Chapter 1: introduction
Let’s face it. There are lots of books and workshops on the topic of Travel Photography. It’s the glamorous world of National Geographic, Condé Nast Traveler, and Lonely Planet. And there are some superb travel and documentary photographers out there – Nevada Wier, Brenda Tharpe, Chris Rainier among others. There is one thing professional travel photographers have in common: while on the road, they shoot 24/7. They are up and out before dawn, getting in place for early morning light, then sunrise, and post-sunrise shadows. Then there’s midday indoor shooting, or making the best of the harsh midday light or scoping out sunset locations or the next day’s shots. And then there are the golden hour photographs just before, during and after sunset. There are the night shots – neon, street lights, campfires, stars and moon light. Then a night edit, more planning of the next morning’s shots, backing up the day’s shots, cleaning the lenses and, as time allows, some sleep before starting over again the next pre-dawn. Regardless of their passion and skill, it is also their job, their means of making a living, their bread-and-butter.
Josef Hoflehner, a fine art and travel photographer, says it succinctly: “Sometimes I waited for hours or even days to get the right weather or light for a specific location.” (Rangefinder Magazine, March 2012). Or this quote from National Geographic photographer Sam Abell: “One of the things that I most believe in is the compose and wait philosophy of photography. .... You have picked your place, you’ve picked your scene, you’ve picked your light, you’ve done all the decision making and you are waiting for the moment to come to you.” The rest of us generally don’t have the luxury of full time travel or hanging out a couple of extra hours or days or more to get the right light for the right shot, yet alone full time solo travel. I’ve spoken with professional photographers who don’t take cameras with them on family vacations! (Well, maybe an iPhone.) Photos to document a family experience may be quite different than the typical subject for travel photographers. While travel photography is a job, our travels don’t have to be. And there is no reason why we can’t come home with not only great memories, but also great photos. And that’s the purpose of this book – Travel Photography for the Rest of Us.
Goals of Travel Photography for the Rest of Us
I think there are three role of photography during personal travels:
Josef Hoflehner, a fine art and travel photographer, says it succinctly: “Sometimes I waited for hours or even days to get the right weather or light for a specific location.” (Rangefinder Magazine, March 2012). Or this quote from National Geographic photographer Sam Abell: “One of the things that I most believe in is the compose and wait philosophy of photography. .... You have picked your place, you’ve picked your scene, you’ve picked your light, you’ve done all the decision making and you are waiting for the moment to come to you.” The rest of us generally don’t have the luxury of full time travel or hanging out a couple of extra hours or days or more to get the right light for the right shot, yet alone full time solo travel. I’ve spoken with professional photographers who don’t take cameras with them on family vacations! (Well, maybe an iPhone.) Photos to document a family experience may be quite different than the typical subject for travel photographers. While travel photography is a job, our travels don’t have to be. And there is no reason why we can’t come home with not only great memories, but also great photos. And that’s the purpose of this book – Travel Photography for the Rest of Us.
Goals of Travel Photography for the Rest of Us
I think there are three role of photography during personal travels:
- Documenting the trip,
- Documenting your presence (and those of your traveling companions), and
- Creating the Icon shots
First, you want to have photographs that will remind you of your experience upon your return as well as years later visiting Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and the Brooklyn Bridge. They don’t have to be “great shots” but good enough for viewing and sharing and hopefully evoking a collective memory. These are the document photos.
Second, there is the near universal desire to show that “we” visited these spots. So, photograph traveling companions – maybe even set up a shot so that the Niagara Falls is visible in the background! (But not too close!) Also ask your companions to take YOUR photograph from time to time – you were there too! This category also includes, of course, selfies!
We’ll cover the basics of these two categories in the pages that follow. Without much effort and without taking any extra time out of a busy (or relaxing) trip, documentary and personal photos can be greatly improved over the “norm.”
And, finally, there is goal three – what I call the Icon photograph. This is where you focus on several images that will be worthy of enlargements, framing, and sharing. These are the shots that will often (but not always) require some thought concerning time of day, weather conditions, shade, and shadow.
The three photos illustrating these goals were all shot within fifty feet of one another and in a ten minute period. The shot I most wanted is the last – the road leading the viewer along the edge of the Grand Tetons. But I also like the inclusion of the entry sign with a similar background, and then the inclusion of the family. Three photos, three purposes.
These photographs were also taken mid-afternoon, not the ideal time for great outdoor photography. But the use of a polarizing filter enabled me to get the clouds to pop out more clearly and the sky to be the wonderful shade of blue. We’ll discuss filters in more detail in Chapter 3. For now, just remember that vacations and great photography can go hand-in-hand. On now to the initial planning stages in Chapter 2.
And, finally, there is goal three – what I call the Icon photograph. This is where you focus on several images that will be worthy of enlargements, framing, and sharing. These are the shots that will often (but not always) require some thought concerning time of day, weather conditions, shade, and shadow.
The three photos illustrating these goals were all shot within fifty feet of one another and in a ten minute period. The shot I most wanted is the last – the road leading the viewer along the edge of the Grand Tetons. But I also like the inclusion of the entry sign with a similar background, and then the inclusion of the family. Three photos, three purposes.
These photographs were also taken mid-afternoon, not the ideal time for great outdoor photography. But the use of a polarizing filter enabled me to get the clouds to pop out more clearly and the sky to be the wonderful shade of blue. We’ll discuss filters in more detail in Chapter 3. For now, just remember that vacations and great photography can go hand-in-hand. On now to the initial planning stages in Chapter 2.