Jul 03 2008
How the Other Half Travel
Travelling for business isn’t something I’ve done very much of, and, when I have it’s been on a budget. Recently however, I travelled with my new job to Perth, for a one day meeting.
Flying business class was the first nicety…
Then came the hotel, who upgraded me to a king room - which was wonderful!
Generally when I travel, I stay either in a hostel, or 3-star hotel, depending on the country. This was a very nice change. Luxury is a funny thing though. It’s fun, but everywhere the hotel rooms and facilities are very similar.
You could literally be anywhere in the world when you’re inside a typical 4 or 5 star hotel that’s part of a chain. There are of course exceptions to this, and in those cases the hotels are so incredibly unique that you’d stay there just for the accommodation experience (the Museum Hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey, for instance).
Taking photos inside your hotel room can be a touch and go activity. Lighting in most hotel rooms is pretty poor, and because the entrance is narrow, you really need a wide angle lens to get even a half decent picture.
Then there’s the fun of getting a daytime shot, like in the images above, with the dark room correctly exposed, and the bright outside not completely washed out.
This is where having a camera that allows you to use it in Manual mode is indispensable. Adjust your aperture and shutter speed settings to match the bright outside, and make sure your flash is turned on. Then, focus on the inside of the room and fire away!
The flash will illuminate the room, so you can see all the detail, and the camera is exposing for the bright background, so not only do you get to see the view, you also get a faster shutter speed, which allows you to hand hold and achieve a sharp photo!
If you’ve never tried that, have a go next time you’re in a dark room and want to take a photo of the room, as well as the view out the window - it doesn’t have to be inside a 5-star hotel!
