canon Powershot G12 (have owned 4 starting with G4). Can't recall the current name, not G13 (Canon is superstitious I guess). I like the fact that it has a view finder besides the LCD screen. Also the screen is moveable (you could hold the camera over your head and look up at the screen if the need arose). Also the battery life is excellent. I have used it twice on 10 day medical trips to Honduras, taking over 500 images each time and still had battery left. Dale

I'm a Nikon DSLR guy as well (D70, D5000, D7000), but my compact cameras are all Canons (too many to list). For our Camino this fall (2013), I'm just taking one camera, my trusty old Canon A590IS. While it's not the latest technology, it does take pretty good photos, and perhaps best of all for the Camino, uses AA batteries so I don't have to worry about a charger. It's also small, light weight, allows full PSAM shooting modes, has image stabilization, a decent zoom range (5x), a rudimentary optical viewfinder, and takes 8mp images, which is adequate for average print sizes and for web viewing.

Oh yeah, the current Canon G-series model is the G-15 -- Canon skipped G-13 and G-14 in the numbering scheme.

Jim

[Dave Courtenay]

I too am a Nikon guy and use the D3s and D800, I am going to get a Sony RX100 for my camino next year, Its the best point and shoot on the market at present, Great detail from its 20mp sensor, Not cheap but great build and IQ

Dave

http://www.wildlifeinfocus.com
http://www.davidcourtenayphotography.com

[peregrino_tom]

If you're thinking about an RX100 be sure to try it out before you buy it. It is tiny and has fantastic specifications. But I also found it to be so fiddly and confusing that I stopped enjoying taking pictures - and sold it on after a month

[PMSLAW]

I posted this on a topic about iPads, but I am also posting it here because it might be relevant to others looking on this topic:
Our Camino begins April 13th from SJPdP. I had been concerned about the risk of losing our photos if they were only kept on the camera memory card, and the camera became lost or stolen. I have an iTouch, but I wanted the additional flexibility of a midlevel “point and shoot”. With a little internet research, I found that there is a wi-fi memory card sold by Eye-Fi. I purchased the 16GB version and configured it. It works with most digital cameras that take an SD memory card. Here is what it does for us:
I set the card to “link” with my iTouch. When I take a picture the Eye-Fi stores the image and it also sends it to my iTouch. From there, my iTouch sends it both to my Apple “cloud”, and the Eye-Fi “cloud”… when my iTouch links with a wi-fi network… and from there the images automatically also download to my home computer! The Eye-Fi has an “endless memory” that starts to delete the oldest images from the card only if they have been uploaded to the “clouds”, and then only once the card has hit 75% capacity! From my iTouch I can selectively email, Facebook, or whatever, the images (as “links”) to anyone I wish. This set me back less than $100.00. Anyway, the setup is not the easiest thing I have ever done, but with a little perseverance it works flawlessly. By the way, I can also use my iTouch camera which links to the Eye-Fi cloud and directly then to my home computer. http://www.eye.fi
Pete and Christine.