About The Prodigal Dog

AboutPhoto

Howdy. I’m Matt and this is my humble site. A few things about me: I’ve been taking photos since I could click the shutter & took my first photography class about 15 years ago – back when you had to walk uphill, both ways, and in the snow, to reach a black and white darkroom to develop your own film and enlargements. I’ve visited over 30 countries on 6 continents… Watch your back,  Antarctica. Photo credit to Andi Bennett for the photo of me in the red shirt, looking aloof.

This site is dedicated to travel & photography.

This site is dedicated to travel & photography: the exploration of exotic places and foreign cultures through imagery. That’s my overly verbose way of saying that I like taking pretty pictures, and I wanted an excuse to take more.

All photos, opinions, spelling mistakes, and poor life choices are my own, unless otherwise noted. If you are interested in using my images on your site or for any other purpose, checkout our handy dandy image reuse policy.


FAQ

What kind of camera do you use?

I use a digital SLR camera with several interchangeable lenses, which I highly recommend for travel photography.

If you are in the market for a digital camera, I highly recommend Adorama, where I purchase most of my gear. Most major cameras and lenses come in unsealed boxes, thereby making it easy to unwittingly purchase a used or grey-market item. At Adorama, you’re always getting what you pay for, and they have great customer service and return policies to back it up.

I support this site and its content through affiliate links like those above. Any time you start your shopping trip through my links above, you support this site and help me create more content and pay the bills to keep it running.

What’s your advice for taking better travel photos?

My top pieces of advice are:

  • 1) Find the best light you can: Usually, the highest quality of light can be found at sunrise and sunset. You don’t have to get out of bed every morning at 5am to take good photos, but try to order your day so you can be at the most photogenic places closest to sunset, if possible.
  • 2) Avoid the ‘bullseye’ method: As my photography teacher used to say: you’re taking a photo, not doing target practice. Some folks tend to center their subject dead center and — click — take the shot. That’s good sometimes, but often the most interesting shot is one in which your subject is off center, so you can highlight where they are or what they’re doing even better.
  • 3) Consider your gear: You don’t need a top-of-the-line camera to take good photos, but consider your cameras strengths and weaknesses when approaching a situation. For example, a smartphone is great for high depth of field and (on some newer models) macro, but won’t give you great telephoto results.
  • 4) Have fun: As I sometimes need to remind myself, photos aren’t everything. Do your best, take some shots, then put down the camera and enjoy the place & the moment.