Quote Originally Posted by pepeguitarra View Post
Good luck with the locals to pose for a portrait! Since you are a portrait photographer, why not take the three ladies and shoot them in every place, focussing on them!?

Since thousands of photos have been taken of certain monument/place, should we stop taking photos of them? Not sure. Should we stop going to Yosemite because the site has been photographed million times? This the part where your own eye, your own inner eye, right side of the brain will tell you what to shoot. I went to Versailles with my 35mm Leica and there were thousands of people walking around. I was taking picture of only few things that interested me. None of them contained people and some of them contained portions of things I have seen in magazines, but I liked. Think also time of the day for the photos. Sometimes, those are the best times to be with the family.
I hear you, Pepe, and I really do appreciate your perspective. I'm in total agreement as far as handheld cameras go. Ninety-eight percent of the trip will consist in exactly what you describe. The 8x10 kit weighs in at a little over 50 pounds, though, and it takes ten minutes to set up and just as long to break down. Once it's set up, it isn't easy or quick to adjust. You know all of that, of course. My point is just that my traveling companions won't want to wait around while I fuss with the 8x10, so I plan to make outings on my own for an hour or two, once or twice each week. I'll have plenty of 6x6 shots and iPhone pics of the family and I have all the time in the world to make their 8x10 portraits over here. What I'm trying to think through is what I can do that will make the best use of this setup over there, and, hopefully, produce work that is uniquely my own.