The People Of Downtown Los Angeles

I awoke last Saturday morning before the sun and headed to the heart of Los Angeles.  The destination was the Flower Market to do some street photography with a group.  It was not my idea to get up at this hour and head to the city, but I went along with it and it turned out to be an interesting adventure.  I am always up to try new things and this was something new.

You can smell the freshly cut flowers for blocks.  All of the smiling faces, beautiful colors and happy people were nice to see but it wasn't really what I wanted to look at.
I decided to skip the market of tourists to get lost in the streets of downtown Los Angeles at 6:30 in the morning.  The idea and essence of "street shooting" to some photographers is to take a photograph unnoticed. Yes, I can do that but for the most part, I like to interact with my subjects. Because of where I like to go, most of the time I don't necessarily blend in with the surroundings I choose to place myself in.  Most people will notice me.  In some cases, the locals were more than happy to pose for me.  Even though I prefer "non posed" photographs, I enjoyed these two men being more than willing to be in front of the lens.

I walked up and down the streets until I got a little lost.  For a moment, I felt uneasy but I kept my head up so I wouldn't miss anything.  A tall blonde holding a large camera and wearing flip flops in the heart of the city in the early morning isn't something the locals come across I suppose.  There were mumblings with everyone I passed and one individual said, "hey lady, you want to take my picture?"  To that I turned and said, "why yes I do!" Once I pointed the camera towards his direction, his friends surrounding him cracked up and yelled, "ahhhhhh, she called your bluff!" He hid and ran around in circles and when he finally calmed down, he lit a joint and told me to take a picture.  I did.

I eventually headed back to the flower market to breathe in the delicious scents and to take a last look before I left.  The city is so beautiful in the morning, especially on a Saturday when it's void of weekday workers.

Photographing Dogs

I love dogs.  I dream of having a large piece of land where I can adopt all of the homeless dogs and we would all live together happily ever after.  I am lucky that Max likes dogs too.  I am able to go to the dog park with him where I wasn't able to with Maggie.  He just wanders and does his own thing and checks back with me every so often only to run off again.

Dogs are fun to photograph since it captures their personality in an instant.  There is a lot of character in their face when you take an unexpected snapshot without going through the routine of "sit""stay""no..siiitt""staaaayy""waiiiiit", etc.  They are challenging to photograph since they're always moving around which makes it interesting.  Most of my favorite shots are ones where I got lucky when I look back at the pictures I took.  Here are a few of my favorite from the past month.

I adopted Max from the Hearts for Hounds rescue organization here in Long Beach.  They have several dogs that need a good home.  Please click HERE to learn more.

I have more of my favorite dog photographs from traveling around the country HERE.

There is a good chance that your dog may be in one of them.

If your dog isn't in the album and you would like me to photograph your dog, please email me at alisontravels@gmail.com

Max and I are off to do something different and I look forward to sharing it with you soon...

Does Size Matter? (Canon PowerShot 1200 IS vs. Canon PowerShot s90)

I spent all day yesterday printing a few pictures from my travels. I am not the best at organizing my photos so it took a while to go through and sort out a few that I liked. I still have more to go through, but I chose a few to put up for sale on my Etsy site. You can see the pictures I put up on the right of the blog.

As you might know, I dropped and killed 2 Canon Powershot cameras during my travels. Recently, I purchased a new camera after I received a gift certificate from Amazon.

Buying a new camera is not an easy task since there are so many makes and models to choose from. Then you have to read the reviews and think about what is best for you. I decided to buy a Canon Powershot s90 camera. It's still a point and click and since I prefer the Canon brand, I chose this one. I am pleased so far with the results.

Most of my pictures I've taken on the road are with my Canon Powershot SD 1200 IS. After printing some of the images, it really is a good camera. I didn't have any complaints with it, besides it slipping from my hands a few times(of course that's the Camera's fault). I still have it and will continue to use it. However, I do love shooting with my s90 now.

Last week I went to a free photography group meeting to listen to a professional speak about their business. I thought, "why not? It's free and I will be able to meet like minded people who also share the same passion for photography." The group organizer asked everyone to introduce themselves and say what their first camera was and what their "dream" camera is. I listened as everyone rattled off numbers and names with the crowd smiling and nodding their heads knowing full well the cost, model, and performance of the camera that they were describing. To me, it was just a number. I mean...I know they are beautiful quality cameras but since I don't have a SLR, I couldn't relate.

It came to my turn to talk. I introduced myself...said that I quit my job to travel across the country with my dog in a tent. A lot of people in the group smiled at me with some applause in the room. Then I said I used a point and click and that I didn't really have a "dream" camera since I was pretty happy with what I had. The smiles I had at the beginning turned to confusion and for second, I could hear crickets chirping in the room. It's as if I lost all credibility at that moment. I then stopped talking and looked at the person next to me to continue the introductions (as I sunk lower in my chair). Once again, the camera model numbers came flowing with a collective sigh of relief amongst the group that there were more of "them" in the room.

Don't get me wrong, I would love the opportunity to push a button with a very large and expensive camera, but I don't have one and I think that anyone can take an amazing photo with what they have. After all, it's just a tool to capture what you are looking at in that point in time. However, I am not opposed to owning one in the future if the opportunity presents itself.

I feel that I almost have to apologize for the size of the camera I have. When people see large cameras, I think the automatic assumption is, "wow, they must be an excellent photographer!" When I see those cameras I automatically think that the photos must have amazing clarity but then my mind thinks: "wow, they have to lug that around with them the entire day...I wonder if their shoulder hurts. I wonder if they bang it on walls walking into a room or what would happen if they dropped it." Most likely, that would be my experience.

I was going to do a side by side comparison of my two cameras but I thought I would show you some of the pictures I have taken with each. If you are thinking of purchasing a Canon s90, I found this review helpful...including pictures. CLICK HERE for review.

Here are some pictures I took with both "point and clicks." Which one do you think I took with my less expensive 1200 and which one with my new s90?

Can you tell a difference? The first 5 images (excluding the camera photos) are from my lesser expensive Canon Powershot 1200IS and the last 4 pictures are from the new Canon s90. In my opinion, it's the picture you take that's the best photo. Don't let the equipment intimidate you or discourage you from taking a picture you love. The one you take that you cherish forever is the most important shot, no matter what camera you have.



UPDATE: As of May, I traded my wine collection for a Canon 5D Mark ii.  I am still getting used to it and learning (I consider myself a work in progress), but I have to say that this is a good camera too. :)