A historic downtown Ocala photography trip

Nikon in hand I made my way downtown.

As I walked into Ocala's historic district to take some documentary photographs, I thought of all the possibilités I had to take documentary photos. I kept a skillshare tutorial in mind as I thought about where I wanted to go. 

The teacher taught me five rules for travel photography. Which are: middle of the road, off the beaten path, birds eye view, signs of life, and thé postcard shot. 

Each of these techniques are types of strategies that the teacher explains for taking excellent travel photos. I feel I can share a few of my photos as I document my trip here with you. 

Before I share some photos I just want to talk about some of my favorite shots. I feel that I enjoyed taking the off the beaten path and postcard shot because of the mystery of the former and the novelty of the latter. 

As I take an off the beaten path photo I have to find a corner of the world that goes usually unseen by most tourists. If I find a remarkable ally way or a gate or something I would document it as off the beaten path. 

The postcard shot also takes a little work to discover. As you go out into the world to photograph an iconic scene, such as a bridge, a tower or a monument you have to take the picture in a way that makes it your own. 

Another shot that I failed to mention is signs of life. I like to take is signs of life photos because as you go out into the world you observe your surroundings and take candid shots of locals doing things they do every day. The art of capturing signs of life is documenting everyday activities in an unusual light, whether it be candid, on your hip or in person. 

Here is a picture of middle of the road of a walking trail in a park near my parent's home. 

off the beaten path: a picture of a gate in downtown Ocala art gallery 

signs of life: diners in downtown historical Ocala 

postcard shot: a photo of the ckocktowe in downtown Ocala 

As I documented this day, I can recall what made it a remarkable day for photography. It was a hot summer day in Florida, so hot in fact I bought a Boba tea from Sushi Bistro in downtown Ocala. The people were also coming in and out of stores wearing their masks, while others were dining at restaurants. The streets were especially empty as barely anyone was coming outside due to the pandemic. However I still got to take some good pictures standing at least six feet distance from everyone. No one even noticed I was there. 

If you're interested in the type of camera I use you can check out a blog post I wrote about my camera and look at this link here to get one for yourself! It's probably one of the better cameras out there for beginners. I suggest reading more on my blog post to learn more about it. 

This blog uses affiliate links, which means I can make a commission if you purchase from from clicking in the links in this blog post. 

Which was my first camera?

With the right camera you can take exceptional pictures that can blow your friends and family's mind. I'm no expert in cameras but I did do my research and want to talk about why I chose my first camera, a Nikon D5600.

Before I get into all the reasons about why I chose my camera I just want to talk about what I like about photography the most. I enjoy documenting moments as well as capturing snapshots of nature. I wanted a camera that stood the test of intermediate and professional grade as well as holding exceptional quality. So I did my research and found one Nikon D5600. All the reviews say what a great camera it is for beginners to intermediate and I felt it could take me into the long-run of my photography career until I felt comfortable enough to buy a professional camera down the line if that is something that I want. 

As I studied the qualities of the camera, I feel it is a good camera for beginners and professionals because of its quality. It takes photographs at an ISO of 100 to 25600 and it's shutter speed runs to 1/4000. The only thing I don't like about the aperture is that it's lowest number is still pretty big in comparison to other great cameras but it still gets the work done for bokeh if that's what you're looking for, like here:  

I also really like the compact quality of the camera. It fits nicely in the palm of my hand and I can just put it in a small satchel and take it with me on the go anywhere. I have already taken it with me on countless walling trips where I have taken pictures in town and in nature. Here are some pictures I have taken: 

before I sum up this article, I just want to point out the importance of buying a crra or lense kit. I also noticed, that f you buy the camera with a camera kit you will get two lenses of 18 mm to 55 mm and 70 mm to 300 mm, which is a fun buy especially if you want to take long range photos down the line. I feel that both lenses work really well but I have used the 55mm lense more so everyday rather than the longer lense for breif moments outdoors. 

As a result, I feel this camera is a great purchase for many reasons. It is a nice camera for intermediate to professional Photographer's who want to take quality pictures, it is a nice compact camera and the lense kit comes with great features. I include the lense kit in a link here as well to help you get the same camera I got to start out at a good price. If you enjoyed this article, please like, comment, share and subscribe to this blog for more content in the future. 

This blog used affiliate links which means I could make a commission off of any our he's you make by clicking this link.