Eco Holidays

posted by Catherine on Aug 4

You and you kids could help spread the word about green travel by entering these 3 competitions!

The best way to pass on information about something you are passionate about is to put pen to paper, talk to them about them or capture the image - and this is just what these competitions could help you to do.

The first is for under 18 year olds still in education and revolves around the future of forests, the second is for those over 18 about your most memorable travel moment, and the final competition is for you both to show what you see in the environment!

Young Geographer Of The Year 2010:
Have you got something to say about he way we are treating our forests?  About what your local woodland does for your community, your family or the local wildlife? Or just something to say in praise of trees!

Whatever your motivation for entering – it doesn’t matter – it’s what you have to say that counts.

And how you say it is up to you: written, taped, a short documentary or video, photographs – or a combination of whatever media you think will best pass on your meaning to others!

Monkey Running From A Storm

There are 3 different categories depending on your age, and the closing date is October 2010.

PureTravel Writing Competition 2010:
Is there something you want to share with the world that you can tell them in under 500 words?  Something amazing that silenced you?  Something disastrous that made you speak up?

Something with some serious meaning that you think could impress the readers and judges and make a difference to your local area, some distant landscape, an endangered species or a threatened community – or just a funny story that you just can’t forget?

All articles will appear on the PureTravel website and the judges will pick 10 for the public to vote on before choosing a winner!  And your prize could be the inspiration for another great adventure!

WWT Photographic Competition 2010:
Take a moment to visit a wetland centre and try to capture what wildlife means to you today.

Whether it is a close up or a rare animal, a new way of looking at something we think we know so well – or to capture that strange moment in your life that might never be found again!

There are plenty of categories this year – including one that doesn’t have to have been taken in a WWT centre – so there is hope for everyone!  All ages, all themes, all places!

Whichever one you enter – I’m sure you will feel that yours is good enough to be a winner, and why not?  Every experience is real and can make a difference at different levels – whether it’s just in the way we think about things – or whether we manage to change other peoples way of thinking too!

Good Luck!

posted by Catherine on Jul 8

Is it about getting the great shot – or about the welfare of the animal itself?

There is hot debate at the moment in the world of wildlife photography that some ‘wild’ animals are being farmed in captivity to make for ‘better’ wildlife shots!

It is sadly true that there are cages and cages of foxes, wolves, pumas and lynx all just pacing back and forth waiting for someone to pay to see them ‘running free’ in an enclosure.

The irony of it!

So, are there some wildlife guidelines you can follow to make sure that your are not scaring or stressing the wild animals you are photographing – the most obvious being: Don’t pay an established animal farm to use their wildlife for photography unless you completely approve of their housing and handling!

But if you want to keep it natural out in the field, try a few of these tips:

Treat Them As Wild:
The animals you are trying to get an amazing picture of are wild and are therefore potentially dangerous to humans – especially if they are mating or have young close by.

Therefore the best practice here is to get yourself a very long lens and watch from a distance!  Of course you can stalk out the animals in advance to find out where they will be and when to get yourself in position.

Getting To Close:
Just because an animal is letting you get really close – it doesn’t mean that it wants you there.

A very hungry animal may remain near it’s meal while you creep closer and closer because it has tried to catch a meal for so long.  It won’t give it up easily – but it will eventually if you hound it for long enough!

Same goes for mothers with young or an injured animal – they don’t really want to have to move so will let you get closerthan normal – but they will still be very stressed about the whole thing.

If an animal is staring at you – then you have disturbed it or got too close – either way, it knows you are there.

Any Closer And I Could Spoil The Meal

The Wider Angle:
Don’t forget that animals and birds don’t just live in the one spot you just saw them in – they need the wider environment to be successful.

So, don’t thunder through the woods or fields to get to your ‘best ‘spot as you may well have disturbed all your animals prey species out of the area for the rest of the day!  Or scared a predator right into the face of your target species!

Breaking branches, trampling plants and moving things around ‘for a better shot’ can also affect the very animals you have come to see!

The Results:
Well, there are some great cameras out there than can reduce the distance between you and the wildlife to such a great extent that you needn’t disturb wildlife at all.  I know they may cost more than a normal camera but it can be the easiest way of getting a great shot without causing the animal itself any stress.

And by staying away, you can appreciate the wider environment too.  I have found that sitting still is a great way to get animals to come closer to you as you become part of their landscape rather than marching through it.  They will feed and act as normal within feet of you if you were there first!

Great for some perfect wildlife moments!

posted by Catherine on Jan 6

Taking great photos of your eco holidays or adventures can add even more to your experience!

Even if you only have a standard camera, you can still take some great photo’s if you get the angles right, and space out your subjects.

And, bringing home some amazing images of the places you have been or the people your have met can make sharing your experiences so much better.

Why Photo’s?
I know that most of your memories are in your head after an amazing holiday – but sometimes having the images infront of you can remind you of them – I mean you don’t always remember everything about your past – but see a picture of that old top you used to wear or the neighbours cat, and all sorts of memories come flooding back!

Also, any old image of the place you stayed while backpacking through Costa Rica, or a corner of the train carriage you got stuck in on that Trans Siberian Railway will be fine for you to remember the trip – but not really good material for sharing with friends to get them into the ‘feel’ of it!

If only you could capture the moment in a great photo?

Taking Great Pictures:
There are several rules to follow if you want your picture to be better than average – and you don’t need a fancy SLR or 5 different lenses to achieve these either.

Just take a peek below and get practicing:

1) Use The Rule Of Thirds: Try to put your important focal point to one side of the centre.  Always avoid putting the focal point in the center – especially if it is a landscape or wildlife.  So make the horizon is in the top third of the shot, or that tree is a bit to the right…..

2) Move Into The Picture: If you have an animal looking left or a sign pointing right – make sure that they are looking or pointing into the rest of the shot rather than straight off the edge of the shot!

3) Complete The Picture: Try not to have a little bit of something in the corner of your shot.  If you can see the edge of a roof in your viewer, then it will detract from the finished image.  Try to zoom in a little bit to get rid of it, or move the camera towards it an make it a part of the image.

4) Use Your Macro: Find your macro feature and practice using it for close ups as you can get some great blurry shots in the background.  You don’t just use this feature for tiny things – you can zoom in on a piece of fruit on a bush close by and have a great blurry shot of trees in the background.

So, go get outside with whatever camera your have and get snapping!