News is full of stories of handlers, and others, stealing property. I recall there was an actress who lost very valuable jewelry. I once spoke to an Olympic Trap shooter who had a very valuable gun stolen (obviously not cary on item.) Cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace. If you can carry it, you should.

I find that many aspects of photography are similar to marksmanship. For instance it is easier to shoot a rifle from a supported position than standing up shooting offhand. If you shoot with a scope (think telephoto lens) it is very challenging to control “bounce.” I tend to get very sharp shots using a few strategies.

When time allows use a tripod and remote trigger.

When time does not allow make sure IS is on in camera.

Try to use a braced position such as a crook of a tree, a wall etc. You can shoot over the barricade or brace your camera along side it (just like a firearm!).

I like the kneeling braced position where I kneel on the ground and use one of my knees as one of my controlling points of contact with the ground and camera to make it steady.

If you are young or a yoga instructor you can go prone. I’m too old and don’t like getting dirty!

The inverse of the focal length is a good rule of thumb. With my Oly I can get away with a bit slower speed but generally the rule is true.

The goal here is to get the shot. Meaning get the &$?!! shot! Even if you have to push ISO high to allow you a good shutter speed then that is what you have to do. Get the shot.

Beanbags are great. Marksman use them for a reason. So should photographers.

Breath control and shutter control (trigger control) are key. Breath in and slowly breath out. Midway press...not slam...the shutter. Ideally you want to have the shutter activation be a “surprise”...just like marksman. It’s called a surprise break.

The weights other people described are useful but you have to carry them around. Not my thing. (Interesting aside weights on guns and even weighted clothes are used by competitors in some shooting situations.)

Proper grip on camera is vital. Look it up. Elbows tight in to body, etc.

Stance. If standing up you need one foot forward of the other so you are not wobbly.

I really like this picture. I like that the person in the background is recognizable as a person... dry nice layering. I did open up my iPad screen to view the shot so that the tree on the right was cropped out. If you want do it to the real image and see what you think. Very nice eye!

Far too many of the photos in this section are poorly done snapshots. Yours is different. I like this in that the lighting is excellent. The shadows, etc are really well done. I like the pose in that is artisticly beautiful and shows off your model. If you want opinions on other aspects, the background, second seat, etc somewhat distract me. I wonder how this would look simply with her and no no other distractions? I can't tell if I like the necklass or not. In any event, you do great work.
I'd a fine job.

enjoy

And, if you shoot raw, all that saturation stuff, etc is moot. You can adjust that after the shots when you get time. RAW does not look too hot on the screen...have no fear...it will pop once you process.

Nope...what I mean by preset, I should have said most cameras have what is known as a custom setting or a myset to save settings so that the press of a button or turn of a dial, you can recall those settings. Say, for instance, that you are going to travel to Yellowstone. You know that you are going to shoot a lot of landscapes using your wide angle lens. So you create a custom setting where you simply dial C1 on your camera dial and it sets the camera to ISO 100, daylight light setting, single shot at f8. And you also know that there will be animals out there so you set up Custom 2 as shutter priority at 1/1000, ISO 400, and let the aperture fall where it may. If you come across a bear, you just dial up C2, you don't fiddle with the settings. Dial C2 and you are ready to shoot.

In my case, I was going to a galaxy photo shoot..never did it before, but read that my initial setting might be something like: manual focus, image stabilization off due to using a tripod, ISO 800, shutter speed of 30 seconds, F 2.8, long exposure noise reduction off and noise filter on (as I recall). That way, when I got there, I simply hit a button and my camera was set up. It did slightly change, such as dropping ISO to 400, but I was at least in the right ballpark. Other students were fiddling with turning stuff on and off (in the dark) when all that should have been done ahead of time.

First, define what it is you are going to be doing with the camera...you said travel...but where and how? I hike and got tired of carrying a full dslr on very long hikes over altitude..so I switched to m4/3. Headed to Machu Picchu and cannot carry 20 lbs of stuff at 15000 foot elevation hike. But, if you are going to have a car or tour bus nearby that carries the weight for you, then I'd go for a general purpose dslr...probably from Canon in that there is so many accessories out there, it is the predominant brand across the world (I saw 10 canon for every Nikon on a trip recently...a few Sonys and only one Olympus (not including mine.) All cameras take great photos...it is the Indian not the arrow that makes the shot.

I have an old Canon 60D that is still a remarkable camera...get an 80D and you wont be sorry.

My wife and I travel quite a bit. She is not a photographer and, as a result, we do not stay in one place for long for me to sit and fiddle with settings. We often take local tours (such as viator market tours, food tours, etc. We also do quite a bit of hiking on our travels and cannot stop to set up shot to take photos. Therefore, my style is a "run and gun" type shooting. People who recommended P mode are generally correct. You can easily look at what settings it is recommending and go plus or minus on the exposure value if need be. The idea is to get the shot, not mess with camera settings. I have also learned that when I go inside anywhere, I automatically bump us the ISO but keep it at 200 for outdoors...generally. Far too many photographers like messing with settings and forget about the shot. GET THE SHOT!

I do not know all the abilities of your camera, but I also like pre-sets on my camera a lot. I am a 4/3 user and have 4 pre-sets...so lets say I know I will be touring churches, I set up a preset for that. And I have one for HDR that is ready to go at the press of a button. If I am on a photo workshop (like I just did the other day) I set up for what I think will be used in that workshop...it can always change, but at least I have a plan!

The other absolute is to shoot in raw. I cannot tell you the number of times the added flexibility of that format has saved good photos for me. When we travel, I often will take a short led photography workshop or led tour just to satisfy my desire to do more artistic shooting. The output or how you are going to use the photos matters as well. I show photos at my local camera club or enter local contests to get professional feedback on my pictures, not to win ribbons. But the main purpose of my photography is to capture great moments while traveling and put those photos into a book.

The more I travel, the less I like taking photos of sites...I like the interaction of people and the sites, unusual circumstances, etc. (see attached photo...not museum quality, but it reminds me of a very enjoyable time watching children chasing bubbles in Poland.) So find your style and it may dictate what and how you shoot. Finally, there is no substitute for a fast prime lens for indoor shots.

Mixbook offers this option which I often use.

I would pass on the job. You have nothing to gain and everything to lose.

If you are in the traffic investigation business, your actions could directly impact the outcome of high stakes litigation. For that reason I suggest you refer photography to a certified crime scene photographer or if not available (or you are a private enterprise) get some sort of certification so that your photographs withstand court scrutiny. That you want to use a "cheap" method to gather evidence is a problem. You need to be able to defend and explain your evidence gathering methods including the use of close up photography to a jury (or court). Such as, what the magnification is of your image, i.e. 1:1 or 1:2, lighting, etc. If you are going to take your own close up photos, I strongly suggest a macro lens with a ring flash. Understand everything about it so that you can testify as to what exactly the system produced.

Your thesis and business plan would not match up resulting in a failed grade. A very interesting aspect of business is travel photography where the photog posts content on line and gets paid for it. There are photographers who do quite well just doing that. There are also some photogs who make a living doing guided treks and then support it via the web such as tutorials, etc. StuckinCustoms.com (Trey Ratcliff) is one such person. I am aware of other photographers who do the same thing but not quite so public. They not only lead and teach, they publish quite a lot and do well financially. The world of photography is far broader than simply getting paid for your images.

Toni

This topic comes up a lot. Invariably, people will make recommendations on a particular camera...all of which are able to take great photos. My advice is to first decide what it is you are going to be doing with the camera and what the product of your photography will be. Think of it like buying a car...each of us has our own needs. A guy with six kids cannot use a sports car and a guy in construction probably wants a truck. How are your going to use the camera? For travel, do you hike a lot and need to keep the weight down, are you going to take photo seminars on shooting landscapes and going to print massively large photos? I used to carry a large canon but since I hike a lot on vacation, I switched to the smaller Olympus camera systems and am very happy. I do not make prints larger than 11X14 and mostly make up photo books of our travels. I dont need a large sensor camera. If you are just going to shoot family, then perhaps a bridge all in one kind of camera might work. If you want flexibility, then the Olympus system (interchangeable lenses, etc.) might work. If you want interchangeable lenses and dont mind carrying equipment (because you are not going far, not hiking, family events, etc.) then any of the cameras ...canon, nikon...what ever will suit you just fine.

As a retired police officer....35 years....this is insulting. We insist our donuts are in white or pink boxes. If she is to have a long career one must get these thing right! Congrats and be safe.