Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
It's great to learn as I haven't heard much about Taiwan for landscape photography. After looking at the pictures in Google images, I can see your points.
Thank you
Pramote
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Best place for a landscape photographer to retire
- Thread starter Landscapelover
- Start date
Thank you
Pramote
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
I completely understand your point of view. I am sorry for not thinking about it before I posted. Pramote
Stick with the RangeRover ... otherwise you will need to hire me and someone else to drive ahead/behind you on most interstates with flags and flashers ... doubt these
are street legal in half of the US. Look like lots of fun though.
Personally the Earthroamer would be high on my list ....
https://earthroamer.com
Although Lloyd had me looking at Sprinters recently .... lots of interior space but so much less agile than my 4Runner.
Bob
beano_z
Active member
Interesting thread...although I haven't fully read every single post but I though I'd look at it from another perspective.
It somewhat would depend on your personality as well I guess and your age. If you're the type that can't settle down in one place and like to explore and happen to retire young, then I'd choose a place with a great climate, access to some nice scenery AND close to a large city with an international airport. Like lots of you have mentioned, getting a place to stay for a month or two can be very easy these days and flights are often very cheap if you avoid the peak seasons.
However, I can also see that some of us would more prefer to stay put in one place and get to know that place thoroughly by exploring over a long period of time to be able to get shots that no one else can. In that case, perhaps it'd be better to stay in the vicinity, or at least reasonable driving distance from that particular scenic place you love.
Don't know if the above makes sense......I still have a few years to go until retirement :facesmack:
It somewhat would depend on your personality as well I guess and your age. If you're the type that can't settle down in one place and like to explore and happen to retire young, then I'd choose a place with a great climate, access to some nice scenery AND close to a large city with an international airport. Like lots of you have mentioned, getting a place to stay for a month or two can be very easy these days and flights are often very cheap if you avoid the peak seasons.
However, I can also see that some of us would more prefer to stay put in one place and get to know that place thoroughly by exploring over a long period of time to be able to get shots that no one else can. In that case, perhaps it'd be better to stay in the vicinity, or at least reasonable driving distance from that particular scenic place you love.
Don't know if the above makes sense......I still have a few years to go until retirement :facesmack:
Wayne Fox
Workshop Member
sounds like a city/zoning ordinance issue. Many places have limited uses like AirBNB to protect neighborhoods.
Wayne Fox
Workshop Member
to live? There are countless places I would like to visit and photograph, but moving there seems pretty extreme.
I guess that’s what strikes me about this thread in general, someone who lives in Colorado that wants to move away from that looking for something else. But is moving the answer?
I guess to me the ideal solution is somewhat nomadic, and wherever you happen to live just needs to be enough to entertain while you are not traveling. Colorado is pretty ideal for that, especially if you get away from denver area over to the middle of it all, such as aspen. That opens up so much more to explore within easy travel distance.
Of course if you are energetic and have the funds, then proximity to a great airport and frequent trips to more exotic locations is pretty appealing.
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. I still have few more years to think about the retirement too.
Pramote
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Wynne,
My dream is to live in a place I can take photography everyday in a close proximity (driving) if I want to. The place where I can wake up in the morning, sit in a decline chair drinking coffee with the mountain/ocean view. I want to have a place I can call "home" when I don't travel.
I want to travel as much as I can but want to stay in those places (weeks or months) long enough to learn about the cultures/people.
Colorado is an attractive choices and we may end up living here. But most likely, we will move out of the city. We want to be closer to nature. SW Colorado comes to my mind. On the other hand, we are also opened to move somewhere else, most likely in the US but who's know?
Other factors will be important too such as climate, health care and transportation.
The comments here are very useful as they give me different perspectives.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
Pramote
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glenerrolrd
Workshop Member
Very interesting thread ..particularly when considering priorities for retirement . I am not a true landscape photographer concentrating more on street shooting . I have learned a few things (been retired 15 years now) about priorities .
1. Proximity to a good airport is a major priority . I am 15 minutes from PBI in the winter and 30 minutes from ATL in the summer . Those are both great airports and I can get anyplace I ve wanted to travel with non stop or one stop . As a contrast as great as Aspen is for proximity to shooting locations . More often than not its better to go thru Denver . A huge problem in the winter unless you like driving 4 hours in driving snow . Obviously it depends on how much you plan on traveling ...I do 8-10 trips per year specifically for photography .
2. Health Care should not be overlooked ...from the sound of it you know the great doctors at the Mayo Clinic . You also know you would be lucky to not need them over the next 10-20 years . I have a private doctor in Atlanta that will get on the phone with me anytime I ask . For anything important I fly to NYC for treatment . Being in the medical community you should understand that logic .
3. When I travel I want to get to a location that is right on top of the best shooting . Not a short drive .
4. In Florida I can look out the window before dawn and see enough sky to know if its a beach sunrise day .
I am less than 10 minutes to the ocean ..wish I was closer .
If I was focused on landscape I would look at the area within a 90 minute drive of a major international airport .
1. Proximity to a good airport is a major priority . I am 15 minutes from PBI in the winter and 30 minutes from ATL in the summer . Those are both great airports and I can get anyplace I ve wanted to travel with non stop or one stop . As a contrast as great as Aspen is for proximity to shooting locations . More often than not its better to go thru Denver . A huge problem in the winter unless you like driving 4 hours in driving snow . Obviously it depends on how much you plan on traveling ...I do 8-10 trips per year specifically for photography .
2. Health Care should not be overlooked ...from the sound of it you know the great doctors at the Mayo Clinic . You also know you would be lucky to not need them over the next 10-20 years . I have a private doctor in Atlanta that will get on the phone with me anytime I ask . For anything important I fly to NYC for treatment . Being in the medical community you should understand that logic .
3. When I travel I want to get to a location that is right on top of the best shooting . Not a short drive .
4. In Florida I can look out the window before dawn and see enough sky to know if its a beach sunrise day .
I am less than 10 minutes to the ocean ..wish I was closer .
If I was focused on landscape I would look at the area within a 90 minute drive of a major international airport .
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Hi Roger,
Thank you very much for your comment !
It's good to hear different points of view. It sounds like "health care" and "transportation" are common reasons to choose the places for retirement.
Pramote
Thank you very much for your comment !
It's good to hear different points of view. It sounds like "health care" and "transportation" are common reasons to choose the places for retirement.
Pramote
Wayne Fox
Workshop Member
I think I know where you are coming from, that’s why I originally I mentioned where I live because I have so many great locations and so much variety in a reasonable drive, and a good airport close by as well. I’m at Lake Tahoe now, and by the end of November I will have visited Arches/Canyonlands, Zions, Teton National Park, western colorado for a week, probably Bryce, maybe Page or monument valley and probably columbia river gorge/portland. Hoping to get to Olympic National Park as well. And I will head up into the mountains near my home (20-30 min. drive) or take the back road to park city numerous times during the fall.
My comment was more to Sashin. I understand his statement on a basic level ... exploring new places is a dream, but I just can’t imagine going to actually live at some of these exotic locations unless the plan was to move frequently. While most are amazing I’m not sure they won’t get a little old after a few months of frequent exploration. The idea of having a lot of great variety right out the front door or a short drive, but traveling when possible as you mentioned seems like the perfect “retirement”
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Wynne,
Thank you very much for your comment.
"The idea of having a lot of great variety right out the front door or a short drive, but traveling when possible as you mentioned seems like the perfect “retirement”
Your kind of retirement is very close to what I am looking for.
Pramote
Reading this thread with a lot of interest .... I retired 1.5 years ago ... more frustration with politics in my field than anything else. I had just re-certified for the third time ... non-mandatory but my desire
to stay abreast of the best practice.
A number of responses have been resonated with my view of life going forward.
I doubt that most of us are without family responsibilities and connections. Most of us have professional or personal relationships that have been instrumental in our development and growth.
I believe that more important than geography or location, our interactions with church, synagogue, temple or other important ongoing life with others is what affirms and sustains us. At this point
in one's life ... moving to a distant beautiful destination may not be a great choice. Once we have done the photographic bucket list in the area ... do we then move on? Better I assume to stay engaged
with those who supported us in our middle age as we all face the inevitable diminution of energy strength and ability. Travel from home today is not difficult ... and with planning anywhere on the planet is
within our scope ...
So
Friends, family and faith first.
Healthcare resources second.
Airport a close third.
Primarily ... accountability and engagement with others may sustain us more than any hobby or passion.
Our time on this orb is short ... can be beautiful or brutal ... only hope and pray that there is more on the other side of this frail flesh.
Still think I would love to fund an Earthroamer for my remaining years ... the 4Runner just does not have the cachet of the other. :ROTFL:
Bob
to stay abreast of the best practice.
A number of responses have been resonated with my view of life going forward.
I doubt that most of us are without family responsibilities and connections. Most of us have professional or personal relationships that have been instrumental in our development and growth.
I believe that more important than geography or location, our interactions with church, synagogue, temple or other important ongoing life with others is what affirms and sustains us. At this point
in one's life ... moving to a distant beautiful destination may not be a great choice. Once we have done the photographic bucket list in the area ... do we then move on? Better I assume to stay engaged
with those who supported us in our middle age as we all face the inevitable diminution of energy strength and ability. Travel from home today is not difficult ... and with planning anywhere on the planet is
within our scope ...
So
Friends, family and faith first.
Healthcare resources second.
Airport a close third.
Primarily ... accountability and engagement with others may sustain us more than any hobby or passion.
Our time on this orb is short ... can be beautiful or brutal ... only hope and pray that there is more on the other side of this frail flesh.
Still think I would love to fund an Earthroamer for my remaining years ... the 4Runner just does not have the cachet of the other. :ROTFL:
Bob
Charles Wood
New member
I would second the comments made regarding retiring in a location with good health care, as well as nearby photographic opportunities. Not being winter people, my wife and I moved to Ivins (St. George)Utah from Park City, Utah about twelve years ago. Issues of air pollution and the funding of the Lake Powell to St. George pipeline aside, health care in St. George is excellent. Lots of specialist practices exist for the needs of the geriatric along with a regional health care facility operated by Intermountain Health Care, including a satellite facility of the Huntsman Cancer Center. Health care in St. George is on a par with any metropolitan center in the mountain west. The proximity to Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks, Grand Canyon north rim, Death Valley, Valley of Fire, Four Corners, make it an exceptional location for photographers.
The St. George airport now has jet service connections to Salt Lake City, Denver and LA, and St. George is a two hours drive from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas with large numbers of daily direct flights to Europe, Asia, etc.
All that said, my wife and I developed allergies to the desert dust and air pollution and moved 2.5 years ago to Hawaii. We still have our ties to Utah and direct flights to Salt Lake or Las Vegas make travel back to Utah for photography relatively easy and quick. Plus our location here make flights to NZ, Australia and other areas in Asia and the Pacific, considerably shorter than flying from the US mainland.
I do wish to make a comment replying to the negative comments regarding Airbnb. Not all Airbnb rentals are necessarily bad. Certainly they can impact certain areas but no more so than vacation rental condos operated by management companies and they can fill a need in some areas. When my wife and I moved to Hawaii we purchased a new home and constructed an Airbnb/VRBO guest house for short term vacation rentals and we purposely designed it for visiting photographers. In the case of the east side of the Big Island, there is a shortage of decent, affordable hotel rooms, with most of the resorts located on the Kona side. Because of the lava flow and huge number of visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the other attractions on the windward side of the Big Island, it would now be impossible to handle the demand without Airbnb/VRBO rentals.
The St. George airport now has jet service connections to Salt Lake City, Denver and LA, and St. George is a two hours drive from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas with large numbers of daily direct flights to Europe, Asia, etc.
All that said, my wife and I developed allergies to the desert dust and air pollution and moved 2.5 years ago to Hawaii. We still have our ties to Utah and direct flights to Salt Lake or Las Vegas make travel back to Utah for photography relatively easy and quick. Plus our location here make flights to NZ, Australia and other areas in Asia and the Pacific, considerably shorter than flying from the US mainland.
I do wish to make a comment replying to the negative comments regarding Airbnb. Not all Airbnb rentals are necessarily bad. Certainly they can impact certain areas but no more so than vacation rental condos operated by management companies and they can fill a need in some areas. When my wife and I moved to Hawaii we purchased a new home and constructed an Airbnb/VRBO guest house for short term vacation rentals and we purposely designed it for visiting photographers. In the case of the east side of the Big Island, there is a shortage of decent, affordable hotel rooms, with most of the resorts located on the Kona side. Because of the lava flow and huge number of visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the other attractions on the windward side of the Big Island, it would now be impossible to handle the demand without Airbnb/VRBO rentals.
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Hi Bob,
I have to re-certify my board in the next 2 months!
I really appreciate your comment. I like "Friends, family and faith" reason very much. It is very thoughtful.
Thank you,
Pramote
GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
:thumbs: A better approach than pure NIMBY which is the normal Airbnb/VRBO reaction.
(Disclosure: Airbnb is my client).
I figured I'd prep my home for airbnb with a contract caretaker and just travel. When I'm home, the airbnb is mine. That combined with a decent storage unit.
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Charles,
Thank you very much for your in-detail comment. I really appreciate it.
St. George seems to be a very attractive location. It's good to know about the great health care and airport.
How do you like the Big Island? I went there 3 times. The last one was 6 months ago and we love it. People are very nice and there are plenty of photo opportunity. I would like to hear your impression.
Best regards,
Pramote
GrahamWelland
Subscriber & Workshop Member
Btw, I think that people like Elia Locardi and his wife have got the life balance right (assuming that they're not hiding the pains of staying afloat). Find a career that allows you to fully enjoy the world while you're young, healthy and active. I feel like a heavy stone these days and need a lifestyle change to get more nimble and healthy. $$$ vs health and ability to enjoy the world TODAY. (My company keeps me well compensated but at the expense I fear of a shitty lifestyle long term).
Landscapelover
Senior Subscriber Member
Graham,
I don't think they are norms! Only few can do that kind of lifestyle.
We are normal Americans! I don't think people in other parts of the world work as hard. We pay the price!
It's still not too late
Pramote
Charles Wood
New member
We've enjoyed the change although some things have been challenging. Amazon Prime with free shipping to Hawaii has been a Godsend. Still, some things are not as immediately accessible. All my photographic and printing supplies have to be shipped in as there are no distributors here worthy of note.
Shooting opportunities are many in the categories of water, waterfalls, rainforest, tropical botanical gardens, lava/volcanoes, night sky, etc. There are almost a dozen different climate zones here on the Big Island, so each area is visually different. I've even been to one location on the west side of the island where I found a 20' Saguaro cactus and I've been in snow at the summit of Mauna Kea.
We have two airports on the Big Island, both with connections to Honolulu and direct flights back to the mainland. Most visitors make the mistake of planing most of their stay on the west side which is mostly sandy beach and resorts, whereas the areas with the most photographic interests, in my opinion, are on the east side of the island, and could take a week or more to adequately explore and photograph. Similar mistakes are made by photographers trying to see all of Utah national parks in a week. You could take a month and barely scratch the surface. The same is true of Hawaii.