13 | MONEY MATTERS
INAUGURAL ISSUE
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY It’s all about the details
M
ost people on holiday rush from monument to monument snapping away with their cameras. They try to get photos of everything they see, but get home with a load of mediocre photographs. The secret to taking good travel photos is to slow down and focus on the details. If you record a famous monument or scene in an original way your shots will stand out. It is far better to get quality photos of a few places than a snapshot of everything you see. Stand in front of the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower and you are surrounded by people taking photos. Most just raise the camera to their eye and take a horizontal snapshot of the whole scene. Then they move on to the next viewpoint and do the same. A few will turn the camera vertical, or try and compose a shot, or include their families in the frame. While the photos they take are great keepsakes, they are unlikely to be of interest to anyone else. To make your photos stand out, focus on the small details that make every day unique. Look for a lizard on a rock to include in your Grand Canyon photo, or an interesting group of tourists in front of the Eiffel Tower. Putting details in the foreground of your landscapes gives them depth and adds interest. A shot of a famous location is always more eye-catching when it includes local people or a detail of local life. Instead of trying to record the whole scene in front of you, look for small details and textures that make a good photograph in their own right. Visit famous landmarks and monuments at dawn or dusk when the sunlight brings out patterns and casts long, interesting shadows. Try and capture patterns and abstracts such as carved doorways or even old signs. Markets are a great place to search for typical produce that is perfect for detail shots. Also, keep an eye out for attractive shop windows, old posters, and local graffiti.
The most successful travel photos include details but still show the viewer where they were taken. Wide angle photos include small objects in the frame and still show enough background to give your shots a sense of location. Wide shots work best when you have a busy foreground and a recognizable landmark of skyline in the background. Alternatively, use a telephoto to zoom in on interesting details. Telephoto lenses compress perspective and allow you to include faraway elements in your background. Travel photos work best when the viewer knows instantly where the photograph was taken. You can provide this immediate recognition by including something typical in your travel photos. Any street scene in Paris is instantly recognizable if it includes the Eiffel Tower in the background. A red telephone box, even if it is a small element in a photo, automatically places your photo in London.
...focus on the small details that make every day unique. Focus on the details and your travel photos will feel more intimate and personal to the viewer. Try and capture the little things that catch your eye while you are walking around. Find unique details that other photographers walk straight past and you will come home with photographs worth putting on display.