Interesting thoughts on travel and photography

A) Interesting thoughts on my travel:

1. Here at the hotel in Huaraz nobody speaks English! This means: No single word at all! They picked up a friend who acted as a translator. Even then it is not so easy, but it finally worked!

2. In Caraz they even do not speak Spanish but a very rare traditional language. So there I have to use hands and feet for communication! I would like to hire a mule there! :-) But a mule alone would not work for me, as I dont expect that mule to understand my English orders!

3. Tomorrow I have to organise everything. I hope to find some gas cannisters in the town. And chocolade as a legal drug!

4. They recommended tea with coca leaves! It sounds a bit like a drug, but it tastes very well and I like it! Dont know why the are not common in Europe! I will take some leaves with me on the hike! I hope it has no negative side-effects! I heard it should lessen altitude sickness problems! But I will avoid alcohol as it is anyway to heavy and unhealthy!

5. As always: The locals cannot believe that I go solo and they think I am crazy! :-) They never saw such a huge 130l Bergans backpack! Actually it is so heavy that it is very difficult to steal! Most people are not able to carry that backpack a few hundred meters! :-) By the way: Here in Huaraz I feel very safe! In Lima however I do not feel safe at all! There are too many poor people who have nothing to loose! Thats why there are armed robberies and lots of criminals..the drugs and casinos are also a source for criminals..

6. I will try to get over the first pass (around 4800m) after about 4-5 days from now! This is the fastest plan that I think makes sense! In case I am fast on the circuit I already have another great hiking idea! More on this at a later point! In peru I could spend 3 months alone for all zhose beautiful hikes! The Inka Empire is of course another topic..

B) Hints on photography

I was asked for some tips and tricks on photography. Here are some very basic ones:

1. Essential: always shoot in RAW and try to find out the strengths of each lenses, that you own! Usually you should reduce the open aperture by 2 full stops to have maximum quality. Stay close to this aperture! If your lens is f2.8 then f5.6-f8 usually results in the sharpest pictures. As a maximum I would not go beyond f13! Only in cases where the centrum is the central topic you should go for open Aperture!

2. Try to find your strengths! Which focal distance do you like most? Wide angle 10-30mm or Tele 200-400mm. Or do you have an eye on macro photography! Which focal distance did you use for your best shots so far? Concentrate on this! 70-200mm often produces great shots! This will be my major lens on the Alpamayo circuit! Sometimes it is even a nice exercise to have only one fixed lens with you! For example: only 35mm lens!

3. Concentrate on one topic? Think a lot before shooting? Do your homework! Go for unusual compositions? Try different settings and walk around your subject! Be patient to wait for good light and invest some time before the final shot! Also go for details and avoid distracting elements in the composition!

4. If possible use a tripod? At least use mirror lock-up and use a remote control to avoid any shakes!

5. Go for the best light either in the morning or evening! Or wait for attractive clouds! Clear sky is often the worst situation for photography! Go for thunderstorms and changing weather patterns!

6. Find interesting compositions! There are many books on this topic! Lines, Frames, Fibonacci Rule, Empty spaces, In general: The main subject should be very seldom in the middle of a picture!