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How to Photograph a European Vacation

Step 1:
Tour D'EiffelPhotograph the familiar monuments. Some of them are hard to photograph because of their extreme size. You will need a very wide angle lens to photograph the Eiffel Tower in Paris. You can buy beautiful postcards of most of the monuments, but you will still be compelled by the photo Gods to take your own pictures of the most famous sights. Get this out of your system early in your trip so you can start to plan more creative uses for your camera.

Step 2:
Arch de TriumphGet pictures of your family at some of the most famous spots. You won't get a clear, centered shot of the Arch de Triumph unless you are willing to stand in the center of the street with hundreds of crazy Parisian drivers trying to kill you. This off-centered shot of my wife and daughter has more meaning to me than a postcard shot of the arch.

Step 3:
Winged VictoryTake pictures inside museums and public buildings. Try to use natural light and photograph something inside the museum that moves or inspires you. I saw many people lined up to take a picture of the Mona Lisa which is a very small piece of artwork behind glass. The picture I took was of the crowd trying to get to see the Mona Lisa. One of the most moving sculptures in the Louvre is “Winged Victory,” and although no flash photography is allowed, I managed to steady myself on a wall to get this picture.

Step 4:
Keukenhof GardensMake sure to see the gardens of the castles you visit. Europe has some of the most beautiful gardens in the world. The light in northern Europe is different than the United States. I know it is the same sun, but northern European countries including Northern France are further north than the U.S. The angle of the light in summer is different and stays light until 10 p.m. or later. The angle of the light makes colors seem more saturated, as you can see in this picture taken at the world famous Keukenhof Gardens outside of Amsterdam.

Step 5:
Ansterdam Portuguese SynagogueSee some of the monuments that are not “must sees” in all of the tourists books. A spectacular and little- known sight in Amsterdam is the Portuguese Synagogue. It is as spectacular as any church you will see in Amsterdam and has a very unusual history. It was constructed in around 1675, about 75 years after the first Sephardic Jews arrived in the Netherlands. They were refugees from the persecutions of the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and taken in by the City of Amsterdam. The synagogue is orthodox and lit entirely by candlelight.

Step 6:
ParisUse the monuments as backdrops for your family photos. This is a picture taken along the Seine River with Notre Dame in the background. This picture captures the whole joy of being in Paris and is much more valuable to me than the same shot without the family members.

Step 7:
Anne Frank HouseTry to take pictures that display the feeling you get from being in the place. Anne Frank’s House in Antwerp is a very nondescript building. It is a moving experience to visit the museum, but as I was walking through I was trying to think of how to take a photograph that would capture it. I lagged behind the group to look out the window that Anne must have looked out while she was hiding there before she was transferred to Auschwitz. I saw the children walking outside with a tour group and backed up and waited so I could take the picture of the window with them outside. Is this a sight that Anne saw everyday, the Flemish children marching to school while she was a prisoner?