Egypt Goes Ultra-Wide

Paige Tingey never set out to become a full-time travel photographer. Back in 2017, she was working long hours in the Bay Area tech scene, using weekends as a way to escape the office and immerse herself in nature. After road-tripping to national parks, trekking through the jungles of Costa Rica, and exploring the wonders of Pakistan, among other journeys, Paige’s hobby slowly evolved into something bigger. “When I take my travel photos now, I have two main goals: to create cinematic images, and to transport the viewer directly into the scene, as if they were standing beside me at the moment I took the photo,” she says.

Paige’s latest photo excursion in June took her overseas to Egypt, beginning in Cairo, where she explored the iconic pyramids and bustling street scenes. From there, she traveled south along the Nile River to Aswan and Luxor, photographing temples and ruins that have stood for thousands of years, and ended her trip in Sharm El Sheikh on the Red Sea. Working with Egypt’s tourism board, Paige retraced this route, giving her the rare opportunity to experience and document the country’s highlights a second time.

To accompany her on her Egyptian adventure, Paige packed the new Tamron 16-30mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for her mirrorless camera system. “What impressed me right off the bat was how incredibly sharp this lens was for how compact it is,” she says. “It feels like it’s half the size and weight of other lenses I’ve used in that range, which is a big advantage when I’m traveling. Having that F2.8 maximum aperture available was key for me as well, because it allowed me to keep my subjects in intense focus while keeping the background or foreground beautifully blurred out for some separation. The lens was also rugged enough to withstand Egypt’s sand-filled winds.”

Read on for Paige’s travel photography tips, helped along by her Tamron 16-30mm F2.8 G2 ultra-wide-angle lens.

PAIGE’S QUICK TIPS

Capture a “vibe” that speaks to you.

When you visit Aswan, you can imagine what it must’ve been like in the 1940s in this magical city along the Nile. I wanted to capture the timelessness of this place, especially the old-fashioned boats nestled along the shore surrounded by that greenery and those beautiful flowers, with those sand dunes in the distance. Shooting this photo was a little tricky, as the light was somewhat harsh, but I angled myself just enough away from it so that I could shoot without needing a polarizer. My image turned out super crisp and clear, and nothing was blown out.