Travel Tips

On the trip

Look at all the local postcards to check out the important spots and it will save time finding some of the better viewpoints. Try to see these spots in a new way and photograph in a more vibrant style – new angles, new lighting, new compositions, exploit different weather and lighting conditions. Don't just copy the best postcards.

With your compass you can check the sun positions if it's cloudy at first. The classic cliché locations will have been photographed millions of time, making it hard to do something different, but often it is possible.

Hiring a local guide from a reliable source can be useful for a quick tour and information source.
Travel photos are often more successful if they include people. Good tact and a good manner are necessary. Many people don't mind being photographed but some do. If a person is prominent in an image, agencies won't take the picture for advertisements without a model release form. Nobody will sign such a form without payment so people need to be treated fairly.
If the people are part of a crowd or small in the image, then there is less of a problem. Images can usually be used for editorial without model release forms.

When photographing people in close-up, it is polite to ask permission first. You don't need the language, sign language and hand gestures will work. If the subject is doing a task of work, then the picture will still look natural. Smile and be friendly.

A good way to create more friendliness is to buy something from a market stall owner. In third world countries market prices are very low by western standards and the items can be used as presents back home.

Be particularly careful when photographing religious events and prayers.
To be safe, find out which are the sacred and sensitive areas and get permission from someone on the spot.

Pay can be low in many countries and an official blocking your way can sometimes be made more co-operative with a smile and a small bribe.
The right approach with local people can get you up into buildings to take shots from high viewpoints. In some countries, a few coins or a present from home can work wonders.
Be flexible. The weather might not turn out as expected so have alternative plans and locations ready. On the other hand, a building which would look dramatic in the sun at a certain time, might also look dramatic in the fog or rain with a stormy sky. Or go back to a location you have already covered. Seeing the place for a second time, in a different light with different people around can offer new an unexpected opportunities.

So have back-up plans for when circumstances change.

If you are into street scenes and photographs of people, carry the camera discretely in your hand so it is quick to make the most of an unexpected opportunity. It's of no use tucked away inside the bag.
Recognizable camera bags can attract too much attention from thieves in unsafe places. A small plain holdall or standard rucksack can be a better disguise.

Aim to take most images in the early morning and late afternoon where the low sun provides more appealing lighting. When photographing in narrow alleys no sun can be an advantage, although shafts of light might give a strong graphic effect. The right lighting can really make the picture.
Think about lighting rather than just light.

Try to sum up the feel of a place in a single image. Look for unique perspectives of famous places. It might be buildings, local designs, patterns, crafts, food, costumes or festivals.
Find a good vantage point before the festival or parade starts. Also cover the preparations and aftermath of a big festival.

Don't go with a local person who offers to be your guide; his intention will be to take you to a particular souvenir shop where you will be harassed to buy and the 'guide' will be on commission. You will also pay more when with one of these 'guides'.
Go to the old city within a city. It will be a small area and usually the more interesting quarter.

Take a notebook and take regular notes of places photographed – name of the building, the street, the area, historical dates, etc. Trying to remember all these things when you are back home will be too late. Such information is essential to add keywords to your images for library sales.

If you promised to send prints to people who were co-operative on the trip be sure to do so. It will help if you ever return and people will also be more trusting to other photographers.

Have fun and enjoy the work – it makes the pictures better.




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