P is for People

From carefully-posed portraits to candids of everyday life, people are the most enduring of travel photography subjects. In well-known tourist destinations, some form of payment is often expected when shooting posing locals, so go armed with the right currency to honour the exchange. Although cameras are pretty much omnipresent throughout the world, there are still cultures that are sensitive to photography, so if you’re taking photos in an overt way, be polite and ask your subject before shooting. If they decline, thank them and move on.

If you’re seeking candid shots without permission, longer lenses are an obvious solution, but maintaining eye contact with the person when you lower your camera will make it obvious that they’re your subject and may cause offence. To avoid any potential confrontation, before lowering your camera, keep your eye on a building or feature in the distance beyond the subject. Keep looking at it with interest when your camera’s down, and the assumption will be that the building is your subject. It’s a bit devious, but exercise this technique with skill, and you may well find that your true subject looks round at the building behind them to see what all the fuss is about!

When you capture candid people pictures, set your camera to its fastest frame rate and rattle off a few shots in quick succession. This will record any changing expressions, and will also reduce the chances of the subject blinking at the moment of capture.