Leolaia's Scenic Travel Photos

by Leolaia 114 Replies latest jw friends

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  Good Girl or Bad Girl?

  As for the Empire State Building shot, this is a personal favorite. I wanted a picture of the building that eliminated the ground clutter and busy hustle-bustle of cars, pedestrians, etc. So I found a concrete planter on the sidewalk that had these violets growing in it. I thought it would be a great and pleasant way to block out the foreground, so I laid down on my stomach on the sidewalk and shot upward from a few inches above the pavement, through the violets, upward to the Empire State Building in the distance. I had to shoot from a very, very low angle to get this view. Imagine being sprawled out on a busy New York sidewalk with people rushing to and fro. I also got into the right position so that there was one flower pointing to the left, one in the middle, and one on the right, and the building seems to rise from the plant like another blossom. And it nicely blocked out the crazy busyness of the place and made the scene rather serene and quiet in the photo

  Leo, this is my favorite too! Though it's so hard to choose. Like everyone else has been saying, it must be said again that you have such an eye for composition and these photos look National Geographic quality to me! Thanks for sharing!
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  Leolaia

  frankiespeakin....I regard my camera as my visual diary...it helps me record the sights and experiences and memories that I will have for some time to come. I used to use a classic Nikormat SLR until 2002 when I went digital. My current camera has a 12x fixed optical zoom (i.e. no retracting zoom, so the camera is ready to go as soon as I turn it on), which gives great close ups, and I specially like toggling between pictures and video on the camera so I can capture both for the same event. I don't always travel too distant, quite a few of these pics are from local trips in California, but travelling is a great experience.

  avidbiblereader....I like Japan the best, I've been there twice and it's been a very pleasant, safe, and comfortable place to visit. I felt a bit more on edge in China, but it depends on the town really. Dunhuang was quite laid back compared to Beijing. I usually take several pictures of the same scene to get it right, but I usually have very little time to set up the composition as I travel with other people and need to keep up with them, so usually I only have a few seconds to figure out how to frame the picture. I took a class in high school on photography, but that was eons ago and mainly it's just everyday experience. I still have a lot to learn tho in terms of the finer points of photography.

  GGBG....I should also point out that the Empire State Building shot was taken on my first trip to New York after 9/11, and I really wanted to get a good picture of the building in case it was going to disappear in the near future as well. You see, I was in New York in June 2001 and I planned to go down to the WTC to take some artistic shots of the buildings but I got up late and decided to go to Times Square and see the movie Pearl Harbor instead. I thought, "Ah, I'll just do it next year". And thus I missed my chance. All I have is a single picture I took in 1999 which is good but only snapshot quality.
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  Leolaia

  Here are some cute candid pictures of kids I've taken on my various trips:

  

  Children carrying a bamboo tree for the Tanabata festival, Tokyo, Japan, July 2004

  

  Little girl on a cell phone in Tiananman Square, Beijing, China, July 2004

  

  Two boys at Ayres Rock, Uluru, Australia, September 2006

  

  Group of girls conversing outside the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France, July 2003
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  LittleToe

  Fantastic memories in those shots. Thanks for sharing, Leo. There's nothing quite like travel for broadening the mind
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  atypical

  Leolaia,

  I can't imagine being on that bridge and seeing the city. If I remember right it's on the 42nd floor (the bridge, I mean). I didn't realize that those towers weren't the tallest anymore until yesterday. If I'm not mistaken though, they are by far the tallest twin towers, and only a few feet shy of Taipei 101. I read somewhere that the towers combined with the bridge are meant to resemble a doorway; which is such an amazing way to view a skyline.
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  Leolaia

  The view is pretty good from the skybridge, but there is a better view from the Menara KL which affords you a full 360 degrees view at a greater height. When you are on the skybridge you basically only get two sides since the two Petronas towers are on either side. Here is a sample view I took from the Menara KL:

  

  And here is a view at ground level (with the Menara KL in the background) that gives a feel for the place:

  

  And this is what the skybridge looks like inside:

  

  Notice the woman wearing the black burqa.
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  avidbiblereader

  Thanks again Leo, these are really great shots, thanks for the reply and please keep the film a rooolllllllllllllllling, nice to see different parts of the world and see the beauty of the country and people.

  abr
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  Leolaia

  

  Saint Jean de Luz, France, July 2003

  

  Cityscape of Tokyo, Japan, July 2004

  

  Pastoral scene in the Midlands, Staffordshire, England, July 2000

  

  Death Valley after torrential rains, Death Valley, California, December 2004

  

  Fireworks over the Opera House, Sydney, Australia, September 2006
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  jgnat

  I like the cow, I don't know why.

  Message	My JW hubby real closet camera buff. Literally. The camera stays in it's box, pristine. But that's another story. He wants to know what type of camera you use, if you use filters, lenses, preparing for the shot and so on. Again, no word of a lie, this is his favorite thread on JWD by far. Any help you can provide, thanks.
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  jgnat

  bttt