Around the World in 540 Days

J. Griffin Stewart, winner of Tamron's "My Travel Exhibit" contest, highlights images from his trip around the globe.

Article by Jenn Gidman

Images by J. Griffin Stewart

Guest judge Kevin Gilligan selected the winning series and was impressed with the variety of images. "This was a fantastic collection, and the composition of each shot was excellent," Kevin says. "There were architectural close-ups, historical monuments, animals, breathtaking landscapes, and striking color and black-and-white images. It was clear to me that Griffin really thought about each image he wanted to capture and took the time to make it beautiful. Viewing these makes me want to pack my bags and explore our amazing world."

Griffin brought only the Tamron SP 10-24mm wide-angle lens and the SP 18-270mm VC PZD lens on his expedition. "I really enjoyed traveling with those lenses," he says. "Since we were on the road for such a long time, I didn't want to carry an extra 50 to 100 pounds of gear. Between those two lenses, I had a great range to work with. I'd recommend those two lenses to anyone looking to make their camera kit smaller and lighter. Plus, the Piezo Drive (PZD) on the 18-270 made the focusing superquiet, and the Vibration Compensation feature helped me gain a couple of stops of stability. I'd have the VC off while shooting extended exposures on a tripod, but as soon as I went handheld, I'd switch the VC back on, because my images were noticeably sharper when I was using it."

The 10-24 wide-angle lens allowed Griffin to capture everything from the locals in Nepal ("I always point to my camera before I take a picture to make sure they're OK with it") to the mystery of some of the ancient sites he saw, including his panorama of the Petra tomb in Jordan. "They line the entire Siq, the gorge that leads to the main part of the tomb, with candles at night," he says. "Then a guide comes and tells you the history of the area and the Bedouin people while someone is playing a traditional instrument as you sit under the stars. Using the 10-24, I took multiple exposures in landscape orientation with my camera on a tripod, moving the camera back a little each time. I merged them all in Photoshop later on to get the final image."

Using the 10-24 lens also helped Griffin to capture the intricate details of the architectural marvels in front of his camera. "The 10-24 allows you to get so much more into the image, especially when you're in a space that limits how far you can zoom out," he says. "At the Romanian Athenaeum concert hall in Bucharest, I really wanted to show the gorgeous ceiling with all of its detail and the skylights. I put my camera on a tripod and was almost all the way in the back of the room; I pointed the camera up, but I was able to get just enough of the audience area so the viewer could get a fuller picture of the place."

Creating a larger-than-life photo is another benefit of the 10-24. "When I was in front of the City Palace in Jaipur, India, I saw this beautiful flower doorway," he says. "Using the wide-angle lens from a lower perspective, it created a pyramid effect, giving the doorway an even bigger presence than it actually has in real life."

Griffin was able to repeatedly achieve one of the epitomes of travel photography, the landscape photo, by constantly seeking out dramatic skies and interesting foreground elements. "When they're traveling, many people skip out on a photo day if it's overcast - they think the best photos are taken under a clear blue sky," he says. "But I prefer working with clouds. They make any landscape photo you're taking look more dynamic."

Scoping out additional elements to include with the sweeping landscapes is another challenge, but one well worth meeting. "If you're shooting a waterfall, for example, it's tempting to zoom in so all you can see is the waterfall in your frame," Griffin says. "It's more compelling if you include something to complement the landscape in the foreground. At Iguaçu Falls in Brazil, I wanted to illustrate the ongoing erosion and decay with the chunks that had broken off and ended up in the flat plateau area in front of the waterfalls. It made for a much more interesting image."

Griffin also used the 18-270 to create a variety of images, but it was especially his go-to when it came to photographing wildlife. "We went to a wildlife preserve on Phillip Island, Australia, and I was able to take so many great pictures there," he says. "The 18-270 allowed me to really focus on the animals when I shot at F/5.6 by nicely blurring out the backgrounds and sometimes even the foregrounds."

A few of his favorites on Phillip Island included a prehistoric-looking bird called a cassowary ("it looks like a cross between an emu and a turkey with a horn!") and a sleepy koala. "I was really lucky with the koala image, because koalas usually do sleep about 90 percent of the day," he says. "This guy was pretty active and moving around, but I was able to compose a nice shot that made him look more like he was outdoors in his natural habitat, not in a preserve."

The 18-270's Vibration Compensation proved valuable for Griffin's handheld wildlife images, including one of a Masai giraffe at sunset in Ngorongoro, Tanzania. "It was a perfect time to use the VC, because I was in a moving safari vehicle," he explains. "The giraffe was moving somewhat quickly, so I tried to line up the giraffe with the hill in the background for a visually appealing composition. It was a beautiful way to end the day."

To see more of J. Griffin Stewart's work, go to the Pictures Around the World exhibit on MyExhibits.com or to his website.