Jeff Wignall's Travel Guide: Great Places to Photograph

Big Fun! Giant Rhode Island Air Show June 26 & 27th

If you're looking for something really fun to shoot this weekend and happen to be in the New England area, head over to the Rhode Island National Guard Open House & Air Show--one of the best air shows in the country. I spent two days at the show last summer and had the time of my life and took a lot of fun photos. (You can read about my shooting experiences last year here and here.) Shooting air shows is a great way to practice your high-speed photo techniques and to get very close to some spectacular aerial demonstrations. The Blue Angels won't be there this year, but there is a very full roster of amazing acts--including the USAF Thunderbirds--the Air Force equivalent of the Navy's Blue Angels.

The show gates open both days (Saturday and Sunday) at 9 a.m. and the shows begin at 10 a.m. And here's the amazing thing: the show and parking are FREE! There is a $10 requested parking fee, but that money is a donation to the Hasbro Children's Hospital and is completely voluntary. (And if you have an RV there is on-site camping on a first-come, first-served basis.) Cameras and video cameras are more than welcome (and there are lots of static displays to shoot), but coolers are not. There are tons of food vendors right in the show and I had the best burger of my life there last year! (Seriously, the very best burger I've ever had and I've had a lot!)

The weather looks pretty good for the weekend, though there are some showers predicted, but the weather people have no idea what they're talking about, so if you have the weekend free, go see the show! Rhode Island is a beautiful state and you'll have fun rain or shine.

There's a ton of info on the show site, but here are the directions if you want to quickly print them out:

From Points North:

(Providence, Boston) - Take I95 South to Exit 9 - RT 4 South, North Kingstown, East Greenwich (left exit). Off of RT 4, take Exit 7B (Quonset) Stay on RT 403. RT 403 will become Roger Williams Way. After the 3rd traffic light on Roger Williams Way take a left onto Conway Street. Follow signs to Air National Guard Base.

From Points South:

(Connecticut, New York) - Take I95 North into Rhode Island. In RI take Exit 8A (RT 2 South, West Warwick) Stay on RT 2 South until 1st traffic light. Take a left at the light and prepare to stay right. Merge onto RT 4 South. Off of RT 4, take Exit 7B (Quonset) Stay on RT 403. RT 403 will become Roger Williams Way. After the 3rd traffic light on Roger Williams Way take a left onto Conway Street. Follow signs to Air National Guard Base.

Lighthouse Park in East Haven, Connecticut

If you're taking a weekend drive up the Connecticut coast, be sure to hop off of I95 (or never get on it!) in East Haven and head out to Lighthouse Point Park (follow the link for lots of info and directions). The park is beautifully situated at the entrance to New Haven harbor and the lighthouse itself is very nicely maintained and just pretty as a picture. There is also a great old carousel just across a small road from the lighthouse and plenty of nice beaches. A great place to wander and photograph at sunset because the lighthouse faces west and so gets gorgeous late-afternoon lighting. I shot the scene here just as the sun was setting and you couldn't ask for nicer light. Day passes are $10 for nonresidents or you can buy a season's pass for $50--worth it if you plan to visit more than five times during the summer. The parking is very close to the lighthouse and carousel.

Visit the Lady Beside the Golden Door: Lady Liberty

Have you ever visited the Statue of Liberty? It's an amazingly emotional and beautiful place and Liberty Island (which you get to by ferry from either New York or New Jersey) has the most spectacular views of both New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Last fall I spent three days in New Jersey shooting the statue and visiting the area. I have never been more moved by a single photographic subject in my life. Something about seeing that face in person (it was my first time on Liberty Island, though of course I'd see her from Manhattan hundreds of times) really shook me to my core.

The idea that she was the first vision of America that millions of immigrants (including my grandfather) saw hit me profoundly when the ferry first brought us close to her. I had an extraordinary first day there--it was baking hot and then we were hit by a rollicking thunderstorm. And as much as I tried to concentrate on photographing her, I could not shake this feeling that I was meant to step on that island, meant to look her in the face and meant to be there with a camera. When you go there, you are surrounded by thousands of people, most of whom, I think, are having the exact same experience: awe that such an amazing country exists and that such a fabulous work of art welcomes everyone. If you have never been there, go this summer. Take your kids, or take your parents--or both. You will never be the same.

By the way, I created this photo using a combination of Photoshop color tools (including the channel mixer) and created the lighting effect using the--what else?--the lighting effects filter. Just playing and having fun. Also, today's Black Star Rising blog features two of my Liberty collages. Black Star is the greatest photojournalism agency in history and they have a really great and interesting blog.

Connecticut: Home of NO Tourism

Connecticut: $1 for Tourism

I was stunned to receive the following letter from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. It seems that the state of Connecticut has decided to reduce the amount of money that they spend attracting tourists to the state from $4.2 million last year to $1 (one dollar) this year. As a travel photographer I travel almost constantly to different states around the country and, by comparison to any other state that I've visited (seven in the last month) Connecticut has one of the worst tourism industries in the country. It's no wonder that people from New York and New Jersey use Connecticut as a doormat to the rest of New England. That's the level of pride that the state government shows in its own state. Shame on you Governor Rell. Your lack of pride in your own state is a disgrace.

<<<A message from Karen Senich, Executive Director, and Randy Fiveash, Director of Tourism, Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism:

Over the past few weeks much has been voiced and written about the State of Connecticut’s budget and how it has specifically affected the tourism budget of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism (CCT). Now that the dust has settled we want to update you on the tourism budget and the realities of it. Additionally, we want to briefly lay out the opportunities which lie ahead. The Commission is committed to doing everything we can to support and bolster Connecticut tourism in hopes of a rising economy and future funding.

The recently passed State of Connecticut budget allocates one dollar ($1.00) for FY 2010 and 2011 to the Statewide Marketing Fund for tourism marketing, down from $4.2 million last year. As you may be aware, the Statewide Marketing Fund is CCT’s multi-faceted account for tourism that includes all advertising, marketing, public relations and direct sales efforts, among other outreach efforts. This is the area that was reduced to $1.00.

These are challenging economic times for all, including Connecticut’s travel and tourism industry. As a result, a new approach is needed on the State level to promote Connecticut’s destinations, attractions, lodging and tourism services. The State’s role in tourism marketing is to provide leadership as the statewide marketing umbrella to reach as many target-market travelers as possible with a broad branded message. The Commission on Culture & Tourism focuses on marketing efforts that tourism districts and tourism industry members cannot do alone, as efficiently.

The Commission on Culture & Tourism is committed to taking on this new budget challenge by: maintaining foundation tourism program elements, such as Connecticut’s Official Tourism website www.CTvisit.com, Connecticut Welcome Centers, and toll-free 1-888-CTvisit tourism information line; creating cooperative marketing efforts driven by the needs of the industry and major consumer motivators and; discontinuing marketing elements, while worthwhile, are no longer affordable.

Moving tourism forward in Connecticut in these difficult economic times will take a unified approach. We at CCT have developed a Tourism Moving Forward Plan of Action that is designed to help us collectively survive this critical time. We can only do this with the help and partnership of the Connecticut travel and tourism industry. To learn briefly what is behind the Tourism Moving Forward Plan of Action, along with information regarding programs that are affected by the reduction in Statewide Marketing Funds, click here. >>>

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!