Like
most skills, taking good travel photographs takes
time and practice. "If people work slower and concentrate
on going out to make a photograph, they will be happier
with their images," said photographer Arlene Collins,
who teaches at the International Center of Photography
and the Parsons School of Design in New York.
Collins,
who also leads international travel photography workshops,
advises travelers to practice using their equipment
before setting out for their destination. "A lot of
people take their cameras out at the last moment and
they have no idea if everything is working." Kodak's
Web site recommends shooting a 12-exposure roll of
film and having it processed before you go.
With
digital cameras, make sure your files are transfering
and printing without problems. Kodak also suggests
consulting guide books and making a list of sites
you would like to shoot. In terms of equipment, travel
light. Collins suggests taking a camera you're comfortable
using, one lens and one flash. Make sure you take
enough memory cards if you're using a digital camera,
and something to download the images onto, if you
want to free up more space.
Set
your camera to the desired print size, if that option
is available, or consult the user manual to determine
the best resolution for your final output. Lighting
conditions Once you've arrived and identified a subject,
"work the scene" by taking multiple shots from different
angles and perspectives, Collins advises. Also, consider
the light and keep the sun behind you.
Sometimes getting the shot you want is worth returning
to the spot when the light is nicer, said Robert Caputo,
author of "National Geographic Photography Field Guide:
Travel." "If there's something you really want to
get a nice picture of, make time. Say 'OK, today at
8 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon I'm going to
go to that place and work it over, try to get a really
good picture of it,' " he said.
Early
morning and late-afternoon light is not as harsh as
it is in the middle of the day. Caputo also urges
travelers not to shy away from taking pictures when
the weather is not as fine. "Inclement weather often
makes for really good pictures because it's dramatic,"
he said. Collins enjoys taking photos at night and
urges travelers to experiment in different light situations.
Composing a shot Moving in close can give a simple
subject more impact.Many images lack interest because
the photographer was too far away from the subject.
"People tend to not really think about the relative
size of what their main subject is," Caputo said.
"We have this saying in photography, 'get close and
then get closer.' " Collins suggests steering away
from a long lens, if you have a choice.
A
shorter lens requires the photographer to have more
interaction with the subject. Even if you're photographing
a person and you don't speak the local language, having
some communication often results in a more interesting
photo, Collins said. The "bullseye" effect, or positioning
the subject right in the center of the frame, is another
common compositional problem, Caputo said.
Apply
what's known as the rule of thirds by moving the main
subject a third of the way into the frame. "Think
of your frame as a grid," Collins said. "Instead of
cutting the frame in half, think of cutting the frame
in thirds." "The last rule is going to be to break
all the rules," she said. "The great photographers
know the rules, but they also know how and when to
break them."
