Many years ago, right after I bought my first used DSLR, I decided to go to Marathon to photograph the sunrise over the Bahia Honda bridge. This was back in January, 2012. I had just read an article about the big shindig going on in Key West to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Henry Flagler’s first ride on the train that went to sea. I just HAD to be there.

I arrived at the western end of the new Bahia Honda bridge and walked down the pull-off area (south of the old bridge abutment) and over to the seawall to capture the sun rising over the old dilapidated bridge. I had no apps, I did no pre-planning except to buy one of those huge flashlights so I could see where I was walking in the pitch black dark of the pre-dawn morning.

Needless to say, as I kept watch over the bridge, it got lighter and lighter, but not over the bridge. The sun was rising in the SOUTH! I was horrified to learn that, no, I wasn’t going to get the shot I had in mind, coming up over the old bridge, and to be honest, it didn’t really matter. I had no idea what I was doing with that camera. No tripod, no experience. But I did have my BLACKBERRY! Yes, Blackberry phone. I love that thing. Took better photos than my DSLR LOL. But, it was a spectacular sunrise, and I learned a valuable lesson. And took me on a quest to find out the best planning info I could find. I learned a lot as soon as I joined the SFNPCC!

~Barbara Livieri

For the past 3 years, Barbara Livieri has been busy pre-planning her photo trip to Paris this coming April. Armed with many trials and errors, she’ll discuss the various tools available to plan your photo trips, which apps are most helpful, and how to use them.

We’ll discuss:

1) Visualizing with stock and online photos, online street view maps and aerial maps, and dark sky finder maps;

2) Gathering knowledge on sun and moon schedules, and using shot planing databases and apps to find the location and direction of the rising or setting of the sun and moon;

3) Other photographic apps, night sky celestial apps, weather apps, etc.

To properly go on a photography related trip, or even an afternoon or evening out shooting, pre-planning is crucial to getting the shot you have in mind! I hope the few suggestions I put out will be beneficial to your next outing. Hope to see you at the meeting!

~Barb