Jeff Wignall's Travel Guide: Great Places to Photograph

Visit Maine During Lupine Season

One of the most spectacular wildflower displays anywhere in the world happens each June all over the state of Maine when the beautiful lupines come into bloom. If you've never seen the lupines in bloom, it's an amazing site: you come around a corner on a country road and suddenly dozens of acres are filled with purple, blue and pink stalks reaching upwards of five or six feet tall.

I have to confess to having spent a lot of frustrating hours over the years trying to get a good photo of the lupines and it's tougher than it looks. I was in a spectacular field in Rangeley, Maine one summer and got so frustrated at not being able to find a shot that I came close to tossing a camera into the woods. It can really make you nuts to have what looks like millions of flowers in front of you and not be able to find a single good shot.

Getting a good shot is actually a true test of your ability to see creatively. One of the first decisions you'll have to make is whether to shoot just a few blossoms or try to take in an entire meadow. Remember that you don't have to include every flower stalk that you see in order to impart the feeling of endless blossoms. Often it's better to find a small group of flowers and contrast them against a plain background (try to use a dark background like the pine trees in the shot here). Experiment with different lenses or zoom settings, too. I find that a medium telephoto setting is a good way to isolate a small grove of plants, but a wide-angle lens will let you exaggerate the depth of a long field full of flowers.

If you're really serious about getting a good shot of a broad field, consider bringing a small step ladder with you. Just getting an extra two or three feet of height above the field is enough to get a really unique and interesting perspective. The great landscape master Ansel Adams had special shooting platforms built on top of his vans for that very reason.

Lighting is also very important in shooting the lupines: early morning and later in the afternoon when the light is soft and less contrasty is ideal. I actually like working on cloudy days because the flower colors are more saturated and there are no glaring highlights. One other slight problem I run into when shooting lupines is wind--on windy days you either have to include some motion (intentionally using a show shutter speed) or just wait for a calmer part of the day.

All of these considerations will race through your mind when you spot your first big field of lupines, so I suggest that when you find one good field in full bloom, slow down and spend a few hours there looking for good shots and experimenting with different ideas. And boy, has writing this tip made me want to get out the Maine maps!

Visit America's Greatest Landsscape

If you're making travel plans for the coming summer and you'd like to see the American Southwest, there is one place that should be at the top of your list: Monument Valley in southern Utah (just over the Arizona border). There is no other place in America that symbolizes the beauty and mystery of the American West like this extraordinary place. Monument Valley is actually a Navajo Tribal Park and is administered (and lived in) by the Navajo. The Navajo name for the valley is: Tse'Bii'Ndzisgaii.

Monument Valley presents some of the best landscape photo opportunities in the world and features "monuments" or rock buttes that rise up between 400 and 1000' high. By the way, the photo here was shot from the rim of the valley, near the visitor's center--and while that's a beautiful viewpoint, you have to get down into the valley to see just how spectacular it really is.There is a 17-mile self-driving tour through the valley (entry is just $5/person) and the Navajos also offer guided tours. I've spent several days there at a time and there is always something new to see, always another view to photograph. It's mind boggling, to be honest.

Interestingly, quite a number of Navajo live in the Valley and so when you're there you're not just in a park, but in their living room, so you also get a sense of the history of the Navajo people. Considering the way that Native Americans have been abused in every conceivable way in this country, it's amazing that they even let us on their land, yet they are incredibly welcoming to strangers.

There is only one hotel (now) that is close to the park and that is Goulding's Lodge (a great place to stay, you can see the valley in the distance from virtually very room), but I'm told that the Navajo are building their own hotel where the visitor center is. I really hope this doesn't commercialize the park too much since its remote location has always kept it somewhat of a secret. Just getting to the valley is a challenge, by the way, it's a four-hour drive from Flagstaff and it's 25 miles from the nearest town (Kayenta, Arizona). Still, it's a beautiful drive and worth every effort it takes to see this extraodrinary landscape.

Cypress Gardens, Florida: The Saga Continues

Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven, Florida is one of Florida's oldest theme parks and one of my favorite places in Florida--it's also one of the last remnants of "Old Florida." The park, which in the past featured a strange (but fun) combination of botanic gardens, a zoo and amusement park has, like everything else these days, seen its share of hard times. It has shifted hands several times in the past few years and is currently closed for renovations (and changes) and is expected to reopen in March 2009.

I think what I always liked most about the park was its curious assortment of attractions that included strolling hoop-skirted Southern belles, twinkle-light illuminated paths and rock 'n roll water-ski shows. Where else but in Florida?

Unfortunately the look and direction of the park is changing, although from what I've read they're keeping the botanic gardens and the water-ski shows. Here's an an article from the Orlando Sentinel that explains the past and future of the park.

By the way, the park is situated on a beautiful lake and you face it looking west so there are lots of great sunsets to be photographed.

Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts: Winter Weekend Getaway

If you're looking for a cozy winter weekend in a sweet little New England village, consider making a visit to Historic Deerfield, Massachusetts, a picture-perfect village along the Connecticut River Valley. In what has to be one of the most ambitious and unique museum accomplishments in New England, an entire street of 18th and 19th Century homes (most of them still lived in) have been preserved exactly as they were.

Historic Deerfield was incorporated in 1952 to sustain the work of a couple from Greenwich, Connecticut, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Flynt. The Flynt's son was a student at the Deerfield Academy in the center of Deerfield (the school was founded in 1797 and still a very prestigious school) and the couple decided to buy virtually every historic home on the main street and restore them to their original state. Today, 11 historic houses and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life display collections of more than 25,000 objects made or used in America between 1650 and 1850.  

The house museums are closed during the winter months, but the town is no less charming to visit. There is the beautiful Deerfield Inn for a cozy meal or a weekend getaway where there is always a warm fire and the smell of wonderful meals cooking to welcome guests. Also nearby, just a short drive up the road, is the fantastic Yankee Candle Company main store and museum--a really fun place to shop for candles, Christmas ornaments or just enjoy the holiday wonderland-type atmosphere. You have to see this place to believe it--the only store that I've visited where it snows indoors! Also nearby is the college town of Northampton with enough stores and restaurants (and the great Blue Bonnet Diner!) to keep you busy and fed for a very long weekend.

By the way, if you're looking for an affordable motel in the area, the Econolodge in South Hadley is beautifully kept, very friendly and with rooms starting at around $70 one of the best kept secrets in the area.

Pumpkin Time in New England

If it's October it must be pumpkin time in New England. Pumpkin farms (especially the "pick your own farms") are a great place to get nice autumny shots of pumpkins and the farms make a nice backdrop for family portraits. I spent this past Sunday afternoon at the Jones Family Farm in Shelton, Connecticut. The Jones farm has been in business since the 1850's and there is always something interesting to photograph: strawberry and blueberry picking in the spring and summer, pumpkins in the fall and Christmas trees in December. Find a local farm in your area and spend a nice autumn day in their pumpkin patch--you'll get some great photos for your collection and you'll help support small farmers in America!

Fall Foliage Maps: New England and Beyond

Fall foliage is reaching it's peak in mid to upper New England and the weather is beautiful and warm, so now is the time to take those Sunday drives. There are tons of good routes around New England, including Rte 7 up the west side of Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont--just be prepared for traffic if you stay on the main road. You can't get lost in New England very easily, so I'd suggest you just find a small town with peak color and then just drive down the side roads, buy some cider and a few pumpkins and enjoy the ride. In Connecticut check out the Litchfield Hills area, the towns of Litchfield, Bantam, Washington, Woodbury and Southbury are all great places to wander.

To keep up on where the colors are peaking, check out this page of Fall Color Maps. I tried several of these maps and they're are among the most current and accurate on the web. And when you're shooting fall colors, remember that cloudy days create rich saturated colors, so take a ride regardless of the weather. Of course, as I write this the skies are radiant blue and I'm heading out myself!

Antique Machinery Festival in Kent, Connecticut September 26-29

I've always had a special affection for both country fairs (especially in autumn in New England) and antique engines, so a festival of antique machines is something I'd find hard to resist. That's why I'm psyched that the 24th annual Fall Festival sponsored by the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association (CAMA) www.ctamachinery.com is coming to Kent, Connecticut September 26 to 29th.

Antique machines (Iike the old red steam engine I shot at the Goshen Fair last year--above) are usually fascinating to watch and photograph. At this festival you'll get a chance to get up close to a variety of antique machines, including rock crushers, well drillers, steam saws, narrow gauge train engines, vintage motorcycles and lots of other early mechanical wonders of the past.  The fair will be held on the grounds of the Sloane Stanley Museum on Route 7 in Kent, in Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills. And if you've never been to this area before, trust me, you won't see a prettier area in all of New England.

According to the organziers, new for 2008 will be an expanded Blacksmith Shop with smithy demonstrations, added exhibits in Connecticut’s only Mining Museum, and installation of a newly acquired Nagle-Corliss steam engine.  The Mining Museum also has an impressive display of minerals.

Also, for antique railroad fans, an antique engine known as "old Hawaii #5" will go into motion on the museum's old narrow gauge railroad tracts, belching smoke and steam and the trusty Plymouth Diesel locomotive will power an open car for a nostalgic ride into the past.  Tractor rides are another popular feature.

CAMA’s goal is to educate today’s public about our early industrial and agricultural machinery that once powered America and set the stage for today’s innovations.  Their non-profit museum next to the Sloane Stanley Museum has a host of exhibits year round that are put into operation for this special weekend. Along with exhibits and demonstrations, visitors will find vendors and plenty of good food, including the legendary “engineers steam cooked soup.”

For more information about this festival and other nearby fall events, and a free copy of UNWIND, a 112-page color guide to lodging, dining and all the attractions in the Litchfield Hills of Northwest Connecticut, write to the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506 or visit the web site at www.litchfieldhills.com.

Be sure to bring a lot of memory cards and your tripod. If you can spare more than one day, think about booking a room for a night or two. I'm sure the visitor's bureau will be glad to help you find a place to stay.

Acadia National Park & the 27 (not 30) Mile Loop Drive

If you're planning a trip to New England and you haven't included a few days in the Bar Harbor area of Maine to see Acadia National Park, it's time to rethink your trip plans. Acadia, which is incidentally the first national park created east of the Mississippi, holds some of the most spectacular and unblemished landscapes in all of New England. I've been to Acadia many times and this place is so huge, so mystical and so visually powerful that it's almost impossible to describe. And while I will always think of the southwest when it comes to expansive views and far horizons, Acadia can hold its own against any western landscape destination. It's that incredible.

One of the best ways to see the park is to take the 27-mile park loop (which is often informally called the "30 mile drive"), one of the most extraordinary scenic drives in the East. The ocean views from the high points on the loop (like the scene here) are just awe inspiring. But beware, in high summer on a sunny day, you won't be the only person on the drive (or anything close to that) and while you won't have any competition for places to put your tripod, it might take you a few minutes to wrangle a parking spot on the side of the road.

Visit the "photos" section of the official site and then do some Flickr searches on the park name and you'll find lots of great photos. There is lots of fine camping in the park but if you're an inn person, there are some wonderful places to stay in Bar Harbor and my favorite (and it's one of my favorite inns in the world) is the Ledgelawn Inn. And before you leave Bar Harbor you must visit Cool as a Moose, the most fun t-shirt store in Maine.

Norman Rockwell Museum: Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Norman Rockwell was probably America's best known illustrator and almost everyone is familiar with his great Saturday Evening Post covers. But Rockwell was also a much more profound artist--in terms of both skill and political convictions--than most people give him credit for. Rockwell had an ability to take ordinary and extremely familiar situations and turn them into iconic images that reflected, I think, the character and the true emotions of the events they depicted--everything from a Thanksgiving dinner to racial events in the American south (look at his great work Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi).

Rockwell lived much of his life in Vermont and Stockbridge, Massachusetts and the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge is worth a trip from anywhere. The museum holds the single largest collection of Rockwell's works (more than 700 paintings) as well as an archive of more than 150,000 photos, letters, etc. The lower floor of the museum has a gallery of all of the Post covers and there is a continuous biographical video playing. The main floor is a beautiful collection of galleries that showcases many of Rockwell's finest paintings. My favorite is a long panorama of Stockbridge at Christmastime (you can even see the Christmas tree shining from the artist's own livingroom window)--it's a soulful, masterful painting. There is no better painting of an American town.

Just a short walk across the beautiful museum grounds you'll find Rockwell's actual studio (see photo) that was moved to the grounds from town. You can go inside the studio and see the room where the great artist painted most of his famous works. Fascinating. The grounds are beautiful too and very photogenic--rolling Berkshire Mountains and pretty gardens all around. The museum also has a great gift shop and cafe.

The museum and the town of Stockbridge make a great weekend getaway and the place to stay in Stockbridge is the Red Lion Inn--easily one of the nicest inns you'll find in New England (or anywhere else for that matter) and the food and service are superb by any standard. The inn is literally awash in fascinating antiques and there are Rockwell paintings and prints on almost every wall. In fact, Rockwell used the inn as the setting for many of his most famous paintings, including his famous "Freedom from Want" (one of the Four Freedoms series).

Vacations that Come to You: Carnivals & Fairs are Everywhere

With the price of gas edging ever closer to the $5/gallon mark (at least here in Connecticut), the cost of gas is really having a profound effect on summer travel plans and impromptu shooting trips. It can cost as much for a tank of gas now as it does for a night in a motel. It's nuts. And if you're shooting photos for a personal project or for your stock files, it's hard to justify expensive trips these days.

One way to beat the high cost of travel is to wait for the entertainment to come to you. As summer approaches, carnivals, fairs and farmer's markets will be popping up in  towns and cities everywhere--and they offer lots of great photo opportunities. While working on my book Exposure Photo Workshop (Wiley; March 2008) last summer I didn't have a lot of time to travel and needed some interesting new photos, so I spent all of my spare time haunting local carnivals and country fairs. I probably spent 20 nights at parking-lot carnivals just photographing the colorful rides. I did a lot of experimenting with different night techniques and had a great deal of fun creating brilliantly colored abstract shots with long exposures and motion techniques (you can read more about night photo techs on my web site). The shot of the Ferris wheel here, for example, was created using a 15-second exposure.

You will need a tripod for night shots and very long exposures, of course, but to be honest, I rarely ask permission to bring a tripod into carnivals (state fairs are different, they're a bit more organized) because no one seems to be in charge. Once I get past the main gate, I'm rarely asked not to use a tripod. I do make sure that I find out-of-the-way vantage points so that I'm not tripping people in the dark. During the day I usually travel light with a single zoom (I use my 20-120mm Nikkor zoom more than any other lens at outdoor events) and a monopod. I rarely carry a flash, even when I'm shooting in large agricultural barns (which are notoriously dark for some reason) and  if I find a really interesting animal (like a prize rabbit), I'll often ask an exhibitor to bring the animal outside to photograph. You can also find interesting shots near barn doors and in the shot of the cowboy watching the merry-go-round, for example, I used the contrast of the dark interior against the brightly colored ride. 

You can find listings of local fairs and carnivals quickly on Google--just search under the name of your town and/or state and add the words "carivals" or "fairs." The entertainment section of daily papers, local arts weeklies and even the bulletin board at the local 7-11 are pretty good places to find out what's happening locally, as well. I was really surprised how many events I found and there wasn't a single weekend when there wasn't some type of fair coming to a neighboring town--and those events really bailed me out in finding interesting subjects to shoot for the book. So don't let the high price of gas keep you from shooting creative photos this summer--just let the entertainment and the photo opps come to you!