Well, he didn’t teach me, but he certainly facilitates it. Nick, my husband, always drives when we travel. And I always bring a camera. This leads to what we call “drive-by shootings.”
We travel from Austin to Dallas and back several times a year to see family and friends, so I have a collection of landmarks as seen from the passenger side window.
Last time we were traveling north, I used my Hipstamatic Camera app on my iPhone to capture a few scenes:
There are landscapes on the road that just beg to be captured, but a lot of times when we’re headed out of town, there isn’t time to stop and spend hours making that perfect National Geographic shot. It’s a challenge to get a clean shot with all of the cars rushing past, not to mention the motion blur from my own vehicle.
A few tips I have are to not try to focus on anything too close, because when you’re rushing past at 70 mph, you’re almost always going to get motion blur. Also, try to get your shutter to go as fast as possible. If you’re brave, try a pan shot, but I’ll tell you it’s really hard to get a pan shot of anything moving when you’re also moving. Oh, and remember to roll down the window to avoid reflections and bits and pieces of smashed bugs.
I’ve gotten shots from a perspective that few people have. Not that many photographers get to stand on the highway and shoot their surroundings. It’s a challenge, but it’s an opportunity to get something really unique.
Here’s one more that I got a few years ago.
