Sorry, was gone for awhile putting together IKEA furniture (don't we NOW do the same sh*t all around the world? Well, IKEA is not in South America yet so almost around the world). On Switzerland - I'm leaving the banks IN (and the people, groups who have a place to leave questionable deposits) this is why I skipped it. It's not the younger people's fault, that's the system they were born into. I find ZURICH and GENEVA nice, pleasant places (Love HOTEL CALIFORNIA in Zurich, check out their website - and their bar/restaurant menu - VERY unique place...CLEVER !!!). I can't agree with Rattler2004 on Germany. I think almost anybody under 70 HATES that whole ugly period of their history. Every German friend I've had has said the most horrible things about that group, basically disowning them. As far as Germany my first 2 choices would be MUNICH and BERLIN but I haven't been to BERLIN since it's kinda been finished with all the new construction. Used to go all the time when it was WEST BERLIN. Man, I wish I'd been there when the wall came down, I ALMOST got on a plane with my camera - should have (a BIG regret), WHAT A PARTY !!!
Lorenz, well, how I got into it is different than the way the whole business is evolving into now. Back in the day if you were willing to roam around the planet A LOT (more than any guy with kids, wife, tons of responsibility, etc, etc, which cut out A LOT of good photographers) on, initually, your own dime, you could get with a stock agency and have your Travel Work represented and the USAGE of your image sold over and over and over again. That was back in the good old days. In THOSE days a guy in India might be a great photographer but didn't have the cash for a lot of film and the processing etc. Then came, TA DA, Digital Camera's and the guy in India can now afford to be a photographer and be represented (he sends all his shots through a computer - the way shots of a Stones concert show up 1 hour after Jagger sang that note. Guy sends them to Getty Images, Getty puts them up - it's kind of AMAZING, Amazes me when you think back to pre digital). He gets in his car and drives 20 minutes to shoot some great shots, you get in a plane and fly for 15 hours to get some great shots in the same village or whatever. This is happening all over the world and it's changing things - some good, some bad. I'm spreading myself out more and getting back into Fashion photography cause I just see Travel as possibly being over saturated in a few years. I was into Fashion a while back but there's a big freak show that surrounds the core that's kinda hard to deal with, lot of inflated ego, drama queens, emotional breakdowns, etc - people buy into the bullshit (IMAGE) of it - it's just a business, another way to sell people things.... The circus that surrounds it CAN BE avoided. If you wanna see some great fashion shots/portfolios go on [
www.nextmodels.com] and you can click on EU or FR or UK or USA. They also rep Keith's Daughter Alexandra. If you wanna get a free Photo Portfolio together sign up (for free) to [
www.photo.net] and start up loading your best shots. When you have about 50 or 100 contact stock agencies and direct them to your personal web page (which you can do with Photo.net) Also look into [
www.flickr.com] OR [
www.diviantart.com] Get a portfolio together and then start shopping it around. Let me know if you need some more info... Helter PS Be ready for changes cause that's all that's happening in the photo industry these days - sometimes spooky stuff if you like stability..... depends what you wanna shoot.....