Best Places to Travel

Introduction

This website is a companion to my coffee table  book proto-titled MOMENTS -a travel guide, about great places and events for which I am seeking a publishing agent.
The book provides the visual imagery and brief descriptions of how it feels to be there, while the website provides readers with the factual background and illustrated travel information on approximately 100 top destinations. My top photographs are reserved for the book and are not reproduced on this website. A list of the ~100 places and events is provided on the page Best Places, located on the menu bar. Not all pages have been written as this will take some considerable time to complete. The pages that are finished have gold text with operational links.

Website Organisation.

The website is divided into two parts. A series of static pages each describing a place or event. Corrections and updates for a particular location are welcome, and can be added using the comment form on that page. General comments are welcome using the comment form on the Comments(General) page.
The second part is a travel Blog, with the latest 10 posts published on the front page below. Older posts will be archived and accessed through the Travel Twitter button. General comments are welcome.

General Disclaimers.

All images on this site can be copied and reproduced provided the watermark L.Sharp www.artphototravel.net, remains in place. A link to this site would be appreciated.

TRAVEL BLOG and UPDATES

Tornado Chasing across the Great Plains, USA.

6 May 2012
I have storm chased in the USA across the Great Plains on four separate occasions, and now feel the need to go again. Each 10 day tour covered some 5,000 miles, and when the weather was balmy, it was mind-bending boring. But when the sky turned dark, and the monsters were unleashed, the environment transformed into one of the most dramatic and exhilarating visual experiences of a lifetime. Full Article.

Kolkata revisited, for the third time.

3 May 2012.
I have visited Kolkata three times. The first being in 1965, then in 2002 and the latest in March 2012. Over this time, I have witnessed dramatic changes to the life of the city, and although it still generates a powerful, attractive -repulsive spell on my psyche, the overall impact is now more subdued. So whereas, in 1965, Kolkata was a major cultural shock in every respect, the cultural impact to the casual visitor is now much less. Don’t get me wrong, it still generates a significant impact. It is after all a large teeming chaotic metropolis seething with humanity rising out of the dust and dirt, with glimpses here and there of its grand colonial heritage. Full Article.

India, Bhutan, Nepal trip curtailed due to injury.

Last modified on 2012-04-17 04:28:54 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Unfortunately at 03;30 am, my wife did not see the curb as she left the Radison hotel in Delhi for the airport for the Bhutan flight, fracturing her pelvis. She was taken from the airport to the Medanta hospital in Delhi where she stayed for a week while her condition was stabilised. She was then evacuated to Sydney Australia by stretcher via Singapore. Ground travel was by ambulance both on the roads and while transferring between flights. A doctor and nurse accompanied her all the way from the hospital in Delhi to the hospital in Sydney. A stretcher was erected at the back of the plane over the top of 5 economy seats. It was quite an undertaking. The Insurance company paid for all the expenses, and it was something I would not have been able to organise by myself. Incidentally Medanta hospital provided a first rate medical support, both an orthopedic and renal specialist, cat scan, infection analysis, airconditioned private room where I could sleep, with a nurse patient ratio of 1:4 for a total cost of 7 days for $1500.

My wife is at present in an orthopedic, rehabilitation hospital, expected to be released next Thursday, and we are told that she should make a full recovery.

We did manage to visit Kolkata and Varanasi, and my impressions of these two cities will be published soon.

Sydney NYE Fireworks from Fort Denison

Last modified on 2012-02-11 03:03:32 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Fort Denison ready for the 2012 NYE fireworks

Sydney NYE fireworks 2011 from Fort Debnison

This is an Update to Sydney NYE Fireworks

Went to see the Sydney NYE fireworks from Fort Denison, the small rock island 1.4Km from the Harbour bridge and within the boat exclusion zone. This is one of the top places to be for the Sydney New Years fireworks display, and it lived up to my expectations. From the ramparts and from the landing pier, I had an unhindered view of the fireworks display, the harbour bridge, opera house and city skyline. I could feel the percussion of the exploding fireworks and hear the whoosh of the Roman candles as they formed a golden waterfall for the climax of the evening. There was no visual obstruction from boats, or  buildings etc. The New Years eve party on Fort Denison was relaxed and had substantial personal space  as there was a limit of 150 persons on the island. There was a sumptuous dinner with quality champagne and great wine.
This is one of the top places for photographing and experiencing the fireworks display.

Drinks on the lawn Fort Denison 2012 NYE fireworks

The disadvantages were.
♦It was expensive, and I had to book months ahead. Booking can be made at  enquiries@tecatering.com.au.
♦It was difficult to get to the shuttle boat from Campbell’s cove wharf due to the large crowds on the foreshores even at 5pm, some 2 hours before the boat was scheduled to leave. There was also a lack of instructions as where to go etc. and the local security guards knew nothing about the shuttle boat.

Photographic background for Sydney NYE fireworks from Fort Denison.

♦Best place for unhindered view: On jetty near first pylon.
♦Best lenses:
i)16-35mm to include bursting fireworks and opera house and harbour bridge. But opera house is too far detached for intimate composition. Best vantage point for overlapping Opera house and bridge is has opera house  is at midnight at the oasis.
ii)35-7mm zoom. This gives good view of the bridge and fireworks near bridge ( ie the waterfall) but the star burst fireworks are out of the frame as they are above you.
♦ Tried fisheye 8-15mm,but bridge too small.
♦Exposure examples. ISO at 800. For the not too bright fireworks 2-3 secs F9 to get image bridge. For general exposures 2-3 sec at F11. For the very bright fireworks need to go up F22 not to overexpose fireworks and extend exposure to 5 sec to expose bridge.