Back-tracking this train just a bit, here's some favorites from my frolic up to the Bay Area back in *eek* October. A good friend of mine went to school up there and was returning for a weekend of nostalgia and invited me along. Umm, free road trip with great company? Where do I sign up.
I should mention that since I only had ONE DAY in Frisco as a tag along (mostly spent catching up with friends), the majority of these images were shot on-the-go. Quite literally. Some were shot from a moving car. But, making the most of travel situations is the name of the game...and I still managed to come home with some lovely shots of San Fran's icons. Oh, SF...I barely scratched your surface...next time...oh yes...we will meet again soon...
Heading into the city from Sonoma Co. via the Golden Gate Bridge.
I loved this street moment. Thank God for red lights.
The One & Only.
Trans-America Pyramid.
Union Square.
Alcatraz.
Climbing towards Lombard St.; Alcatraz seen in the Bay.
A picturesque corner.
Bloomingdale's @ Union Square; from the roof of the parking structure.
A Bodega Bay seagull; where 'The Birds' was set & filmed.
Here's a little straggler from a recent trip to Bath, North Carolina. Bath happens to be North Carolina's first & oldest town, est. 1705. Even today, Bath remains a small village, but has a beautiful harbor on Pamlico Sound.
This little guy was the pet of a local Antique dealer. He was raised from birth and was tame to the point that he followed me around like a puppy and gobbled for attention. I called him Anatolia.
On September21, 2008, my mother and I loaded up her SUV to the gills and set out.Our destination was a long way off—my grandparents’ home in Raleigh, North Carolina.And we were aiming to make it in 3 days.Were we rushing? A bit.But riding passenger, photographs were still possible.*whew*
For those of you rusty with the math (personally raises hand), that’s over 2500 mi.Divide that by 12-14 hr. days on the road…and, well, my butt got numb.Very numb.
We traveled along trusty US Interstate 40, which pretty much cuts a straight line from L.A. to Raleigh.Which is nice…straight lines make it hard to get lost.(Hard.Not impossible.Watch the map.)While this was my third time making this journey, it was my first armed with a camera.I was determined to enjoy the scenery and grab some snaps whenever I could (fast shutter & clean windows, people!)
The breakdown of big cities passed through is as follows:
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Amarillo, Texas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Knoxville, Tennessee
- Asheville / Lake Lure, North Carolina
- Greensboro, North Carolina
AND finally...
- Raleigh, North Carolina
At the end of the road, I took stock.I had hundreds of images to document the distance traveled, as well as a few helpful hints:
ALWAYS have your camera handy!ALWAYS!The entire way across country, I had my Canon on my lap.Photo opportunities come up fast and they don’t wait for you to dig through your bag.
Likewise, anytime you leave the car…bring your camera with you.Just good sense anyway, but more than that, you never know WHAT you’re gonna see.I even brought my camera into the bathroom with me.Because…well…sometimes there’s interesting stuff to capture.
SHOOT EVERYTHING.You’re passing through.You may never see it again.And you’ll kick yourself later if you don’t.Besides, sometimes it’s the most inane shots you take that turn out to be the cream of the crop.
Embrace the Road!No, I don’t mean literally…get out of the street.I mean, try new things.It’ll make your trip THAT much more memorable if you create real memories.I ate Buffalo.See.Memorable.
Avoid chains.Try independent restaurants and dives at each stop.They have INFINITELY more character (Hello, photographers!), and you’ll get to meet the Locals to boot!If you see kitsch, pull over.
If you insist on shooting photography out the window of a moving car (who? ME?), make sure you have the strap wound around your arm so tight that your fingers are looking a little dodgy.And rank up that shutter speed.A lot.Unless you’re going for blur.Lots ‘o blur.
A note on hygiene:The second you get into your motel room, strip the comforter off the bed and throw it in the corner of the floor.Never look at it again.They don’t fit in a standard washer/dryer…so guess how often they get cleaned?Also, B.Y.O. hand sanitizer.(See note above about ‘interesting’ bathrooms.)
Lots of motels & hotels now offer free breakfasts.Pay attention to this.They rock.And it saves you money.Dooo itttt.*shakes fist*
Comfort cocoon!:Have dry snacks for when you get the munchies (aim for filling, not sugary); watch the liquid intake (“Bathroom break #372? Here we go!”); find something to keep your mind swift (Did you say ‘License Plate Bingo’?!), and satellite radio beats 200 miles of static or *Hank Williams. (*My sincerest apologies to the Estate of Hank Williams)
For any of you now jonesing to re-create this voyage, swing by your local AAA office first and pick up a “TripTik.”It’s a portable, customized map of your entire trip…complete with local interests, food/gas/food stops, etc.Truly invaluable.
All images, photographs, or renditions (unless otherwise noted) are copyright of Shannon Dagher. As such, they may not be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way, without the prior written consent of Shannon Dagher.
