Travel Tales from The Hub

Images of 2018

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By Ken Hubbard


Golden Eagle: Tamron 100-400mm – f/6.3, ISO 800, 1/2500 at 400mm
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2018… Another year of crisscrossing America, with thousands of miles flying high above the clouds and hundreds of nights in hotels, countless mornings waking up and wondering where am I, what day is it and why am I here??? Life on the road can be tiring and tough sometimes, but it takes you to amazing places to photograph.

If you are a photo industry #roadwarrior, you fully understand, and hopefully your loved-ones understand the lives we lead. We love the road, we love seeing all that America is, and we can never get enough. Not everyone can understand this wanderlust drive to keep going, to meet and teach, to see and photograph, to live and experience everything there is to take in on our travels. It seems to be more like an addiction, but an addiction that can be great for one’s sole. The more we see and experience, the more we want to see and experience. So, this article is dedicated to some of my favorite places I was lucky to go to in 2018.


Folkstone, Barbados: Tamron 10-24mm Di II – f/16, ISO 400, 1/1600 at 19mm
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I am very fortunate to have family that loves travel as much as I do. They don’t always go to places where I would like to go, but sometimes our ideas come together and it works out perfectly. The Island of Barbados was one of the “perfect” ideas. With it’s very open and safe communities and abundance of amazing day trip opportunities this small island can be a photographers and their family’s paradise. The Island of Barbados is laid back, and beautiful and prefect for an amazing Caribbean get away.


Lower Antelope Canyon: Tamron 28-75mm Di III – f/8, ISO 1600, 1/25 at 28mm
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The southwest region of the United States will always draw me to its red cliffs, golden rocks, pink sands and mesmerizing canyons. Encompassing Arizona, Utah and New Mexico this region of the American landscape is truly unique to anywhere else in the United States. After more than 20 plus years of traveling to this beautiful area, it still amazes me, and there are still so many places for me to discover and photograph for the first time. I know I will continue to come back over and over again. Lower Antelope Canyon is one I those places that I have returned to many times, and every time I see something new.


Katmai State Park: Tamron 150-600mm Di G2 – f/8, ISO 400, 1/250 at 600mm
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There were a number of firsts for me in 2018, two of the most amazing occurred while in Alaska on a video shoot. First, I finally got the chance to fly in a sea plane. Taking off from a river then landing on a lake is an awesome experience for sure. Second, was arriving at the location the sea plane landed, Katmai National Park. The excitement, awe and yes, a little bit of fear rushing through you when you see a brown bear on a trail walking towards you is something I will never forget. We did as the ranger told us, moved back then got off the trail and stood still. The bear paid us no mind and ended up slowly walking off into the woods. That same trail leads to brooks falls, where we were very fortunate to have about 15 bears fishing in the river.


The Palouse: Tamron 28-75mm Di III – f/16, ISO 100, 1/25 at 48mm
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Another first was visiting the mesmerizing rolling hills of The Palouse, a 3,000 square mile region of eastern Washington state. From late April to late June its hills are covered with green wheat and yellow flowering canola gently swaying in the breeze that roll over the hills. These hills are very unique formations that look more like sand dunes than hills. The reason for this is because they were formed the same way dunes are formed, by wind, not by a river or tectonic movement. There is also no continuous valley so the hills roll into one another for what seems forever.


NYC from Hoboken Pier: Tamron 24-70mm G2 – f/16, ISO 64, 6 seconds at 68mm
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Being away from home so much and seeing so many beautiful areas of the country it is easy to sometimes take the closest locations to me for granted, and not photograph them. I’ve lived on Long Island my entire life and had never been to Hoboken, NJ and had only photographed the NYC skyline twice before, and that was from the Brooklyn side. A recent Hoboken sunset workshop with a local New Jersey dealer made me realize that I need to explore my local areas with the same passion that I explore far-away places.

Lenses Used:
Tamron SP 24-70mm Di G2
Tamron 28-75mm Di III
Tamron SP 150-600mm Di
Tamron 10-24mm Di II
Tamron 100-400mm Di


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