Photo Safari by Land & Sea HAL

[westlab]

I have problems with motion sickness on small planes/boats. Has anyone taken the HAL Photo Safari by Land & Sea. I wondered about the boat part.. it is in sheltered area? I will be asking this question about other excursions.

[trophy_23]

Have not done it but have heard really great things about this tour. We were debating between this and a private tour with Harv & Marv and ended up going the private route. Last year we did the glacier dogsledding in Juneau, but another fellow we met onboard did this tour and said it was amazing and he was quite into photography. As far as the water conditions, I imagine it can vary, but Juneau is fairly protected and I imagine the areas they take you will be fairly protected as well.

[westlab]

Thanks for input about the waters around Juneau.

[Suzanne123]

We took the photography tour while on the Amsterdam last May, and had a great time.

I'm also very prone to seasickness, but I had no complaints on any of the trips we have taken to watch the whales in Juneau, although I always wear my ReliefBand. In comparison, the whale watch we took near Vancouver had much rougher water.

We have been on three different whale watches in Juneau. My favorite by far was the photography tour. have fun!

 

http://www.stepintoalaska.com/tour_details.cfm?tourid=photosafari

[westlab]

Thank you for input on Photo Safari. It sounds wonderful! I appreciate the info on boat/water/calm waters. That excursion sounds like one that I want to do. I am wondering if I can wait to book it or if I should book it now? We are going on AK cruise in late August.

Cruise isn't until August and I am already excited.

[trophy_23]

I imagine you could wait a bit for this one, but when you find an excursion you really want to do you dont want to wait too long and miss it.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I am booked on the same excursion in mid-July, only through Carnival. It is operated by the same people, though. They do limit it to 14 people so I would not wait to sign up.

 

My question about this excursion - I do not have a DSLR. Although it is on my wish list it is not in the budget at this point. However, I do have a very good point and shoot with 12X optical zoom (Sony Cybershot DSC-H5). It has many great features and I have been very pleased with the quality of my shots. Is this tour geared just for the SLR users or will I benefit from the guide's knowledge, too? The photobook I make at the end of a cruise is my main souvenir, so I am hoping for some really good photos. I also want to learn as much as possible about the best way to frame pictures and make the most of my camera's features. I realize I may have to crop photos to get some wildlife photos.

[Budget Queen]

I am booked on the same excursion in mid-July, only through Carnival. It is operated by the same people, though. They do limit it to 14 people so I would not wait to sign up.

 

My question about this excursion - I do not have a DSLR. Although it is on my wish list it is not in the budget at this point. However, I do have a very good point and shoot with 12X optical zoom (Sony Cybershot DSC-H5). It has many great features and I have been very pleased with the quality of my shots. Is this tour geared just for the SLR users or will I benefit from the guide's knowledge, too? The photobook I make at the end of a cruise is my main souvenir, so I am hoping for some really good photos. I also want to learn as much as possible about the best way to frame pictures and make the most of my camera's features. I realize I may have to crop photos to get some wildlife photos.

 

Frankly, you would do much better to do some homework now on photography, there are some excellent books available in libraries. This tour, is going to be VERY brief on the "shooting" stuff. Having basic knowledge about photography really sets apart the photos. If you aren't familiar with f stops, speeds, depth of field, exposures, bracketing etc etc. I suggest, with your priority for "good photos", you find out about each of these and then more. Composition has several basic foundations- again, if you know these, this will set that photo appart from a "snapshot".

 

My point is, you have the time now, consider it. It will only BENEFIT, this trip for you GREATLY.

 

Then my other- take- all of Alaska is a "photo safari". For me, and some other people, actually this tour would be too restrictive. :)

[Suzanne123]

On guide Dave (below) spent time with everyone individually on the boat and on the trail -- It didn't matter if you had a disposable camera or one that cost more than your cruise. You'll have a great time. :)

[Sunny AZ Girl]

Thank you BQ & Suzanne. I am looking forward to this tour. I have been reading my manual extensively, but do not understand it all. As I said I have what is essentially a fancy Point & Shoot. I can do some adjusting, but not as much control as a SLR. I am really hoping to pick up some pointers from the guide and be guided to great photo spots on land. The boat portion looks like it will also have some great opportunities.

 

BQ - your advice on knowing the features of my camera in advance is excellent and well taken.

 

Suzanne - thank you for the direct answer to my question. I was concerned that the tour would be geared mostly to the people with the SLR cameras and I would not really 'fit in'.

[RVRCLC]

I am booked on the same excursion in mid-July, only through Carnival. It is operated by the same people, though. They do limit it to 14 people so I would not wait to sign up.

 

My question about this excursion - I do not have a DSLR. Although it is on my wish list it is not in the budget at this point. However, I do have a very good point and shoot with 12X optical zoom (Sony Cybershot DSC-H5). It has many great features and I have been very pleased with the quality of my shots. Is this tour geared just for the SLR users or will I benefit from the guide's knowledge, too? The photobook I make at the end of a cruise is my main souvenir, so I am hoping for some really good photos. I also want to learn as much as possible about the best way to frame pictures and make the most of my camera's features. I realize I may have to crop photos to get some wildlife photos.

You will be missing some great photographs if you expect the guides to explain photography to you. I'm sure they are willing, but the scenery is passing by...Their job is to take you to some great locations, it's your job to know your camera. Get out in your back yard and take pictures of anything, in all kinds of light and all angles to the sun. This practice will teach you a lot. I am comfortable with f-stops and shutter speeds but you do NOT need to worry about that if you are a beginner. Put the camera on P and shoot away. The one most important thing you need to know about your camera is how to turn the flash on. You will need to use it as fill flash if taking a photo where your subject has a bright background (glacier, or water, or sky, or light). Auto flash settings do not do the job.

 

Very Important: Go to the Photo Discussion boards, find any post Pearces has written, there will be a link to his web pages, where he has some wonderful articles on how to make good photographs.

 

I hope this does not sound like I'm scolding anyone, I'm not.

 

I agree with the poster who said you do not need to spend the money on a tour. All of your cruise will be a photo safari. You want, very much, to get some great photographs, do a little homework, and you will.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

You will be missing some great photographs if you expect the guides to explain photography to you. I'm sure they are willing, but the scenery is passing by...Their job is to take you to some great locations, it's your job to know your camera. Get out in your back yard and take pictures of anything, in all kinds of light and all angles to the sun. This practice will teach you a lot. I am comfortable with f-stops and shutter speeds but you do NOT need to worry about that if you are a beginner. Put the camera on P and shoot away. The one most important thing you need to know about your camera is how to turn the flash on. You will need to use it as fill flash if taking a photo where your subject has a bright background (glacier, or water, or sky, or light). Auto flash settings do not do the job.

 

Very Important: Go to the Photo Discussion boards, find any post Pearces has written, there will be a link to his web pages, where he has some wonderful articles on how to make good photographs.

 

I hope this does not sound like I'm scolding anyone, I'm not.

 

I agree with the poster who said you do not need to spend the money on a tour. All of your cruise will be a photo safari. You want, very much, to get some great photographs, do a little homework, and you will.

I did not mean to say that I expected the guide to teach me to use my camera. I am actually very well versed in my camera, but I like to pick up photo tips anywhere I can. I was really just wondering if the tour was geared strictly to DSLR users.

 

I am aware that Alaska is a photo opportunity in it's own right, but I will be in Juneau on my own and would prefer to be in a group. I have been researching this trip daily for over a year now.

 

I appreciate the tip about the flash. I do not use my auto flash very often as it is so slow. I also prefer the ISO setting much of the time as the color seems purer. I do have a backlight setting which I love. It works great for bright backgrounds. I will read up more on using the flash manually & what it will do. I have learned quite a bit from Pearces on the Photo threads. He is a great asset to this board.:)

[Budget Queen]

The one most important thing you need to know about your camera is how to turn the flash on. You will need to use it as fill flash if taking a photo where your subject has a bright background (glacier, or water, or sky, or light). Auto flash settings do not do the job.

 

QUOTE]

 

This is a false sense of "security" and can easily backfire wrongly exposed photos, mixed up auto focus and plenty else. A flash is only good, at best for feet, not miles. (yes, I do know about fill in etc, I have a degree in Photo Science- years old :) )

 

I still say, it is important to have a basic understanding of how exposures work and what your particular settings on your camera do. That is the way to get good photos of "abnormal" lighting of which glaciers are. Basic exposure meters measure to a grey.

[Scooterdad]

If you're using any type of digital point n shoot or a dslr, shoot as many pictures now for practice. You can always erase the photos and shoot some more. That's the best thing about digital equipment.

 

And if you've bought a new dslr, not only read the instructions that come with it, but go to your local book store and look for books related to your specific camera. I found my Nikon manual cumbersome, but found lots of books at Barnes & Noble related to that specific camera.

 

Finally, don't worry taking the perfect picture. If you've bought a large capacity memory card shoot as many pictures as possible. (Consider taking along a spare memory card as well.) You'll throw out at least half of what you shoot when you get home and review all your photos. That's ok because you'll be sure to have a whole bunch of "keepers"! :)

 

I've booked two photo safari excursions and after reading the above threads, I'm like a little kid looking into the candy store. :D

[NatureFreak]

I've done this tour twice in the past few years and recommend it highly.

 

The guide told me an interesting story on a previous trip that he was guiding...they were out photographing the whales at the surface when all of a sudden a humpback breached behind them. The only one that got the shot was a lady with a simple point and shoot. And according to the guide it was a very good shot. Goes back to that old photography joke about F8 and be there.

 

Happy shooting.

 

KJB

[Liz]

I did this one last year. Our guide was Dave but not the same one in Suzanne123's photo (hmmm...maybe they are all named Dave??). We had all kinds of cameras in our group and he helped everyone who asked for assistance. Not only did he help with hardware, but he also helped with setting up shots using different settings and angles. I learned alot and am now hooked on close-up photos of plants and flowers! It was one of the top five excursions I have ever taken. I am considering another cruise to Alaska this fall and this excursion is on my list.

To answer the OP - we did have a little rocking and rolling, but no one on the boat had seasick "problems". But the pod of orca we found was a bit of a distraction... took my breath away...

Just to be safe, you may want to get some seabands or some ginger candy - I have a friend who swears by ginger, though I have never tried it. The bands work well for me.

Enjoy Alaska - it is a very special, amazing place!

 

Liz

[RVRCLC]

I've done this tour twice in the past few years and recommend it highly.

 

The guide told me an interesting story on a previous trip that he was guiding...they were out photographing the whales at the surface when all of a sudden a humpback breached behind them. The only one that got the shot was a lady with a simple point and shoot. And according to the guide it was a very good shot. Goes back to that old photography joke about F8 and be there.

 

Happy shooting.

 

KJB

Love this story. Good for her!