I don't know where in the world you are, but over the weekend in Chicago it was sixty degrees fahrenheit (about 16 degrees celsius). Everything school related was irrelevant and all that mattered was getting out into the city to do some much needed exploring. The only downfall of the day was reminding ourselves that the weather was not going to last and it was still only FEBRUARY. It is not spring yet. Cannot get the spring jitters just yet. A few friends and I decided to feed our souls (with donuts. lots and lots of donuts) and set out to try and find as many of the insta-famous murals in Chicago as we could in one day. Some were a bust, others were just to far to do all in one day on public transportation, and others were beyond amazing in person. One of the Stan's Donuts locations at the Damen Blue Line stop in Wicker Park. I got a blueberry donut and it was heaven. The Flamingo wall is probably one of Chicago's most instagramed and well known murals. You are definitely not going to be alone when stop by this wall so be prepared to share the space and wait for a photo-op. Painted By: JC Rivera and Andrew Ghrist Location: 601 N Wells St Closest CTA: Blue Line Clark & Lake or Red Line Grand Level of Difficulty: 3/5 The side walk is not very wide and there is a parking lane next to the curb. It is a hit or miss if there will be cars in the way. To have enough space to take a photo with the flamingo in the photo (like the photo on the right), you have to stand in the road. There are three lanes of traffic driving by so be careful as you time your photoshoot with the red lights. The cars are coming off the expressway into the city and can be a bit speedy if they catch the green light coming in. Best Time To Go: The best time to go (currently) is mid-afternoon about three-four hours before sunset. The sun will be starting to set in-front of the Flamingo Wall and the taller buildings in-front of it will block the sun. An overcast day is just as good as a sunny day to photograph, as well. It is another hot spot an popular mural in Chicago so don't be surprised if you see a few people hanging out here on a nice day. Painted By: Victor Ving and Lisa Biggs Location: 2236 N Milwaukee Ave Closest CTA: Blue Line California Level of Difficulty: 1/5 This mural is about three blocks off ofd the California stop outside of Logan Square. It is in an empty gravel parking lot with loads of space to photography and take your time in the process. Best Time To Go: The best time to go is early morning. The sun won't be as harsh and it will be facing the mural so the shadows are behind you. (we got there way to late in the day but still had fun with it). Overcast days are great days to photograph, too! Let me know what you think of the mural photos and if you want to see more.
xx A Traveler's Bliss
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What would my final edition of my Eurail Adventures series be without showcasing all we did through photography? I wanted to go all out and post some of the highlights from each city that best represented the city and our time spent there. It is the best way for me to show an entire collection of photographs from the journey without going overboard. Cause I can. Easily. If you have been following along with me on Instagram this week, you've probably noticed by now that I have been posting a photo a day from each city that we visited along the Eurail. Feeling the nostalgia is sadly part of coming home from any great adventure, but going through old pictures, reunions and connecting up with travel friends, and always talking about more travel is part of keeping the wanderlust alive. I think one of the best parts about being able to look back is we can say we accomplished so much is a such a short period of time. Ten countries and sixteen cities in twenty-five days is a lot of culture and history condensed into a short amount of time. There were some days we felt rushed through a city and others we felt like we had time to take everything in and enjoy the moment. By the end we all felt the experience left us with an overall concept of which cities we knew we needed to return to and spend more time exploring, and others we felt just didn't leave that lasting impression on us and we would rather see another part of the country. Overall, even with every struggle and the packed schedule, the low moments could not even begin to match the highlights: getting on our first train to begin our journey, climbing to the top of the Astronomical Tower, lounging in the Baths of Budapest, singing in the hills of Salzburg, eating gelato for breakfast, wearing a bright yellow rain coat so I could never get lost, and watching a sunset in Lisbon while listening to the sounds of the city. These are the little things that make everything worth it, especially when you get to share the memories. Amsterdam, Netherlands Berlin, Germany Prague, Czech Republic Budapest, Hungary Vienna & Salzburg, Austria Zurich, Switzerland Milan, Italy Venice, Italy Rome, Italy Florence, Italy Monte Carlo, Monaco Barcelona & Madrid, Spain Lisbon, Portugal xx A Traveler's Bliss
One of the best parts of traveling around the world - or even on an adventure a few hours away - is all of the memories you make while on the journey. It is all about the experience you have and what you can learn from it. It is easier than ever now to record our travels and those experiences to show anyone while you are still traveling (thank you, internet). And when you return show even more of what you saw and experienced. With Instagram and Pinterest people are taking traveling to a whole new level of style and people are upping their photography game. So even if photography is not you niche, don't panic. There are tricks to the trade that every traveler can use to learn the secrets to photography that will make your travel photographs stand out from the crowd. Be that Person: You know that person that photographs everything? Like the person you can see in a crowd and go, ‘that’s for Instagram.’ Yep. That will be you. Photograph everything. Literally. It will probably drive you crazy, but it is one of the hardest and most rewarding experiences that you will be able go back once you have returned home and go ‘we did all that!?’. Some examples of the everything and anything in between to photograph are: Food, Your Hotel/Hostel/AirBnB, Transportation, The Sights/Architecture, Nature & Animals, Anything Colorful & Wonderful, Shops, Window Displays, Sidewalks, Signs & Lettering, People Passing By, Yourself in Your Environment, Weather, Souvenirs, Movie Locations, Etc. Picture for a Picture: Ever feel like you can’t get a group picture? Or solo traveling and never seem to get a good picture of yourself? Do the “Picture for a picture” trick. When you are somewhere you want to take a picture and you see others taking photos as well, ask them if you take their picture they will take yours in return. No one has ever said no when either a friend or I made this offer and people tend to like this better. They don’t feel as rushed to take and quick picture and are more willing to take another one for you because they want a good picture too. The Take Two: If you’re like me and you struggle to make posed pictures look effortless, try the take two approach. Find a pose that you really like and that works for you and make that your go-to first. (It will also make a really nice series of photographs over a period of time). Then right off the bat, you are starting off with a picture you will love and other poses will come more naturally. Do a few other poses at the same location and you will have a variety of pictures to choose from later rather than just one. Use Props: Corny or ingenious, props can really add character to your photos and make taking them all the more fun. Using props to represent the city or country you’re visiting while getting souvenir shopping done at the same time, or better yet, feeding your stomach and your soul. Some examples for some specific destinations and generic props are: Venice: Venetian Mask & Gondolier Hat Spain: Sangria & Folding Fan Paris: Wine, Baguette & Barrette Amsterdam: Clogs & Tulips Generic Props: Flags, Jewelry, Postcards, Ticket Stubs, Fashion to Match a Destination, Camera, Food & Beverages Don’t Just ‘Point and Shoot’ Your Camera: If being ‘that person’ taking pictures of everything doesn’t seem like your thing, then take a different approach to photographing your travels. Instead of just pointing your camera and photographing everything around you, look for patterns, designs, reflections, and dimensions in the world around you to photograph. You will spend less time photographing, but spend more time seeing the places you travel in a whole new light. Are You Series-ous?: Series are probably one of my favorite things to do while photographing and traveling. They are a great way to show all of the places you have traveled, how far you have come, and so much fun to watch build and watch them grow over time. Make a series that is meaningful to you, you want to create, and can see yourself doing for a long period of time. Even though some vacations or trips only last a week or few at a time, think long term. Think of a series that you would want to do every time you travel. These are just a few travel photography inspirations tricks that I hope will inspire you the next time you are traveling and want to photograph something more. I realized a while ago that I had yet to write about something photography related and I thought this would be a nice starting point. No matter where in the world you are or where in the world you are going, there is always inspiration around you just waiting for you to see it and photograph it.
xx A Traveler's Bliss |
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