Travellerspoint Photoguide

THE THREE STEPS for better Travel Photography

2008-08-18T17:01:43Z

There are numerous and enormous amounts of companies out there, trying to get you to buy their "Ultimate Guide to Photography" or their "Digital Photographer's Guide to Better Pictures" - series of books, CD:s and lots of information about composition, effects, color spaces, depth of field and technical mumbo jumbo. What they seldomly tell you, is how to take better pictures. They try, but just complicate it with terms and non-understandable techniques that will only confuse most people. But the basics aren't so hard - actually they couldn't be more simple.

To take great pictures, you are required to think. It's as simple as that.

STEP ONE - Think before

Put the camera down.

This step requires you to do something most photographers just can't do - to put your camera away. Put it in the shoulderbag, the backpack or whatever you are carrying with you. Because once stowed away, you start using your eyes! You've probably seen the older generation of travelers constantly carrying their camera in a neck-strap, taking pictures at everything and everyone? That is exactly what we're trying to avoid.

In doing this, we create a kind of freedom. Your hands don't have to hold on to the camera, and you can look through your eyes instead of through your lens. When traveling, new and interesting sigths and sounds are all around you at most times - it can be hard to grasp everything you encounter. But by leaving your camera out of the equation - your mind can feel, smell and experience. And you can focus on selecting those few, important moments when it's worth it to get the camera out. And when you truly see an image worth taking - quickly get the camera out - and take it.

STEP TWO - Think while shooting

Focus on the image you saw in your head.

You might want to get up higher or bend lower to change perspective, or move a bit to change the background - do that quickly. Do anything to get hat you want. Don't get distracted, be sure to take the picture you saw in your mind earlier. And especially do not start high-speed-shooting! This is the biggest trap of modern day DSLR's - making photographers literally "shoot" their subjects instead of keeping their attention to capture them in the right moment. Don't shoot 50 frames, just because you can. Instead, THINK. This way you'll end up with just one or two frames - but good ones.

STEP THREE - Think afterwards

This is where the amateurs get sorted from the professionals.

No matter how good pictures you have in your collection after a trip, you've got to choose! Whether you are presenting them at Travellerspoint, on your webpage, in a magazine article or in a private photo album - you've got to narrow them down to the very best! 99% of the time, people's collections are too big - so big that no one bears to look them all through. This effectively makes the good pictures dissappear in the mass of the collection!

Point is - present only your very best. Professionals can go on a three month long expedition, and return to publish just ten photos. Maybe just three. This may seem odd - but it's the way great photography is made. Not only does a limited selection of images hide all the other ones (where you failed to make a perfect shot) - but it promotes the good ones. So that those ones can really, really shine.

Summary

So when trying to use all your amassed knowledge of taking pictures - try this technique once in a while. It may seem simple - and does only cover so much - but it really works as a basic outline for taking pictures.

Think before - look with your eyes.
Think while shooting - do anything for the picture you want.
Think after - present nothing but your very best.

MARTIN EDSTRÖM
2008-08-18 - Stockholm, Sweden

THE THREE STEPS for better Travel Photography remains copyright of the author Makini, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Basic Landscape Photography

2007-11-02T15:27:03Z

This photoguide article is on landscape photography. What I hope to do is not to show you how to be a National Geographic staff photographer, and as you read further you'll see why this isn't necessarily possible nor probably what you want, but instead to give you some idea how to improve your images and take pictures you would be proud to frame on your living room wall.

The Tough Part

In my opinion, the toughest part about landscape photography is learning to be patient. Especially if you're travelling. This is for two reasons. First, it's hard to tame ones excitment when you're on vacation. If you're like me, you arrive in say Prague and you want to immediately start snapping away as soon as you step off the train !! I mean it's PRAGUE !!! Your adrenaline is pumping and everything looks amazing those first few moments you arrive in a new locale. And that will probably last for the next 2-3 days. So the tendency is to snap away at everything !! I mean it's PRAGUE !! Well, there's really nothing wrong with that. Especially in the age of digital cameras. But unless you're super lucky, you're not likely to take your best shots during this time. You're simply too excited and don't take the time to properly choose the right locations and compositions that will give you those stunning photos. My advice is this, when you first arrive at a new location. Indulge a little. Take some test shots, check them on your digital camera, but don't be disappointed if they aren't your best. And plan for a second visit later on in the day or the next day to the same locations for your pictures. The most important thing to do is LOOK around and get to know your location. The stunning shots will take a little longer. What's the second toughest part ? I'll tell you later. ;-)

What is Landscape Photography ?

So what is a landscape ? Is it simply a picture of mountains or of a stream ? How is it different from a picture of a person ? How is different from a picture of an object ? Simply put, the basis of landscape photography is to record the land. The size, the shape, and even the feel of the land. Keep these goals in mind when you take your next landscape shot. How can I convey a sense of the size of this vast wilderness ? What is it about the shape of this stream that's so interesting ? What is the mood of a sunset ?

Size

A photograph is essentially a 2 dimensional thing. However, the real world is not 2 dimensional. In order to properly convey a sense of the size of the real world, we must employ the artist's concept of "perspective". Our visual perception of the size of the world, is based on being able to reference it against a known quantity. The relative size of a mountain against, say your 18 year old sister, gives your brain important clues about how big the mountain is, or how far it is away from your current location. Here I'll share with you one tip. If you ask a professional (and I have), the first thing they think about when composing a landscape is not what's far off in the distance, but what is close at hand in the foreground. Try to include an object such as a rock or plant in the foreground to give the photo a sense of "vastness". Try different compositions. You'll quickly find that different techniques are more effective to convey the sense of space than others.

In order to gain more detail of the distant landscape you will have to increase what is known as the "depth-of-field". Which is basically how much infront and how much in back of the subject you've focused on is sharp. If you have it on your camera, be sure to use the landscape setting (the little triangular mountain shape on your camera's mode selector). The camera should take care of the rest. On more advanced cameras (digital or film) there is an "A" setting and you can do more fine tuning. This setting allows you to choose the "aperature" of the lens. You'll have to read your camera's manual on how to do this. There are too many cameras out there for me to give you specific instructions within this guide. But generally it's very straightforward. Set the aperature to f8 or higher. Then compose and shoot. Your images will be clear from the foreground to far in the distance. Now the downside of this (you knew there was a downside didn't you?) is that setting the aperature higher closes down the hole infront of the lens which lets the light in. Which means that for a given sensitivity of film or digital camera sensor setting the longer it takes to get sufficient light into the camera to make a picture. Which means early in the morning or late in the evening, you're either going to have to hold the camera with incredibly steady hands to hold the camera while waiting for the picture to be taken, or you use a tripod. I'll explain in a minute why you want to be out early before sunrise and late after the sunset. In newer cameras there's also the choice to have vibration reduction (or Image Stabilization or Optical Stabilization, etc. depending on manufacturer) technology which can help, but generally a tripod is more effective and less expensive. Vibration reduction is expensive (I paid an additional $400 more for one lens with VR) !!

One other thing I don't think I need to tell you about is that zooming wide gives you the ability to capture more of the land. I think most people instinctively understand this point. For landscapes then, a wide angle lens is useful. Any lens capable of being set to a value between 20 to 36 mm is generally considered to be a good wide angle landscape lens when using 35mm film. Which means on most DSLR's that have a crop factor of x1.5 you'll need to purchase a lens capable of being set between 13 to 24 mm's. Many photographers say less than 20mm the images start to fisheye (bulge out in the middle) and more than 36 mm is too narrow to capture enough of the land. However, tastes vary. I was shooting sunsets using a zoom set around 100mm yesterday. So don't feel you must run out and spend hundreds on a new lens.

Shape

By following the rules of composition (covered in an earlier article) you can easily capture shape. Look for leading lines. Look for meandering s-curves. Again, get down and use wide-angle lens distortion to your advantage. Depending on the scene, different techniques will apply. But remember to decide beforehand what is it that appeals to you about this scene and then think of a way to capture it.

Feel

Feel can be created using a number of things. Colour is a great one. Blue is cool and red is warm. But how to capture blue ? How to capture red ? Think of the time of day. Early in the morning (about 30min before sunrise), as the mist rises from the ground, the low and diffuse light gives a cool feeling. So get up before the sun and you'll be-able to capture this mood. Just before the sun completely sets (about 30min before), the sky turns bright red and orange. Make your way to your chosen location and you'll capture this mood.

These two "magic moments" are the secret to capturing the great landscape colours.

Planning Your Shots

One fundamental of landscape photography is you don't control the subject. Mother nature controls the land. And she's not going to bother changing the position of the sun just for you. Nor will she move a mountain just because you asked her to, no matter how nice you ask. Begging might help, but I haven't tried that one. You let me know how well that works, ok ? ;-) So it's your job to be there, when the sun is in the right position, and your job to hike 3 miles up the hill to the lookout to properly frame the shot. Great landscape photography is a lot of work !! Next time you see a great shot of the Alps, just think about what it took to make that photograph.

Now there are things you can do to make it easier on yourself. Ask a local guide where the best scenery is. Or else use a map or guidebook and study the local area with photography in mind. Keep in mind the time of sunrise and sunset, and plan to be at a particular location to have the desired sunlight. Keep in mind the weather and season. Notice when there will be fog, high humidity, dense cloud cover and use these elements to diffuse the sunlight and change the mood of the photograph.

Which brings us to the second toughest thing about landscape photography. Having the time to take the pictures. If you're like me, you can't stay several months or even a year at a particular location to wait for the proper weather or light for that picture postcard perfect image. Yes, this is why you don't necessarily want to, nor have the means to become a National Geographic photographer. Those guys will literally live for months in a particular place to get one or two stunning images !! You or I can't afford to do that. But we can do our best. By carefully studying the area, planning our itinerary, using proper technique, and a little luck, we also can land a real "keeper" !!

Equipment

There are two pieces of equipment that almost every landscape photographer says are a bare minimum to have.

One is a tripod. This is essential for long exposures (see above). The most important thing is choose one that's stable. So go into the store, extend it fully and wiggle the top to see how stable it is when holding your camera. This need not be the most expensive one. I paid $20 for a great tripod that I have no doubts would work great with my little Canon point&shoot.

The second is a polarizer filter (for autofocusing cameras you need to ask for a "circular" polarizer instead of a linear one. The linear ones don't work with the automatic focus.). This is a circular piece of glass that screws into the thread infront of your lens or into an adapter which connects to your camera. It works in a similar way to polarizing eyeglasses and will cut down the glare and haze from the sun. Your skys will be bluer and your grass will be greener. To set it you look through the lens and rotate the polarizer until you see that the colours are what you want. Use the view finder or LCD depending on your camera to look through the lens. Some cameras (like my Canon) are tricky and have a separate view finder which doesn't look through the lens. So I have to use the LCD. But generally if the view finder isn't viewing through the lens the LCD display does.

Landscape photography need not be complex or expensive. Infact, many professional landscape photographers use garage built wooden boxes with 19th century technology to achieve their results. Three out of 4 of the above photographs were taken with little point and shoot cameras. The important thing is to learn your subject and carefully plan your shots. Good luck and have fun !!

Basic Landscape Photography remains copyright of the author Q', a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Article requests

2007-10-30T19:10:27Z

Ok, here's your chance to request an article to be included in the Travellerspoint Photoguide. What aspect of photography would you like to know more about ?

Technique ?
Equipment ?
Locations ?
etc. ?

So simply add a comment and suggest away !!

If you would like to write an article, simply add a comment about which suggestion you would like to tackle, and away you go !! Good luck !!

Article requests remains copyright of the author Q', a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Camera Choice

2007-05-25T14:23:34Z

'Small' and 'Light' are two words that help describe the ideal camera for the traveller, or at least the vast majority of us. And the current state of the art in digital compacts allows us to use one for almost any kind of 'snap' we could ever imagine, or even a camera-phone.
But what about those with more than a passing interest in the photographs they're taking, and when do you need something more capable?

The two other most popular categories of camera right now are Digital SLRs and 'bridge' cameras - those with an 'ultra'-zoom lens and whose size is typically between compact and DSLR.

SLRs used to be the preserve of professionals and enthusiasts, but diminishing sizes and prices have brought them into the reach of mere mortals, whether we need or understand all of their features or not. Ultimate image quality and interchangeable lenses are their two most important features.

A bridge camera is possibly the most flexible of all-rounders - at its heart is a compact camera, but with a versatile 10x, 12x (or more) zoom lens stuck on, the downside being that it won't slip into your pocket like a compact, so might be harder to hide when you need to.

I'd say your choice boils down to what you intend to do with your images once your travels are over. If all you'll ever need is something to record memories with, then a compact is perfect. A bridge (or ultrazoom) will give you more options and allow you to zoom right into a scene and capture more detail - remember though, animals and buildings don't care about privacy, but people might.
In the right hands, compacts and bridge cameras can produce spectacular results - even images capable of being used at large sizes or sold in various formats.

If you want the best quality and flexibility though, you should think seriously about a DSLR, especially if you have any thoughts of submitting images for publication. But be prepared to carry the extra weight and take more precautions with security and safety.

Camera Choice remains copyright of the author stevieh, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

No Photos Please - We're British

2007-05-20T13:56:24Z

Once upon a time, we in the 'developed' world chuckled when told of the people of remote tribes who believed you were stealing their spirit if you took a photograph of them. We're not laughing now.
Paranoia about terrorists and paedophiles means the taking of photographs in public places is under serious threat. This is of huge importance to both photographers and travellers alike.

Remember the british 'plane spotters' who were held in a Greek prison for taking photos at a military airfield? While you could say it was obvious they weren't terrorists, you could equally say it was a bit silly photographing a military installation. But where do we draw the line?

Unfortunately it seems that line may soon be drawn outside your front door. Rumour has it that there is a growing number of tourist attractions that are banning photography. Yes, that's right, "tourist attractions" - the very existence of which is the whole reason that most people buy a camera, or certainly used to be in pre-digital days.

As the law stands in the UK, if you are stood in a public place you are theoretically allowed to take a photograph of anything you can see. In practice however, more and more people (including professional photographers) are finding themselves stopped by the police and questioned about their intentions.

What does this mean to the Traveller? Well, first and foremost it means you should be as aware of what you are doing when you take out your camera in the UK as you would anywhere else in the world that you might normally consider sensitive. Be aware that somebody may be offended - rightly or wrongly - about what you are doing, and be prepared to move on. Don't let the politics spoil your visit.

No Photos Please - We're British remains copyright of the author stevieh, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Weather and Photography

2007-05-26T20:36:53Z

What makes the difference between these two pictures of the same beach - at two different times?
Only one thing - the first shot was taken with the weather in mind - thereby making it a pretty good photo, and the other was not.

This article will serve with ways of how to improve your photography by adapting to the weather - a sometimes very hard thing to do. Basically there are three different aspects of the weather to think of, and they will be explained in order:

1. Lighting - how the current weather affects the light in a photo
2. Atmosphere - how the weather gives a photo atmosphere
3. Effects on motive - how motives can be directly influenced by weather

Lighting

The weather affects your picture in many ways - but maybe most of all it determines how your picture will be lit. A landscape shot on a cloudy and on a rainy day will turn out differently from a landscape shot in bright sunlight. Let's take a look at three common light situations - the Direct sunlight, the Overcast and the Morning & Evening light.

Direct sunlight

When the sun is glowing bright in the sky - with no clouds to shield it - a photographer is very limited. This type of sunlight casts sharp shadows that make most shots involving people very hard to get right - you always get disturbing shadows in people's faces.
The same problem occurs when shooting scenes - often big parts of the picture are shadowy - while others are very bright. See the above as an example - the line between shadow and highlight is dramatic, which makes it almost impossible to even make out what the sign in the photo says.

Overcast

When the sun is covered behind clouds - sometimes making the sky totally white - many photographers put their camera back in the bag, thinking there's no use photographing a sky that isn't blue. This is when you should take the camera up. Overcast conditions often provide a perfect lighting to the scene at hand - gently smoothing everything out without creating sharp shadows or extreme contrasts. As long as you're not taking landscape shots where the sky is extremely important - this is the time to act. Portraits of people, macro-shots of flowers - even the occasional shot of some animal running by - are bound to turn out better than in direct sunlight. Know this - and use it to your benefit.

Morning & Evening light

This is probably the favourite setting of many a photographer - and mine as well. In early mornings just before sunrise and in evenings just about sundown there seems to be magic in the air. Not just do you get the advantages of overcast situations - you also get beautiful colours playing on faces and scenes. In the above photo of a series of mountains you can clearly see the effects of sundown on the clouds - they're smooth and vividly coloured, something direct sunlight could never come up with.

Atmosphere

The weather has a great influence over a picture's atmosphere. First of all the weather determines the lighting (as described in the previous chapter) - but the wind and temperature also dictates conditions that affect the setting. Add to that the eventual rain, snow, fog etc - and you see that the term atmosphere is a very wide aspect of photography.

So, when you've got the hang of different light situations it's time to use it to create the feeling you want - to give the photo an atmosphere. This is a hard thing to plan for - as very few people can actually control the weather ( ). And as always when you head out to get those perfect stormy/windy shots of an ocean - you arrive only to see the calmest ocean-surface in history. But that, I guess, is another problem

A very boring atmosphere

The atmosphere in the picture above is not very lively. But it's got one thing - potential. On a stormy day - with dramatic cloud-filled skies, a tearing wind and tall waves that break against the rock face - this picture would probably come out better. Think of that, when you pass by motifs that at the time seem very boring. Remember the place - and come back at the right time

A simple atmosphere

Sometimes the "right" atmosphere for a photograph can be as simple as the above. Taken on an ordinary day, in direct sunlight, the picture is very plain - a road, a meadow and a background of mountains. No dramatic weather or mysterious fog. It is important to note that the most simple solution sometimes is the best solution. So when a plain atmosphere is at hand, there is absolutely no need to chase wierd weather conditions to improve your pictures.

A complete atmosphere

The above picture depicts a very well documented atmosphere. The lighting gives a feeling of early morning - while the snow gives a feeling of tranquillity. Note that if there had been a heavy snowfall, the picture would have given very different vibes. Also - if there had been a fog, it would give a more dangerous impression, since people often relate mists to uncertainty. The picture depicts what the photographer wanted to mediate - a cool, calm and inviting winter morning. When the atmosphere aspect is correctly used, it really strengthens the will to "walk into" a picture.

Important to note however, is that the general atmosphere of a photograph is greatly influenced also by other aspects. No matter how inviting a picture is, if a child is crying in the centre of attention in the photo - people will associate to that first, making the general atmosphere of your picture seem sad.

Effects on motive

It is very important not to stare yourself blind on only the lighting and atmosphere - you have to think about the effects on the motif as well. If you're chasing smiles and happy faces - don't do it on a rainy day. When the skies open themselves, people crouch and don't look up as much as on sunny days. But if you're out to photograph "sad" pictures, i.e. lonely streets, be sure to choose a windy and unpleasant day - this way you don't run into as many crowds as other days. The picture beneath is a good example - since it's raining people walk around a bit crouched, and some even have umbrellas. It sure wouldn't look like this in summer.

The motif (the people) are affected by rain

The weather's effects on the motives really involves everything - people wear different clothing and react differently to different weather conditions - and you probably can't take a picture of a bird in the air on a rainy day. Safe to say - it's probably impossible to take a picture of a happy man in flip-flops while there are stormy clouds and flashes of lightning in the background. If you manage to do this, email me

Conclusion

When photographing, keep these weather aspect in mind:

Lighting - Timing is crucial. "Plan" your photographs, and if this means waking up early to get good morning-light-shots - Just Do It!
Atmosphere - Paint the picture you have in mind by using the weather. Use the clouds, the fog or even a clear blue sky to make your image depict your feeling!
Effects on motives - Don't forget this. People and animals are always affected in one way or another by the weather.

Text and photographs, © Martin Edström 2007 - http://www.makini.se

Weather and Photography remains copyright of the author Makini, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Organisation and Presentation [for Windows]

2006-12-06T23:49:33Z

This is a guide to the organisation and presentation of your digital pictures. By the end you should be able to: sort through your pictures with ease, make quick touch-ups (red-eye, sharpness, colour), and present your pictures as a rockin' slide show with tunes and Ken-Burns effects to melt the hearts of your loved ones. [Note: This is a Microsoft Windows-centric guide, an Apple OSX guide will follow shortly]

I am going to assume you know how to get the pictures off of your camera, and onto your computer. Likewise if you use a film camera you hopefully know how to get your pictures on CD or something else. If not let me know.

First off, let's get the software you need. All of the software/programs you need for this are free of charge (isn't the world great?!). Open up another window or tab in your browser and head to:

Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/) is a great tool to help you find, organise, and edit your pictures. There are other features such as making screen savers, desktop backgrounds, movies. Once you have Picasa downloaded and installed let me know....

...ok you have it? Good. It should look something like this:

Now what it should have done is find every picture (.jpg, .gif, etc.) on your computer and organise them in a nice layout. The folders are all where you left them, now you can view them all in one place. You can also hide folders you don't want to show up in Picasa.

Mess around in Picasa for awhile and get a feel for it. I could go more indepth if people want. Now let's make a slide show.

Photo Story 3 for Windows is what you want next. It is free and a great slide show tool. Comparable to the photo program that comes with Apple OSX. Download it and install. Once there you just drag and drop pictures into the order you want. Add music, publish.. and you are all set!

You can get into more details and make different transition effects and Ken Burns effects!

Any questions just comment below!

Organisation and Presentation [for Windows] remains copyright of the author Brendan, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Travel Portraits

2007-10-30T19:22:46Z

Ok, you're in Rome. You want to take a picture of your girlfriend infront of St. Peter's. How do you do it ? Here are a few hints.

Where's Waldo !?!
This is a personal pet peeve of mine. And, yes, I too did this before someone pointed it out to me. So don't feel too bad about it. The average "vacation" shot consists of some gorgeous landscape with your girlfriend, boyfriend, kids, mom, etc. in the foreground. Cropped midway from waist to well above the head. The person takes up less than 1/5th of the entire frame; just sneaking in to the frame to show "Hey, I was there !!". You've all seen it. You know "the picture" I'm talking about. Always reminds me of the front covers from the "Where's Waldo" books where Waldo sneaks onto the cover to wave at you.

So what's wrong with it ? What's wrong is that, is it a picture of a person or a place ? If the scenery is beautiful, it deserves to be photographed ! If the person in the photograph is dear to you, give her the framing she deserves ! Don't go half way !

If your photograph is to say "what a beautiful place", go wide. Fill the frame with the landscape. If you have a SLR, close down the aperature to f11 or above. If you have a point and shoot camera, use the landscape mode (little mountain thing on the dial). Then to show "you were there !", step way back, have your girlfriend step into the frame so that you get the majority of her body in frame, but not taking up more than 1/8th of the frame, and shoot. What will happen is you will have a sharp picture of the entire landscape, with your girlfriend just noticable but not taking away from the great scenery. To add pizzaz to the photo, you might have her make a face, or strike a pose, or put her at one of the cross-points according to the rule of thirds (see my article on rules of composition).

It was important for me that I capture the background to record my accomplishment of driving across Canada. So I framed it wide and included both the location name and my car. I was an afterthought. ;-)

If your photograph is to say "she was having a great time", go tight. Fill the frame with your girlfriend's face, 1/2 to 2/3's of the frame. If you have a SLR, open the aperature to f3.5 or more. If you have a point and shoot camera, use the portrait mode (little head thing on the dial). Then to show "you were there !", keeping your girlfriend in the frame, re-adjust your aim so that some significant point of interest is in the background, then shoot. What will happen is that her face will be infront, happy and showing her joy, while the background is out of focus, not distracting us from her face, but still showing enough detail to give us some sense of where she is and why she's so happy. My favourite way to add pizzaz to this type of photo is to be sneaky ;-) and take the photograph when the person isn't aware of what I'm doing. This takes a lot of psychology. Usually I'll just follow along watching, noticing what they're doing. You'll notice that certain things give them pleasure. Then you carefully work out a composition, pick an angle where you can get the right background, get your camera ready, then at just the right moment when she smiles or becomes intensely involved in something....*click* and you've got an all-natural photo of her worth a lifetime of memories !

Portraits don't have to be only of people. I had 1 second to catch this gorgeous cat in this composition.

A few other hints

"Too much space up top !"
My portraiture teacher just about traumatized me with that statement. It's the most common mistake made by amateur photographers. They aim the camera to locate the face in the middle of the frame and leave a huge (1/3rd or more of the frame) at the top. The empty space is neither large enough to be called "whitespace" and is too big to be ignored. Your eye is drawn to it like a magnet, taking away emphasis from the person.

To fix it, simply aim for the person's eye, place the eye level with the top horizon according to the "rule of thirds", zoom in to fill the rest of the frame, then shoot !

Taking pictures of kids
Kids are people too. Get down. Get down on your knees, look them at eye level, then shoot. In my opinion, the only time when it's acceptable to photograph kids from way up is if you want to emphasize how small they are.

I only went down slightly for this. Notice that the camera is not at eye level with the puppeteer, nor with the puppet. This gave a more balanced shot as the emphasis is on both the man and the puppet.

Forcing flash
Some cameras allow you to manually fire the flash. You see, on bright sunny days, the camera will automatically expose for the bright light entering the lens, making anyone in the frame seem dark (the personal absorbs some of the light). One way to fix this is simply to manually fire the flash in bright ambient light conditions. It's call "forcing the flash" or "fill flash".

Travel Portraits remains copyright of the author Q', a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

The Rules of Composition

2007-10-30T18:55:48Z

What's the difference between a good photograph and a bad photograph ? Assuming you've gotten the colours right at the printers, you don't have a thumb in the way, and you have proper focus and exposure, photographers are always talking about what are known as the "rules of composition" when discussing the technical merits of a photograph. Depending on who you talk to, there are great differences in opinion about how many actual "rules" there are. I was taught that there are 14. And for no other reason than that, that is what I'm going to teach you.

1) Center of interest
Every photograph has one of these. What's the image about? Is it a picture of your wife? Is it a picture of the Great Pyramids of Giza? It should be very obvious with a single glance to every viewer what the photograph is "about". While it's called the "center" of interest, it isn't necessarily true that the subject of interest is in the center, or takes up a large part of the image, it is nevertheless very obvious that that is what the photograph is about.

This is the first rule of good composition, because it is the most important. Decide before hand what it is that you are taking a picture of. Everything else you do is then focus around
bringing that center of interest out.

The center of interest is obviously the violin player. Not the wall, not the violin, etc.

2) Fill the frame
This rule is here for mostly practical reasons. Film costs money. Even digital images will cost money to store and print. Once you decide what your center of interest is, fill the view finder with it. Get as much detail as you can. However there is a point at which it becomes too much. You want to fill the frame but you also want to leave some background and foreground to give a sense of context to your subject. I personally use around 80% as a guideline for how much to fill. That's not a hard and fast rule and I break it all the time myself. It's really up to your good taste and the effect you want to create.

There's a whole building and square behind and around this statue. But I chose to only photograph the statue and filled my frame with it.

3) Lines
Lines are extremely important in visual arts. Lines give us shapes and contours. Lines are what lead the viewer's eyes from one part of the photograph to another.

The zig-zag lines and twirl at the bottom of the stairs gives a modern twist to this.

4) Flow
After just finishing lines, we should talk about flow. Flow is how the viewer's eye is lead from one part of the photograph to another. One way to give flow to a photograph is to use lines. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, converging or diverging lines. Sometimes the flow created by lines is sharp and distinct (such as the sides of a building converging up into the sky), or they may be less obvious (such as a line of irregularly spaced stones that mark out a farmer's field). Nevertheless, the viewer's eye should be able to spot the same elements from one part of the image to another. Flow creates the illusion of motion (or lack of motion if so desired). Diagonal, converging or diverging lines are considered to be "dynamic" while horizontal and vertical lines are considered to be "static". A careful balance of dynamic and static elements will give an overall sense of motion to your photographs.

The motion blur and leading lines gives the viewer a sense that everyone is headed into a distant point.

5) Direction
Direction is similar to flow. It also creates the illusion of motion. If something in the photograph appears to be "moving" then it most likely has a direction in which it is moving. One example of what I mean is the little stick man that you find in many traffic lights. One stick man seems to be standing up straight, legs together, arms next to the body. Most people will agree that he doesn't appear, visually, to be moving. This is obviously the "do not walk" signal. His counterpart has bent arms and bent & spread legs. He appears to be moving. This is obviously the "safe to walk" signal. The "safe to walk" signal has a direction in which he is moving as indicated by the bent arms and legs. The "do not walk" signal seems static and has no direction of motion. Direction in photographs can be created in a number of ways. A lone figure in the middle of a convergent path appears to have direction despite the fact that his arms and legs may not be moving. That's because we feel as if we were to see him a split second later, we just know, he'll have his legs moving down the path. Similarly, a partially captured car just entering the frame from the left will lead us to think that in the next split second it will be at the right of the frame.

The line of figures gives the viewer a sense that everyone was walking towards me. Which infact, they were.

6) Repetition
Repetition of some subject (a bunch of hot air ballons, a flock of flamingos) gives a sense of togetherness to parts of the image. For instance, a group of hot air balloons may all be heading off in one direction. That group may create interesting patterns in the sky and add direction to the image. It can also have important psychological factors such as giving a sense of togetherness and friendship.

The repetition of the trees gives a sense of solidity. This photograph actually works because there's essentially two different levels of contrasting brightness.

7) Colours
There are warm colours and cold colours:

warm - red, orange, yellow
cold - blue, green, purple

There's a whole psychology thing with colours. Red's are "firey". Blue's are "tranquil". I won't go into it too much since I know there've been entire books written on the subject. So it should be fairly obvious why this is an important element of composition.

With colours, pay attention to contrast as well. Contrast is defined as the difference in the level of brightness between the brightest and darkest parts of your image. However, contrast is also created by placing warm and cold colours next to each other.

The bright yellow center is surrounded by a field of cooler green.

8) Groups of 3's
I've been told there's something psychologically appealing about groups of 3's. One is lonely, two is too well balanced and static, four and above is too much of a crowd. But 3 is just perfect !!
You know, as in Goldielocks and the 3 bears, 3 Stooges, 3 Musketeers, 3 colours on a flag, books come in trilogies, etc. Some how we humans just like 3's. Don't ask me why, I'm not a psychologist.

Back to photography. If you are going to photograph a group of something, either go big and photograph a bunch of them, or look for groupings of 3's as your center of interest. It works, trust me !

What a gorgeous group of ladies !

9) Rule of 3rds
This has been around for a long time. If you go into a museum and look at any really good painting. Then imagine a 3x3 grid on top of the picture, you'll notice that important elements such as eyes, windows, tops of mountains, horizon lines, etc. all line up with either one of the grid lines or at one of the intersections of the grid lines. It's claimed that by having your center of interest at one of these points or lines, you get a much more interesting image.

Note: some cameras allow you to super-impose such a grid pattern on the view finder to aide in composition. Check your manual.

Notice the position of the chandalier. Notice the position of the box. They're exactly on the "power points" according to the rule of thirds.

10) Negative Space
Basically large white or black space in the background (usually off to one side, but I've seen it done in other ways as well). Psychologically, we humans want to fill that space with our imagination (kind of like a cartoon thought balloon). It's a great trick because you can't go wrong. Whatever fills the negative space is interesting to the viewer because he/she came up with it herself !!

The butterfly is nicely highlighted by the white sand.

11) Foreground/Background
What's in the foreground and background is obviously important. This includes elements from the other rules, such as bright colours, or converging lines. But sometimes you can have too much in the foreground or background which will distract your viewer from your center of interest.

My little ducky travel companion forms my foreground, while the location is obviously placed by the background.

12) Framing
Look for things such as doorways, bridges, signs and other things to frame your subject under. It gives a sense of perspective and intimacy to the image. Ever notice they always have the bride walk through the big door into the church ? Ever notice how long hair can be used to frame the features of a face ?

Framing need not be created by solid frames. I positioned the camera so that the trees framed my subject.

13) Clutter
Clutter is having a lot of "stuff" in either the foreground or background. All those different shapes and shadows can distract (or in some cases if done well add to) from the center of interest. Cluttered images seem chaotic and disorganized. This is not necessarily a bad thing and may be used to convey a sense of dynamicism.

The band and equipment forms a very cluttered group.

14) S-Curves
A lot of people love S curves. It's very sensuous and sexy. It's the shape of a woman's profile. It's also a meandering river, or slithering serpent. It's very dynamic, but not a fast, hasty kind of motion, but a slower more sensuous movement. It's also harder to find in nature, so is considered more interesting.

The dancer's body forms a natural and energetic S-Curve.

So there you are, the 14 "rules of composition". How you use them is going to be up to you and your good taste.

The Rules of Composition remains copyright of the author Q', a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Photography's Best Kept Secret !

2007-10-30T18:21:33Z

What I'm going to tell you is the best kept secret EVER in photography. And I mean EVER !! With a captial E and.....well never mind you get the idea.

But really it's so simple that it really shouldn't be a "best kept secret". The "secret" is simply this; if you want to learn how to take a better photograph, go to an art gallery and LOOK!! A good painting, a sculpture, a drawing, or any piece of visual art is a good painting, sculpture, drawing, etc. for some good reasons. What you have to do is understand those good reasons and reproduce them in photographs. So the next time you're in the Louvre, or the Prado, or the MET really take some time and analyze what you're seeing. What makes the painting work? What colours contrast with which? Which shapes and elements stand out? What does the lighting and texture make you feel? And so on. Then once you've understood how these great works of art achieve their mastery, use this same "bag of tricks" in your own photography. Not only will you enjoy the museum art more, you'll be surprised how quickly your photographic technique improves. That's all there is to it. Wasn't that simple ?
==============================================================
Here's one example to illustrate. I took it on a sunny day walking along on the Charles' Bridge in Prague when I was feeling a bit cheeky. ;-)

Notice the diagonal posture which hints at motion and power. Notice the dark, foreboding figure in front of the bright blue sky. I would've liked to have a bit more light on the figure's face, but alas Mother Nature didn't co-operate. Now take a look at this famous work by Michelangelo Buonarroti, which "hangs" rather prominently in the Vatican museum. Notice the commonalities ?!?

Creation of the Sun and Moon

Photography's Best Kept Secret ! remains copyright of the author Q', a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

Feeling guilty about photographing people?

2005-12-14T09:29:10Z

The stoat charms its prey by performing a strange ritual outside a rabbit warren. With its gyration, writhing and twirls, it attracts a fascinated audience of rabbits who become bewitched by the show. While dancing,the stoat gets closer to its unwitting prey and then, without warning it ends its show and dispatches a member of the audience with a bite to the neck. What a deliberate and deadly ploy!

Now, what has the stoat got to do with photography, you may ask? Well, be like a stoat... bring out the acting skills in you... charm your subject, get closer, take your shots and move on... a deadly ploy, ugh? But wait...

A lot of travellers often feel guilty about photographing people(strange faces?) in a strange land... they take the picture and run. Why? I see people notice me and I drop the camera,hang out a while, make friendly gestures and get closer. Then I take some more pictures. The secret is you have to pull down the camera and keep eye contact. You have to become a person (yes, not a photographer!) behind the shutter box...digital or otherwise...

TIME IS probably the greatest gift you can give a photographic subject and the one thing you usually have the least of. Just as you wouldn't want someone to shove a camera in your face, your subject won't like it either.

So start to work slowly...Spend time...use friendly gestures (they are universal - you don't want to be caught in a chicken and duck situation, right?) to introduce yourself...comment on how they look, and reassure them that they will look just fine for the pictures you will be taking in a few minutes. Then sit down with the camera on your lap and just chat. It can take only five minutes or an hour, but it's your job to make them feel comfortable. Remember, you have invaded their space, and it's your job to help them help you..

As they become more comfortable with you, start to play with the camera while talking to them. . If they are unfamiliar with your camera, show them how it works. Let them take a picture (if you are using a digital, show them the image they have taken...oh - the digital, in this respect is a classic ice-breaker!). Have fun with it. Laughter is the best relaxant!

After a while people become used to the clicking and forget about it, opening up even more possibilities...

You can even coax them into telling a thing or two about their work, family life, etc which may produce the facial images you want. As they reminisce, their faces and bodies will emulate the emotions linked to the stories. An old farmer may stand up and dance around like a kid when he talks about the rice harvest festival. Or he may blush a little remembering the young woman who shared his life in the beginning. Look for those moments and listen. There will be tell tale signs..your subject is now the actor!(is he the stoat and you the rabbit now?)

The longer you spend with your subject, the more familiar you become and the more new things you see and learn about the subject.

And finally, don't treat things as if they are old-hat, dull and boring. Try looking at things from a new point of view just as you do with your writing. Who said you have to stand over a child to take his picture? Get down to his level. Who said all pictures must be made from the standing position? Lie down on the ground and aim your camera up. Climb a tree and aim down. Try new angles and positions to keep your work exciting and different...Produce photos with energy...aren't you the aspiring photojournalist?

The eye sees reality. The lens sees beyond reality to capture the truth!

Good Luck!

Feeling guilty about photographing people? remains copyright of the author danalasta, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

THE "VERB "IS CAPTURED, NOW EXPLAIN THE ACTION...

2005-12-13T07:21:55Z

As a photographer and writer, I'm constantly challenged by my alter ego (now, which is it - the photographer or the writer in me?) to show my audience what I "see". I mentally struggle with photographic images, trying to find the right one to go along with my story, and with the words, to try to say the right thing to make my point.

Actually, it isn't about what I really see, but what I want my audience to see when I'm done and finished. This interpretation of showing what is not seen sums up much of what photography and writing is all about...

Words and images work together to provide maximum reader impact

Words tell their own story. They bring forth rhyme and reason, colour attitudes, and move people. Combining the power of the visual image with the verbal image can either enhance your story or overpower it. Finding that happy medium is the challenge facing every photo journalist.

And like words, a photograph tells a story. It can either tell the whole story or part of the story. It is up to the photo journalist to determine how much of the story is told by the image.

My Dear Watson, be a Sherlock Holmes...study the photos and look for the "hidden elements".

1. Does the photo communicate quicker, stronger, better or more eloquently than a simple sentence?
2. Does the photo have visual content, or stop short of elevating the story?
3. Does the photo go beyond the trite or the obvious?
4. Does the photo have enough impact to move the reader?
5. Is the photo mindless documentation?
6. Does the photo communicate effectively? A good photo should either move, excite, entertain, inform or help the reader understand the story.

The tree is struggling to fight all the odd to survive...

Whether you float like a butterfly or sting like a bee, you've to explain the action...in other words, translate the action (what you see and what the readers don't in the photo) into words...With the story of the tree, the words may tell of a recent forest fire or deforestation (you are aware and have the knowledge of it.

None of these images you have can tell a complete story, but together with words, they add to the entire content, enhancing your photo essay.

Avoid the known; explain the unknown.

You should avoid characterizing a picture as beautiful, dramatic, grisly or other such descriptive terms that should be evident in the photograph. If it's not evident in the photograph, your telling the reader won't make it happen. However, the caption or cutline should explain something about how the picture was taken if it shows something not normally observable by the human eye. For example, was a wide-angle lens used? Or time-lapse photography?

Reflect the image.

You should make sure that the words accurately reflect the photo. If a photo shows two or more people, you should count the number of identifiable people in the photo and check the number and sex of the people identified in the caption/cutline to make certain that they match. Where a photo shows two or more people, you should name them, starting from the left.

Right ingredients bring out the right taste and flavour...so it's with captions or cutlines

Well, there’s nothing very mysterious about the process of captioning.But, there are some things you need to know about it.

You must provide caption information that is as complete as possible for each and every picture.

What information goes in a caption?

The best captions answer two fundamental questions about the picture content: What (or Who) is it? Where is it?

The order of importance of those two questions may vary depending upon the circumstances of the photo(s). Shots made in a studio or certain closeup photos may not need to answer the Where? part (although, for biological purposes, the Where? can be important for natural history closeups even though surroundings may not be apparent).[For landscapes, scenics, cities, people or culture, and travel shots the Where? is essential].Certain historical pictures may also have to answer the question When? This may also be true for some photojournalism coverage.

Remember, the question to ask as you write a caption is, “Given the specifications, what can I say in the caption that will most likely pull in a reader?” This requires you to think like a reader (what would they immediately need or want to know?.

Think like a reader ? Hmmm...ask or remind yourself:

· What am I trying to say?
· What is the point of this photo?
· Does it add to the story?
· Does it subtract from the story?
· Is my point really evident?

Good luck.

THE "VERB "IS CAPTURED, NOW EXPLAIN THE ACTION... remains copyright of the author danalasta, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs

CAPTURING THE "VERBS" MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

2005-11-14T03:58:55Z

I am tempted to write something about photojournalism because of my association with the newspaper industry for over 30 years. As an editor, part of my job - apart from editing the stories of reporters - was also to select photos (taken by the photographers) that were not only relevant to a story but those which " told a story" - emotions, actions, etc.

We are not talking about "studio photographers" - aim, shoot,and print! Or "say cheese" kind of photographer!

Maybe this article will be of some use to those who want to put life into their shots....you dont have to become a photojournalist but the approach taken by a photojournalist can surely help you become a better photographer...

So what is a photojournalist?

A journalist tells stories. A photographer takes pictures of nouns (people, places and things). A photojournalist takes the best of both and locks it into the most powerful medium available--a single frozen image.

Photojournalists capture "verbs."

Although photojournalists can take properly exposed and well composed photographs all day long, they hunt verbs. They hunt them, shoot them, and show them to their readers. Then, they hunt more.

A photojournalist has thousands of pairs of eyes looking over his shoulder constantly. The readers are insistent: "What are they doing?" "What did you see?" and "What happened?". The eyes always want to know what they missed. Readers cannot see what they missed with a noun. It works if the question is specific enough (what did the condemned building look like?), but normal answers require verbs.

To tell a story, a sentence needs a subject, a verb and a direct object. News photos need the same construction. Photojournalists tell stories with their images. Also, words are always used in conjunction with photojournalist's images.

The words below a photo are called a cutline (or photo caption,hmm...a kicker is something else!). I write the cutlines that go with most of my images. At many newspapers, photographers provide names and nothing else. They do not write the cutline because they sometimes cannot write a lead graph for a story. They also may not be able to photograph a sentence (sports being the exclusion, and there are plenty of supporting images to prove my point in this genre as well).

But, to be a photojournalist, you must understand the relationship between the image and these basic elements of language (all languages--worldwide).

The girl (must) hit (or miss) the ball. There are no other options.
The girl is easy to photograph. The ball is easy to photograph. The verb is the hard part.

As a servant of the citizens, it is the photojournalist's OBLIGATION to capture the entire sentence involved in EVERY event. There are no excuses. It is hit or missed. Some photographers don't care. They have a picture of the bat. "Hey, that's what tried to hit the ball." They just don't get it.

What makes a photojournalist different from a photographer?

Photographers take pictures of nouns (people, places and things). Photojournalists shoot action verbs ("kicks," "explodes," "cries," etc. ...). Photojournalists do shoot some nouns. These nouns can be standard photos of people (portraits), places (archeological sites or excavation work)and things (name it). However, the nouns we seek still must tell a story. This is where the reader may en-counter a "photo illustration."

Does this photo tell a story ? Look at the expression on the girl's face. She is a native alright...but is she trying to tell us:"Now, what's this?" or something more ?

Photo illustrations normally show something impossible to photograph (i.e. a particular anniversary date, an idea or opinion, etc. ...). A photo illustration is a visual representation of something that is either non-tangible, non-visual or has not yet happened. Most photo illustrations are very stylized and look similar to commercial advertising. Often, these images will have unusual lighting and a controlled environment....

Dana

CAPTURING THE "VERBS" MAKE A DIFFERENCE! remains copyright of the author danalasta, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

Comment on this entry | Tweet this | Your own free travel blog | More Travellerspoint blogs