List 10 most photogenic icons for country/region you visited.

[zoossh]

Think this is kind of interesting and may help other backpacking photographers plan their future trips. The list need not be unique just to that place, but rather representative of the photographic opportunities of the location. food, dances, events, anything that can be shot can be included. it can be a country, a province, a region or just a city/town, but specifically a location/event/timing with photographic concerns ie right time right place right people. you can consider posting different country in different posts, bold/color the heading (if u know how), so that will help others to browse fast.

those who wish can post links to his own gallery, or any other gallery you saw. you dun have to get up to 10 or stop at 10 either. short descriptors, the more pictorial or specific, the better. a clean format for reading is prefered. I hope response will be warm from the others, and hopefully, this become a good compilation rather than die off somewhere. i hope someone will post his or her list for cuba and mexico.

 

[zoossh]

Ladakh Region, Tibetan part of India

1. Mask dancing during festival, e.g. tibetan new year
2. Morning puja and horn blowing, e.g. thiksey monastery and the monks there.
3. Mammoth mountains with meandering roads, with moonscape enroute to leh.
4. monasteries/stupa pegged across slope or on top of mountains, some built by japanese with jp text
5. Monks with hair, some with jackets and sunglasses offered from tourists
6. Dalai Lama portrait in every tibetan restaurant and place of worshipping
7. Child monks and nuns, some of them are caucasoid/aryan from Kinnaur valley.
8. Tibetan yaks. well, if you can see snow leopard, good luck for you.
9. passes and salt water lake of highest altitude, e.g. pangong tso, tso miriri
10. logos/posters against chinese olympics torch in tibet (2008) and on preceding crackdown (i hope we dun have to see them in years to come, gd for everyone)

ok, for this location, i can't stop at 10, so just forgive me.

11. muslim and hindu communities in leh.
12. road signs with remarks of humor for road safety due to long driving hours.
13. road workers, many of whom look like bihari.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387049

from krishna91
16. Indus-Zanskar Confluence

 

[krishna91]

I'm afraid my list will include too much of Ladakh as well.

-India- This is THE country for most types of photography, so more than 10 here (No particular order)

1. Indus-Zanskar Confluence, Ladakh
2. Thiksey Monastery and Inhabitants, Ladakh
3. Varanasi and Haridwar - the people and the streets, religion
4. Historical ruins around Delhi-Punjab area, and India-Pakistan border at Wagah
5. Boathouse against backwaters, Kerala
6. Fisherman on Sunderbans, largest mangrove swamp in the world
7. Chinese fishing nets, Kochi, Kerala
8. Taj Mahal during wee hours
10. Mountainscapes in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal and Ladakh
11. Streets and colors of Jaipur and Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
12. Historical city of Kolkata
13. Indian Railways
14. Little Buddhist monks in the Himalayas
15. Beggars and the unfortunate
16. Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India
17. Tanjore, India
18. Bodh Gaya, Bihar, for Buddhism

-Malaysia-

1. Petronas Towers, KL (met people with P&S cameras who took amazing shots without effort in the night)
2. Tigers at Taman Negara
3. Craftsmen in Malacca
4. Tribesmen in Sarawak

-South Africa-

1. Cityscape of Cape Town against Table Mountain
2. Elephants at Kruger National Park
3. All other 'Big 5' at Kruger National Park
4. Street crime in Johannesburg :bsmilie:
5. Wine estates
6. Drakensberg Mountains (Dragon Mountains in English)
7. Tribesmen
8. Lesotho

-Indonesia-

1. Marine life
2. Religion in Bali
3. Sunrise and Sunset at Uluwatu, Bali
4. Mountainscape and Rice Terraces, Bali

too lazy to write the rest.. ahh its 2.41AM

 

[krishna91]

Ladakh Region, Tibetan part of India
8. Tibetan yaks. well, if you can see snow leopard, good luck for you.
QUOTE]

Seen it before? I have. With my uncle when he was shooting a documentary for Nat Geo, when I was extremely young. I joined him in Ladakh near Rumbuk or somewhere, and we did see it. I was less than 9 years old. It was one of the first few recorded moments of a Snow Leopard in Wildlife Cinematography history , and I witnessed it. I was really,really lucky.

 

[krishna91]

Oh, if you're planning to go to Cuba, be sure to explore the streets of Old Havana. It's a hidden jewel, though can be dangerous at times

 

[yatsunil]

Greece - especially the island of Santorini for architectural shots as well as the caldera.

 

[hotwork77]

I'm afraid my list will include too much of Ladakh as well.

-India- This is THE country for most types of photography, so more than 10 here (No particular order)

1. Indus-Zanskar Confluence, Ladakh
2. Thiksey Monastery and Inhabitants, Ladakh
3. Varanasi and Haridwar - the people and the streets, religion
4. Historical ruins around Delhi-Punjab area, and India-Pakistan border at Wagah
5. Boathouse against backwaters, Kerala
6. Fisherman on Sunderbans, largest mangrove swamp in the world
7. Chinese fishing nets, Kochi, Kerala
8. Taj Mahal during wee hours
10. Mountainscapes in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal and Ladakh
11. Streets and colors of Jaipur and Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
12. Historical city of Kolkata
13. Indian Railways
14. Little Buddhist monks in the Himalayas
15. Beggars and the unfortunate
16. Meenakshi Temple, Madurai, India
17. Tanjore, India
18. Bodh Gaya, Bihar, for Buddhism

-Malaysia-

1. Petronas Towers, KL (met people with P&S cameras who took amazing shots without effort in the night)
2. Tigers at Taman Negara
3. Craftsmen in Malacca
4. Tribesmen in Sarawak

-South Africa-

1. Cityscape of Cape Town against Table Mountain
2. Elephants at Kruger National Park
3. All other 'Big 5' at Kruger National Park
4. Street crime in Johannesburg :bsmilie:
5. Wine estates
6. Drakensberg Mountains (Dragon Mountains in English)
7. Tribesmen
8. Lesotho

-Indonesia-

1. Marine life
2. Religion in Bali
3. Sunrise and Sunset at Uluwatu, Bali
4. Mountainscape and Rice Terraces, Bali

too lazy to write the rest.. ahh its 2.41AM

- USA -
1. Muir Woods National Park
2. Hoover Dam in Winter
3. Tombstone (near OK Corral)
4. Cesar Palace at Night (Vegas)
5. The Embarcadero (San Francisco)

 

[0bli0]

Oh, if you're planning to go to Cuba, be sure to explore the streets of Old Havana. It's a hidden jewel, though can be dangerous at times

in my opinion, La Habana Vieja (old Havana) is extremely safe. you can wander the decomposing streets and collapsing buidings and comfortably get lost exploring the back streets upto and including after dark. if you're uncomfortable around 'shady looking' strangers, i'd recommend avoiding walking along the Malecon at night. the punishments for minor crimes are pretty high. camera equipment will be difficult to offload and is quite conspicous, so it is not a big target. confrontational crimes are pretty low (hold ups, attacks, etc.) as there are uniformed PNR and Ministry of the Interior (and many other org.) persons on almost every other block. pickpocketing does happen so prepare accordingly.

i highly recommend going as it's a gorgeous destination. it's also best to get out of the city as there is so much more to see.

 

[krishna91]

-Extreme North/Northeast (J&K,Himachal Pradesh)-
1. Indus Zanskar Confluence, Ladakh
2. Dal Lake & Boathouses, Srinagar, Kashmir
3. Mountainscapes
4. Gardens and Landscapes in Kashmir
5. Shalimar Bagh, Kashmir
6. Monasteries on the road from Amritsar to Manali
7. Lakes in Himachal Pradesh

-Delhi/Punjab/Uttar Pradesh-
1. The Golden Temple(Harmandir Sahib) and prayers, Amritsar, Punjab
2. Chandni Chowk, Delhi
3. Taj Mahal during the wee hours, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
4. Religion in Varanasi and Haridwar, Uttarakhand/Uttar Pradesh
5. Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati Confluence, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
6. Railways, Rohilkhand, Uttar Pradesh
7. Buddhism in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh
8. Himalayan foothills, Punjab
9. Ruins at Pakistan Border, Wagah, Punjab (45 min from Amritsar)
10. Agriculture fields and Canals, Punjab
11. Indus Valley Civilization site, Ropar, Punjab
12. People in Delhi, in places like Red Fort, Fatehpur Sikri etc.
13. People at Humayun's Tomb, Delhi.
14. Qutb Minar, Delhi

I'll continue the rest soon, I'm being pestered to get off the computer

 

[zoossh]

Northern Laos, Tai-Kadai part of Laos.

1. morning alms by Luang Prabang monks
2. Novice monks, Theravada style, who sometimes smoke once they "book out" from "camp"
3. Phat That Luang at vientianne, golden covered national monument, best shot during festival of same name
4. Vientianne's "Arc de Triomphe" carries the indochinese flavor, called the Patouxai
5. Plains of Jars at Annamese Cordillera, via Phonsavanh
6. daily nite market at Luang Prabang, filled with warm red and yellows, brightly illuminated.
7. Varying architecture - every temple looks different for me
- colorful Wat (temple) Si Muang at vientianne with yellow walls and red carpet inside,
- colorful murals on wat xieng thong, Luang Prabang,
- French-Laotian colonial "shophouses" builings, Sakhalin Road, Luang Prabang
8. Grilled fish have a rich brown skin and pure white meat, tasty and photogenic.
9. sunrise and sunset shots of Mekong River, can be done at Luang Prabang or anywhere else
10. rice fields at adima of Muang Sing, but no longer so friendly minority tribes in the vicinity
11. whitewater rafting (fast water) and river jumping at vang vieng, ladden with guilin-like mountains (still-water)

 

[monkeygod]

well i just got back from a vacation in Egypt, and while I haven't processed all the photos yet, here's my current picks from that country :

EGYPT

Cairo/Giza

1. Pyramids - kinda obvious, but here's some free advice. The 'Great' Pyramid of Cheops at Giza is actually one of the less interesting ones. Try and spend more time at the slightly smaller Pyramid of Khafre as it still has the original limestone facing on the tip which adds a nice contrast. You can also drive out to Memphis, the ruins of the former capital, where they have the oldest Pyramid known, that is actually 'stepped'.

2. The Citadel of El-Sallah-Din (Saladin) - part fort, part mosque this old building is striking from the outside with its silvery lead domes, but absolutely beautiful inside with very intricately decorated roofs.

3. The Hanging Church - dedicated to St. George, this Church in the Coptic Orthodox faith is uniquely designed to sit over an arch in the old city walls. The roof is held up by bowed wooden beams, meant to represent Noah's Ark while the walls are completely decorated with carvings inlaid with a mixture of ebony, ivory and camel bone. A very different and picturesque location - also one of the few churches in Cairo where photography is allowed (without flash).

Alexandria

4. Biblioteca Alexandrina - possibly the most advanced building in the entirety of Egypt. Completely modern design, with touches of tradition such as an elaborate 'stone' carved facade on one of the approaches inscribed with hieroglyphs. The only place in the world, besides the original in San Francisco, to host the Internet Archive - a snapshot of every single web page from 1996-2007. 11 levels of reading rooms under a computerised daylight window system (similar to T3).

Luxor

5. Temple of Hatshepsut - One of the better preserved temples, and on a fairly large scale. Makes my list due to the fact you can take a dawn balloon ride from a nearby field and (with some good wind and luck), get some excellent aerial views (I didn't, but still ...).

6. Valley of the Kings - Explore as many tombs as you want/can. Each holds a different set of photographic treasures and challenges. Some of the best hieroglyphs (in color!) remain to be seen in the tombs here.

Along the Nile

7. Cruising down the Nile (e.g. from Luxor to Aswan), there are a variety of very photogenic sights. From the giant manmade power towers stretching from bank to bank, to the variety of sailing vessels passing by or even the small farms and communities visible on the shore.

8. Lake Nassr - the largest man made lake in the world, over 500 miles long. Standing on the Aswan High Dam at its beginning is quite impressive, but photography is a bit restricted. Large signs (and military patrols) state No Video Cameras and No 'Zoom' Lenses. A better view can be had from the small town of Abu Simbel if you head there.

9. Abu Simbel - the best sound and light show in Egypt IMO, better than the one at the Pyramids/Sphinx. The temples are also available to visit at dawn, which means very little crowds and dramatic lighting as the beams of sun creep across the lake and illuminate the monumental statues lining the temples exterior.

10. The people! Its very very hard to take street shots in Egypt as the culture makes random photography VERY rude. Some may even act aggressive if they think you have/are going to take a photo of them. The other extreme are those people who hang out near tourist hot spots and insist on tips if you take a photo (the entire country is very tip-hungry, down to bathroom attendants in public toilets who expect a tip for handing you tissues after washing). Nevertheless, if you persevere and use some stealth/discretion you will see a wide variety of characters, dressed from the traditional to the modern, with skin tones from the golden near -Indian to the dark dark near-African.

 

[Jefferson]

Has anyone been to Norway? Specifically Trondheim? Is it photogenic?