How to take photographs as a couple

If you've been to my house, you've seen loads of photographs of me and my husband in all different places.  And people always ask me, "Who took that picture of you?  It's beautiful."  Depending on which picture it is, I can reply with "a rock," "a counter top," or "the ground."  We've become experts at taking pictures of ourselves without anyone around to help.  When we travel with people, of course they're able to take some pictures of us and then we can credit them.

I know it seems tacky to take pictures of yourself at places, but I love to be able to look back and see what I saw when I was standing right there.  Also, think about it.  I'm not a terrible photographer, but I am well aware that others are better.  You can find thousands of beautiful photographs taken by others of the same things you're taking pictures of.  You can Google image search anything.  You can get a photograph of just about anything.  But what you can't find on the internet, is a photograph of YOU in that setting or by that building or in that place.  So get out your cameras and work that camera.

The problem isn't getting a photograph of you by yourself in front of things, because obviously your other half can take it.  It's getting those pictures of the two of you in front of it.  Sure, you can ask a stranger.  But any picture I've asked a stranger to take has been blurry, our eyes are closed or we just aren't really smiling and I never like them.  And since you're at the mercy of someone else, you can't ask them to stand there for 3 hours for a photo opp.  Our camera requires you to hold it still for an extra second and if you move, it's blurry.  So it's better if we just do it ourselves so we can ensure that we get a good one.  And don't get me wrong, we don't stand there for hours on end taking pictures of ourselves, we just have learned how to take a good picture and then move on.

There are only two ways to take your own picture.  Either by one of you holding the camera up and you posing, or by setting the camera on the ground or somewhere safe and setting the camera on a timer.  We do both... depending on what's available around us.  You can get good photographs from either of these methods with some of my tips below.  These few tips will ensure you get a good photograph of the two of you that you will actually want to put up on the wall.

1. Take the picture with a real smile or real laugh.  You know those pictures of you with a stale smile are never ones you want to keep or blow up.  The ones you will want to keep are the ones where you're really laughing and smiling.  We make each other laugh constantly, and we do that before we take a picture.  So it's real.  

2.  Marry someone with long arms.  Only kidding, but you do need the taller person with the longer arms to take the picture, if you don't have the option to set the camera on the ground or something firm.  (Sometimes there are too many people around to set it down as well.)  If you're going to do it this way, make sure to put your chin down.  When you're looking up at a camera, you tend to lean your head back which gives you a nice awkward worm-coming-out-of-a-hole look.  Look up with your eyes, and put that chin down where it belongs.

3.  Try out different stances.  You don't always have to stand there with your arms around each other or standing directly facing the camera.  Try out different things.  Try jumping together, or standing with your profiles, or just being silly.  Sometimes you get some awful pictures, but once in awhile you'll get a fun one that you'll love.  (If you feel silly doing this, just remember it won't be silly later when you have awesome photographs to litter your house with.)

4.  Keep an eye out for a good spot.  Sometimes a good background can come in the most unlikely places.  My favorite picture of us was taken at a bed and breakfast early in the morning.  We were the only two staying there and the food was left out for us.  We had breakfast and the morning light was so beautiful and the doors were open and filling the kitchen with light.  It looked so picturesque, and to me it's serene and beautiful.  

5.  Wear the part, if it's appropriate.  When we went to Ecuador, we each bought an item of clothing from a textile market and wore them proudly.  Everyone else was wearing them, we figured, why not?  And when we took this picture, we actually felt that we fit in to the surroundings.  So it wasn't just a picture of us in our Columbia jackets, but us in authentic handmade Ecuadorian textiles while in Ecuador.  And yes, it makes for a great photo.

6.  It's not about "getting the picture," so much as capturing the moment.  You're trying to capture a moment so that you have that to remember.  You're trying to have a great keepsake to remind you of what you saw, and specifically what you saw together.  Don't worry about it being perfect or that you look skinny and every hair is in place.  Just try your best to get a good, real picture of the moment and you'll be happy with the results and not frustrated that it doesn't look like the cover of People magazine.  It's a souvenir of a great time together.  Sometimes we've put the camera on a timer, went about our business and even forgot that the timer was on.  That's how it should be.

A little bit goes a long way (couples edition)

Since last week's post was so much fun, I wanted to try again.  But this time... I'm going to take my husband on my trip.

Let's say we started saving $100 in January, and by the time the fall comes around, we're itching to go somewhere.  For starters, I want to handle the objection, "I don't have $100 to save every month."  Maybe you don't, but allow me to help you trim the fat.

Let me give you some examples of things that you DON'T need that equal $100 for a couple:

• 4 times dining out at $25 a pop (And don't kid yourself, you know you eat out way more than 4 times a month)
• 2 movie tickets ($22), 1 trip to Jeni's ($8), 1 trip to Starbucks ($6), 2 Old Navy t-shirts ($24), one trip to Target where things fly into your cart that you know you didn't need ($40)
• 2 bottles of wine ($20), 4 fast food meals ($28), 1 set of new sheets ($45), 1 impulse grocery item ($7)

There, I saved $100 a month for you.  Now you can go on a trip!  (If you looked at that and said you don't buy any of those things, take a good look at your last bank statement and just highlight all the things that you really didn't need.  You should do this at least once in your life anyways, why not do it now?)

So we've saved $100 from January to September and we have $900. 

There is a flight from Columbus to Boston that we'd fly in on a Friday and leave on a Sunday.  Tickets are $256 a person.  So $512 for flights, only leaves us $388 for everything else.

I found a beautiful, roofdeck apartment on Airbnb, in the heart of Boston, for $125 a night.  Total would be $280 with fees.

That leaves us $108 for two days of food, which I believe is doable.  Since we have our own place with a full kitchen, we can purchase some meals at the grocery store and cook ourselves.  We can pack sandwiches, and fruit and snacks.

There are also plenty of free things to do in Boston, there is water, great history, and unique architecture.

Here is a great list of free (and almost free) things to do in Boston.  There are even companies that offer free walking tours.

Three day trip to Boston, for a couple:

Two flights $512

Lodging $280

Food $108

Total $900

So maybe we're not feeling a big city scene, but want something with nature or the ocean.  How about we see how far we can get in Florida?

There are flights to Fort Myers in September for $230 a ticket.  One flight leaves 6 a.m. and gets in at 10:20 a.m on a Saturday.  The flight out leaves at 7 p.m. which gets us back into Columbus at 11:15 p.m on a Tuesday.   This means we basically have three days in Florida, but only have to pay two two nights lodging.

I found an awesome Airbnb place that's in Naples, Florida, that's within walking distance to the beach, restaurants and shopping.  The place is $222 for two nights.  It also has free use of beach chairs and bicycles, which is a money-saving and activity-boosting bonus.

E-Z Rent-a-car is $86, and that will ensure that we can get from the airport to Naples and around the beach.  I would estimate that we'd need about $8 in fuel to and from the airport, and around the beach.  So I'll estimate about $15, and to round it out we'll say $100 for car and fuel.

That leaves $118 for food for two people for three days.  That's not a ton, but since we're renting a place and have a kitchen, we can easily get away with buying some groceries and making our own food to take to the beach.

Since we're renting a car, we can go to Sanibel Island and do some seashell hunting.  I had no idea that these beaches were lined with shells, and I can't tell you how excited I am to go on this fake trip.  Hunting for beach loot is my favorite thing to do at the beach.

Three-day trip to Naples, Florida, for a couple:

Two flights $460

Lodging $222

Food $118
Car rental and fuel $100

Total $900

The beauty about this is hopefully you were saving money by simply not buying things you don't need so you can go somewhere fun.  For a much longer trip somewhere that you really want to go, obviously it's worth it to save as long as it takes to be able to do that.  But if you know you want to just take a weekend to go somewhere other than Ohio, there are ways you can do that for cheap.  Of course, you can always drive places.  There are plenty of places within 10 hours driving that you could drive and spend the weekend, and save yourself even more money.  There are many possibilities. 

Backpack or rolling bag: Which is right for me?

Deciding on your main travel bag can be an arduous task. You want to be versatile and comfortable, while also being able to carry all your essentials. Regardless if you chose a rolling bag or backpack, it needs to fit in an overhead bin.

In order to determine which bag would be best for you, you will need to consider the type of traveling you will be doing. Consider the pros and cons in light of the trip you will be taking.

For example, if you’re planning to hike from one town in the Alps to the next, you want to imagine yourself pulling a rolling back on top of steep hills.

If you have three layovers on your next trip, you may want to consider how you will feel waiting in long security lines and ticket counters with a very heavy pack on your back and having to take it on and off multiple times.

Read the rest of my article on Travel Fashion Girl

A little bit goes a long way

I've talked a few times about the ways I save a little bit of money here and there.  Just for the heck of it, I thought I would see how much I've saved from just a few of my tricks and see how far it goes.

So, I mentioned that we got rid of our internet at home, which saves us $60 a month.  We started that in November, and it's now March.  So that has saved us $300 total in the last five months.

Additionally, I've stopping going to Starbucks so much (my guilty pleasure) and started making coffee and lattes at home.  I looked into it, and in January I spent $80 at Starbucks (I know... yikes) and in March, only $40.  So that means between just cutting out internet and not going to Starbucks so much, I have saved $340.  

So what can this $340 get me?  I wanted to find out.  Join me as I plan a fake trip with my $340.

I started with Kayak Explore to see how far I could fly for $340.

Look at all those choices!  I could fly to Los Angeles, Utah, Texas, Florida or Colorado.   For this example, I'm going to choose somewhere I've never been, that's less than $340 so I can see how far I can get on a trip with it.

Since I've never been to Columbia, South Carolina, and tickets are $170, I'm going to go there.  So I've chosen to go there on a two-day trip.  I can fly out on a Tuesday at 6 a.m., which gets me in at 9:30 a.m., and then come back the following day, leaving at 6 p.m. and coming back at 10:30 p.m.

They have public transportation (The Comet) from the airport to the downtown area, only $1.50 one way, or $3 for the whole day.

I found a room on Airbnb for $105 a night.There were places for half that price, but this place was right in the middle of the downtown area, which would enable me to walk and not have to rent a car.

What will I do when I'm there?  Well, within walking distance, I can visit a few free historical sites or museums:

The McKissick Museum, part of the University of South Carolina, and has many exhibitions on display.

The South Carolina State House, which offers free guided walking tours Monday through Friday.

I can also walk to the Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park for a little stroll.

I have $62 left for food after I bought my flight, my room and $3 for bus transportation. There are restaurants near by that look inexpensive, according to this map on TripAdvisor.

A two-day trip to Columbia South Carolina:

$170 flight

$3 ground transportation

$105 Air bnb room

$0 Entertainment

$62 food

Total: $340

This was so much fun, let's do one more.  I've been here dozens of times, but it's a fun, vibrant city that I always want to go back to: Washington, D.C.  Our money will go far here because all the Smithsonian Museums are free.

For those same dates (April 21-22) I can fly to D.C. for $175.  The flight leaves at 8 a.m. and gets in at 9:15 a.m.  I fly out the next day at 10 p.m. and get in at 11:30 p.m.  The metro system costs $2.35 from the airport to the main part of the city.

I found an Airbnb room for $97, and it's blocks from the metro, near the National Mall.  (About a 20 minute metro ride to the Washington Monument.)  This means I can walk everywhere, and will only need the metro when I go to the from the airport.

This wonderful TripAdvisor Guide gives a list of all the things you can do and see, most of them free.

I have never been to the Eastern Market, but it's open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and looks like they have good inexpensive lunch options.

A two-day trip to Washington D.C.:

$175 flight

$5 ground transportation

$97 Air bnb room

$0 Entertainment

$63 food

Total: $340

There you have it.  Now, stop telling yourself you don't have money to go anywhere.  I challenge you to do the same thing.  See how much waste you have in your budget, save a few bucks here and there, and see what you can come up with.  I was surprised how far my $340 got me.  If anyone takes my challenge, I'd love to hear from you and how far you were able to stretch your savings.

Travel Guide to Miami

In February, we visited a friend in Miami and she gave us a great all-around tour of the city.  The city is quite large, and there are so many things that you could go do and see, so I was glad to have a tour guide.  It such a good sampling of the city, that I felt like it was worth writing down for all you Central-Ohioans who need a good 4-5 day trip down south in the dead of winter.  

For starters, we rented a house through Airbnb called Quiet Canoe Outpost, which was in, what we didn't realize at the time, one of the most sketchy areas in Miami: Little Haiti.  We met up with some of her friends and when we told them where we were staying, their eyes got big and they said, "are you serious?  It's not safe there."  Well, where we stayed was on a quiet street in the middle of the sketchy areas on a property that had just been rehabbed.

Morning view on the dock

The place was very inexpensive, considering the rest of Miami, and we loved how unique it was.  Weirdly enough, the owners of the property were also the owners of an Urban Farm nearby.  They invited us to stop and visit and so we did.  They had lots of animals and other interesting things.  They were actually filming a Haitian music video when we arrived as well.  It was not your typical "Miami" experience.

There were kayaks and canoes on the property we could use, so one morning we went out with them and it was a very peaceful, serene area.  I've been to Florida dozens of times, but this didn't feel like Florida.  I really felt like I was in Central America, and it explains why they call it "Little Haiti."

There is a little island in Miami called Key Biscayne that has a great beach and lighthouse you can visit for free.  We walked around the beach, got some great views of the city from on top of the lighthouse and then got some pizza at a nearby restaurant.

Beautiful views of the blue-green water

Of course when you're in Miami, you want to be in the water.  Even in February, you can get in the water.  It is a little chilly, but that didn't deter us.  We went to John Pennenkamp Coral Reef State Park, where we rented snorkeling gear and wet-suits for a two-hour snorkeling excursion.  You boat over to a reef, they give you a little instruction, you pop in the water and look at fish.  The winter is a perfect time to go because the water is calm and you can see the fish.  We went one time in the summer, and everyone was seasick, the water was so choppy you could only see sand.  I drank so much salt water because the waves were going over my snorkel.  So going in the winter was definitely perfect.  

Luckily we have a GoPro and were able to document the beautiful adventure.

Of course, when you're in Miami, you gotta go downtown and see some of the nightlife.  She took us to a place called Epic, which is a rooftop bar in downtown Miami with great views of the water and city nightlights.  Be prepared to spend an indecent amount of money on one drink.  Whatever number you have in your head that you're thinking, double it.  I still think it's worth it for the view.

Sure, we'll pay $40 for a watered down screwdriver.  When in Miami...

Another fun water sport is paddleboarding. We rented them at South Beach Kayak for $40. This is also great to do in the winter because the water is calm.  It's near impossible to do this (so I've heard) when the water is choppy.  If it's choppy, you won't be able to get your balance.

Once you get the hang of this, it's not too bad.  I had an advantage being short because if you're tall, you have a harder time staying balanced with the wind.  It was a lot of fun, and I was scared at first, but realized the worst that happens is I fall in the water.  So what?  I can swim.

Of course if you're in Miami, you gotta drive down to the Everglades.  I've never been there in all my times in Florida, and it is such a fun little adventure.  We showed up and took advantage of the free ranger guides that the National Park provides.  We wouldn't' have been able to spot most of the wildlife if we didn't have a guide.  It was a beautiful day to see alligators and birds.  

I hope this Miami travel-guide will encourage some of your to beat the Ohio winter blues and go to Miami for a long weekend.  If you can't afford to go to Hawaii, or South America... this is a great, fun alternative that won't cost you your life savings.