TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

OVERVIEW

Travel photography in my opinion isn’t about shooting a great image; it’s about shooting a lot of great images.

THE EQUIPMENT (If your gear isn’t insured go and do it now! And specify each piece of equipment with serial numbers to avoid any problem with a claim; my last trip to Europe involved $6000 in claims for lost and broken gear)

Q. Can you take great pics with a point and shoot?

A. Sure as long as you’re not really serious about photography and you don’t want to sell your pics through and agency (they are generally very fussy with quality).

I have several point and shoot cameras that I use when I can’t use my DSLR.

My Equipment:

I still have a large box of Nikon film camera bodies and around 20 lenses that aren’t worth selling.

Current Bodies: The gear in red is the stuff I always take with me on assignment

2x Nikon D300

1x Nikon D200

1 x Nikon D100 (The D100 & D70 are now my loaners for students)

1 X Nikon D70

(I have tried the D3 but I don’t like it for travel. It’s too big and heavy, doesn’t have a fill flash and is too expensive) having said that I LOVE the D300!

Current Lenses

Nikon VR 18-200mm (used 80% of the time)

Sigma 10-12mm (a very good well priced lens)

Nikon VR 70-300mm

Nikon 50mm 1.4 (my if all else fails lens) during my last trip I didn’t take it and I smashed my 80-200 lens and lost my 70-300mm lens and camera so I was left with only the Sigma 10-20mm, so I had to buy another lens in Germany which isn’t the cheapest place in the world to buy lenses.

Nikon 60mm Micro

Nikon 28-85mm

Sigma 500mm

Flashes

2x Nikon SB800 (I rarely use a main flash, I like to shoot in existing light and I will use the fill flash on the camera if necessary).

Tripods & Monopods

I have about 20 (15 of which wobble)

I carry a Velbon RUO-40 Monopod (and a lightweight tripod which I hardly ever use).

My monopod often wobbles particularly after Vodka

Laptop

Toshiba Satellite 13”

I backup to this and to a 160gb USB hardrive (which I carry with me)

Software

Adobe Lightroom 1.3 and 2 Beta (Used 99% of the time)

Adobe Photoshop CS3 (hardly ever use it now)

Bags

I have a cheap looking photo bag that I bought in Bangkok for $20 (If they are a good brand they are a target for thieves)

I carry most of my gear in a photo jacket (lots of pockets)

I also have my cameras attached to my belt with a cord and a clip.

Lowepro Dryzone, a handy waterproof and dustproof bag (generally too heavy to lug around on your back)

I have learnt over the years to travel light. I only carry 3 pairs of lightweight (dry overnight) trousers (2 with zip off bottoms) and 3 (dry overnight) shirts and a jacket if needed. I can carry everything on my back if I have to.

Tip:

Have some business cards printed saying you are a Travel Photographer it will open some doors for you and you should get the occasional free entry. You will also often get extra info for your photos such as information brochures and press kits.

Don’t be tempted to use a “dodgy” press pass I have had people phone to verify mine.

TECHNIQUE

Q. How many photos should you shoot on a trip?

A. As many as you feel are necessary. Unlike film there if no cost except time associated with shooting 1000’s of pics.

Bear in mind

1. You have to go through all the ones you shoot (Adobe Lightroom makes this process a lot easier)

2. If you are shooting in RAW (the photos not you) they can take up a lot of storage space

3. It’s far better to take your time taking 1 or 2 good shots than 20 “happy snaps”.

4. Ask yourself “why am I taking this shot” as a professional the first thing I ask myself is “can I sell it”.

5. If you are taking it for the artistic merit you are probably an amateur so just go ahead and take as many as you like and enjoy yourself (and learn).

6. Having said that, no matter how many photos you take of the same subject they will always be one that is better than all of the rest. So how many do you take? It depends on how much work you want to do. With travel who wants to spend a week in the same place taking photos of the same thing!

7. If you are shooting just to remember the holiday around 20 a day should do, what are you going to do with them anyway? Show the family (they will be bored after about 50) then you make a couple of prints, what are you going to do with the other 800 photos?

8. Definitely delete the photos you don’t want to keep as you go or at the end of the day.

9. If they are important to you make sure you back them up to something or email them to yourself. You can go to an internet cafe or some photo shops and burn a DVD, consider mailing the DVD to yourself at home for safety.

EXPOSURE

In my opinion THE most important thing in getting a great picture is getting the exposure right.

Automatic on a camera means that the camera is taking an educated guess at the settings and it often gets it wrong!

If you are serious about photography and aren’t familiar with HISTOGRAMS now is the time to learn. Believe the histogram not the photo review on the screen of the camera (unless you have calibrated it). There are many tutorials on histograms on the internet. If your camera doesn’t show histograms auto will have to do.

I will do a tutorial on histograms in a later blog.

If the Exposure isn’t correct you will NEVER make a great photo out of it. If it’s too dark (underexposed) it becomes very noisy (grainy) when you try and lighten it.

If it’s too light (overexposed) you have probably lost some detail (information) in the light areas. Photos that are overexposed often need more contrast which can make them look coarse, and you will never get the correct colour detail.

FRAMING

People

The eternal debate among photographers is “should you ask permission photographing people?”

My thoughts … Sure after you have taken one or shots!

Do you want to photograph people in their natural environment at work or play or do you want them all to pose with teeth flashing?

If they object to you taking the photo you only have to apologise (paying them normally works, I normally give them a dollar, $5 if they sign a release) but at least you have the photo.

Q. Should you use a long lens and take the photos from a distance?

A. Use whatever lens you need to get the photo, a long lens will allow you to get in close and to blur the background. Sometimes a long lens is the safest, particularly if the person you are photographing is carrying a gun.

If they accept money from you get them to pose and take your time framing the photo, Remember when framing a photo, if what you see in your viewfinder doesn’t embellish (compliment) the photo try and cut it out. Try and avoid distracting backgrounds.

When photographing people for example sometimes a close up of the face is better than a full or partial body shot. If in doubt take both. When photographing faces ALWAYS focus on the eyes or the eye closest to you in the case of side shots (use your spot meter if you have it).

Landscapes

Many photographers make the mistake of thinking you must use a wide angle lens for landscapes.

There are pros and cons in using a wide angle lens

PROS

1. You obviously get more in your field of view

2. You have more depth of field (more is in focus) — (not technically but that’s another subject)

3. It allows you to have something in the FOREGROUND to give the photo a point of interest (you should always try and get some foreground point of interest with a wide angle lens).

When using a zoom (long) lens try and get something in the BACKGROUND as a point of interest

CONS

1. If you tilt the lens any verticals will lean, some tall buildings look like they almost come to a point at the top

2. Everything appears to be further away

3. You have more chance of getting lens flare (side light getting into the lens)

4. Anything at the edges of the frame will be distorted

5. Extreme wide angle lenses are not flattering for people shots

I normally use my 20mm-200mm lens for landscapes set at around 100mm at F11 when possible (light permitting).

Buildings

* See cons above

Unfortunately with buildings sometimes (normally) a wide angle lens is the only thing that will do the job.

Many photographers think they have to get the entire building in the shot. Often the building is ugly, so look for a point of interest on the building and shoot that. Maybe the corner of the building or an interesting doorway, look in your viewfinder and see what looks good.

When photographing building you need to look for the right time of day, when there are no harsh shadows. Early morning and early evening are good. If you are shooting a house try early evening (just getting dark) with all of the house lights on and maybe a couple of flood lights at the front.

This isn’t a blog on basic photography so try Googling

Rule (Law) of thirds

Photographic Composition

Portrait Mode

Landscape Mode

If you intend to try and sell you work to photo agencies here are a few tips.

1. Invest in a decent DSLR Camera, min 10 megapixels, I would stick to Nikon or Canon because they have a large range of lenses

2. To sell photos of the inside of (almost) any building you need a signed release including houses

3. To sell photos of any person (except some crowd scenes and maybe someone in a lost village in the Amazon) you will need a signed release from the person/people that can be recognized

4. Many buildings photographed from a public place still need a release (you are wasting your time trying to sell any photos of place like the Vatican)

5. To make any sort of decent living from selling photos through an agency you either need to have 10’s of thousands of photos for sale or own the agency. Most agencies pay a pittance like 25 cents commission per photo sold.

6. Don’t be discouraged when your first few submissions to agencies are rejected, many of the reviewers are brain dead and or frustrated failed photographers.

7. Specialise in one area of photography i.e. sport, fashion, architecture (not travel where everyone’s an expert).

8. I will be setting up a site shortly selling travel only photos (any photographer) at kombu.com

“TIP FOR THE MONTH”

Don’t use a 600mm (or any other lens that looks that a rocket launcher) in Iraqi.

TO BE CONTINUED…