Where would you go?

I have one week to get away, go have some fun and take some pictures. I don't get out of redneck country much so be my travel adviser and recommend some cool places that a wannabe photographer might like to visit on a budget of 3K

$3k for a week? If I were you I'd fly to Hanoi, travel the area and live very nicely for a week, come home, and still have $1k left over. Only problem is the very long travel times will shave more than a day off either end of the trip. So, use the whole wad and go to Tokyo and the Kyoto region!

Heh! Or Hawaii, or Yellowstone, or Yosemite, or...!

The Southwest - New Mexico & Arizona is loaded with good places. Arches NP in Moab, UT is a favorite and several good spots around there.

Europe. Only takes half a day to get there, and more than enough to photograph: Venice, Rome, Paris, etc.

Oooh fun!

US: Northern California - San Francisco for beautiful city and culture, the coastal redwood forests and maybe visit Yosemite then the Pacific coastal highway for stunning scenery and marine life photo ops. I think the Pacific coast has some of the best light in the world for photography!

Abroad: I agree with Europe, maybe Spain. Barcelona is a photographer's dream and there are many other beautiful and diverse regions in Spain. If you're feeling more adventurous consider South America where your dollar will go further. Lots of amazing places to photograph there!

10megapixel wrote in post #13082037
I have one week to get away, go have some fun and take some pictures. I don't get out of redneck country much so be my travel adviser and recommend some cool places that a wannabe photographer might like to visit on a budget of 3K

You should have done the reverse. You should have asked for places NOT to go, and then said, "I'm going there."

Where would I go/do?

Less than serious: Follow Peter Lik around and bother him by shooting allong side him with my little gem Olympus stylus epic.

Serious: Go to Hong Kong, meet Kai and friends from Digital Rev and do street shooting.

At this time of year I would be hitting the fall colors. Think Maine or Lake Superior, (Minnesota North Shore) in particular!

Honestly, I'd love to go to Afghanistan to shot some editorial style photos of our troops in action.

That... or...

Waipio Valley, Hawaii... I was there about 5 years ago, it is still the most beautiful place I have ever been to. (I wish I had a camera with me at the time.)

It would have been nice if the OP had told us what he likes to shoot. With only a week I would not fly half way around the globe. I like Tony's idea of yellowstone. Pick a national park you have never been to and strike that off your bucket list.

If it is for a week, stick to North America as you do not want to waste your days at the airport. If you go to Europe or Asia you would lose some time due to time zone difference

Don't go anywhere, invest that 3K into expanding your photographic horizons, example...pick up a macro lens and explore your backyard. Or, like Tony said, our own National Parks.

I've been very lucky that I've traveled around much of our nation in my (to-this-point) short life, so if I were to have $3,000 to go on a photo vacation, I'd go one of two places that I'd love to see, but haven't been to yet. 1) Utah and near/arund Arches National Park. I've seen so many great images created in this area, and I want to give it my own spin. 2) Seattle/Vancouver area. They're close enough that I'd fit them both into one trip, and there is so much cool to see and shoot.

My $0.02.

Kayak the coast of Georgia, camping along the way. Very challenging and fun. Watch out for gators and wild boars.