Greater Sudbury Northern Life Reporter Liz Fleming
Wish your travel photographs did more justice to your adventures? Try these tips to liven up your album and your experiences.
- You don't need a loved one in every shot you take. While it's nice to remember that Aunt May was with you when you saw the pyramids, her smiling face doesn't have to be in each photo.
- If you are taking photos of people, you don't always have to step back so far that you can see both the tops of their heads and their feet. Instead, try to zoom in on the face of the lady selling shells on the beach and capture the lines the sun has made. Or focus tightly on the hands of the fisherman taking his catch off the hook and capture the skill in his fingertips. Don't ask people to pose and look into the lens of the camera. Instead, ask them to carry on with their normal activities while you chat and click away.
- Think about the magic of reflective surfaces like calm water to enliven your shots. This might mean getting up earlier than usual, but could offer some truly beautiful effects.
- Once in a while, try "framing" your photos by shooting through an open door or window, leaving the frame in the shot or position a subject under an overhanging tree.
- Let your tastes control the subjects you choose. Just because every other tourist in London is shooting Big Ben, you don't have to. Take a photo of the old gent behind the bar at the pub where you had your ploughman's lunch if you think that's what will bring back the memories when you pull out your album. You probably will shoot Big Ben as well, but try to find an angle that's different from all the postcards, so you can put your personal stamp on your photo.
- Sometimes details tell a stronger story than a wider shot. Rather than trying to fill your lens with an entire cathedral, which will mean stepping back a mile, try shooting the fascinating old gargoyles perched on the edges of the towers or the ornately carved entryway.
- Shooting a parade or other crowded event? Again, focusing tightly on one clown's face or perhaps on the face of a child in the crowd watching the whole extravaganza take place may tell the story better than trying to crowd a whole lot of colorful characters into the same shot.
- Think about backgrounds. Sometimes we become so focused on what's in the foreground of our shots, that we forget to look at the composition of the photo as a whole. Make sure your gorgeous shot of the Cuban cigar maker isn't spoiled by a slice of plaid shorts on the tourist walking into your photo.
- Think of your photos as a visual diary of your trip, being taken to remind you of every special moment that made it fabulous, not to create a travelogue to show your friends. What's important is being able to evoke the feelings you had, to remember the people you met and to be able to relive the adventures. Take the shots that will enable you to do that!
