Travel photography Skills

Each place we went had its own unique scenery, personality and surroundings. If we want our photographs to be good and good to look at, they must have all these qualities and be able to show the scenery as faithfully as possible.

We don't remember for long the smell and buzz of a spring garden, the awe of gazing at the mountain we are about to climb for the first time, the breezes of a tropical breeze, the thrill of a large roller coaster, the curiosity of seeing our first wild bear, or the tension of the first drift. Our photos need to bring those feelings back, touch our memories, and communicate our feelings to others. To do this, we need to think more about the scenery when we set out to take pictures.

First, think about what made you choose this destination from the myriad attractions around the world. Whatever the reason -- the beach, the playground, the mountains, the gallery, the food -- it's obvious that she can charm you. If there's no reason, then don't go! You may want to photograph the site or the event, but you may overlook many things about the place that might be very interesting. That's why we do the pre-travel analysis. National Geographic photographers spend a lot of time researching before they go. This will help us figure out what is in the destination -- what is relevant to the shoot and what we need to cover. Read travel books and travel books; Go to the library, bookstore or the Internet; Talk to friends who have been there; Consult the embassy of the destination country. Find all the relevant information you can find and digest it.

It is important to understand the customs and traditions of the place where the film is taken. First of all, when you travel you want to make sure that your behavior doesn't come across as rude or disrespectful, and it's almost impossible to know what's acceptable and what's not if you don't have enough knowledge. It will also help you understand that when you first meet someone, they may act in ways that may seem incomprehensible or even frightening. When you arrive at your destination, try to jot down your first impressions -- if you feel the need to. (A notebook is an essential accessory for a travel photographer.) How do you feel when you look down on a place for the first time from an airplane window, when your car is about to reach its destination, or when a ship is approaching a distant island? Where did your eyes first fall? What do you notice about where you are going? Is it hot or cold? Burning sunlight? How people get around? Whatever it is, remember it! First impressions are an invaluable spark of thought for creation, and by definition cannot be replicated. You've seen the place in the photos; you've read a lot about her. Now, you're here, and you feel her with all your senses.

Go for a walk. Many places, especially in the hot areas, are very busy early in the morning and late in the evening, but very quiet at noon. Then going early and staying late is your best bet. If you're on a package tour that plans to leave your hotel or ship at 9 o 'clock, get up before dawn and take a tour before you gather with your companions. If the group plans to return to the hotel or ship for lunch, don't go with them! Rather take the bus after an afternoon tour, or stay out until after sunset and take a taxi back to the hotel. Use any free time you have to go outside and look for photography opportunities. It will also give you more opportunities, and the time you spend exploring the sights will enrich your experience.

Prevent getting lost. Walk down the street, sit in cafes and watch people on the street. Don't eat where tourists eat. Eat in restaurants with locals. Look where it leads before you enter a street. Look around the corner and look for broken roads.

Stay away from people. I have found that if I wander away from tourists and tourist attractions, away from some familiar and habitual things, I find it easier to blend into the local rhythm of life and become more observant.

Keep your camera with you and keep your eyes open. Windfall profits play an extremely important role in travel photography. You never know what might come your way, so you have to be prepared. Many times you may see what a good photo looks like, but feel like you haven't had enough of it, or there's no one around, or there's too much irrelevant stuff -- which means you have to come back and re-shoot. But sometimes you are lucky. You come across a scene at the right time. If you've forgotten your camera, or are out of film, or your memory card is full, if you have to fumble at the lens, the time may have passed before you can shoot. This is true whether you are taking street shots or taking pictures of natural and cultural landscapes. Mountains, trees, steles and other still life objects certainly don't move, but the light of the sun, the soaring eagle or the cuddling couple that are necessary for your photos don't seem to stay there all the time, do they? Think of filming as hunting - whenever you leave the confines of your camp, you should be ready to capture anything that comes along suddenly.

Buy time for the shoot. Like anything else, good photography requires the photographer to make sure he or she has enough time and energy. One of the biggest problems for today's travelers is that each day is packed with planned Tours, activities and meals. Our travel is often limited in time, so it is natural for us to want to see as much as possible. Guidebooks rarely leave time for formal shooting. You have to buy your time. It might help to have photography as a planned activity every day so that you don't get lazy when you have time and say I'll shoot tomorrow. But it may rain tomorrow. Don't procrastinate.

When you travel, you may encounter various situations and things. This requires you to be versatile - you need to be able to take portraits, landscapes and all that.

In a word, you need to fully consider the current situation. Never be satisfied with your first glance at the place or the first photo you snap. Why do artists sketch? Never rush to the next place. Tell yourself that there is nothing more important than getting the best picture of the situation.

Here are some of the different subjects we may meet on our trip to talk about their shooting skills.

The scenery

Landscapes can be of many types -- mountains, forests, plains, deserts, swamps, lakes, rivers, beaches. Each has its own characteristics, and each of the attractions in these types has its own characteristics. Grand Teton National Park looks different from the Andes -- and so does the Nile and The Mississippi.

No matter what kind of landscape you're photographing, think about what it is about her -- more than just seeing; Think about how this place makes you feel, and how that feeling runs through your chest. Then look for ways to convey those qualities and feelings in the picture. Is it a rocky, wave-washed ashore or a sunny beach? If it's the former, if you want to show waves crashing into the shore, it's best to shoot in a storm. Blue skies and sunshine are better for the latter, unless you want to express the desolation of a winter holiday beach.

Cities and towns

Like landscapes, each city and town has its own view and feel -- a unique environment, architecture, or sky; A famous local attraction; A special dress or food. At least one is unique. When you're shooting in a city, a small town, or even a village, you need to do at least three things: first, capture the overall feel of the place. For panoramic city or landmark shots, it's a good idea to check out the postcards in your hotel lobby or newsstand. They'll quickly give you an idea of where the best view is and which places are considered famous enough to be printed on a postcard.

A historical site or other building

When you photograph buildings, statues or other historical sites, think about what they mean before you press the shutter. For example: There is a huge statue of Vulcan outside Birmingham, Alabama. You can get a perfect shot of him standing on a hill on a sunny day, but such a shot doesn't tell us much about who Vulcan is. A picture on a stormy night, perhaps with lightning in the background, might better answer that question. Cannon on a historic battlefield looks better in mist than in sunlight. Get to know the subject first, and then think about the weather, light, Angle and so on to make the photo more meaningful.

Photograph family and friends

We often go on trips with people we know -- like a family trip or a bike ride around Tuscany with friends. We naturally wanted to take some photos home, as if they were souvenirs of our trip. Make sure you take the necessary shots, but don't forget that you can also use your family or friends as free models. When you take pictures of your friends, try to find a balance between the people and the objects. A friend of mine once took a close-up portrait of me in China. It wasn't a good portrait shoot, and more importantly, I was able to do it in my own backyard -- the location was completely invisible. Sure, you might want to take a portrait, or capture a person's face at a moment in time, but your photo is often used as a way to document your Shared experience. You want to show your friend as much as possible so people can recognize him -- that vertical spot in the distance could be anyone. But you don't want to get so close that you lose the background. If your friend is the main scene, he or she must be prominent in the photo to catch the viewer's attention and be able to recognize him or her, but make sure there are elements of the location.

Photograph strangers

The best way to photograph a stranger is to ask permission, especially if you need to get up close. Talk them out of it before you take out your camera. At the very least, you should be able to say in the local language, "Can you take a picture with me?" just to show that you are sincere. Explain to them what you want to do and what is on them that makes you want to be photographed. If you ask for their advice in a warm and friendly manner, most people will agree -- many will be pleased that someone else is interested in them or what they are doing. There are a lot of tourists in many places -- many tourists don't ask for their permission politely enough, which makes them feel insulted and offended. The only way to overcome this is to spend more time with these people or to go to their places of work where there are fewer tourists.

In many tourist resorts, locals charge photographers a fee. Most of these places are very poor and people have few means of making money. The money they charge is not much for us, but it is a lot of money for them. How you handle this situation is up to you, but remember that every time you buy a postcard, you are willing to pay for a picture taken by someone else. What about paying for a picture you?

Of course you can't always ask permission. If you're taking a wide-angle shot of a market, you can't go up to everyone and ask if you can take a picture. In general, people don't care about this kind of shooting -- they only feel uncomfortable when they're being shot individually. Pay attention to the picture in your viewfinder. If people are nervous, they need to ask permission or drop the shoot.

Use people to add life and scale to your photos. If the facade of a particular building appeals to you, it might be even better if your picture shows someone walking in front of the building. They'll add a scale to your photos, which will also give viewers a sense of who lives there, how they dress, and what they look like. An outdoor cafe full of people is more interesting than an empty one.