Among the fun things to do in Napa Valley, as in many other tourist spots, is taking pictures. Whether you bring your smartphone, DSLR, Go-Pro, or even just a simple point-and-shoot camera, you’ll nevertheless take beautiful pictures of Napa Valley no matter from which angle.
Since the Internet and social media have taken the photography game to a whole new level, the technology that comes with them has made even just simple picture-taking into a fabulous work of art. A lot of the pictures we see on the Internet look so professional when in fact they’re only taken from a smartphone. You can choose a lot of modes, filters, and effects to enhance your photos. When you’re done taking your pictures, you can share them to social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so that your friends — and other people from any part of the world — will see your photographic masterpiece!
Napa Valley is obviously a picture-perfect Wine Country, and you won’t want to leave there without a photographic souvenir. Who knows, even from just a day in Napa, your SD card will have little or no space to accommodate more pictures!
The wineries themselves are Instagram-worthy as well! Get your photo-op gears ready as you visit some of the world’s beautiful wineries. Castello di Amorosa’s purposefully antiquated charm in its massive castle is best for dramatic shots. For sure, your lens shouldn’t pass up Beringer Vineyards — the oldest operating winery in Napa — and beholden by its ornate Victorian architecture.
Your wide-angle game will work best when you’re at wineries that offer breathtaking vistas of the vineyards. So look for wineries, restaurants, resorts, and lodgings that offer the best scenic views of the Napa landscape. Auberge du Soleil is a restaurant/resort that gives you wonderful hilltop views of the valley. Not only will you get to enjoy Domaine Carneros’ signature sparkling wines, but your photographic eye will also catch the beauty of its utterly French-inspired chateau and gardens, as well as its spectacular vista of the vineyards.
Chateau Montelena’s Gothic Revival-style building is often covered by the climbing ivies, which only enhances the winery’s beauty. This winery is famous for winning on the 1976 Judgment of Paris where Californian wines surprised everybody in the industry, as French wines were usually expected to (again) walk off with the competition in every category. If you are knowledgeable about the history of the Napa wineries, you will feel the history of Chateau Montelena’s greatest moment as you make your visit there and take awesome pictures.
Every picture brings out the individual beauty of every corner in Napa, but none of them is as breathtaking as the pictures taken from a hot air balloon flight during sunrise. Balloons Above the Valley (BATV) will help you to level up your photography — figuratively as well as literally. Your eyes and your lenses will absolutely admire the picturesque scenery — the endless, clean rows of vineyards, the high mountains, and the rolling hills that flank Napa’s famed valleys.
The occasional fog and the rays of the rising sun that greet the fields will add drama and character to your pictures. As you’re flying, take your best souvenir selfies with the gorgeous Napa scenery in the background. A silly enough selfie might be all right. But we warn you in advance — while in flight, do not take some risky poses just for an awesome selfie!
Aside from taking pictures, record videos from your camera as well while you’re still on your flight. Capture those high-flying moments on video so that you can watch them later on.
Picture-taking is one of the fun things to do in Napa Valley. Every angle of this wine region will come out beautiful in your photos. But the pictures and videos taken from a BATV hot air balloon flight on a beautiful morning may easily be the ones that you will treasure the most!