Travel & Photography with a Purpose
by Wallace Weeks 6/14/2011
One of the great contributions a traveler with a camera makes to all who see their pictures is to demonstrate that all people love, laugh, celebrate, mourn, propagate, and die. We want to live and be part of a society. We all value some principles, arts, artifacts, and events highly enough to pass them to our children. These are some of the ways that all of the people on earth today and all of our ancestors are alike. More, these shared traits of people are captured in the images of travel photographers to be shared with others. Even better, the traveler was privileged to experience the culture and the individuals who make it.
Mark Twain said, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Not all can travel, but all can be the beneficiary of travel photographers. The photographs and experiences of travel photographers, when shared, help viewers to better appreciate the world we live in. With a better appreciation some will become more friendly, have greater tolerance for others, and become better stewards of our earth. This can be the higher purpose of the travel photographer.
So, travel, shoot, and share images that allow others to appreciate our world a little bit more.
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COMMENTS
I couldn't agree with you more. As a career photojournalist I have made it my mission in life to portray the events playing out before my camera both ethically and in a manner to generate interest leading to action. This is not always easy to do. You are right that communication leads to understanding and peace and I have taken this concept to heart by creating picture-peace.org. Please feel free to explore the site, join and post images. All are welcome and together we can communicate visually and come to understand we are all the same at heart. Well done sir.
Barry
Hi Wallace, what a lovely blog and sentiment. It's always been in the back of my mind to have a purpose with my travel photography. Rather than take, take, take, what can we give back to the people who we contribute so freely to our portfolios? How can our work make a positive impact on the communities we leave behind? Have you, personally, been able to find a way to do this? I found the following quote whilst I was still studying photography many years ago, and it STILL inspires me everyday (and I even quote it still on my website!).... "The urge to create, the urge to photograph, comes in part from the deep desire to live with more integrity, to live with more in peace with the world, and possibly to help others to do the same." Wynn Bullock April 18, 1902 – November 16, 1975
Emma Gilland http://www.friendlyfirephotography.com.au/
Travel Photography Off the Beaten Path
by Wallace Weeks on 5/27/2011
One of the bits of advice I often give about travel photography is "get off the beaten path." That can be applied in a lot of ways. For example, if you are photographing Paris, the beaten path is around the Eiffel Tower, Arc du Triumph, Seine River, Louvre, and Sac-re Coeur. Jardin du Luxembourg is where locals hang out and is a short walk off the beaten path, and it is loaded with great scenes. Near the other end of the spectrum might be; if you travel to a World Heritage City the beaten path is in the city and it likely provides great pictures. Taking a day-trip from the city to a village accessible only by boat in an underdeveloped country is off the beaten path and will likely yield exceptional photographs. One of the greatest experiences of my life came from getting that far off the beaten path.
For some perspective, consider the UN's Human Development Index which ranks the U.S. as the fourth most highly developed country in the world. Near the bottom of the list of 169 countries, Laos ranks 122nd. Luang Prabang, is a beautiful city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some may consider it off the beaten path, but with a boat, guide, and some time you can you can have the privilege of shooting what very few photographers or travelers ever get to see.
After about two hours of motoring up the Mekong river a sandy beach yields a good landing for boats. Initially, the only sign that other people may be around are several wooden canoes tied to bamboo poles that are stuck in the sand. A short walk across the beach and up a hill reveals a small village, Muangeko. After we pass a few stilted houses with bamboo walls and floors and thatched roofs, the guide speaks to a family that is under their house. The guide tells me they are distilling a rice whiskey as an old woman offers me a small half-filled jar (like we get jelly in). It tasted similar to a warm sake and good enough to drink again. But, the old woman's hospitality was far better. The woman's grand-daughter and her infant were there, and allowed me to photograph them. It is interesting to see that 180 degrees of longitude, culture and means doesn't change the hearts of mothers one iota.
When I wandered away from my guide, the friendliness of the people made them indifferent to our language barriers. They were patient to let me ask (by gesture) for the pose using my phone as a prop, and even the signing of a model release. So, shoot the great cities and sites of the world, but get off the beaten path while you are there. It will yield much more interesting photographs and experiences.
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COMMENTS
Getting off the beaten track is always an excellent idea. Not only will you find shots that no one else has taken, but the attitude and friendliness of the locals improves CONSIDERABLY the further away you go from the regular tourist haunts.
As Gary says, a GPS is always handy to find your way back again; and also to find your way back to where you started, if you can't speak the local language. I am much more likely to wander any which way, without a map, if I know I can always find my way back. Lets not forget geo-tagging of photos, too (tutorials on my website). Lots of photo buyers are requesting it these days.
Tim, currently in Cape Town. Preparing to overland to Cairo.
Tim Makins http://www.gnomeplanet.com/gallery.php
Thanks for sharing! Nice tips...
Monica Kressman http://www.mkphoto.smugmug.com/
Very Nice ! As i have had 5 years here in Asia , I get to go behind back streets and of the tack often . Its amazing how life changes from the commercial up front view. of life. Its not all portrayed as sad and poverty, they just like to live that way and are happy doing so, more them some of us will ever be in this rat race. Photo potential more challenging. A GPS is good to have handy . in case you want to find the place again at a better time of day.
Gary Bridger http://www.garybridger.photostockplus.com/
Good blogs! As a travel writer that only goes on "tours" if it's a Press Trip, I thrive off-the-beaten path and agree that's when we learn. Like your "International Travel Can Cost Less," I've been telling that to people for years - and it's true!
Marc d'Entremont http://travelpenandpalate.wordpress.com/
International Travel Can Cost Less
by Wallace Weeks on 04/27/2011
Some think that international travel is very expensive. Granted, airfare may cost more than domestic travel, but after that, it is more about choices we make. One of the choices is based on how "American" we want the experience, and another is based on how we plan the trip. There are more but this is a blog not a book, so I will restrict the topic to planning for communications with home while on international travel. Following are three simple things that can save you a bundle, and probably enhance communications too.
When you get on the plane, turn the data roaming "off" if you have a smart phone. There is probably nothing that can run up the cost of communications more quickly than data roaming charges. One traveler I know ran up a $6,000 bill while in South America for just 2 weeks. Turning off data roaming is done in the phone settings. If you need to move data across the Internet, take a laptop computer. Most photographers do that anyway. Then you can have the choices to pay the price in the hotel (often more than US hotels), go to an Internet cafe', or search for free hotspots (which can be done before departure).
Forget about the international roaming plans from domestic wireless services. They cost from 10-50 times more than you have to pay. Connection time on the US carriers international roaming plans costs from $1 - $4 per minute compared to about $0.10 per minute with a little planning. Instead, have an old cell phone "unlocked" (not locked to a carrier) or buy a cheap unlocked phone (which can be done abroad). The phone will likely be about $30. When you get to the destination buy a sim card for the phone that allows you to call the US. When you buy the card you will also pay for some minutes, probably at about $0.10 per minute. Use these to cover you when you don't have Wi-Fi access.
When you have Wi-Fi access, use the laptop for a video chat, VOIP telephone, or live chat. For communicating with family, I prefer video chat. AOL has a service called AIM, another is Skype, and Apple has LiveChat with a MobileMe account. The first two are free and LiveChat is included in the MobileMe subscription of about $100 per year. If you haven't used them, learn how to use them before departure, and teach others who may need to know.
Travel for less. Get more and better pictures.
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Monopods are for more than Stabilization
by Wallace Weeks on 03/24/11
Finding a different vantage point from which to capture an image is often a good way to make your image both unique and more interesting than others that your viewers may have seen. To get the right vantage point for my shots, I have sat on the centerline of a busy street, walked hundreds of yards up and down river beds, found ways to get on top of walls, laid on busy sidewalks, knelt in very cold water, and other things that incite ridicule from some and fear from others.
Sometimes the place you want to be is in thin air a few feet above where you are. You may not be able to get there, but you may be able to get your camera there. The solution is a monopod. A monopod is generally thought of as a camera stabilization device for use in low light situations. I often cary my monopod in the daytime in urban environments. It is lighter than a tripod, generally stable enough for any shot you want to get in the daytime, and doubles as an aerial platform.
When you decide on a composition that requires the aerial platform there are some steps you should follow. First, set the camera to manual focus and exposure and set the time release to about 5 seconds. Make your best judgment about the distance to the subject, how much depth of field you need, and the exposure. Attach the camera to the monopod head and lock it down well. Press the shutter release and lift the rig high.
When you bring the camera down, check the playback. Adjust if you need to, but get the shot.
There is Always a Way to Beat the Rain
by Wallace Weeks on 03/09/11
After all of the time and money we spend to travel we should get a guarantee that the sky is what we need for great photography. But, it doesn't work that way as I was reminded on a recent shoot in Singapore.
When I arrived in mid-afternoon it was raining. With four hours of light left, sitting in a hotel seemed like a real bad thing to do. So, thinking of the saying "put your big girl panties on and deal with it," I adapted to the environment. I could shoot the skyline from somewhere around Marina Bay Harbour.
First I checked my Sunrise Sunset Pro app to confirm the local time for sunset. Then asked the front desk to get me a taxi about an hour before sunset. And, finally checked to be sure my rain gear was in my bag. There is a way that we can always beat the rain.
When the taxi dropped me off there was plenty of time to scout. So I found a good vantage point within 30 minutes. It was across the river, beside a band shell where an Indian band (there for the Indian Art Festival) was playing a Bollywood version of head banging music. Patience prevailed, their set ended, and civil twilight began. That (civil twilight) is when we can beat the rain and clouds. Civil twilight is the 20 minutes after sunset or before sunrise when the sky turns a deep blue regardless of clouds or rain.
The shot below was the reward.
Forced & Enabled to Produce Good Composition
by Wallace Weeks on 09/26/10
For years my wife, Lou Ann, has assisted in my photo shoots of all kinds. We have had the pleasure of shooting in some of the greatest places on this planet. She is an artist too, has a great eye, makes good suggestions for shots that I might miss, and has convinced me that she could be a good photographer. During these years I have often encouraged her to produce her own images. Yet the only time she touched a camera is when I ask her to hold it. She has told me and our friends that she is not interested.
Recently we traveled to Arizona. I packed my D-3 with a 24-70mm FX lens and an 80-200mm FX lens plus my D-200 with a 12-24mm DX lens (in addition to my normal detailed shooting plan). On the afternoon of our arrival we made our first stop at Montezuma Castle National Monument. Lou Ann assisted as usual. The next morning on our way to Grand Canyon she said "Can I use one of your cameras? I want to take some pictures." After the moment it took to recover from the shock, I gladly told her "yes." With great pride and anticipation I gave her the D-200 with the 12-24mm lens.
She clearly had fun shooting and captured good images. The next day we were in Red Rock State Park and Sedona. She kept shooting. When she asked me to check one of her images, it became clear that she was consistently doing an excellent job of composing with a foreground element to frame her subject in the background. When I commented on the strength of the compositions with foreground, midground, and background elements she replied, "Well I have to. I can't zoom in on the subject, and it would be too boring to just have all of this desert in the foreground."
Wow! The epiphany - the very short focal length both forced her to compose with foreground, midground, and background elements and simultaneously enabled these compositions.
Later I asked how she would have composed the image above if she had a longer lens. She explained that she would have created a crop like the one below. Given a long enough focal length it could be good, but I don't think it would be better.
When we discussed the next two images (below), Lou Ann said that with a longer lens she would have stepped in front of the trees to capture the rock formations by themselves. Again that could be good, but not better.
So, it seems that it would do all of us good to sometimes restrict ourselves to very short focal lengths thereby forcing and enabling compositions with foreground, midground, & background elements.
4 Ways to Add Interest to Travel Pictures
by Wallace Weeks on 07/06/10
No photographer or traveler intends to bring home memory cards filled with boring pictures from a trip, but creating interest when our friends have already seen thousands of pictures from around the world is challenging. With the internt of making my pictures more interesting I sat on the porch with a cigar and a glass of bourbon and pondered the characteristics I want in the images from my travel assignments. Since I only had one cigar and one glass of bourbon I only came up with four characteristics, but they help to produce a good variety of interesting images from a destination. The four characteristics are:
People. Eyes, faces, attire, and acivities of people tell a great deal about a destination and its culture. If the eyes of a person are the window of their soul, then the eyes of people are the window of their society. Taking the time to photograph the people in ta destination has another great benefit; it rewards the photographer with more personal interaction that makes a more intimate experience with the destination.
Action. Destinations are living and life is not static or inanimant. The story of a destination includes things its inhabitants are doing, so the images should capture their actions.
Viewer in the image. Since photography is art and art is a form of communication, we should endeavor to allow the viewer to feel like they are where we have been. Creating oint-of-view shots are a proven way to do that.
Energy. There are many ways to make images have energy. The trick is to be sure to make it happen. Some of the ways to make it happen are: motion blur; pan action blur; contrasting hues, tones, luminance, lines, shapes, textures, subjects, etc.; and, tension between elements.
After deciding that these would be characteristics of my travel images, it was time to create a scheme for remembering them. Recognizing acrostics as a good mnemonic trick, the task of finding the right acronym began. However, the limited tobacco and alcolhl only allowed for one choice, PAVE for People, Action, Viewer in the image, and Energy.
I hope it helps you get more and better images from your travels.
WELCOME – to my new blog for photographers & travelers
by Wallace Weeks on 06/13/10
This blog will be true to the mantra of A Travel Photogapher - "getting more & better images from your travel." There are a lot of ways to do that and they are not all about photogaphic technique or equipment. We will discuss other factors like: getting around destinations more efficiently; reducing the costs so you can stay longer or get to more destinations; planning the trip so you can be where you want to be when you need to be there, and more.
When I am not traveling there will be 2-4 posts per month. When I am traveling I expect to blog more frequently to share the travel experience and some of the images that accompany it.
Readers are welcome to comment, share their knowledge and experience, and make the blog more interesting and useful.
I hope you: subscribe; travel; & shoot more & better images.
Wallace Weeks - A Travel Photographer