Here's an easy way to get around when you want to photograph cities, both here in the U.S. and abroad.

Use the hop-on/hop-off tourist buses in your destination city!

You'll find these brightly colored buses in cities around the world. They'll simplify your transportation, get you to the best locations…and save you money.

Tour buses offer a flexible solution for photographers in big cities:

• The buses' open, upper decks provide a good picture-taking platform.
• Get on or off the bus as many times as you want.
  
• You will be able to structure your time to your shooting schedule...not a tour guide's.
• Shoot where you want, when you want, for as long as you want.
• Most buses do an entire route in 1 - 1.5 hours, leaving you plenty of time to get off and take pictures “on the ground.”
• You’ll lock in your transportation costs, even in expensive cities.

I’ll be sharing my observations on how my wife and I used hop-on, hop-off buses in Paris. But, the same approach will work in any city, anywhere.

Do A Little Research From Home

• Prices will generally run somewhere between $40 and $55 for a 48 hour pass in most cities worldwide.
  
• Though this may seem pricey, it is generally less than it will cost for expensive cabs or two day's parking in city centers.
• There will probably be more than one company offering the tours.
  
• These companies have already researched the best sites to tour.
  
• But...cross check the bus routes using other online travel sites that show you pictures of city highlights. This will help you determine which company or routes to select.
• Check the star reviews to see which bus companies are the most reliable.
  

Keep Your Plans Flexible

• My Suggestion: Don't purchase your tickets before you arrive in the city or at least have a reliable weather forecast.
• The value of being on the top deck of a double-decker bus is weather dependent.
• Why spend the money for the bus...which though reasonable isn't cheap...if you're going to end up visiting museums and not taking outdoor pictures?
  
• On the other hand...discounts are offered if you book online. So, you decide whether you want to "gamble" on the weather or save money!
  
• We found that it was easy to purchase our tickets on the bus. You may also find discounted bus packages at your hotel.
• Be sure to have local currency, as U.S. credit cards may not be a purchase option on some buses.
  
• Exception: If you check on the Internet and find that tours are sold out well in advance you may want to purchase your tickets online before your trip.
  
• Consider purchasing a two-day, 48 hour pass. The second day will cost only a few dollars more than a single day.
  
• Check for discounts for seniors, children, students or military if you fall into those categories.
  
• Look into whether you can combine a bus and a river tour. Some cities have both and nearly every major city has a river that runs through it.
  

Scout Good Shooting Locations First...Return Later For Shooting at Ground Level

• I take note of the best shooting locations along the way and which of the bus' stops are closest to each site.
• This is my “one-hour” photo safari.
• From there I do a 2nd loop and get off the bus to reach my chosen shoot locations. 

When You're on the Bus

• Try to sit on the upper deck in an outside seat. (Nobody between you and your subjects.)

• My wife, Elaine, took pictures on the left side of the bus. I covered the right.

  Take pictures only over the side of the bus you're on. Shooting across the bus will just give you pictures with the tops of people's heads!
  
• Work with a partner, with one of you shooting from an outside seat on each side of the bus.  Or...
• Take two circuits, sitting on alternate sides.
  

Shooting Suggestions

Choice of Camera -

• Lighter is better. Consider using a small, fast-focusing point-and-shoot camera for shooting from the bus rather than a large dSLR. (Use your dSLR for ground compositions.)
• Zoom capability is essential. 
• My favorite travel camera is a Leica V-Lux ($1195.) It has a viewfinder and offered zooms from from 25 to 400mm (equivalent) with sharp, pro-quality pictures. The V-Lux weighs just 1.8 lbs.
• Consider a compact camera like the Nikon COOLPIX P7800 ($549.95) with an ultra-sharp f/2 28mm - 200mm lens or a Canon PowerShot SX720 HS ($379.99) which has a very long 24 - 960mm f/3.3(W) - f/6.9 (T) zoom.
  

• Anticipate your next shot - You have to shoot fast from a moving bus. By looking ahead you'll be able to shoot at the precise split-second to get a good composition. 
• Keep your pictures level - Utilizing the "Rule-of-Thirds" grid on point-and-shoot cameras makes leveling pictures easy.

  Use This Grid on Your Camera

• Capture details of buildings. Include people to show scale.
  
• See the world from a higher angle.You'll be amazed at how easy it is to get nice shots from the upper deck of a bus!
  

• Set your camera to auto white balance. Newer cameras do a great job at zeroing out the windows' colored tint. Our lab's color corrections can help to clean up the color even more. 
• Check your photos for glare and change your shooting angle, if necessary.
  

Street Photography Shows A City's Life

Paris was a city with 10,000 perfectly groomed trees…except for one.

A branch from that tree hit the windshield of our bus and snapped back, hitting me directly across the bridge of my nose. I received a couple cuts and looked like I was on the wrong end of a bar-fight. The fact is that I could have lost an eye. I was lucky!

• Nearly all hotels have free, high-speed WiFi. 
• Each night go through your images and pick out the best ones.
  
• Place online orders that evening for the ones you want printed.
  
• Let us know the date you want the pictures shipped to you in Instructions on either ROES or iPrints.
  
• We'll hold your print orders and mail them so that you'll have them when you arrive home.