FOCUS ON GREAT SHOTS
Photographer Lindsay Keats gives his tips for taking better travel pics.
One of the joys of travelling is that envy-inducing snaps you can share with your family and friends on your social feed. Taking them on a journey of their own through the eyes of your camera is all part of the package. With that, you want to make sure the images you show off are the best they can be — school up before you ship out with these top tips from travel photography veteran and Fujifilm X-Photographer Lindsay Keats.
1 Travel light
You don’t want to be weighed down when roaming the unfamiliar streets of a foreign country. If you are investing in new a camera for your trip consider the smaller mirrorless cameras — they are more lightweight and inconspicuous than the larger DSLRs and you can easily fit one into your pocket or a small backpack. It also helps you avoid “obvious tourist syndrome”.
2 Bring several memory cards
The fear of every traveller touting a camera — losing all of your travel photos! To counter this, carry several smaller memory cards rather than one large one that contains everything from your trip. Keep them in a safe place and, if you can, back-up to a laptop regularly.
3 Treat people like people
Understandably, a lot of people can be a little bit on edge when they spy a tourist taking their photo without first asking. When photographing people, remember they are exactly that. Always ask if it’s okay to take their photograph. It’s not necessarily required for general street scenes but if the person is the main subject, then it’s only polite to do so. Learn “hello” and “thank you” in the local language. If you make a connection with the people you meet, you are sure to get better shots.
4 Plan, plan and plan some more
Don’t think of it as homework, think of it as investing in capturing some amazing shots and do a little research before you set out for the day. A key thing to plan for is the light. Make the most of early-morning and afternoon light to get sunbathed monuments and landscapes. Also plan to get up a little earlier to skip the tour-bus-crowds at busy morning markets in places like India and Morocco — it’s a great opportunity to see the locals in their element.
5 Don’t be afraid to experiment
Even if you’re not a pro photographer, test out the unfamiliar settings on your camera.
In the digital age, there’s nothing to lose but a few MBs on your memory card to try out a new setting. For example, high ISO settings help when shooting in lower light (check your instruction book) and are really useful for evening street scenes with people or night markets.
Extra pro-tip: most cameras shoot very well up to 3200 ISO so you can shoot hand-held in places like churches, temples, or mosques where tripods are sometimes banned.