Budget Destinations & Great Photography
A photographer’s work is rarely done. Life offers so many ways to examine it aesthetically, that you are only limited by your own imagination. And what better a way to flex your creative muscles through a lens than by going on a holiday? Most holiday destinations with tourist appeal offer a number of photographic opportunities. Art, history, architecture, natural surroundings, nature, technology – it’s practically a smorgasbord of delicacies that can be confined to the pictures that you bring into fruition from your travels. But let’s face it, photography is not without its challenges, especially if you’re trying to make a living from it. We can’t all be Annie Lebovitz. Hence, if you’re going to be travelling and letting your work document the process, then these destinations will prove to be a joy to experience and behold.
Poland – Wieliczka Salt Mine
This hidden gem of Eastern Europe is one of the more affordable European destinations to visit and well worth your bucks. Poland is stooped in a rich culture, exotic foods (try the baklava!), great vodka if that’s your thing, and architecture comprising Gothic, Renaissance, Classicism and more. Explore medieval castles and let your lens capture all those archaic yet stylised features or go the famed Wieliczka Salt Mine which up until 2007 still produced salt. Over there you can see and capture everything from statues to cathedrals, all carved from salt!
Prague
If you’re visiting Poland, then you might want to make the six hour/548km journey to Prague in neighbouring country Czech Republic. It needs to be known though, that unlike Poland, Czech Republic does high volumes when it comes to tourists and thus your vacation can be cheap or expensive – it all comes down to what you elect to do. Having said that, Prague is known for it’s romance-inducing bridges, its Gothic cathedrals, its well maintained castles, and an active nightlife for the young at heart. It’s the ideal spot for you to break out your camera and to visually encapsulate centuries of history and cultural heritage.
Acapulco
The Four Tops may have said it best with their 1988 hit, Going Loco Down In Acapulco, a song that defined the buzz and energy of this Mexican destination. Acapulco gained a tremendous reputation with the jet set and Hollywood elite in the 1950 and 1960s for its beaches, energetic nightlife and golf. Today this beach resort town is backed by high-rise buildings and while its sandy beaches and warm weather make it an incredibly appealing holiday spot, you might want your lens to capture the sparse vegetation of the Acapulco Botanical Gardens, the daring cliff divers at La Quebrada or the modest beauty of the Acapulco Cathedral.
South Africa
You’ll need a set of volumes to sum up the complexity of South Africa, but let it be known travelling photographer, that this country is worth your time, money and lens. Situated on the southern tip of Africa, South Africa offers up a plethora of things to do and see. Its sparse nature is already a major draw-card entailing everything from gardens to mountains, vegetation and notable wild animals. It’s also a country with historical structures, modern infrastructure and technology, and it’s home to blue flag status beaches. On top of all of this, it’s not prohibitively expensive as the rand is quite amenable to the dollar, the pound and the Euro.
Another tip I would like to share from my first visit in Cape Town (that I highly recommend as a base for your SA trip), is that It wouldn’t hurt to learn how the exchange market works by trading in Forex prior to your visit, as African currencies are volatile and the exchange rate fluctuates a lot.
