Taming landscapes
Documenting the varied landscapes that you come across when travelling can add a sense of place to larger collections of images – and be stunning in their own right…
1 GET ALL GOLDEN
Many photographers are attracted to photographing sunrises and sunsets, but in the so-called golden hours, a little after sunrise and before sunset, your subject can be bathed in atmospheric warm light. Sunset light can be atmospheric, but there is something special about sunrise light. The air is often crisper and, depending on the season, you can get a photogenic smattering of mist. This can involve an early start though: Dartmoor has been my happy place during lockdown, but is an hour's drive away. A flask of coffee can be as vital for photography as a camera in these circumstances.
Don’t always feel that you have to include the sun in your sunrise and sunset shots: often it can dominate the picture. Turn away, and look for the light falling on subjects away from the sun and how they are lit. Named sunrise points can be better at sunset and vice versa. If you do include the sun, even peripherally, then a lens hood and a clean lens can avoid problems of flare in the picture.
2 WORK THE LIGHT
Many people will advise you to shoot with the sun ‘over your shoulder’ to avoid problems with exposure and flare in the lens. This can lead to somewhat flat pictures though, especially with landscapes. Shooting into the light, on the other hand, can create more drama – introducing light and shadow in to the image. It can make the most of overcast conditions, creating shots that are ethereal and atmospheric. Certain subjects are better with the light behind them: grasslands, tea-plantations and rice paddies will all pop with vibrancy, especially if combined with a polarizing filter.
Broken cloud is perfect for photography, making skies more interesting and casting dappled light on the scene. Even heavier cloud can produce dramatic results, if it allows isolated beams of light to shine through. Look out for these effects and build them into your compositions.
3 TAKE YOUR TIME
Landscapes are about taking time: time to wait for the light, and time to consider the image. Use a tripod to slow yourself down, and think about what elements of the scene are important to you. If the sky is a featureless mass, then don’t let it take up a third of your picture – just because the rule of thirds says so! Look for features that can aid the composition instead. Strong shapes and contours can lead the eye into the picture;
Don’t always feel that you have to include the sun in your sunrise and sunset shots: often it can dominate the picture
solo trees or rocks can be placed on third lines to make a composition appear more balanced.
Consider the depth of field. This is governed by the focal length, focus distance and aperture. Your picture will be sharper if you don’t use the narrowest aperture, unless you have to. Use a depth of field calculator app to work out where to focus and the required aperture. You can do this whilst waiting for the light conditions to be perfect and for shadows cast by clouds to reach the right place.
4 GET EXTREME
Extreme weather conditions, such as storms and fog, might deter hikers, but they can be fantastic for landscape and outdoor photography. Photographs taken in the middle of the day can be quite bland; add a leaden sky and your picture can have more atmosphere – especially if enhanced with a graduated filter, whether real or virtually in Adobe Lightroom. Even rain can be your friend, bringing drama to your pictures: you might even be rewarded with a rainbow or two. Don’t be a fair-weather photographer, but always make sure to have a raincover in your camera bag, just in case. These can be bought cheaply online, and are really effective.
You should bear in mind the weather when planning shoots, and be prepared to change what you are doing to suit the conditions. Overcast days are perfect for photographing forests and long exposures of water, rather than sweeping vistas.
5
FIND A NEW ANGLE
Many of the great travel icons have been photographed to death. We are all completely familiar with the Taj Mahal or Machu Picchu, even if we have never seen them for ourselves. Don’t just replicate the same view that has been taken by so many other photographers, explore and find an angle that is special to you. Move around a landmark and see how this changes how it fits in the environment. As you move then the various elements in the scene will combine in a different way. Think about things that mean something to you and try to photograph how it feels to experience this long anticipated travel icon. Do your explorations in the heat of the day, and then return when the light is perfect.
6
SEE IN A NEW LIGHT
You can make even the most routine angles stand out by shooting them in stunning light. This might be a matter of pure luck. If you happen to be at a place when a beam of light breaks through the clouds then you can be rewarded with a dramatic picture. As with all things photographic, the more effort you put in, the more luck you create. Depending on the orientation of any landmark, then it might be best photographed at sunrise or sunset. So the classic views of Angkor Wat in Cambodia or the Treasury at Petra in Jordan are when they are lit at sunrise; whereas Deadvlei in Namibia and Jodhpur Fort are best photographed at sunrise. Some icons, such as the Taj Mahal can be photographed at both – depending on where you stand.
7
ADD A HUMAN TOUCH
Adding a person to your composition can make even a familiar view much more interesting. Many landmarks also attract local people to see them, often in traditional dress. Combining a domestic tourist in a red sari with a picture of the Taj Mahal, or a silhouetted monk to emphasize the scale of the teak U Bein Bridge in Mandalay, can provide both a focal point for a composition, as well as a greater meaning, such as scale.
Try to learn to anticipate: don’t just look for when a person is in a good place for a photograph, look out for people who are likely to shortly be in a good position. This will give you time to prepare your framing and camera settings. Compose your photograph and then wait for the person to walk into the correct place in the frame.
Don’t just replicate the same view that has been taken by so many other photographers, explore and find an angle that is special to you
8 ICONIC EVENTS
Icons don’t have to be just landmarks or monuments. Events, rituals and even festivals can be iconic, too. Research what is quintessential about a location, and try to find out exactly what happened and where. Luang Prabang in Laos is more noted for the long lines of monks on their morning alms round than any of the spectacular monasteries in the town. The Carnival of Venice is a similarly iconic festival, and quite simply the best and most photogenic time to visit the city, in spite of all of the crowds. As well as scheduling any visit to be there at the right time, work hard to get yourself into the right place, and then allow yourself to be swept up in the moment. The most engaging pictures come when you allow yourself to be a part of what is going on, not when you hover as a distant observer.
9
ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE
Interacting with locals is a highlight of travel for me. I love people, I am fascinated with their lives and love to engage with them. My biggest fear for post-covid travel is that the warmth of being welcomed into someone’s life might be replaced by fear and suspicion of strangers. I always prefer to approach someone and seek permission to photograph them wherever possible. This allows me to get closer and shoot more engaging portraits, but also to shoot something unique in the way that a person interacts with me. Rely on a shared humanity with someone to break the ice. Looking them in the eye and smiling will work wonders – even if you don’t share a language.
10
CONTACT THE EYES
Good eye contact will make your portraits more engaging, especially if your subject is wearing a mask, when the rest of their face will be obscured. One of the biggest blocks to eye contact is the very act of having a camera in front of your face. Few subjects will continuously look into the camera, they will generally be intimidated and look away. Composing on the preview screen won’t help either, as your subject will tend hold eye contact with you – not the camera. My technique is to establish eye contact whilst I talk to someone, then raise the camera briefly into the line of sight, take a couple of shots then drop it again to re-establish eye contact. Talk to them or smile, then lift the camera again. You will not have the camera in front of your face for long enough to be intrusive. It is a difficult technique to master, so practise it with friends or family first.
11
ACTION PORTRAITS
Your subject is much more likely to be more relaxed if they’re photographed whilst in the process of doing something, rather than just standing to attention. Action portraits are classic subjects for street photographers, allowing pictures to
be taken when the subject is too busy to even notice that they are being shot. Ask questions about what they’re doing, show an interest – even if you have to use sign language. Ask if you can have a go yourself then, when you inevitably fail (in my case), let them continue and photograph them doing it properly. You will have far more time to consider your image than if you just steal a quick shot, and the longer you are with them, the more likely they are to get used to your presence, giving a more natural result.
12
THINK ABOUT THE BACKGROUND
The background can make or break a portrait. Select a plain background so as not to distract from the subject, or a complementary colour to balance tones. You can create an environmental portrait by selecting a significant background or something that tells a story about the person you’re shooting. Compose your shot so that they are on one side of the frame, with the background filling the space. The composition will look more balanced, and the significant background will be revealed. Depending on the focal length and aperture, you can vary the depth of field meaning that the background will be sharp or nicely out of focus.
You can change the background by repositioning your subject or by walking around them. If you have asked to take someone’s photo, and you walk around them, they will almost always turn their head to follow you, maintaining eye contact and sometimes giving a more pleasing perspective on their face.
Rely on a shared humanity with someone to break the ice. Looking them in the eye and smiling will work wonders
13 FIND A VIEWPOINT
Many of the best views of a city are from high viewpoints where you can appreciate a vista. Think of Paris from the hill of Montmartre or Hong Kong from the summit of The Peak. Many of these views are well known, and oft-photographed, but that doesn't mean that you should avoid them. The best viewpoints are the ones that still allow you access at sunrise or sunset, or even later for night photography. Many commercial viewpoints are only open during office hours.
However, sometimes the view from a local tower, a minaret or even a cafe terrace can provide the best view of a district or square. I have even been known to cajole my way onto private rooftops or hang off bridges to achieve a slightly elevated perspective that allows me to look down onto something. If this allows you to present a scene in a way that is seldom seen, then you will have gone a long way to creating a photo than stands out. Sometimes you can find a convenient viewpoint by simply standing by what you want to photograph, and looking around for something to climb on.
14 TURN THE AIR BLUE
Cities are perfect subjects for night photography – or rather, perfect subjects for dusk photography. So-called ‘night’ photos are much better taken when there is still some light in the sky, otherwise the contrast between floodlit buildings and inky-black sky will be too great. Shortly after sunset, there is the ‘blue hour’, although this generally does not last an hour and isn’t always blue! This is the period when the sun is just below the horizon, and the colour temperature can turn everything – especially the dusk sky – a deep blue. Sometimes though, depending on the sunset, the sky will also have elements of pink and purple. There is generally a short window when the falling ambient light matches any city lights. The best way to establish this time is to work out the exposure for the floodlit portions of the image, and then keep shooting, reviewing the images until the sky also renders correctly.
15 HIT THE MARKETS
If any one place sums up the life, soul and culture of a city, it is the local market. These might be devoted to food, livestock or all manner of tools, clothes and implements; often they might even be flower markets. Providing a colourful background and portraits of often garrulously confident traders, I have photographed flower markets as far afield as
You won't find these more traditional and interesting moments in the Westernized tourist districts of a city: head to the local, old town
Mandalay, Delhi and even Colombia Road in London. Most markets start early, attracting local people for an authentic feel, and helping you to skip the tourist hordes.
Some, like Damnoen Saduak floating market near Bangkok, will start at dawn with a local market for food and vegetables, which will gradually be replaced by trinkets as the morning progresses and more tourists arrive. Arrive too late in the morning and you will wonder what all the fuss is about.
Early in the day, the light is softer. As the sun rises higher, traders will seek shelter in the shadows, leading to problems with contrast. Avoid these extremes by shooting closer and composing to keep the majority of your subject in shade or direct light. If you can’t avoid having shadow and direct light, then judicious use of fill in flash can help.
16 LOOK FOR DETAILS
Cities are not just about the grand buildings or the sweeping vistas. So often they are more epitomized by a series of local tableaus and details. This is when it pays to walk around and look for things that interest you. It might be something as simple as an old door with a sleeping cat, or a window frame, or a roadside stall.
In Asia, all life seems to exist on the streets: you can see people washing, cooking and eating. In many places during the heat of the day they might be sleeping. In more local districts you will always see craftsmen working by the side of the road, mending and making things, often with very little attention to health and safety.
You won't find these more traditional and interesting moments in the Westernized tourist districts of a city: head to the local, old town, where you will often be shooting in narrow streets and alleyways. These have the advantage of generally always being in full shadow, avoiding problems with contrast. Just increase the ISO and use a warming white balance to compensate for the light.
17 REMEMBER THE JOURNEY
Travel is about more than just a series of places you go to – it is also about the process of getting somewhere, and in many cases, the way that you move around when you are there. Trains, taxis and rickshaws can all be significant parts of the travel experience. Make sure to keep your camera handy when travelling around, and focus on what it means to be on that mode of transport. Think of the thing that you would want to tell someone about your journey when you return home, and then work out the best way to capture it in an image. Consider what elements you would need to include in pictures to tell that story, and how to combine them. This is a good way to approach any subject that you wish to photograph.
18 EXPERIENCE EVERYTHING
The single most effective way to photograph the travel experience is simply to make sure that you experience something in the first place! I am not the sort of photographer who is a passive observer – wherever possible I want to get involved! I have a theory that someone looking at your pictures will feel something of the emotion that you felt when you took it. If you were bored and disinterested, then so will they be. If you were scared or excited, then they will feel something of this too. If you become a collector of experiences, then you are in a better position to photograph them in a way that reaches out to the viewer of your pictures. Through your photography, you can help to transport the person looking at the picture into the same position. Get in close to the subject – experience all it has to offer and you will be able to challenge your audience and provoke a response in them.
19 EMBRACE THE NEGATIVE
Not everything about the travel experience is positive. Depending on your destination, you may well encounter
poverty and difficult conditions. This is a part of being in an unfamiliar place, and you should embrace it in your photography. I am not just referring to shooting documentary-style pictures of those less fortunate – although these can be very important images to shoot. Impossibly crowded conditions, dust storms or even the deluge of an Asia monsoon can sum up an important essence of travel in many parts of the world.
Photography is all about communication, so you should try to think of travel photography as a way of documenting your entire journey, rather than just a series of unconnected images. Keep a mental list of ‘remarkable’ things in the true sense of the word – things that you would remark upon to a travel companion, or to a friend you are relating your trip to back home. These are the important things about your personal journey, and you should endeavour to capture them with you camera, as well as just with your memories.
20 THINK OF THE SENSES
Travel is so often an assault on the senses.
If you only come back with a collection of photos of landmarks then you may as well just buy a bunch of postcards. Food and taste is one of the easiest things to experience and photograph as you travel. In many parts of the world, food is openly laid out in front of us on the street: stalls selling raw produce or cooked snacks can be found everywhere and make compelling subjects for photography. Try to shoot them in such a way as to show the context though, whether by including a background to give a sense of place, or include the person cooking or eating.
Try to take pictures that convey other senses too: the heady smell of tropical flowers or spices, the touch of wind or baking sun, and, in many places, the ever-present cacophony of the sound of car horns! Showing people reacting to all of these can give an impression of what it feels like to experience them for yourself.