Transcending Travel eBook

Transcending

Travel A guide to captivating travel photography

a

book

by Mitchell Kanashkevich

Foreword The aim of this eBook is to provide you with a mix of theoretical knowledge and practical advice which will help you make more powerful travel photos. Before we begin, I would like to mention one thing about the whole idea of travel photography. The “travel” part of it is somewhat deceiving. We don’t in fact need to travel in order to make travel photos. One’s own home town is another person’s exotic travel destination. Keep this in mind because what this means is that a lot of the advice in this eBook can be applied outside of the times that you journey to faraway lands. You don’t necessarily need to know about the technical side of photography in depth to get something out of this eBook – a lot of the tips can be applied with your camera set on automatic. However, it will be ideal if you do have a solid grasp of the technical basics such as aperture, shutter speed,

ISO settings etc, because I will refer to the technical side of things and some of the techniques and exercises I mention can only be performed when the camera is set to a specific setting in manual mode. With photography being a visual art form, a big part of learning it is in looking at photos and studying them. It often helps to “deconstruct” images by finding out how they were made, with what lens and on what settings. For this reason I have used plenty of real life examples to illustrate the subjects I touch on and have included the Exif data: the settings and the lens used, as well as the type of sensor that the camera which I used had, marked by “FF” (Full Frame) or “CS” (Cropped Sensor) before the lens’ focal length. You’ll learn why this is important in the “Preparation and practicalities” section. You will also find that I stated what lighting conditions the images were taken in because as you’ll also learn light is very important to photography.

Finally, whatever tips or bits of advice I give should not be looked at as some “ultimate, unquestionable truth”. There are different ways of doing the same things and in photography just as in life there’s not necessarily a clear cut right or wrong answer to every question. The information here is based on what I’ve learnt and have been putting into practice over the past 10 or so years of travelling and making photographs. It is something that definitely works, but don’t allow whatever I say limit you in any way, instead let the advice push you in the right direction and let it help you evolve in the way you make your travel images. Note: This ebook is best browsed in Adobe Acrobat “Full Screen Mode”. Go to “View” and choose “Full Screen Mode”. To exit press the “Escape” key.

A note from Darren Rowse – Editor of Digital Photography School If you’re anything like me, travelling is something that you put a lot of time and thought into preparing for. You plan your itinerary and dream of the sites you’ll see… and photograph. You have visions of returning home with hundreds of stunning pictures to wow your friends with and hang on your wall – what a photographic opportunity! The reality of travel photography can sometimes be quite different to those dreams. One of the most common emails that I get as editor of a photography site is from people just returned from travelling with images that they’re bitterly disappointed in, so when Mitchell Kanashkevich approached me about producing a travel photography eBook together I jumped at the opportunity. This ebook is all about equipping travel photographers, whether you be travelling near or far, with the knowledge and skills to make your travel photography everything you dream it could be. I hope you enjoy learning from and appreciating the wonderful imagery that Mitchell has ahead of you in Transcending Travel.

About the Author

Credits and Copyright

Mitchell Kanashkevich is a freelance travel and documentary photographer. He travels the world and shoots personal projects as well as travel related stories and stock photos for Getty and Corbis Images.

Written by: Mitchell Kanashkevich www.mitchellkphotos.com

His work has appeared in some of the world’s top photography magazines, on book covers, in ad campaigns and has made its way into private photo collections around the world. When not on the road Mitchell makes his home in Sydney, Australia with his wife (and helper in every possible way) Tanya and his dog Toshka.

Publisher: Darren Rowse www.digital-photography-school.com Graphic Design/Layout: Naomi Creek www.starfishblue.com.au Version 1.0 ©Copyright 2010 Mitchell Kanashkevich All photos and illustrations by the author unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review. You may store the pdf on your computer and backups. You may print one copy of this book for your own personal use. Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the author’s experience, knowledge and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Contents Foreword..................................................................... 2

Perspective......................................................... 22

Making photos........................................................41

A note from Darren Rowse..................................... 3

Negative space.................................................. 23

The photographic process................................ 42

Lines................................................................... 24

Freezing motion................................................ 46

About the Author..................................................... 3

Shallow depth of field...................................... 27

Motion blur....................................................... 49

Credits and Copyright.............................................. 3

Frame within a frame....................................... 28

Panning.............................................................. 51

Preparation and practicalities............................... 5

Patterns.............................................................. 29

People relations................................................ 53

Research............................................................... 6

Light...........................................................................30

Posing................................................................ 57

Travel practicalities.............................................. 7

First steps to using light creatively................... 31

Environmental portraits................................... 61

Lenses................................................................... 8

“Directing” natural and available light........... 32

Landscapes (natural and man-made)............... 64

Things to consider when buying camera bodies................................................... 12

Twilight.............................................................. 34

Buildings and monuments................................ 69

The “magic hour”............................................. 35

Interiors............................................................. 74

Harsh light of midday....................................... 35

Still life objects.................................................. 77

Composition: Communicating with the frame....14

Diffused light..................................................... 36

Final words........................................................ 80

The frame.......................................................... 15

Light in foggy conditions................................. 37

Want more from DPS?...................................... 81

The famous rule of thirds................................. 16

Firelight............................................................. 38

Visual weight or “What draws the eye?”........ 18

Photography after sundown............................ 39

Focal point......................................................... 21

Lighting tools: flashes and reflectors............... 40

Other equipment to consider........................... 13

Preparation and practicalities

In this chapter you will find advice on preparing for your trip – research, choosing the essential equipment, as well as tips on how to make the most out of your trip photographically once you arrive at your destination.

Preparation and practicalities

Research I can’t emphasize the importance of research enough. The more you know about the place you travel to the better it will be for your photography and the smoother your journey and interaction with the people you encounter will be. Here are some specific things that you should research and ideas on how to go about this research:

Learn about the culture and ways of living of the place you’re visiting The first source of information that I suggest is guidebooks. They tell you about all the essentials in a quick and accessible manner. But of course I am by no means suggesting that you should stop there. In fact I like to really submerge myself in all types of information about my travel destination before I go. I watch films, read fictional books, travel magazines and of course search the internet. Every bit of information can prove invaluable and, at times, even inspirational.

Look at photographs of your destination Good places to start looking at images are Flickr, Getty Images, Corbis and Lonely Planet Images. Type in the name of the place you’re going to, the specific cities, towns and even villages you plan to visit and it’s likely that you will find at least some images (usually lots) which should provide you with an idea of what you can expect from your destination visually.

Check out blogs There’s no shortage of blogs on the topics of photography and travel. These can be great sources of information and inspiration. Some travel photography related blogs I recommend are: • Pixelated Image • Timothy Allen’s blog • Digital Trekker • Gavin Gough • The Travel Photographer And of course I recommend you check out my blog too • Mitchell’s Travel and Photography Blog

Connect with people who have been there Some of these might be the bloggers I’ve mentioned; others – the photographers you’ve come across while searching for images of your travel destination. Ask them for practical advice about the place you’re going to, but be specific – I often get people asking me stuff like, “Can you give me any tips for photographing in India?” I have no idea what to tell them because I don’t know anything about their interests or their plans. I’ll either have to spend hours writing a “miniguide to photography in India” or give brief answers that might be completely irrelevant. Not everyone might have the time to answer, but it never hurts to try. I know I’ve made lives of a few people much easier by connecting them with trustworthy guides or just giving technical advice on whether their gear might hold up in particular weather conditions.

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Preparation and practicalities

Travel practicalities Time management Like it or not we usually have quite limited time to travel and most of us have limited time that we can devote to photography during our trips. To make the most of this time we have to manage it effectively and need to have some sort of a day plan.

Having a day plan I plan my day around the lighting conditions. I photograph outdoors at twilight, sunrise and sunset and usually move to shoot indoors once the sun is very bright. Alternatively I may cease shooting altogether and do some wandering around to either search for new places to photograph or just to observe and understand the places that I’m familiar with a little better. If I come across something or someone photogenic I may come back to the same place or person

(when possible) and photograph during the time or in conditions when the light is ideal for the story that I want to tell (see the “Light” chapter for some ideas). If it’s an overcast day, the plan is a little different. It’s possible to shoot outdoors during virtually the entire day, but I usually only photograph people in such situations because I don’t feel that the flat light produced in such conditions is very interesting for most other types of outdoor photography.

Weather Weather can of course be very important in shaping our photographic decisions. Besides being fairly limited if it rains, we’ll also be limited to what we can shoot if it is cloudy or foggy. I usually find out about the weather conditions in the places I travel to before the trip and try to align my trips so that I can have clear skies at least some of the time. In some areas of the world there are times

of the year when you won’t see a clear sky for weeks; it’s important to research this. The last thing you’d want is to travel to photograph mountains and see nothing but cloudy skies covering those mountains.

Transportation Hiring a vehicle or even buying one for an extended trip is one of the most practical things that a travel photographer can do. Having your own vehicle is very liberating. You don’t depend on any schedule, but your own and that really helps to maximize the limited time that you may have.

Guides and translators If I am in a place where I can’t speak the language and I plan to go into areas where it is necessary to know it, I arrange a guide or a translator. It doesn’t have to be someone official, it can be a local friend you make along the journey (who can speak your language), which is most often the case with me.

If you do plan to hire a guide or a translator, the guidebooks usually have good suggestions on where to look for one, as do government run tourism offices in many countries around the world.

My favourite method of transportation (the motorcycle, not the camel). This motorcycle was one of the main reasons behind why I could explore and photograph in some of the most remote villages in the Indian countryside; it quite simply gave me the freedom to do what I wanted. If you’re the adventurous type, I highly recommend travelling by one in almost any part of South East Asia.

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Preparation and practicalities

Lenses Lenses are the most important piece of photographic gear, even more so than a camera body. This is because in today’s quickly changing world of technological advancements the camera bodies become outdated and less usable seemingly every couple of years, while the lenses remain essentially unchanged and very usable for decades.

Categories of lenses Lenses are categorized in accordance to their focal length which determines the field of view of a lens and how much magnification it provides. A lens with a smaller focal length, for example 20mm, will have a wider field of view and will magnify things less than a lens with a longer focal length, which would have a narrower view of a scene, but at a higher level of magnification.

Here are the main categories of lenses and their uses: Wide and Ultra wide 35mm and below. These are ideal whenever you want to fit more of the scene within the frame. In practical terms wide or wide angle lenses (as they are also called) are most useful for interiors, (particularly in tight situations) landscapes and for times when you want to get right into the action, i.e. – when you’re photographing some activity from up close. You can see a wide angle lens in use in the photo at the top. In this situation, the choice to “go wide” was vital for showing as much of the cramped boat interior as possible. Standard 50mm. These lenses are good for all around use and they can be particularly useful in street photography as well as portraits from the chest up.

Telephoto 85mm – 200mm. Ideal when you want to photograph subjects which are some distance away or when you want to magnify things significantly. The bottom image on this page was taken with an 85mm lens; essentially the lens brought me closer to the action to which I could not get any closer physically (the scene took place in a river). Telephoto lenses are also great when you don’t want to be intrusive – think candid street shots and extreme close ups of faces in situations when it’s not appropriate to come right up to the subject’s face. Super telephoto 300mm – 800mm. These lenses are mostly used by wildlife photographers whose subjects are usually far away and impossible (or not advisable) to get close to. Boatmaker Kerala, India. FF, 20mm, ISO 200, f/4, 1/60s (Light diffused by the shade of the boat)

Fun times Chitwan, Nepal. CS, 85mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/1000s (Diffused light during an overcast day)

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Preparation and practicalities

Full frame and cropped sensors and their effect on focal length In today’s digital SLR cameras there are two types of sensors – a full frame sensor and a cropped sensor. The full frame sensor is equivalent in size to the 35mm frame of film cameras, hence the name “full frame”. The cropped sensor is smaller than the 35mm frame or another way to look at it is that it’s cropped. There are different types of cropped sensors; the most common cameras on the market have sensors which are cropped by 1.3 times to 1.6 times. This number is referred to as “crop factor”. The size of the sensor will have an effect on the true focal length of a lens which is measured in relation to the 35mm frame of the film cameras. This means that on a full frame sensor camera a 20mm lens is indeed 20mm; however, the same lens’ focal length is actually magnified when it is used on a cropped sensor

camera. How much it is magnified will depend on the crop factor, with the focal length multiplied by that number. For example a 20mm lens on a cropped sensor with a crop factor of 1.6 becomes a 32mm lens. All of this does make the matter of focal length and lenses rather confusing and the good thing is that you do not really need to worry too much about the numbers. However, you do need to be aware that a full frame sensor gives you a wider field of view, but less magnification, while a cropped sensor has a narrower field of view, but it gives you more magnification. This is what you need to consider when buying lenses. For instance, if you want to have a wide angle lens, a 28mm on a full frame sensor camera may be sufficiently wide, but on a cropped sensor camera it will not be quite as wide and you might need to get something with a lower focal length.

You can see a simulated comparison of a full frame sensor and a cropped frame sensor camera on the right. The top image is the original taken with a full frame sensor camera and a 20mm lens, while the image at the bottom is a simulation of what the same photo would look like if it had been taken with the same lens and a cropped sensor camera with a crop factor of 1.5. For more information on camera sensor size you can refer to Wikipedia’s section on this subject. Note: To give you a better and a more accurate idea of the behaviour of different lenses in the photo examples in this eBook I have stated what type of sensor they were used with. I used abbreviations FF – Full Frame and CS – Cropped Sensor before the lens type and settings in the Exif information for every image in the eBook.

Family Rural Maramures, Romania. FF, 20mm, ISO 1000, f/2.8 (Side light from the window, frame right)

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Preparation and practicalities

Prime lenses and zoom lenses Prime lenses have a fixed focal length, for example 20mm. Zoom lenses can cover a whole range of focal lengths. For example a 24-70mm zoom lens can be used at any focal length between 24mm and 70mm. Prime lenses are generally considered sharper and they auto-focus quicker. They are also usually fairly small, until you get into the later stages of the Telephoto and Super telephoto category. Zoom lenses have the advantage of convenience and flexibility. Essentially having one 24-70mm lens is like having a wide angle, a standard and (almost) a telephoto lens in one. The disadvantage is that they generally take longer to autofocus and are usually quite a bit larger and heavier than prime lenses. Zoom lenses can also be somewhat less sharp, though this applies less and less to the better zoom lenses these days.

What does it mean when someone says that a lens is “fast”? A fast lens is one that allows you to open the aperture iris wider (than a slower lens). As a result it lets in more light and allows the use of a faster shutter speed, hence it’s referred to as being fast. The way to determine whether a lens is fast is to look at the f-number (aperture is measured with the f-number) which is written in the lens’ specifications or often on the lens itself. The lower the f-number, the “faster” the lens. Lenses with an f-number of f/2.8 and below are considered “fast” lenses.

What are the advantages of fast lenses? Fast lenses are better for photographing in low light situations than slower lenses for the simple reason that they allow more light in. The faster shutter speeds that can be used due to fast lenses help reduce blur caused by moving subjects and camera shake. A faster lens will also give you more room to photograph before having to raise the ISO setting (which as I mentioned can result in grain). The image to the right is a testament to the power of a fast lens. It allowed me to capture a crisp, blur and grain free image of moving subjects in a relatively dark environment.

Variable aperture and fixed aperture zoom lenses When a zoom lens has variable aperture it means that the maximum aperture changes as you zoom in and out. In a zoom lens with a variable aperture of f/3.5-5.6 the aperture would be f/3.5 when the lens is zoomed out and f/5.6 when it would be

fully zoomed in. With a fixed aperture zoom lens you get the same maximum aperture regardless of whether you zoom in or not. As you’ve already read, a lower f-number means that the lens is faster. Thus a lens with a lower fixed aperture like f/2.8 is superior to a lens with a variable aperture.

Faster lenses will also give you a greater control over the depth of field. Having the ability to open up the aperture wider allows for a shallower depth of field. Read more on this on page 27.

Battling it out Kolhapur, India FF, 20mm, ISO 1250, f/1.8, 1/80s (Side light penetrating through an opening, frame right)

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Preparation and practicalities

Tips for buying lenses and factors to consider • Before anything, ask yourself, “What type of photography do I plan to be doing?” You’ve seen which categories of lenses are used for what purposes; let that be your guideline. • Fast lenses are always preferable to slower ones. • Zoom lenses with a fixed aperture are always preferable to those with variable apertures. • With a cropped sensor digital SLR, consider the crop factor, especially when buying wide angle lenses. • Seriously consider a zoom lens if you plan to be frequently photographing scenes that are unpredictable (like the scene in the photo to the right). I had missed countless photos before I started using a zoom lens for the simple reason that often when the opportunity arose I was either too close or too far from the subject and I had to change lenses or physically move myself. By the time I’d complete either one of those actions, the moment had gone. • Not all lenses are built equally; some have weather sealing or magnesium coating for more durability, while others are made of plastic. Consider these factors when choosing lenses with similar features. If the price difference isn’t too steep, it’s obviously always worth getting the better built product, especially factoring in the unpredictable conditions we may face on some of our journeys.

Devotees and the sweeper Gokharna, India. FF, 24-70@32mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/320s (Middle of the “magic hour”)

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Preparation and practicalities

Things to consider when buying camera bodies Sensor size I touched on this in the lens section – there are cameras with full frame sensors and cropped frame sensors. The main factor that plays a part in which camera to buy as far as sensor type is usually the price – the full frame sensor cameras are considerably more expensive. Are they better? Not necessarily, but they will definitely let you get more out of the wide angle lenses than cropped sensor cameras.

Megapixels For a while high megapixel count was the most overrated musthave feature in digital cameras. The reason was, that having more megapixels essentially

means you can make larger prints and for most photography enthusiast this isn’t such a big issue. Six megapixels are sufficient to print very high quality photos around 12 by 18 inches (about A3) so let that be your guideline as far as what a higher megapixel count can achieve.

Low light performance Some say that a camera’s low light performance has taken over as the must-have feature for digital cameras and most believe this is a good thing. By low light performance I am referring to the camera’s capabilities to produce images at higher ISO settings like 1600 and above. A camera that performs well in low light will not only be able to shoot at a higher ISO, but will produce a relatively small amount of grain or noise, which has been inherent in photographing at higher ISOs as long as the feature has existed. You can see in the photograph to the right just how good a camera’s low light capabilities

can be. This scene was lit only by the candles in the room and some fairly faint light coming in from outdoors, yet it looks fairly crisp in my image thanks to the low light shooting capabilities of the Canon 5D MKII.

Which one should you get? I will refrain from giving any specific advice, since there are a few models of cameras in various price ranges which will do a great job. However, I will say this – it doesn’t matter if you can’t get the latest, most shiny digital SLR. For a few years I shot with a couple of entry level Canon Rebel series and the images those cameras produced have been used on book covers, in magazines, advertisements and even on billboards. Most digital SLR cameras have been “good enough” for a few years now. By that I mean that even if they’re not as feature rich as their more expensive, later counterparts, they still produce great quality images. Most importantly though, remember

Monk Tadeus Jerusalem, Israel. FF, 24-70@25mm, ISO 2000, f/2.8, 1/40s (Candle light and exterior light penetrating the scene, front and behind)

that at the end of the day it is the photographer who makes the image, not the camera. There are a few online resources which can help you make your decision. You can check out reviews of almost all the relevant digital cameras on the market on dpreview.com and you can

usually see the photos produced by almost any camera you’re considering purchasing or any piece of gear for that matter on Flickr. Just type in the camera model or the model of the gear in the search box and you are likely to come across at least a few examples which could help you make your decision. 12

Preparation and practicalities

Other equipment to consider Lighting gear If you’re photographing landscapes, street scenes or really large-scale subjects, no controllable artificial light will be of much use. However, an off camera flash in a softbox or a reflector of about 42 inches can be very useful for smaller things and people. Most photography enthusiasts might not want to bring an entire flash kit or the not-so-compact reflector on a photography trip, but for those more dedicated to light this is a very good idea. If you do choose to use artificial light, Canon and Nikon have their own off-camera flash systems which are great and companies like Photoflex and Lastolite make very decent, portable softboxes as well as reflectors.

These artificial lighting tools can be very effective in helping you use light creatively and to photograph in situations where available light simply wouldn’t allow. The image at the top wouldn’t be possible without the help of a flash; the scene was too dark to photograph without it, even for a camera with great low light capabilities. The face of the woman in the bottom photo would not have looked as dramatic and defined had I not used a reflector. The available light was quite flat and uninspiring in this situation. I’ll briefly touch on the specifics of how the artificial lighting tools can be used in the “Light” chapter, but the topic of artificial light, particularly flashes, is something that requires an entire eBook dedicated to it. For anyone who wants to learn more about using the flash creatively I recommend the Strobist.com blog, or if you’re short on time and want something specific, you can check out my eBook Seeing the Light.

Tripod A tripod is one of the most useful tools for the photographer, but a lot of us, myself included, are guilty of either not bringing it on our journeys or not taking it anywhere outside the hotel room. The fact is, tripods can be an inconvenience, especially if they are large, but when it comes to long exposure photography or any situations which require the camera to be very steady, they are indispensible. If you do plan on making the sorts of images that require a tripod, it may be worth investing in one of the more expensive carbon fibre models by Gitzo, because of their lightness. Alternatively Slik make some decent tripods at a fraction of the cost. Camping by the fire Kolayat Camel Fair, India. FFF, 20, ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/15s (Off camera flash, bottom right of the frame)

Ancient face Rural North Gujarat, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 800, f/2.2, 1/80s (Reflector, angled at 45°, frame left)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

When we take photos we essentially aim to tell a story or to communicate how we feel about what we see. If we want that communication to come through effectively to those who view our images we need to be aware of some theories and principles of photographic composition. The most important of these theories and principles are what we’ll touch on over the following pages.

Composition: Communicating from within the frame

The Frame Whatever we do photographically begins and ends with the frame. The frame is the medium within the limitations of which we as photographers can communicate whatever we want. In the process of making any photograph there are two important decisions to be made: what to include in the frame and what to exclude from it.

These decisions should be based on a simple rule – there should not be anything within the frame that doesn’t have a role in the story you are trying to tell. In short everything that is in some way relevant to the story stays in, anything that’s not goes out. The more tricky part of framing a photograph can come when you have to decide on the specifics; whether the photo should be framed wide or tight (close up),

horizontally or vertically. There are no rules here because there are different ways to tell the same story and neither one of them is right or wrong, nor is one better than another. By far the simplest approach to handle this decision is to take a few differently framed photographs. This is something I do regularly, as you might be able to tell from the images below. You can see that all of

these photographs essentially tell the same story; they just tell it in slightly different ways. In cases when there isn’t enough time to take a few photographs you’ll have to go with what feels right to you. After all, the photographs you make are your stories. Don’t be afraid to experiment; remember, there’s no right or wrong way. In the early stages everything you do is part of the learning process.

Sure you might end up unhappy with your initial results, but eventually you’ll develop a good understanding of what “works” and what doesn’t.

Children of the mountains Langtang Region, Nepal. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/200s

(Diffused light on an overcast, foggy day)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

The famous rule of thirds The rule of thirds is based on one of the oldest and most time tested theories of arranging elements within the frame in a

way which makes for effective story-telling and leads to a pleasing viewing experience. The idea behind the theory is that each frame can be divided

into nine sections (see diagram) and that when viewing images, people’s eyes usually go towards one of the intersecting points and the imaginary dividing lines more

naturally than towards the centre or other parts of the image.

or along or near the imaginary dividing lines.

What this means when we’re composing the shot is that anything we want the viewer to notice immediately – focal points/ interest points or in other words those elements which are most important to the story should be placed on the intersections

The rule of thirds is also useful in helping the photographer decide where to place the horizon in outdoor photos. In accordance to the rule the horizon should be along one of the two dividing horizontal lines. Trees at sunset Mandu, India. CS, 18-55@18mm, ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/500s

(Late stages of the evening “magic hour”)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

The rule of thirds can be applied to various types of subjects, including people. The idea is exactly the same, even if we’re talking about making photos

which are close ups of the human face. You simply place the points of interest in the human face,

which are usually the eyes and the mouth, on the intersections or along or near the imaginary dividing lines.

Rules are meant to be broken The rule of thirds is very useful for arranging the elements in a given scene within the frame, but it is not some commandment of composition, it should not be

followed “religiously”. You need to understand it and once you do you can break it whenever it restricts you from expressing yourself creatively.

Smiling Indian girl Maheshwar, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/200s

(Diffused light on an overcast day)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Visual weight or “What draws the eye?” In photos there are certain elements which draw the eye before and more than others, they grab your attention and may even hold it for a while before letting the gaze move on. It can be said that such elements have more visual weight than others in the photo. This concept is important for visual story-telling. What it means in short is that to tell your story effectively you’ll want to somehow make those elements which are most important to the story draw the eye before and more than anything else, you need to make them the “visually heaviest” elements in the photo. But how can one do that? Making an element in a photograph more visually heavy is Morning dip Dwarka, India. CS, 85mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/1000s

(Back light from the rising sun)

not a matter of following precise, unchanging rules or formulas. To some extent, what draws the eye is subjective from person to person, it’s about perception and we all perceive things somewhat differently. However, there are some common factors that are responsible for drawing the eye and they are what you should be initially concerned with to get a better understanding of the concept. Let’s begin by looking at the photo on the left and asking, “What is the most visually heavy element here?” it’s a very simple image and not much is actually left to subjectivity, so it’s a good place to start. The silhouetted figure of the woman is what draws the eye immediately – she is the most visually heavy element in the photo. “Why?” Because she is very distinct from the other elements that make up the photo – the “rings” in the water and the water mass itself.

An element’s distinction from everything within the frame is the main factor that draws the eye. Here the woman is distinct because she is much darker than everything else in the photo, but of course there are many ways in which something can be distinct and I will mention some of them over the next couple of pages. Notice that I referred to the other elements in the photo. This is important because there is an interrelation of everything within the scene you see and ultimately within the frame. No element is perceived in isolation from what surrounds it. Had there been someone else in the photo near the woman it’s possible that we wouldn’t be drawn to her quite as quickly or as much. Basically there are lots of variables that will affect how visually heavy something appears – the visual weight of elements doesn’t remain constant. It changes as the contents of the frame change and as the framing changes – we always have to be aware of this.

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Some common factors that draw the eye Colour Brighter, warmer colours like red (orange, yellow etc.) are more visually heavy than cooler and darker ones. However, as I mentioned, everything within the frame is interrelated, so this won’t always be the case. The red of the girl’s dress is visually heavy not only because it is bright and warm, but because it’s distinct from the dominant colours of

the photo. Meanwhile the red in the photo of the monks is what dominates the frame, so it’s actually the colours of their books and their skin (not as warm as red) that become more visually heavy. One important thing to note is that many different, visually heavy colours (bright and/or warm) scattered all over the photo can become confusing, even overwhelming and whatever story you aim to tell will likely be lost – try to avoid such situations.

Sharpness/focus Elements in focus will be more visually heavy than blurred ones. One of the reasons why the smiling monk draws more attention than everyone else is because he is the only one in focus. Human presence When there are people in photographs we’re almost automatically and instantly drawn to them. If we narrow it down, it’s the face that pulls us in and when we can clearly see the eyes they usually become the most visually heavy element in the photo. Where the eyes of the person in the photo look is also important – the subject’s gaze can guide our own gaze. You can see this in the way the eyes of the monk lead us to look to the other monk in the corner of the image. A walk in the forest Bandipur, Nepal. CS, 20mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/160s

(Middle of the “magic hour”)

Monks in class Bylakuppe, India. CS, 24-70@65mm, ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/100s

(Outdoor light coming indoors through a large opening)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Position within the frame Positioning elements along or near the imaginary intersections in accordance with the rule of thirds can make them more visually heavy because (as mentioned before) the eye is thought to naturally gravitate towards these intersections. In the image to the right the man, the torch and the hill are made more visually heavy because they are positioned on or very close to the intersecting lines. Another way that we can make elements more visually heavy through positioning is to place them along or at the convergence of leading lines (more on leading lines on page 24). Size Elements of a similar visual weight grouped together become more visually heavy as a larger whole. Elements that are large in the sense that they take up a lot of space within a photo (like the hill) can also be more visually heavy.

Shape recognition If an element forms a recognizable shape, it is more likely to draw the eye. This is one of the reasons why the hill stands out from the larger mass of the more ambiguously shaped ground.

Hierarchical order of elements within the frame When the stories we want to tell are more complex: i.e. when there are a few elements within the frame that are important, we need to establish a sort of hierarchical order within the frame, from the most important elements in the story – most visually heavy, to the less important elements – less visually heavy. The eye should roughly proceed from the top to the bottom of the hierarchy. The photo to the right demonstrates what I mean. The most important elements in the story are the flame, the face, the area around these, the mountain top and then the man in the distance. The eye proceeds through the frame in

approximately that order and because of this we get a sense of who the protagonist is and what the story is essentially about – in short the image makes sense. If I had included some visually heavy yet pointless element that would break up this hierarchy, the image and the story would end up being quite confusing.

Putting it all together A solid understanding and a feel for the common factors that play a role in drawing the eye will make one a better visual storyteller. There are of course more common factors and countless variables that play a part in drawing the eye, but obviously

they can’t all be listed. What I have mentioned should, however, be enough to give you a push in the right direction. Light by the mountain top Ijen Crater, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@24mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/25s (Firelight at the break of dawn, camera on a tripod)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Focal point A focal point is the part of a photograph through which the viewer can connect with the scene as well as get an idea of what the photo is essentially about. A focal point can vary in size, shape and colour. On this page, the two different images have two completely different focal points – one is the small darkcoloured boatman in a boat, the other is the large, light-coloured triangular hill. What they do have in common is that in both cases they are the most visually heavy elements within the frame and this is the way it should be. A focal point should always demand more attention than everything else in the image because we want the viewers to connect with the scene and to understand what the photo is about as soon as they set their eyes on it.

As you’ve learned from the visual weight section, two of the more common factors which play a role in making an element more visually heavy are its visual distinction from the majority of the content within the frame and its placement within the frame. These factors should always be kept in mind whenever we intend to have a focal point in a photograph. An image can have more than one focal point, but we do have to be careful not to have too many focal points or points of interest (as they can also be called) or the image can start to feel cluttered and confusing.

When there are a few focal points, the photo will greatly benefit if these focal points follow the sort of hierarchy that I mentioned on the previous page. Those elements which are most important to the story should be more visually heavy and those which are less important less visually heavy. Contrary to some beliefs it’s not absolutely necessary for a photograph to have a focal point in order to be a good photograph. Many good images that “lean” more towards the abstract side of things do not have any element that can be considered a focal point as such, rather they are made up of patterns and visual rhythms.

Boatman on Lake Batur Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 160, f/9, 1/500s (Sunset)

Scenery at “Jatiluwih” rice terraces Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@64mm, ISO 250, f/5.6, 1/500s

(Early stages of the morning “magic hour”)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Perspective The perspective from which we view a scene is of utmost importance when we’re making photos. We arrange elements within the frame and we make them more or less visually heavy through the way we use perspective. As you’ll learn later on in this section, the perspective we choose is also responsible for whether we see lines, frames and patterns (all of which can add impact to a scene) when we are composing a shot. The importance of perspective should be very obvious, but it is often forgotten. Quite frequently we make photographs from the “default” perspective – whatever spot and whatever angle we see the scene from at the time the idea to take the photo enters our mind. Of course, there’s no good or bad perspective. However, there will usually be a perspective from which the story that you the photographer have in mind can be told most effectively or from

which the photo can be given more visual impact. More often than not it’s not the perspective from which we initially view the scene. What I’m getting at is that it’s beneficial to always ask yourself the following question: what viewpoint/perspective is the most ideal to tell my story with the most impact possible? Then alter your perspective in accordance. As you do this, always think three-dimensionally. In practical terms this means not only considering moving to and from the subject, but also around, below and above. Sometimes to see any difference in the appearance of a scene from altering perspective, we’ll have to move a considerable distance because the subject we’re photographing may be large (e.g. a mountain). Other times even a fairly subtle movement will make a big difference and might turn an

average photo into a strong one. I’ve used the photo on the right to demonstrate this point. My initial viewpoint at this man was from a few steps away and from around his eye level. A photo from this perspective would be somewhat interesting because the subject is rather unusual and striking, but it wouldn’t have considerable impact. The idea that I had in mind was to give the photo a more “in your face” kind of feel and I also wanted to emphasise the power of this man. I was able to achieve this by simply coming a few steps towards him and getting slightly below his eye level. This subtle move is what ultimately added impact to the shot and helped me communicate the story I had in mind more effectively. Indian wrestler Kolhapur, Maharasthra, India. FF, 20mm, ISO 1600, f/3.2, 1/60s (Side light from the window, frame left)

22

Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Negative space Negative space is often described as the empty space around your main subject and the other elements in the image that have immediate relevance to the photograph (these are referred to as positive space). However, this description can be a little confusing and it is not entirely true. The sky in the photo of the church is negative space and it fits the description perfectly, it’s featureless and essentially empty. The sky in the photo with the girl is also negative space, but it is not empty – there are clouds in it and if those clouds looked more

dramatic they could have been an important element in the photograph. The reason why the sky is considered negative space in this case is because the clouds are subtle and in this situation they would serve no purpose on their own. The more accurate way to describe negative space would then be to say that it is the space in the photograph which serves no purpose on its own. What’s important to know about negative space is that it can be used creatively. By including more of it into a photograph you can evoke the sense of scale and vastness; the images on this page are examples of the latter.

You can also use negative space to define the subject within the positive space. Depending on the context, you can make a subject look lonely or insignificant when it is surrounded by a “lot of nothingness”. Alternatively in a different context the same use of negative space can make the subject appear at one with its surroundings or more important than anything else because for the very reason that there isn’t anything else in the frame.

Lonely church Bled, Slovenia. FF, 24-70@62mm, ISO 400, f/3.2, 1/80s (Diffused light on a foggy day)

Girl with jars Rural Rajasthan, India. CS, 20mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/2500s (Late stages of the morning “magic hour”)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Lines In photography there are three main types of lines – horizontal, vertical and diagonal. These lines all have one thing in common – when their presence is obvious, the viewers’ eyes will follow them through the image and/or towards points of interest (if they’re placed along or near the lines).

Similarities aside, different types of lines have different characteristics. Making the presence of one type of line felt in a photograph more than the others can lead to different results, which range from evoking a sense of mood and adding dynamic impact to creating the illusion of depth or simply making the image more pleasing to look at.

Road to the Dead Sea Palestine. FF, 20mm, ISO 100, f/7, 1/800s

(Shot slightly after the “magic hour”)

24

Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Vertical lines We usually “read” vertical lines from bottom to top; hence they are often associated with growth, strength and power – think tall trees and skyscrapers. In photography three of the more common purposes for vertical lines are: • to add interest to the horizon line; e.g. a tree along an empty horizon line

Horizontal lines Horizontal lines lead the eyes across the frame. Because we don’t associate anything dramatic with them, horizontal lines usually convey calmness and stability; i.e. a flat ground without mountains or trees forms a horizontal line, when people go to sleep, they “align” themselves horizontally. The horizon is the most common horizontal line we’ll encounter. Its main role is to serve as the

dividing point between the earth and the sky. For most outdoor photos the horizon line will be the “foundation” upon (or around) which the image is “built”. Note: An empty horizon line will make for a pretty boring photo. To add impact, let other lines come out of the horizon line or look to include a point of interest; the line of the horizon will lead the eyes towards it, as you can see in the image above.

• to create patterns and a sense of visual rhythm through repetition which is often pleasing to the eye; e.g. the repeating tree trunks in the photo to the right • to “frame” a point of interest when it is placed in between horizontal lines (like columns), more on this on page 28. Man and camel Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India. FF, 24-70@58mm, ISO 160, f/2.8, 1/2500s (Sunrise)

Traditional houses above tall palm trees Sumba Island, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/200s (Later stage of the “magic hour”)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Diagonal lines Diagonal lines are associated with being more dramatic and dynamic than other types of lines, so much so that to evoke a sense of action, some photographers tilt their cameras to make the horizon line appear diagonal (not something I’m usually a fan of). From a practical standpoint diagonal lines are particularly effective at drawing the viewers’ eyes around and even deeper inside the photograph (converging diagonal lines in particular can be very powerful at doing this) and creating the illusion of depth.

Diagonal lines can be found in many situations, but to “see” these lines the photographer often needs to consciously look for them. Look at the diagonal lines zigzagging through the photo “Morning in Holbav” (top left). These lines are formed by the contours of the hills, but they weren’t obvious until I climbed up on another, higher hill, stood in a particular spot and altered my perspective through the viewfinder; i.e. I consciously looked for diagonal lines. While the converging diagonal lines in the photo “The stairs to Mount Bromo” are a little more obvious, the same approach was required. A few steps to the side and those lines would not look the same.

Exercise One of the best ways to learn to better “see” diagonal lines and other types of lines once you’re in the field is to pay special attention to lines in the photos of those who use them well – this way you can also get plenty of ideas on how to use lines in your own photography. Two good places to start are “Getty Images” or “Corbis Images”. In the search box type in the kind of lines you’d like to get more familiar with and you’ll have hundreds of images to analyze.

Morning in Holbav Village Holbav, Romania. FF, 24-70@66mm, ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/800s (Early stages of the “magic hour”)

The stairs to Mount Bromo Bromo National Park, Indonesia. FF, 20mm, ISO 100, Aperture f/13, 1/200s (Shot slightly after the “magic hour”)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

On target Alor, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@34mm, ISO 250, f/2.8, 1/125s (Flash in a softbox, frame left)

Monk in a classroom Darjeeling, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 800, f/2s 1/125s

(Side light from a window, frame right)

Shallow depth of field Shallow depth of field (or Shallow DOF for short) is a technique which involves having a part of a photo in sharp focus while blurring the rest of it. The effect is achieved by focusing specifically on one element within the frame while opening up the aperture (done by lowering the f-number setting of the lens).

To really feel this effect the aperture usually needs to be set to around f/3.2 or less. Shallow DOF is often used for the following reasons: To draw attention to the main subject, to emphasize an element within the frame, to make certain details in a background less distracting and to create a sense of depth and three-dimensionality.

Remember: “Faster” lenses or lenses which allow you to set the f-number low (to about f/2.8) give you greater control over the depth of field. In most cases lenses which do not allow you to set the aperture lower than f/4 will not be suitable for achieving the effect of a shallow DOF.

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Frame within a frame A frame within a frame can be used as a compositional “tool” that helps to quickly draw attention to a particular subject and to enhance the sense of depth in a scene. The most obvious “frames within frames” are windows, doorways and archways. Poles, columns, trees or other vertically oriented

elements can also be used to frame a scene, as can almost anything that lets you look through one thing at another. One thought to keep in mind when looking to frame elements in this way is that frames within frames usually work best if they are darker than your main subject or at least not lighter than the subject.

If you bring your mind back to the section on visual weight, you should remember that lighter colours are more visually heavy than darker ones. Making the frame within a frame darker than the subject will ensure that the viewers’ eyes move towards the subject and won’t be caught up by looking at the frame itself.

Worshippers Madurai, India. FF, 24-70@ 24mm, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/40s (Light penetrating windows, behind and frame right)

Morning reader Madurai, India. FF, 24-70@30mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/60s (Back and front light)

The way home Bandipur, Nepal. CS, 50mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/640s

(Diffused light on an overcast day)

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Composition: Communicating from within the frame

Patterns Patterns bring a sense of visual rhythm and harmony to a photograph and emphasizing them within the frame can often make our images more visually pleasing, as well as more engaging to the viewer’s imagination. Patterns are formed when there is repetition of shapes, lines, colours and tones, but they may not be obvious in a scene right away. Our viewpoint has a lot

to do with whether we notice a pattern or not. For example, the pattern formed by the logs in the top image would not have been obvious from any viewpoint other than from front on, while the pattern formed by the repetition of trees might not have been noticed if I were positioned further away from this particular scene or a few steps in a different direction.

key to emphasizing patterns is to isolate them from their surroundings as much as possible and to allow them to take up the entire frame. Doing the latter can create the illusion that the repetition is infinite, extending beyond the frame and this in turn can really add to the emotional impact of the photograph.

The key to seeing patterns is to explore potential subjects from a variety of angles, while the

Exercise To train your eye to see patterns it always helps to look at numerous photographs that use patterns effectively. As you (hopefully) already did with “lines”, go to “Getty Images” and/or “Corbis Images”, but this time search for the following keywords: repetition, pattern, travel. This will bring up a whole lot of relevant imagery which you can study closely in order to sharpen your own “pattern seeing” skills.

Logs at sunrise Rural Transylvania, Romania. FF, 24-70@66mm, ISO 200, f/3.5, 1/500s (Early stages of the morning “magic hour”)

Mysterious forest Langtang Valley, Nepal. CS, 20mm, ISO 800, f/4, 1/125s

(Diffused light on an overcast day)

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Light Light is absolutely vital to photography and its importance goes far beyond the fact that we need it to actually make photos. Light can be used creatively, it can help us tell our stories as well as communicate our emotions and evoke emotions in others. This chapter is a sort of a practical mini-guide to different types of light and to ways in which they can be used creatively.

Light

First steps to using light creatively Beware of the light This advice might seem very obvious, but it goes beyond simply being aware whether there is enough light in your scene to make a photograph. Know that light doesn’t remain constant – it changes and because of that you don’t have to shoot under just any given light. You can decide when and where you photograph and these two decisions are what will ultimately affect how your images look and in turn what stories they tell and what emotions they evoke.

Observe By observing you’re learning how light can change and how the appearance of everything the light illuminates can change with it. To gain a solid understanding of how this is

relevant to your photography might take years of observing light in various situations and photographing along the way. This doesn’t, however, mean that you can’t put your initial observations and “learnings” to immediate use. Begin by observing how light changes throughout the day, in different weather conditions and through different seasons. Observe how it changes from place to place, how its direction changes when you move around, how it interplays with what you are photographing, where it creates shadows and how it interacts with particles like liquid and dust (i.e. forms light beams). Observe different types of artificial light – light-bulbs, street lights and neon signs; sometimes these can add a strong sense of mood to a scene you’re photographing. Take notes on what you have observed or better yet take photos purely for the sake of “recording” interesting lighting scenarios.

Don’t limit yourself to observing light in life. Pay attention to light in the photos that you like. Always ask: how does the way that the light is captured affect the way that I feel about the image? Think about where the

photographer would have been positioned to capture light that way. Sunrise and fog in Romanian countryside Maramures, Romania. FF, 24-70@45mm, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/320s (30 minutes after sunrise)

You can begin your observation of light in photos by looking at the work of the following masters of travel and documentary photography: Marc Dozier Olivier Follmi Steve McCurry Ami Vitale Bruno Morandi Nevada Weir

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Light

“Directing” natural and available light When we’re travelling we’re mostly working with natural and available sources of light; i.e. the sun, street lights, building lights, etc. We can’t actually control these sources; however, we can at times position ourselves and the subject we’re photographing in a way that will change the direction of light in relation to you and them (the subjects). If you have observed light you will have noticed that you can “direct” it this way when the sun or an artificial source is close to the horizon or the ground. You can also do this when you’re indoors and light comes from just one narrowed down source like an open window or a door. Reang tribal girl Tripura, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/2.5, 1/80s (Angled daylight through the doorway, frame right)

Why “direct” the light? Light’s direction is one of the factors that can radically change the way your subject looks and this obviously affects the stories your images tell and the emotions they evoke.

Gradual progression of light to dark tones or “sculpting with light” Whenever light which can be directed is coming from the side of your subject or when it’s angled at approximately 45º (in relation to the subject’s face/front) you’ll get a gradual progression of light to dark tones, which you can see this in the photo to the right. The image was taken indoors and light was coming from a narrowed down source – the doorway (positioned frame right). As a result the right side of the girl’s face is lighter than the left side. The light gradually fades from right to left. This progression of light to dark tones usually helps make a person’s facial features and body

or costume appear more defined, in a sense “sculpted”. This kind of lighting effect is really useful for bringing out a person’s character in a dramatic fashion and it also adds a sense of depth and volume to a photograph.

Other ways to “direct” light” If I were to photograph the same girl with light coming from behind her, I’d create a silhouette. If I’d photograph her with light coming at 45º from the back rather than from the front, I would end up with a completely different photo yet again. Light can come from any direction and it’s not limited to being directional with only smaller subjects or humans. Light affects larger subjects like landscape features and architecture in exactly the same way. On the next page I have provided some commentary and more examples of a few different scenarios where I “directed” light in similar ways to what I’ve mentioned. 32

Light

1. L ight from the setting sun is angled at around 45º, frame right, from behind the photographer. Notice that the right side of the girl’s face is brighter than the left, the same goes for her head cover. This is another example of light creating a progression of light to dark tones or “sculpting”. 2. Light from the rising sun angled at around 45º, frame right, from behind the photographer. Notice the interplay of light and dark tones and the definition that it creates in the clefts of the land masses. 3. Light from the setting sun angled at approximately 90º, frame left, “leaning” more towards facing the photographer. Notice how only the outline of the cow herder is bright and the rest fades into darkness. This is particularly evident in the red turban and his left leg.

CS, 20mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/4000s

1

CS, 20mm, ISO 400, f/3.2, 1/1600s

3

FF, 20mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/60s

2

CS, 20mm, ISO 100, f/5.0, 1/500s

4

4. The sun is directly in front of the photographer and behind the subject, creating a silhouette. Notice the separation between the subjects and the horizon; this is necessary to prevent the two from blending together. To achieve this separation you’ll need to get right down on the ground.

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Light

Twilight Twilight occurs between dawn and sunrise, and between sunset and dusk. It’s the time when we can’t see the sun because it is below the horizon and for most of the duration of twilight everything around us is neither completely lit nor in complete darkness. There are different stages of twilight: civil, nautical and astronomical. They differ from each other in the sun’s position in relation to the horizon, hence they produce different kinds of light, all of which can be very evocative and dramatic. Civil twilight is when the sun is still very close to the horizon. This means that while there isn’t much light around, there’s still more of it than during the other stages of twilight and you can still make out some detail on the ground. During this stage of twilight you’ll manage to photograph without a tripod fairly easily as well as capture

The day’s end Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@27mm, ISO 640, f/5, 1/125s (Civil twilight)

moving subjects without much if any motion blurring. The light during civil twilight is soft and non-directional, unless clouds on one side of the sky are reflecting the sun. This happens under certain weather conditions and when it does, not only is the light directional, it can also be quite spectacular. A dramatically lit sky can be a great backdrop for a silhouette. To photograph during civil twilight you need to

get to the scene about half an hour before the sun rises and stay the same amount of time after it sets. Nautical twilight is when the sun moves further below the horizon and darkness begins to descend. Light during this time is very soft and non-directional. General outlines of subjects that are on the ground may be distinguishable, but any detail will not be visible at all.

The climb Java, Indonesia. CS, 24-70@40mm, ISO 800, f/3.2 1/40 (Nautical twilight)

Photographing during the darker part of nautical twilight requires a tripod; you’ve only got a tiny window of time to shoot without it and to shoot any moving subjects without getting motion blurring. I made the photo on the right during this time window. A very well known characteristic of nautical twilight is the bluish tinge which is often associated with mystique, mystery, eternity and romance.

Astronomical twilight is pretty much darkness. It’s the time when stars appear in the sky and photography without a tripod becomes impossible. Some fascinating photographs can be produced during this stage of twilight and I’ll discuss that in more detail when I talk about photographing under the light of the moon and the stars on page 38.

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Light

The “magic hour” The first and the last hour of daylight are both often referred to as the “magic hour”. Light during this time is probably the best all-around light to photograph in because it can be fairly dramatic and it can be used to communicate a wide range of emotions and stories. The “magic hour” light is often associated with birth – sunrise, and death – sunset, as well as warmth, joy, passion, love, aggression, etc. The main factors responsible for this light’s versatility are: The light’s interaction with colour – the “magic hour” light makes every colour that it illuminates look brighter, more vivid and gives it a tinge that ranges from red and deep orange – when the sun is closer to the horizon, to golden/bright yellow – when the sun makes its way up or is in the early stages of setting.

Fishermen coming home Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@24mm, ISO 250, f/7, 1/640s (Late stages of sunset)

Morning magic Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@30, ISO 320, f/13, 1/60s (Late stages of sunrise)

The light’s direction – because the sun is low to the horizon, during the “magic hour” the light is directional. During this time you can create photos of silhouettes, “sculpt” people’s faces or landscape features and basically position yourself and/or your subject to make light illuminate it from virtually any angle.

during this time makes virtually everything look less “flattering”. Colours are bleached, contrasts are high and can be hard for the camera to handle and if we’re photographing people, the shadows are around the eyes and faces, which usually isn’t good if we want to bring out someone’s character.

Shadows – are longer than during any other time of day and can result in a potentially interesting interplay with

the scene; e.g. a shadow of a recognizable symbol on the wall or a shadow of a person that stretches over the ground and becomes an element that balances out the composition.

Harsh light of midday Many photographers, myself included, almost completely avoid shooting out in the open around the midday hours. Light

The harsh light during the midday hours doesn’t ever really compliment a subject; instead it takes over the scene in a crass

way and tells its own story. Of course in some cases this may be exactly what you need. You might for example want to convey the harsh climate of a desert and then this kind of light starts to work well with such an idea. Ultimately the main thing is to understand the limitations of this kind of light so that you can “tell” stories that work within these limitations or so that you know when it is time to find (or wait for) a different kind of light to shoot in. 35

Light

Diffused light Light diffused by the weather The most common type of diffused outdoor light occurs on overcast days, when the sun’s rays are diffused by the clouds. This type of light is non-directional, it is flat and it isn’t particularly dramatic or evocative, one could say that it’s neutral. Because of this neutrality it is not usually ideal for all subjects. For example landscapes or architecture will usually benefit from almost any other type of light. The ideal subjects to photograph in diffused light during overcast days are people. Because this light is soft it doesn’t create any strong shadows and while it also doesn’t create the “sculpting” effect of light which can be directed, it still works well to bring out people’s facial features and textures in their costumes. The photo on the left is a good example of this.

Javanese farmer Rural Java, Indonesia.

Son of a sweets-maker Rajasthan, India.

FF, 24-70@55mm, ISO 500, f/2.8, 1/60s (Diffused light during overcast day)

CS, 20mm, ISO 800, f/2, 1/25s (Daylight coming through the doorway, frame right)

“Diffusing” light

Here the light is diffused because the sun’s rays are not directly shining into the room. But the light is directional because the now diffused rays are coming from one narrow source – the door. You can see that this lighting scenario has sculpted the boy’s face and body and has added a sense of depth to the scene.

When the light from the sun is harsh we can sometimes “diffuse” it ourselves. The idea behind doing this is the same as when “directing” light. We “diffuse” light by moving to photograph in the shade, under cover or indoors. Diffused light of this sort can be both directional and non-directional, depending on the situation.

If you find a place undercover which has one narrow source of light, like a window or a doorway, you’re actually diffusing light and at the same time putting yourself in the position to “direct” it similarly to how I’ve mentioned on page 31. The image on the right is an example of diffused light being directed at the subject in this way.

In most other cases; i.e. whenever we don’t have a narrow opening to direct light and simply move into the shade of houses or any large structures, tree canopy or land masses, the ”diffused” light will be nondirectional and its characteristics will be virtually identical to the kind of light we’ll get on overcast days.

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Light

Even when the fog is thick, the very soft light that it causes can make scenes look quite interesting and again it evokes the sense of mystique and mystery. I try to anticipate foggy conditions and when I’m fairly sure that this phenomenon will occur I like to plan my shoots to make the most of the situation; i.e. I go to places where I’ll have the fog and subjects that interest me at once.

Light in foggy conditions Light during foggy conditions is diffused and distinctly soft. It can be softer than light on overcast days, but it can also be directional; i.e. you may be able to shoot silhouettes and have a gradual progression of light to dark tones at sunrise or sunset, but to do this you will need light

which is strong enough and this factor will depend on how thick the fog is and whether or not clouds are blocking out the sun. When fog is “thin enough” for sunrays to penetrate it, the way it interacts with light can become a spectacle in itself. Such spectacles can be evocative of mystique, mystery, magic and divinity all at once. The image to the right is one example of such a scenario.

To learn more about when and why fog occurs; take a look at this entry on “Wikipedia”.

Man and dog Maramures, Romania. FF, 24-70@35mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/320s (Light diffused by thick fog)

Hindu pilgrim in the mystical fog Allahabad, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/1600s (Light interacting with a mild fog)

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Light

Firelight Firelight comes in various forms; some examples are candles, butter and kerosene lamps and camp fires. All of these forms of firelight share the same characteristics – they are warm, directional and very evocative, instantly bringing to mind a whole range of themes and emotions – warmth, life, passion, magic, devotion and faith are just some. All of these characteristics, themes and emotions can translate into some very dramatic photographic stories, but it can be quite challenging to shoot in firelight. The main challenge of using firelight in photography comes from the fact that often it is simply not strong enough to photograph what we want. The image to the left for example was only possible because there were tens of butter lamps illuminating the scene and this isn’t always going to be the case. Had there been less butter

Monk in prayer Sikkim, India.

Hindu devotees Madurai, India.

CS, 50mm, ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/30s (Firelight from tens of butter lamps)

FF, 24-70@34mm, ISO 1600, f/2.8, 1/40s (Firelight from butter lamps and daylight coming from outside)

lamps, there would be less light and I’d need to lower the shutter speed to a point where I’d have to mount the camera on a tripod to keep it steady enough not to create camera shake blur. Even with a tripod not every scene can be photographed effectively in the sense that as long as we’re only using firelight as our light source, any moving subjects will turn out blurred.

This may be a creative decision sometimes, but certainly not all the time. One way to capture movement with less or no blurring while still using firelight would be to look for situations where additional light can assist the firelight. This is what I did with the photo to the right. You can see that we’re still getting the warm, evocative firelight from the butter lamps,

but the additional light from light bulbs as well as daylight coming in from the outside are allowing me to raise the shutter speed a little and this helps me capture the movement of the woman’s hands with no noticeable blur. Alternatively an off camera flash can be used to assist the firelight in such situations. This is something I’ll discuss on page 39.

It is when we shoot in firelight that we can appreciate good photographic gear most. Cameras that perform well in low light; i.e. produce little noise at above ISO 1600, can really prove their worth in these situations as can “fast” lenses. If you arm yourself with such tools, you will increase what you can do with firelight in your photography. 38

Light

Photography after sundown Available artificial light Available artificial light comes in different colours and varies in intensity; this means that it can be evocative of various feelings and can contribute to telling stories in different ways. Quite often something that looks fairly bland and ordinary during the daylight hours can look extraordinary under artificial light. Because no two available artificial lighting scenarios are going to be identical it’s important to observe them individually. Keep in mind that when the light source is low to the ground it’s possible to “direct” the light as discussed on page 31 and this opens a whole new world of creative opportunities. Artificial light on and around architectural structures is a special case – monuments as well as

Vivid lights on Hong Kong Island Victoria Peak, Hong Kong.

An ancient Kingdom Sukhothai Thailand.

CS, 10-22@11mm, ISO100, f/3, 2s (Artificial building lights)

CS, 18-55@18mm, ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/30s (Star and moon light)

buildings, ranging from castles to skyscrapers can often look spectacular and dynamic once darkness sets in because the artificial lights are set up with the specific intention of enhancing the appearance of these structures.

– you can arm yourself with a tripod and photograph through the night; the stars and the moon will provide enough light to create images with the kind of detail that even the eyes are incapable of seeing at this time.

of mystique and eternity to photographs, especially when shooting nature or ancient architectural sites.

Shooting under the light of the stars and the moon

The sort of light you’ll get from the stars and the moon is distinct from all other types of light and I feel like it can bring a sense

If your subjects are inanimate – e.g. landscapes or architecture

Photographing in such lighting conditions as well as any extremely low light conditions is pretty straight forward. There is no way that you can create photos without a tripod or some way of stabilizing the camera

because your shutter speed will need to be set to at least a few seconds or even a few minutes. A remote shutter release can prove useful. By setting off the shutter without physically pressing the shutter button you can avoid potential camera shake. Alternatively you can use the camera’s self-timer to do the same. 39

Light

Lighting tools: flashes and reflectors As I mentioned in the equipment section, an off camera flash in a softbox and/or a reflector can be useful lighting tools if you’re photographing people or smaller sized objects. I mostly use these tools in people photography. The photo at the bottom was lit by a reflector. Notice how there’s a fairly pronounced progression of light to dark tones from right to left; it is particularly visible on the man’s face. Essentially this is the main reason why I use a reflector – to create this kind of progression/“sculpting” effect. “Sculpting” with the reflector is fairly straight forward and intuitive, I simply position this tool where it can catch the sun’s rays and then direct them at the subject’s face at an angle or from the side. The idea is the same

as “directing” available light, except you can actually direct the source of light – the reflector.

evocative, but not necessarily strong enough to photograph what I want.

The main benefit of the reflector is that it is simple to use and quick to set up, the downside is that while it does serve as a somewhat controllable light source, it is not completely controllable – it still needs light to reflect in the first place.

The photo to the right is an example of a flash being used to simulate and assist firelight. In this situation I placed a gel of a similar colour to the fire over the flash head, the flash was then put in a softbox, positioned close to the ground at an angle of about 45º (for a sculpting effect) and then pointed up at the face of the girl. As you can see the light I’ve created does not feel intrusive, it simply helps accentuate the available light and brings out the mood rather than destroy it, which is something that we often associate with flash photography.

The flash can be used in exactly the same way as the reflector, but it doesn’t need any light to reflect, which is a huge benefit. The flash is the ultimate portable, completely controllable light source; you can even adjust the intensity of the light from a flash as well as the colour of the light it produces if you place a gel (a thin, transparent, coloured film) over the flash head. A flash opens you up to a whole world of opportunities of creative lighting and one of my favourite uses for it is to simulate and to assist certain types of light that are atmospheric and

Most of my flash use is similar in philosophy to the way I’ve used it in this photo. As a documentary travel photographer I’m not looking to create obviously artificial lighting effects, I like to work with and build on what light is available.

Both the flash and the reflector can be powerful lighting tools, but to use them effectively one needs to dedicate a bit of time to learning and experimenting. If you are interested in making these tools a part of your photographic repertoire, refer back to page 12, for links where you can find more information. Nomads Kolayat, India. FF, 24-70@25mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/25s (Flash in a softbox, frame left)

Man with a religious song book Rural Rajasthan, India. CS, 20mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/500s (Reflector light, frame right)

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Making photos

There are numerous aspects that are involved in the making of a good travel photograph. The aim of this chapter is to look at these aspects in-depth and to provide you with the relevant advice which will help you make stronger travel photographs.

The photographic process The photographic process involves more than the press of the shutter button when the perfect photographic opportunity comes along. There’s a certain amount of thought, effort and intention behind any good photograph. Most of the better and more experienced photographers will undoubtedly agree with this. Of course I cannot speak for anyone else and so what I’d like to do here is discuss my own photographic process. It involves: observation, visualization, searching, waiting and making the most of the situation. These are the key steps that usually need to take place in some shape or form for a worthwhile image to come into existence. The Traveller Dwarka, India. CS, 20mm, ISO 200, f/2.2, 1/1600s

(Late stages of the morning “magic hour”)

Making photos

Observation Keen observation is right at the foundation of all of my photographs. I’m not only talking about observation specific to a particular scene that’s captured in an image, but observation at large. This means paying close attention to light, the interplay of shapes, colours and tones, dynamics of life on the street, people’s body language – in short, observation of the world around me. To be a good travel photographer one must be a good observer.

Visualization Visualization is the creative part of the photographic process; it basically means imagining the photo that I want to make. Sometimes I’ll imagine making a photo based on observations of elements that are present in front of me. In my mind’s eye I’ll try different compositions, I’ll align the people in the scene differently within the frame, I might picture catching a particular instant during a

movement of a person or a particular pose for that person. Other times I might imagine what would happen if there were other elements in the scene which aren’t presently there. That’s how the photo to the right came to be. I saw the same rice paddy the day before this image was made, I felt it was a good setting for a photo, but it was midday, the light was harsh and the field was empty. The image I envisioned was different, it had dramatic “magic hour” light and a person walking through that rice field. I observed this sort of scene numerous times before, throughout my journeys around the area, so I had a reason to believe that my imagined photo had a good chance to “materialize”. I came to the same place the next morning and sure enough I was presented with an opportunity to create the photo you see here. The first purpose of visualizing or creating photos in the mind’s eye is to explore the various potential

Morning in the rice paddy North Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 250, f/2.8, 1/5000s (Late stages of the morning “magic hour”)

ways of telling stories and evoking feelings. By visualizing I’m imagining how I can do this with more impact or just differently. The second purpose of visualizing is to place myself in the right situation and to be prepared to make the photo that I envisioned. In the case of the image above

that meant a few things. I had to come back to the same place when the circumstances would be ideal; i.e. I needed people in the field and “magic hour” light. I also had to know where to position myself, what settings to dial in on the camera and approximately when the right moment to press the shutter button was.

Had I not visualized a similar image in my mind, the photo either wouldn’t exist or if I were lucky enough to come across a similar situation randomly, I wouldn’t be able to react effectively in time and would end up with a much weaker result.

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Making photos

Searching If all the elements for the perfect shot are right there in front of me there’s obviously no need to search, or the search simply involves finding the best vantage point. The “real” search usually takes place when I visualize a scene with certain elements that aren’t there. I don’t actually know whether I will find them or not. This part of the photographic process is mostly somewhat of a gamble, but it’s only through searching that I give myself the chance to create the image that I want. The story behind the photo on this page demonstrates the point rather well. I was wandering around a neighbourhood of very narrow lanes in Mumbai, India. These lanes were atmospheric and photogenic in themselves, but I envisioned a human presence in one of those lanes. In my mind that’s what I needed for a perfect image. As soon as I thought of this idea I began to search for the right

situation. It made sense that someone could walk through one of the lanes, as there’s usually an abundance of people almost anywhere in India; however, ideally I didn’t want too many people either, so you could say that my search was for a lane with one or a couple of people in it. As I mentioned, the search can be a gamble. I didn’t know if I’d find exactly what I wanted, but after a few minutes of searching through the maze formed by these lanes I came across the right opportunity and created this photo.

Waiting This is one of the more underrated, yet very important parts of the photographic process. There are many factors that cannot be manipulated by the photographer in any way, one simply has to wait in the hope that they will play out as expected. Wait for the right light, wait for a certain alignment of elements within the frame, wait for a person in front of the camera

to get comfortable with my presence. The wait is often as much of a gamble as the search; the desired outcome is based on past observations, but there are no guarantees. It’s just that by

waiting I am making the most of the situation at hand, and that brings me to the next key factor of the photographic process that I’ll discuss on the next page.

Curious in Mumbai Mumbai, India. CS, 20mm, ISO 800, f/1.8, 1/40s (Light diffused by the shade)

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Making photos

Making the most of the situation Once I find the perfect situation it only makes sense to get as much out of it as I can. What this involves will depend on the actual situation.

The first line of images are just rough impressions, in a sense they’re like photographic sketches. Through these I experimented with different ways of telling the story. I searched for the ideal way to compose the shot. With the second line of images I found the ideal composition and I concentrated on capturing the moment at which the story could have

Sometimes it will mean waiting for the ideal light or coming back to photograph a scene or a person at a different time. One of the more common things that I do to make the most of the

situation involves experimenting with different ways of composing the shot and even trying different lenses. In other words it means looking for one or even a few different ways to tell the story

effectively. This idea is not unlike visualizing, only it takes place in reality rather than in the mind’s eye. The photos on this page should give you some insight into how I make the most of the situation

in practice. Here I had what I consider a perfect subject in a perfect setting. The man was on a cigarette break from ploughing his land and he was happy to be a part of my photo.

the most impact. If you look closely you’ll notice that in the first photo the hand is blocking too much of the face and you don’t really see the smoke coming from the cigarette. In the second photo the hand is positioned nicely, but there still isn’t much smoke. After a few more shots (not pictured here) I finally came to the third image. This is the one which I feel works best.

Romanian farmer Terggu Mures, Romania. FF, 24-70@42mm, ISO 200, f/3.2, 1/640s (Diffused light during a foggy day) 45

Freezing motion The effect that motion is frozen occurs when we see a strongly implied movement/action stopped in time, as in the image to the left. Freezing motion can be a powerful way to convey the sense of movement, to make the image feel more dynamic or just plain fascinating, since esentially what we’re doing by freezing motion is taking a closer look at something that embodies an instant which only lasts a tiny fraction of a second.

The sand collector Munro Island, Kerala, India. FF, 20mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/640s

(Early stages of the “magic hour”)

Making photos

Things to know about freezing motion

Two approaches I use to freeze motion

Freezing changing facial expressions

The frozen effect will look more dramatic if you freeze the motion during a critical instant, in other words during the tiny fraction of a second at which the motion looks most dramatic, like when a person nears the peak of a jump or when a bird spreads its wings in mid flight.

• When I know what the critical instant in the motion is, I put the camera to my eye, carefully anticipate the instant and press the shutter button right as it occurs. The idea behind this is simple enough; the execution is not. It requires a lot of practice, as timing is crucial. I use this approach when I know that I have more than one chance to capture the instant – when the motion is re-occurring.

Whenever we use a high shutter speed (required to freeze motion), we are not only freezing motion, but a moment in time; it’s just that we’re not necessarily aware of it; unless there’s an implication of motion or it’s implied that the moment is a fleeting one. The latter approach to freezing motion can be quite effective in capturing facial expressions, particularly when they are changing facial expressions and we don’t know exactly which one we want to capture.

You’ll have a better chance to catch the critical instant if you know exactly what it is; i.e. you’re either familiar with the motion because it’s something common, like jumping or running or because you observed the specific motion you’re capturing moments earlier, as I did with the image on the previous page. I watched the man throw the sand from the basket into the boat a few times and came to know that the critical instant was when the sand was suspended in mid air – out of the basket, but not quite in the boat.

• If I don’t know what the exact critical instant is, I essentially take a “guess”. As soon as I see signs of motion, I press and hold the shutter button (using the camera’s continuous shooting mode) to fire off a few frames in quick succession. Doing this increases my chances of getting something special, but there’s also the chance that the critical instant at which everything looks most dramatic could “slip” through the frames. Thus this is not the perfect technique all the time.

The images to the right serve as a good example. My friend told this man a joke, I anticipated he’d laugh or smile and as soon as I noticed the man’s expression changing I shot a few frames in a row. Image #3 is the one I’m most pleased with. I didn’t know exactly what instant during the expression I wanted to capture, but I ended up with at least one photo that I was happy with because I shot a series of frames.

1

2

3

4

The smiling elder Bundi district, Rajasthan, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/320s (Side light from the window, frame left) 47

Making photos

Technical • To freeze motion your shutter speed will need to be relatively fast, how fast will depend on the motion. The faster the motion you’re trying to freeze, the faster the shutter speed. • Use this as your guideline: Shutter speed of about 1/50s will freeze a slow motion – like someone walking, while setting it to 1/500s can freeze the motion of a water drop in the middle of its descent from a tap. • Faster shutter speeds mean that you are letting relatively little light onto the sensor, so freezing motion is best done in bright situations. • “Fast” lenses and cameras with better low light capabilities will give you a little more room for freezing motion in darker environments; e.g. indoors, during dark overcast days or at twilight.

Exercise • Get a friend to jump up in the air a few times and try to capture him/her at the apex of the jump. Go through a range of different shutter speeds. This will give you a better feel for what shutter speed may be appropriate for different situations too. • Practise timing your shot perfectly. Have a few attempts where you only take one shot during the motion of the jump. Then have a few more attempts firing off several frames with the camera’s continuous shooting mode. This way you’ll see the difference between the two approaches and see the strengths and weaknesses of each.

“Flying” fish Udupi, India. FF, 20mm, ISO 100, f/2.8, 1/500s (Early stages of the “magic hour”)

48

Motion blur Creative use of motion blur can be a powerful way to suggest movement. The technique can be used in a multitude of situations. The movement of people walking, cars driving, the hustle and bustle of busy places (like in the image to the right), even the flow of water or the movement generated by the wind (leaning grass or trees), all of these can be suggested through the use of motion blur. When motion blur is used effectively, the photograph gains a very dynamic feel; it becomes atmospheric and in a sense comes to life.

Bustling market Madurai, India. FF, 24-70@34mm, ISO 100, f/9, 1/6s

(Diffused light during an overcast day)

Making photos

How to use motion blur effectively A lot will depend on whether you want the blur to be subtle, like the photo on the previous page and below right or exaggerated like the blurred trail of car headlights (top right). If you want to achieve a subtle blur and if you want to blur a specific motion as in the example of the crashing wave, the approach is much the same as with freezing the motion on page 46. If you want to achieve an exaggerated blur, things are much easier. You simply have to place the camera on a tripod, set the shutter speed to 2 seconds or below and whatever is moving in front of the camera will be blurred pretty severely.

Technical • For slower motion and a more exaggerated blur lower the shutter speed to 1/15s and below. • For faster motion and a more subtle blur increase the shutter speed up to 1/40s (faster shutter speed may not produce any noticeable motion blur). • In bright situations, it’s usually necessary to significantly raise the f-number (exposure) or the image will be overexposed. Alternatively, use a Neutral Density (ND) filter, which will reduce the amount of light your camera lens and sensor will receive. • Shooting at slower shutter speeds can cause the camera to capture unwanted blur caused by camera shake. Using a tripod is one obvious way to solve this, but when it is impractical to do so you’ll need to use a light, short wide-angle lens which will make it easier to hold the camera still. • A cable release/remote will help keep the camera still during longer exposures.

Exercise • To practise using the motion blur technique go into a busy part of town and experiment photographing (hand-held) people walking at various shutter speeds (from 1/4s – 1/40s). Observe the differences to gain an understanding of what effect raising and lowering the shutter speed has on the motion. • Wait for the sun to go down and for the cars to turn on their headlights, place the camera on a tripod, set the exposure to a few seconds (usually 2s – 20s) and let the headlights turn into trails of light as the cars drive through the frame. Again, experiment with different shutter speeds to understand the optimal settings for your aim.

Evening traffic Kathmandu, Nepal. CS, 20mm, ISO 100, f/7, 10s (Artificial street lights) Crashing wave Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@25mm, ISO 125, f/13, 1/6s (Partially diffused light during sunset) 50

Panning The effect of “smearing” the background (making it look like it’s moving) and keeping the subject in focus is referred to as panning. As you can see in this photo, the technique is used to communicate the sense of movement and it can be particularly powerful when the movement is fairly fast.

Cycling through the streets of “Old Surabaya” Old town Surabaya, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@27mm, ISO 250, f/5.6, 1/10s (Diffused light during early stages of civic twilight)

Making photos

Panning tips Panning can only really be done effectively when you’re prepared for it. You have to find a place (in the previous photo it was a busy street corner) where you know someone or something will be moving. How to pan: • Pre-focus your camera on the spot where you expect your subject to appear. • Frame your shot and wait for the subject to approach the edge of your frame. • As soon as the subject enters the spot you focused on press the shutter button and keep it pressed (using your camera’s continuous shooting mode). As you’re doing this follow/pan the camera with the subject.

When you pan a few things are important: • The movement of the subject has to be in a fairly straight line (refer to the diagram). • The wider your angle of view on the scene, the wider your pan can be. • Make the pan motion as smooth and as straight along the horizon line as possible. Any camera shake or movement up or down will result in additional, undesirable smearing/blurring. Expect your success rate to be rather low with this technique. It may take many shots to get one which is “just right”. The shot on the previous page is the result of standing in one place, taking about 30 photos of the same sort of stuff. Practice, repetition and perseverance will get you there.

Technical • For best panning results the shutter speed should be set around 1/6s to 1/20s. The slower the subject – the slower the shutter speed. • I usually set the f number to at least f/5.6, but there’s no optimal setting for this. • You can make panning shots with virtually any lens, but remember, it should be easy for you to hold it so as not to cause camera shake and additional smearing/blurring. I prefer a zoom lens to do this. I use my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8, as it allows me to get closer or get a wider shot without having to physically move.

Exercise

• The same type of ND filter I recommended for motion blur will prove useful in bright situations while panning.

Ask a friend to jog (or cycle) in a straight line, position yourself as the photographer in the diagram and pan the camera following your friend’s movement. You can also practise panning on moving cars or people walking on a busy street – there are panning opportunities everywhere.

52

People relations Because people are, well, people and not inanimate objects they cannot be approached and photographed in the same way. There are certain issues that arise whenever we plan to make human beings our photographic subjects and these issues are what I put under the topic of people relations. The intricacies and complexities that come with such issues are much more psychology and philosophy than they are photography. An in-depth discussion of any sort could very well amount to a separate eBook. I’ll avoid getting too philosophical and will limit what I discuss here to what’s essential and applicable in a practical sense.

Family matters Maramures, Romania. FF, 24-70@40mm, ISO 1000, f/2.8, 1/500s (Diffused light during an overcast day)

Making photos

Ethics When we photograph people we will at some stage (hopefully right away) have to consider the question of ethics. My approach towards ethics and people photography is really quite simple and I’m pretty sure that most ethical, experienced travel photographers will agree with me. Humility, kindness and respect always come before the photograph. When we do get to the photography part, being humble, kind and respectful means that you’ll never purposefully offend, anger and embarrass your potential photographic subjects, nor will you make them look indignant in your images. To put it plainly, being ethical is about doing your best to be a genuinely “nice” person with the people you encounter. It’s about treating them as human beings before anything else. Doing this will quite simply lead to people liking you. They’ll forgive any

unintentional offences you might cause as a result of potential cultural misunderstandings (of which there can be many) and they’ll be more willing to participate in your photographic ideas. This ultimately means that you end up having the chance to take exactly the kinds of photos you want. Being ethical, being a “nice” guy/ gal always works in your favour. Call it “karma” or what you like, but that’s generally the way that human relations are and it’s no different when photography is involved. The story behind the photo on the right demonstrates my point rather well. I met this man along a forest road, while I was riding my motorcycle. He was carrying a heavy bag from a market. There was no one to help him out, so I offered him a lift. He didn’t live very far, but the bag was heavy and he accepted my offer. I made his life a little easier.

He asked me to come into his house to have some coconut juice as a sign of gratitude (quite common act of hospitality in Timor). I couldn’t refuse the offer. Once I came inside the house I noticed that the interior was a good setting for a portrait. I asked if I could take his photograph and he quite happily agreed. In a sense I was rewarded with something that is precious to me for doing my best to be a decent person and helping out another human being. This isn’t an isolated case either. I’m not in any way suggesting to do good things for people in exchange for photographs (though it would be far from the worst thing in the world), what I am saying is, treat people as people before anything else and good things are bound to happen from a photographic standpoint too. “Cowboy” Timor, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@40mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/60s (Off-camera flash in a softbox, frame left)

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Making photos

Communication Any time we are in close proximity to the people we want to photograph, communication becomes important. We need to communicate to show our intentions, to clear any doubts that people might have (we’re not planning on doing anything bad), put them at ease and possibly even have a reciprocal exchange of a sort, establish a connection. The best way to do this is to have at least some knowledge of the language or to have someone translating. There’s just so much more that you can get out of the situation when you’re able to have a “real” chat with the person in front of the camera. However, in reality things are often pretty far from ideal and it’s not unusual to be in situations where we don’t speak a word of the language and there’s no one who speaks our language in sight.

Not all is lost though; we can of course communicate a lot through body language; i.e. gesturing and smiling. There may not even be a need to speak at all, or a basic and fairly universal word like “photo?” may be enough. Communication of this sort will be somewhat primitive or childlike, but it often gets “the job done”. The image to the right is the result of such communication. Manuel (that’s the man’s name) spoke Malayalam – the language of Kerala, India. He only seemed to understand the words “please”, “thank you” and “photo” in English. I was thankful for that much, since my Malayalam was precisely zero. Through a lot of smiling and saying “please”, along with gestures as in “please step this way”, I managed to direct Manuel into the position I wanted. Because I had been smiling all the way, he felt fairly relaxed and willing to go along

Manuel Kollam, Kerala, India. FF, 20mm, ISO 800, f/2.5, 1/60s (Side and backlight from the window)

with my requests. The smile and my general upbeat attitude showed that I was likely not a bad guy and we established a sort of rapport that enabled me to produce the photo you see here.

While this very basic way of communicating can be effective, I usually prefer to go at least a little beyond, to build on that initial rapport established through smiles and gestures.

This can still be done without any real knowledge of the language or a translator, one just needs to be a little resourceful and this is what I’d like to discuss on the next page. 55

Making photos

Practicalities of overcoming the language barrier When there is a language barrier, the following things can take communication further and help you build rapport with your subjects: Showing the photo on the back of the camera – this is maybe the simplest way to take communication further. People are almost always curious to see themselves in a photo and showing them the picture will often lead to good things. Sometimes in addition to that, I give the person a chance to make a photograph with my camera. This can help build an even stronger rapport and trust. A phrasebook – these will have enough information to help you make some small talk. Look up phrases to introduce yourself and then ask the people you want to photograph about them. Things like name, age and how many children or siblings they have.

If the subject is even half interested in interacting, you’ll be met with a positive response. Quite often, if your pronunciation of words isn’t quite right you’ll make people laugh like I did, with the girl in this photo. I’m never offended by such reactions, laughter is just another way of connecting and coincidentally also provides a great opportunity to capture genuine emotions. You don’t always need to speak the phrases. If you feel too embarrassed, just pointing at them in the phrasebook can do the trick. It’s good to have a two-way phrase book, that way the person you’re photographing can point at phrases and ask you things too. Neither one of you may actually understand the specifics of the replies and that’s not so important, it’s the interaction that matters. You’re building a connection by interacting, you’re making your subject comfortable with your presence and this can ultimately result in them opening

Hilarious Rural Madhya Pradesh, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 100s (Diffused light during an overcast day)

up more, which always leads to stronger images. A photo album – whenever you’re in countries/regions which are very distinctly different

to your own, having a small album of photos of people from your world (family, friends) can do wonders. It will tell your subjects a little about you in the universally understandable

language of pictures. By doing this you’ll essentially become more than a tourist or a stranger with a camera and of course that can have a very positive effect on your photography. 56

Posing The idea of posing subjects who are “regular people” and not models is something that not every photographer is comfortable with. My personal preference is to try to photograph people as they are, as they present themselves to the camera whenever possible. Quite often there’s a certain sincerity in that which can’t be recreated. Having said that, I don’t have any issues with posing and just as often there are occasions when posing a subject can be very useful. In fact sometimes the difference between a good photo and a great one is the small detail that can be enhanced or brought out more by intentionally posing the person in front of the camera.

Saddhu overlooking the Narmada River Maheshwar, India. FF, 24-70@ 27mm, ISO 320, f/3.5, 1/250s

(Late stages of sunset, subject facing the sun)

Making photos

Why pose? I pose people in my photographs when I feel that doing this can help tell my story about what I find fascinating and special in them with more clarity and more emotion. The photo on the right exemplifies a few ways in which I do this. First of all where and how this woman is positioned is important. I asked her to stand in front of this particular wall because it provided the ideal background in the situation. It was textured enough to be interesting, but at the same time it was not distracting in any way. Notice that she is not looking at me, but sideways, in fact her whole body is turned a little. This was intentional, I wanted her to look towards the light source (an open door, frame left) so that the light could “sculpt” her facial features and emphasize the texture of her skin – this helped bring out her character in a more dramatic manner.

The hands on hips help tell the story in a couple of ways. Those wrinkles and the weathered skin of the hands and the arms speak of age, hard work and rough living conditions. Because the hands are where they are we can see them (and the arms) rather well and we don’t miss out on these details. The pose also reflects this woman’s character. When I first met her she was standing in a similar way and you could tell that she was proud and strong. This stance is characteristic of those qualities. A question that one might ask is: wouldn’t it be possible to tell the same story, to make an image that has a similar impact in a more candid way? The answer is maybe, and it’s a big maybe because as soon as the camera is out and it’s seen, you can no longer be truly candid. In turn this leads to different people having different ideas on how to present themselves to the camera.

The pose that they may assume by “default” is not necessarily going to help you tell your story. In the case of this woman, she initially straightened her entire body and put her hands by her sides like a soldier. That pose was in no way interesting nor reflective of how I wanted to present her in the image. I could have spent an extended amount of time with her and that way she would have possibly stopped paying attention to the camera and I might have caught the perfect moment at which a similar story could be communicated more candidly, but obviously this would not always be possible nor practical for a myriad of reasons. At the end of the day it can be said that posing is like a tool which can be used to make sure that you tell your story as you see it. It’s not necessarily the means to an end, but it can certainly be very effective. The proud matron Gujarat, India. CS, 28mm, ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/125s

(Diffused light coming through the door, frame left)

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The idea of natural and observing body language If you are using posing as a tool to help tell a story more effectively it works best when the pose doesn’t look odd or forced. The person should look at ease assuming that pose. We often refer to this as looking natural. In travel photography our best chance to capture natural looking poses (besides photographing them as they happen without our involvement) is to pose people in ways which will be familiar and “normal” to them; we shouldn’t ask them to do anything they wouldn’t in their everyday lives. However, what’s familiar and “normal” won’t necessarily be the same for every person and this is where observation of body language becomes important. A lot of things in body language are familiar and “normal” for most of us; for example a majority of us will at some stage put our hands on our hips or fold our arms. But there are some aspects

of body language that are more specific to gender, region, even social status and of course ultimately every individual will have his/her own body language. The photo to the right is one example of gender and region specific body language. The man belongs to a tribe of shepherds called the Rabari and his pose – the way he is holding the stick (with which he herds the cattle) over his shoulder is very typical for men of his tribe. It was safe to say that the pose would be natural for him because I saw many other Rabari men carry their “herding sticks” in the same manner. I did, however, observe this man for a while before I photographed him as we walked through the outskirts of the desert towards his flock of sheep. My thoughts were confirmed because he exhibited exactly the same kind of body language and so when I asked him to stand the way that he is standing in the image, I knew that he would be at ease assuming this pose. It was familiar and very normal to him.

The bottom line is: to achieve natural looking poses we need to understand what’s natural for the person we want to photograph. The more attention and thought we devote to observing body language in general and in relation to the individual subject the better idea we’ll have of what will work and what won’t.

Communication and posing Communicating with your subjects will make them more comfortable with your presence. It will also give you the chance to observe their body language closer. You may even want to photograph them as they are talking (or listening) and not intervene in any way at all, something that I do quite often. When you do feel that you need to pose your subjects, prior communication will mean that they will be more likely to want to participate in your ideas – to go along with what you ask them to do.

Speaking more than a couple of words in the language of the person in front of the camera or having a translator is very beneficial whenever you intend to pose that person. When language is not an issue you can have a real chat and importantly you can ask the person to do something very specific without expanding a lot of energy unnecessarily.

Sure, you can get a lot done through gestures and basic words, but at the same time, you will have difficulty communicating something as simple as, “Can you do that again?”

Desert dweller Kutch, India. CS, 20mm,ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/1250s

(Middle of the “magic hour”, subject facing the sun at appox 45°)

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A good example of this is how I approached photographing the “Abui tribal dancer”. This man was definitely dressed for the part. He had just come from a traditional performance and I really wanted to show all his paraphernalia in the photo. However, I’m pretty sure that asking him to pose in a certain way would make him fairly uncomfortable and this would not result in the photo I wanted. Having learned a little about his culture I asked if he could perform the local war dance for me. This got him pretty excited; he was more than happy to do it and that’s how I captured the “pose” you see in the photo. There are various ways in which we can create similar scenarios; one simply needs to be a keen observer and a resourceful thinker. Abui tribal dancer Alor Island, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 250, f/2.8, 1/400s (Diffused light in the shade)

Creating natural scenarios Whenever the situation allows for it, before or even rather than requesting the subject to assume

a specific pose for a photo I like to ask him/her to do some action or activity that’s natural or interesting (to the subject).

A different situation might involve getting a musician to play his instrument or basically asking anyone who has a job that looks visually distinct to show how they

work in front of the camera. Not only will the “pose” look more natural, it’ll be more dynamic and it will inevitably add a sense of story to the photo.

The “pose” after the pose For some people the process of being photographed is quite tense, but once you ask them to pose and take a few photos, that tension loosens a little. It’s like they get it out of their system and then get back to their normal, relaxed selves – they assume a pose which is natural to them, because they no longer feel the need to look “appropriate” for the camera. This “pose” after the pose is often the best moment to make the photo. In some cases the pose I ask the person to assume is just a warm up for the “pose” that I am really looking to capture. Sometimes people might get tense when you point the camera back at them and you have to be quick, but often they won’t because they have already become fairly comfortable with the idea of being photographed. 60

Environmental portraits Environmental portraits are photos taken of people in settings that they live in (work, rest or play). The aim of these types of photos is to use the settings to show something of the character of the person in front of the lens and to give a sense of story of who they are – where they live, how they earn their living, what cultures they belong to and what they might do in their day to day lives. A great environmental portrait will do some of those things or even all of them at once and in this section I’d like to draw your attention to the factors that are important for creating such images.

“Ikat” weaver Village Bena, Flores, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@32mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/250s (Natural light assisted by off-camera flash from side, frame left)

Making photos

The sense of story We get the sense of story in an environmental portrait through certain visual clues. The photographer’s role is to recognize those clues, which help tell the story in the clearest, strongest way possible and then to work them into the frame. For example if your story is about a man who hunts in the forest (as pictured to the right) you’ll want the setting of your environmental portrait to be the best visual clue/representation of the forest; i.e. closely growing trees and foliage. It’s also a good idea to work that person’s “tools of trade” into the photograph – those are the visual clues that tell us “he’s a hunter”. Without them we simply wouldn’t know that.

Research helps The more you know about the area you’re in (its culture, what people do for a living, etc.) the more telling and interesting you may be able to make your environmental portraits. From a practical standpoint you may

become aware of certain things (visual clues) to search for or to pay attention to. Before taking the photo of the “Ikat weaver” (previous page) I learned that the area where this woman lives is home to the “Ngada” people (her tribe), who are famous for weaving and for adorning their houses with buffalo skulls. Knowing this made me aware of a potential visual story about livelihood and culture and so I consciously started to look for situations which would allow me to tell this story. My knowledge and awareness helped me recognize the perfect chance when it came.

The importance of interacting and connecting There are stories about people that you can’t discover through prior research. The way you discover them is through interacting and connecting with the individuals you encounter. Once you connect, people open up and often you discover

things that can make for more interesting environmental portraits. Countless times after interacting and connecting with the people who I wanted to photograph I’d be invited to their homes and shown things that were precious to them – musical instruments, tools of trade, costumes and even weapons. The inclusion of these objects into the photo always has the potential of adding more depth to the story. Of course the results of connecting – the openness and the trust are often obvious in the image too, and they always make for stronger environmental portraits. (For some practical tips on interacting and communicating go to page 56.)

Abui hunter Alor, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@32mm, ISO 400, 2.8, 1/125s (Diffused light during an overcast day)

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Choosing the setting We want to photograph people in interesting settings, but we need to be careful that the setting doesn’t take all of the attention away from the person or cause confusion as to what the story in the image is about. Stay away from settings/places that have too many different, bright colours and clutter. Choosing a place which “consists” of a limited colour palette and only a few obvious standout elements/ objects will ensure that the presence of the person in the photograph is strongly felt and the story you are telling is clearly understood by those who look at the photograph. Notice that in the photo on the right the entire setting is made up of only two dominant colours and shades of those. Less can quite often be more. Had there been more elements and colours within the frame, the photo wouldn’t have the same impact. It could have very possibly been confusing or even overwhelming for the viewer.

Technical • Lenses with a focal length of 50mm and wider are ideal for environmental portraits. Remember, the wider the lens the more of the surroundings you can fit into the frame. A wider lens also ensures that you can avoid any distracting elements between you and your subject by coming closer. • “Faster” lenses are always better for photographing indoors. • Keeping the shutter speed at 1/80s will help avoid unintentional blurring which can happen if your subject moves even slightly. When photographing children who might be restless and don’t stay still, that number might need to go up to 1/125s. • Raise the ISO setting before you lower the shutter speed, how high you can raise it depends on your camera’s low light capabilities. • An off camera flash in a softbox or a simpler setup like a reflector can really help you bring some drama (“sculpting”) to your evironmental portraits.

Light specifics With any portraits I like to “direct” light as I mentioned on page 32. The fact that we’re photographing people actually makes this a fairly manageable task. If you have established rapport, you can quite easily pose the person in a particular way so that you can achieve that “sculpting” effect with either available natural light or artificial light.

Rural Rajasthani dhild Bundi district, India. CS, 20mm, ISO 200, f2.8, 1/1600s (Light from the setting sun)

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Landscapes (natural and man-made) Landscape photos can be likened to wide establishing shots in films which indicate where everything is taking place. In travel photography these images often tell stories of the natural beauty and/or the culture of the places we visit. Of course the really great landscape photos will do more than just inform, they will convey not only what the place looked like, but what it felt like to be there. Note: As you can see by the title of this section, when I refer to landscapes I’m referring not only to natural scenery, but to scenery which is man-made; i.e. cityscapes, townscapes and everything alike. This is because the approach towards photographing any type of landscapes is pretty much the same. Haystacks and mountains Rural Transylvania, Romania. FF, 20-70@66mm, ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/1250s (Early stages of the “magic hour”)

Making photos

Communicating what’s special about the scene Every landscape has some distinct feature – crashing waves, a mountain range or a city skyline – it’s something that likely immediately grabs your attention and you need to make that translate through the photograph. You need to emphasize that distinct feature. The most common way to do this is to make it into a focal point and the most visually heavy element in the photo; i.e. place it in a prominent position, let it take up a large part of the frame, have lines leading to it, or if the lines are the distinct feature (e.g. road) find a viewpoint from which you can accentuate them. When there are a few distinct features in a landscape the task of making them all visually heavy becomes a little more challenging. You need to find a balance for them, so that all the elements draw the viewer’s eye, but neither one draws

all the attention to itself. In practical terms this might mean experimenting a little with the composition and searching for the “right” viewpoint. With the photo to the right I wanted to give about equal emphasis to the mosque, the crashing wave and the cloudy sky. When this idea entered my mind I was very near the mosque, which meant that it would take up almost the entire frame and draw too much attention. I had to walk a couple of hundred metres away from it to make it look smaller and then I took a few steps into the sea, crouched and tilted the camera up a little. This viewpoint allowed me to include enough of the sky and to capture the line that the wave formed. In a different scenario, let’s say if there was a hill nearby, I would get on top of that hill (if possible) and try photographing from above. If there are different viewpoints it pays to take advantage of them,

Muslim fishing village Madura, Indonesia. FF, 24mm, ISO 100, f/5, 1/640s (Early stages of the “magic hour”)

because seeing the same scene in different ways allows you to come to the best possible way or even a few ways of telling the story about what it is that’s special in the landscape you’re photographing.

Sense of depth Landscape photos can be very powerful when they evoke a sense of depth. Creating a sense of depth is done best by composing the image so that it has a strong presence of converging lines (think roads

or paths) or by giving it a foreground, background and sometimes a mid-ground which is achieved by placing an element (or elements) into the mentioned sections. In the case of this image the wave is in the foreground and the mosque as well as the clouds are in the background. 65

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Patterns in landscapes At times the distinct feature of a landscape can be a pattern formed by the repetition of similar elements in a scene. Some examples of patterns in landscapes are closely growing trees, cracks in the desert ground or a myriad of rooftops in the scenery of a town/city from above. On occasions such patterns can be made into focal points and can work well with other elements in the scene. That was the case with the pattern formed by the line of closely growing trees in the photo on the left. However, there are times when the pattern may only have impact when it fills the entire frame. In that case the image can become somewhat abstract and it may be impossible to have a focal point as such – the pattern could consist of repetition of identical elements. Whether the patterns can be made into focal points or not, it’s worth exploring ways to include

them into the composition and to “build” your landscape photos around them when the opportunity arises. Besides giving your image a sense of visual rhythm and harmony, patterns in landscapes can provide some interesting variety to a photographer’s body of work in general.

Motion Though we usually associate landscapes with stillness, there can be quite a lot of motion in them; starting from waterfalls, flowing rivers, crashing waves and wind moving the trees in natural scenery, to the hustle and bustle of moving people and vehicles in urban landscapes.

You can convey the motion of landscapes by slowing down the shutter speed and blurring the “action”. Doing this can really add drama, interest and life to your landscape shots. Note: For more on the technique of suggesting/conveying motion through slower shutter speeds refer to page 49.

Tree patterns Maramures, Romania. FF, 24-70@32mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/160s (Diffused light on a foggy day)

Evening in Darling Harbour Sydney, Australia. FF, 20mm, ISO 640, f/3.2, 1/5s (tripod) (Lit by street lights and building lights)

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Light specifics Though some photographers often talk about best light for landscape photography, (usually referring to the “magic hour”) there’s no such thing, there isn’t one type of lighting scenario that’s best for every single situation, every single landscape. That would be too simplistic and too limiting. “Best” light varies from situation to situation and it depends on what you are trying to achieve and what story you are trying to tell. The “sculpting”, angled light of the setting sun in the photo to the right works well in this situation because it basically makes the scene look beautiful and lively. That was my aim; the story in this image is about the natural beauty of this landscape and this particular type of light helped me communicate it effectively.

However, we don’t only photograph landscapes for their beauty. The scene to the right for example can’t necessarily be called beautiful. It is mysterious and mystical more than anything else. Shooting it in the same kind of light as the other image would produce an acceptable result, but photographing in the light during the early stages of

nautical twilight really helped emphasize the sense of mystery and mystique. At the end of the day the question of what light is best is something that you have to decide on. Landscapes don’t tell stories in themselves; you are the one who does and the light you choose will work with or against your stories and ideas.

In the case that you’ve found a particularly captivating landscape which you feel is capable of evoking different feelings and telling different stories in various kinds of light, it may be well worth coming back to photograph it in different lighting conditions.

Belarus countryside Rural Belarus. FF, 20mm, ISO 160, f/4, 1/1600s (Late stages of sunset)

Mt Batok Bromo National Park, Indonesia. FF, 20mm, ISO 640, f/5, 30s (tripod) (Shot during nautical twilight, about 40 minutes before sunrise)

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People in landscapes By including people into your landscape photographs you can communicate the scope of a place (scale) and you can also add a sense of story as well to make the scene feel more alive and more dynamic. Sometimes I like to take things a step further and put equal emphasis on people (or a person) and on the scenery. While one could argue that the photo is no longer a landscape once you do this, the thing that’s ultimately important is not what category the image belongs to, but the impact that it has, and when a person plays an important role in a photograph, there’s always the potential that the image will be captivating.

Technical • Landscapes often “demand” the use of an increased depth of field (a higher f-number). This is because a lot of the time the important elements in a given scene can be quite spaced out (from front to back) and a lower depth of field would mean not having all of them in focus. • Increased DOF means that less light is entering the camera and that may lead to having to slow down the shutter speed. A tripod becomes useful in such cases ensuring hat your images are free of undesired blur from camera shake. If you have a spirit bubble on that tripod, it’ll help you keep the horizon lines straight. •A  tripod will as always be indispensable when you’re doing long exposure photography – usually in the dark or when you’re conveying motion. •A  lmost any lens can be suitable for landscape photography. Wider lenses will allow you to show the scope of the scene better, while lenses with a longer focal length can be very useful for magnifying, isolating and emphasizing particular landscape features. • L onger lenses will also flatten perspective, making all the elements look like they are at approximately the same distance away from the viewer. This might not be ideal for all situations, but this can be a great creative effect in some cases. • E xposing for landscape scenes can at times be tricky because often the intensity of light is uneven (think bright sky, dark land mass). One effective way to resolve this involves putting the camera on a tripod and using “bracketing” (taking a series of images at different exposure settings). You can then take the images into HDR software like “Photomatix” and “blend” them to make one perfectly exposed image, even in the most challenging conditions.

In the Tatras Mountains Zakopane, Poland. FF, 24-70@42mm, ISO 100, f/7, 1/800s (Shot 1 hour after the “magic hour”)

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Buildings and monumnets Buildings and monuments play a very important part in infusing a place with character and making it visually distinct. Often these structures are unique to a place we’re visiting and reflective of its cultures, past and present. The very reason why many of us travel is to see world famous buildings and monuments, so it makes a lot of sense to dedicate some time to photographing them. Even if you aren’t crazy about the idea of making images of structures, your travel photo collection will almost certainly be incomplete if you avoid shooting them altogether.

The Buddha of Sukhothai Sukhothai, Thailand. CS, 18-55@18mm, ISO 100, f/7, 1/640s (Middle of the morning “magic hour”)

Making photos

Architects, artists and photographers have some things in common We are all concerned with how the viewer perceives our creations. We look for ways to draw the eye and to lead it with the aim of exploring various parts of those creations. Just like photographers, artists and architects often use lines, frames and recognizable geometrical shapes to achieve this aim. By having awareness of this, by emphasizing these elements through the way we compose the shot, we’re in a sense taking a shortcut to creating powerful images; we are going along with the ideas of the creators of the structures who have already considered what works best, as far as visually presenting their creations. Notice how in the bottom photo we’re immediately drawn to the domed structure. It is framed by the window, which was aligned with the structure this way to make it appear more

prominent and to draw the eye of whoever glanced through the window towards it. Because I chose to “mirror” the idea of the architects I have achieved the same effect in my photograph.

Going beyond the cliché Whenever we visit famous architectural sites and monuments it’s easy to fall in love with the postcard view. There’s nothing wrong with having your own take on the postcard image, but if you’re in the physical presence of the structure, it only makes sense to explore other ways of “seeing” it. Don’t stop at what’s obvious; explore different angles, look for patterns, photograph contrasts of new and old (e.g. modern glass business building next to the famous ancient structure) and wait for interesting lighting scenarios. In short, experiment and challenge yourself to create a shot that you haven’t seen before. Even if you don’t find that shot, you’ll be stimulating yourself

creatively and making the effort to “see”, rather than simply replicating “what’s been done to death” and because of this the result you’ll come up with will inevitably be more personal and will have a chance to be in some way unique. The image at the top is an example of my way of going beyond the cliché. It’s a photo of a famous temple in Bali and the standard way to photograph it would be to shoot it in its entirety from front on. Rather than do that I took a stroll around and noticed the interplay of light beams with the dark contours of a part of the temple. I created something a little more personal and unique than the usual postcard image simply because I didn’t stop at what was obvious.

Outlines and shapes of Tampak Siring temple Bali, Indonesia. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/1000s (Late stages of sunrise)

Ruins of an empire Mandu, India. CS, 18-55@18mm, f/3.5, 1/800s (Diffused light on a cloudy day)

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The power of simplicity and minimalism A lot of buildings and monuments are created with a minimalist approach so it makes sense to apply a similar philosophy to the way we compose our photographs every now and then. In practical terms this can mean photographing structures that are simple and minimalist in design against even more simple backdrops or it can also mean framing only the most striking, yet visually simple part of a structure against the same kind of backdrop and excluding everything else from the frame. The photo at the top is one example of the latter approach. I chose to include the domes and crosses against a plain, empty sky and framed out the rest of the church. What’s powerful about simplicity and minimalism is that they can be visually appealing; quite often less is more. Having a distinct symbol like a cross on the domes without any distractions around

it in the frame makes that symbol more visually heavy and this allows it to communicate the themes that it represents more directly and with more clarity.

Get in close, focus on the detail Often the detail in the structures we encounter can make for visually strong photographs. The reason for this is that the detail in itself can be very visually appealing. As I mentioned before, artists and architects are concerned with how their creations are perceived. Often they went to great lengths to make sure that even the most minute parts of their creations had visual impact and didn’t leave those who looked at them indifferent. By focusing on the detail we’re in effect emphasizing and perhaps even exaggerating what is special about a particular structure and this almost guarantees to give your image at least some amount of visual impact.

Photographs that focus on the detail of buildings or monuments can also evoke a strong sense of story; this is because even the smallest details can tell us about a culture, a religion or the time period in which the structure was made (for those with a good knowledge of history). For example, the patterns and the calligraphy in the photo at the bottom immediately refer to Islamic art and Middle Eastern culture. A close up of a large Buddha statue that focuses on the hand resting on the knee would be instantly symbolic of Buddhism and cultures that originate from Asia. While a cross is instantly associated with Christianity and European cultures.

Domes and crosses Church of the Seven Apostles, near Tiberias, Israel. FF, 24-70@38mm, ISO 100, f/10, 1/60s (Late morning light)

Symbols of Islam Jerusalem, Israel. FF, 24-70@70mm, ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800s (Early stages of sunrise)

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Light specifics You could photograph all the buildings and monuments you come across on your journeys during the “magic hour” with frontal or angled light illuminating most of the structure, and by doing this you would create visually pleasing results. However, as I’ve been suggesting throughout this eBook, it’s also worth thinking about what the light will communicate or how it will play in with what you want to say through the photograph. This thought is particularly relevant to the photography of buildings and monuments because of the symbolism and the stories that are often already associated with them. The two photos on this page work well being lit the way they are because in both of them the light is suitable to the situation at hand. In the case of the mosque the angled golden light of the “magic hour” accentuates its golden dome and brings to life the colours and detail, which

are integral to this structure. The fact that the light is so bright works in well with the themes of religion and spiritual enlightenment, which tie in with the mosque or any other “house of God”. The statue on the other hand benefits from the backlight. It’s rendered into a silhouette, which means that we see less detail and less colour, but this actually makes it easier for the viewer to focus on the symbols – the gesturing hand and the cross. The story is in those symbols and when you combine them with the divine looking sunrays, peering through the clouds, the story becomes even stronger. The point is that light as it relates to photography of buildings and structures can be crucial in emphasizing what the structure symbolizes and what story it tells. As with almost anything we photograph, there isn’t just one lighting scenario that’s “best” and ideal for every occasion.

There can be one type of light which works particularly well for a specific situation, but what type of light that is will vary. There are also cases when as with landscape photography, a few different types of light can effectively bring out different stories or different sides of a structure’s character and in those cases it’s certainly worth coming back to photograph the structure in various lighting conditions.

Golden Dome Mosque Jerusalem, Israel. FF, 20mm, ISO 100, f/4,5, 1/1000s (Early stages of sunrise)

Divine Prague, Czech Republic. CS, 18-55@25mm, ISO 100, f/4, 1/2000 (Late stages of sunset)

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Technical • A zoom lens which gives you wide to telephoto focal length range, around 17mm to at least 85mm (ideally more), would be the most ideal all around solution to photograph buildings and monuments. Alternatively two separate prime lenses, one wide, (the wider the better) one telephoto, will do the same job, just with less convenience. • When shooting tall buildings with wide lenses from up close, they (the buildings) will appear to be leaning in different directions. If we are aiming to create architecturally correct images this distortion is undesired, but since most of the time that’s not the aim, the leaning effect can be used creatively. We can make the lines of tall buildings lead the viewer’s eyes through the image and thus give it a more dynamic feel. • If you do want to create architecturally correct images there are a few ways to do this: 1. Get on “eye level” with the structure (around its middle vertically). 2. Get back, sometimes rather far (depending on how tall the building is) and use a lens with a longer focal length to reduce distortion. Correct whatever distortion still exists with Photoshop’s “distort-lens correction” filter. 3. Use a tilt-shift lens; it will enable you to “correct” the perspective and will straighten out those leaning buildings even when you are fairly close to them. • Lens flare can be a problem when shooting brightly lit scenes at night. To avoid it/reduce it, don’t shoot directly into the light and take off any filters that may be on your lens. • Any scenes in the dark will need to be photographed at long exposures and will require a tripod.

On the streets of Sydney Sydney, Australia. FF, 20mm, ISO 500, f/4, 1.6s ISO: 500 (Artificial light – street lights and building lights, camera on a tripod)

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Interiors Interiors can be described as the world indoors. Photos of the interiors we come across while travelling can give us a sense of a place’s culture and history (think museums, churches, temples) or even take us into a different, often lesser known fantasy-like dimension (hotels, clubs, theatres). Once you get into the world indoors with the idea of photographing, you open yourself up to a variety of different opportunities which can often lead to dramatic and powerful images.

Divine beams of light inside a church Inside the Church of the Seven Apostles, Israel. FF, 20mm, ISO 800, f.2.8, 1/200

(Outdoor light coming inside and directly illuminating particles of dust)

Making photos

“Building” on the ideas of artists and architects Interiors are basically buildings on the inside and the same principles that I mentioned in the previous section apply. Lines, frames and geometrical shapes formed by corridors, windows, doors, columns or arches are something that artists and architects use intentionally to give their creations visual impact. As a result, in the same way that photos of buildings and monuments can be stronger if you “build” them around these elements so can photos of interiors. Notice how in the photo to the right the corridor and the converging lines that it forms dominate the composition. Beyond the corridor’s function, the idea of the architect’s and the decorators/artist’s design here was to draw the eye and to create a sense of journey, of going deep into the interior even without physically walking through the corridor. By making this corridor/converging lines

into the focal point of the photo I’ve essentially achieved a similar effect.

Photograph from below, photograph from above This applies more so if the interior you’re photographing is spacious and there’s a sense of grandeur to it; e.g. a castle or a large “house of God”. You can emphasize these qualities and communicate them in a more dramatic manner by getting down low and making the photo while angling the camera up or by shooting what’s down below from an elevation (when possible; i.e. balconies).

of bringing on a strong sense of mood, in other cases natural outdoor light coming inside can contribute to the mood – think of dramatic light beams peering through windows or holes in the roof. Strong interplay of shadow and light caused by artificial or natural light can also be very atmospheric. Every interior will be lit differently in at least some way; hence the lighting scenarios are virtually innumerable. The main thing is to pay attention to the different nuances, so that you can really capture the drama that light creates.

Light specifics The light indoors is very different to that outdoors and usually that’s a good thing, because the lighting scenarios you’ll face can be particularly evocative and atmospheric. In some interiors you might have a situation where artificial lights are set up with the sole purpose

The mysterious corridor Hotel Tugu Malang, Malang. FF, 20mm, ISO 1600, f/2, 1/13s (Mood lighting designed by the hotel decorators)

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Making photos

People and interiors As is the case with landscapes, the inclusion of people into photos of interiors can help communicate the scale of a place as well as add life and a sense of story to the photograph. How much attention you draw to the person (or people) will depend on the situation, but if the interior is particularly beautiful or fascinating, it would make no sense to reduce it to a blurred backdrop for a portrait.

If I have a “special” interior with people in it, I try to make it more visually heavy than the people. This usually means avoiding compositions where people take up more space within the frame than the interior. Of course people could still draw most of the attention: they might have bright costumes, while the interior might be dark That’s OK if they don’t take up much space within the frame they won’t completely overshadow everything that’s special about the place.

Technical • Wide angle lenses (20mm and wider) are pretty much a must; remember the wider the lens – the more of the interior you’ll be able to fit into the frame. • Because the light indoors is usually much weaker than that outdoors you’ll often need to lower the shutter speed, which means that you can get unwanted blurring from camera shake and it may be neccessary to use a tripod, if there isn’t space for one, try to stabilize yourself as much as possble e.g. lean against a wall. • The intensity of light indoors can be more uneven than that outdoors. To get “perfectly” exposed images follow the same advice as given in the “Landscapes” section.

Monks in a monastery Bylakuppe, India. FF, 24-70@38mm, ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/80s (Outdoor light coming through a large door and windows)

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Still life objects Still life objects that we encounter on our journeys – the things that people use in their everyday lives, objects of religious significance or objects which serve as decorations – all of these are very capable of giving the viewers (of our images) a sense of culture and history as well as telling the more intimate stories of the places we travel to. Making these objects the focus of our photographs can lead to fascinating results.

Hindu gods Streetside temple, Jaipur, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 400, f/3.5, 1/100s

(Diffused light in the shade)

Making photos

Composing photos of still life objects The great thing about still life objects is that their relatively small size allows us to photograph them from virtually all imaginable angles. For this reason, whenever I come across an object that I consider “photogenic” I like to experiment and will usually make at least a few differently composed images of it. Quite often we’ll come across situations where we’ll see an orderly arrangement of repeating, distinctly shaped objects. The round/oval pots stacked closely together in the bottom photograph are a good example of this. To the casual passerby such scenes won’t mean

Textured door Streets of Jaisalmer, India. CS, 50mm, ISO 200, f/2.5, 1/125s

(Diffused light in the shade)

Clay pots Potter’s street, Bakhtapur, Nepal. CS, 24-70@70mm, ISO 400, f/2.8, 1/125s

much, but to the observant photographer they present great opportunities to photograph visually interesting or eye pleasing patterns. Such patterns aren’t limited to repetition of objects either; they can at times be part of an object’s design, as was the case in the top photo. By being aware of these things you’re giving yourself the chance to create photos that are out of the ordinary and often become more engaging because of the way they are composed.

Textures An object’s texture is a large part of what gives it its character. This is particularly true with objects that are old, weathered and roughly textured. Some of these might include working tools, boats, antique furniture, door handles etc. The roughness of the textures of these objects, the marks and the scratches are signs of usage, age and history. It’s worth emphasizing such textures in our images because by doing this we’re essentially drawing

attention to the story of the object’s “life” and this makes for interesting photography. One obvious way to emphasize the texture of an object is to give the viewer a closer look at it (go in close or zoom in on the object); however, almost as important is the way you use light. Any diffused light is great for showing the detail in the texture, but if you want to make the texture “pop” (look more dramatic) you’ll be better suited with directional light that comes from almost any source, as long as it’s directed from the side or at a 45° angle in relation to the object (as mentioned on page 32 ). When light is used this way really effectively, the image gains a sense of threedimensionality and the viewers feel almost as if the object can be physically touched.

(Diffused light in the shade)

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Making photos

Light specifics Besides diffused light and directional light which are ideal for emphasizing textures, like almost anything else “still life” objects benefit from the golden/warm qualities of light during the “magic hour”; i.e. they can look more lively, vivid and dramatic. The elongated shadows resulting from this type of light are also important. Notice how in the photo “Colours” the long/big shadows help separate the clothes from the wall. Without the shadows the scene would look flat and rather ordinary. The very atmospheric but usually weak firelight can be taken advantage of when we shoot “still life” objects. There are two reasons for this: 1. They won’t move and cause blurring, allowing for long exposures/ slower shutter speeds. 2. They are usually relatively small and can be illuminated with less intense light.

Technical • When you’re close to smaller objects (within a foot/30cm), you may have to raise the f-number fairly high if you want to have sharp focus throughout the entire image (back to front). •A  tripod is always useful in darker situations and because it keeps the camera still it also helps keep constant focus (the camera is not moving backwards and forwards). This comes in particularly handy with smaller objects or details which are harder to focus on. • T here isn’t any specific lens which is ideal to photograph still life objects, but it is safe to say that unless you’ll be shooting objects that are far away, you’ll be able to do well with almost any lens in the range of 20mm to 85mm.

Exercise You can experiment photographing objects around the house; it’s something that every experienced photographer would have done at some stage to learn more about the craft of photography. I find that a smaller (preferably), roughtextured “still life” object (e.g. anorange or a clay vase) along with a table lamp can really help one understand the way direction of light changes the appearance of things. Illuminate the object from different angles by moving the lamp around it, take photos and study the differences between various lighting setups, pay special attention to how the texture changes when you move the lamp to the side and when you angle it at 45°.

Colours Rural Madhya Pradesh, India. CS, 24-70@60mm, ISO 100, f/3.5, 1/320s (Beginning of the “magic hour”)

Candles and prayers Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem, Israel. FF, 20mm, ISO 640, f/2.8, 1/50s

(Candle light slightly assisted by daylight penetrating the windows)

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Final words The really good travel photographers or any really good photographers for that matter will tell you that learning photography is a life-long journey and hence you should by no means feel that you know all there is to know about travel photography by simply reading an eBook of any sort. The fact is, while all the theory and practical advice will without a doubt help make you a better photographer, there’s ultimately only so much that can be learned by reading and looking at photos. At the end of the day none of this will matter, unless you get out there and actually start making photos. My hope is that by going through the information and the images in this eBook you will have gained enough information and inspiration to grab your camera and to start creating your own images, to start trying out certain things, experimenting and discovering new ways of seeing the world through the camera’s viewfinder. Whether you do this on a short journey to your hometown’s famous landmark or on a lengthy trip to a faraway exotic destination doesn’t really matter because it’s all travel photography. As long as you’re taking photos, the learning process won’t stop and as a result nor will your growth as a photographer.

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