How I Photograph Through Windows On Bus Journeys

Problems
You can't take good photos because you are at odd angles, traffic gets in the way, you get reflections, and the windows are likely to be smeary.

Solutions
EDITING PHOTOS
Angles
You can adjust the angle of the photo afterwards. If that cuts out half the signpost, the elegant chimney, or the pretty tree, leave the photos which are diagonal at the corner of the page as the angle is deliberate.

Mounting
The picture is out of focus? Put it behind the bolder headline as a faded background.

Crop
Crop the picture to remove unwanted litter, people, modern signposts spoiling the view of ancient buildings. On my laptop I get a grid dividing the picture into six or nine. Moving the focus of the picture into the middle sometimes improves it no end. The same goes to people. But occasionally I find that the trees or buildings on the left and right provide a good frame. So I go back to the original which is always there.

I used to duplicate pictures to keep the original beside the cropped version and compare them. when cropping and later Now I have so many pictures that it takes hours to find anything. I have to spend more time labelling the 'Information' on every picture to be able to find distant or detail or even a person and a place. Also too many pictures takes up space and costs money in more storage.

Overlap
If cropping the bottom right cut out something important at the top right, overlap the pictures so the next picture obliterates the corner. Nobody knows what they don't see. Yes, it takes time.

Cut it to the part you want. Overlap pictures to cut out the corners.

WINDOW CLEANING
Clean the bus windows. Why doesn't the bus company clean the windows?

Maybe they do. Even if they did, the first kid eating ice cream or sweets and stand up to look out, bracing against the window when the bus jolts or leaning forward to look out smears sticky all over the window.

Inside or outside? In theory, I could do the outside of a window when the bus is stationery before it departs at the start and end of the journey.

Probably if If I were to do the journey again, I would carry window cleaner. Maybe not. Perhaps wet wipes would be lighter and less bulky.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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Duplicating Door Keys and leaving nearby

If you are travelling it's a good idea to leave a set of door keys at home with somebody nearby. That way you don't have to carry a second set of door keys with you heavy in your pocket or bag. Nor do you risk losing the set of keys - or leaving it behind in a second home or office desk overseas.

Another reason for leaving a set of keys at home is so that somebody can get into your home in an emergency. For example:

The flat has a water leak which damages two flats below. The owner or tenant is away only for a long weekend. But the building (or porter) cannot turn off water from individual flats from outside, only from the whole block.

The result is a huge insurance claim for completely redecorating two flat below where water has ruined their ceiling and left black mould.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

Travelling and Keys for suitcases

Where is the key to this suitcase? Sort out your keys well in advance.

1 SUITCASE KEYS
a) Storing and finding
i) My system is to do what the shops do. Keep the key which came with the suitcase attached to the suitcase handle.

ii) I also used to have a plan to keep suitcase keys in the pack with my passport so I didn't get to the airport and find I'd rushed out to the taxi and left my keys at home in a drawer.

iii) Other people keep all their keys in one bunch in one place. But you must keep them in a place where you can find them.

iv) You could also attach a note to the suitcase to say that the key is inside in the inside pocket or that the key is in a top drawer in a desk either at home in the bedroom or study or wherever you keep it.

b) Buying Keys
Note that special keys which can be opened by US customs for security checks are required for the USA. Check which keys your airline or destination requires.

Duplicate keys
( D u p l i c a t e - spell check likes d e l i c a t e)
When storing  (s t o r i n g not soaring) the keys you may wish (w i s h not with) to keep both keys at home together, either in a top drawer or a key box hanging on the wall. You might label keys or colour code them and label them key one and key two.

To colour code the locks and keys if they are plain metal and you have several, paint nail varnish onto them. At one time you could only buy red and pink and orange nail polish, but now you can buy nail polish in blue and green and black and yellow at low prices.

A good system if two of you are travelling is to give the duplicate second key to your partner. That way if one of you mislays the keys the other person can quickly supply a duplicate when you are trying to check in hurriedly at the airport without keeping others waiting whilst you hunt.

Back home again, if you find key one on the floor or in a drawer it is easier to find out which person has the second key and know where to look.

Another solution is to you leave one key at home. That helps if you get home with a locked suitcase and find the key to the locked suitcase is left behind in your holiday flat, the coat you left behind or lost, or in one of a myriad pockets. You go straight to key two and start unpacking. When you later find missing key one in your inside jacket pocket, or the purse with your foreign currency, you can then match up the two keys.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.