When you go on a vacation, whether it's to Auntie Mildred's deviled egg cook-off up the road, or tacking back and forth across the Turkish coast sipping Pino, you want to create some memories. The challenge, when you return, is expressing to your friends, family, and that guy over in HR with the Dwight bobblehead why those memories mean so much to you. So you take pictures.
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The problem is, and sadly it always will be, that the pictures will never truly justify the exhilaration of looking out over the forested valley, the feel of salty wind in your hair or the taste of that first pierogie you found on the Spring-laced cobblestone alley. BUT, it's a start, it's something you can launch a story from.
You do not need to be Reza to shoot a great image that captures a wonderful time. Here are a few simple tips for the amateur photographer to capture your adventures beyond the soles of your shoes.
3 Types
I like to break the types of photos I shoot into three balanced categories. You want to mix up the
diversity of your shots to really paint a good picture of what you experienced, and these are as follows:
1. The Texture Close-up
This is a close-up image of something that existed on your journey, and so detailed you can tell if it was dry, wet, rough, saucy, sharp or smooth...maybe even cold or hot, if you're good. This provides alm
ost a visual hands-on of something you actually touched or
experienced...and the ability to engage an extra sense in your viewer when they're actually only engaging one (i.e., they look at something but KNOW what it feels like) is exceptional. (These are hearty salsas at a San Diego open market)
2. The Character
People paint our planet, and it's often the people we share our memories with that make them truly lasting. Whether its a friend, baby, grandmother or someone wearing an INCREDIBLE costume on Bourbon Street, the person is a reflection of our own interest. (This would be a guitarist named "Toasty" at a bluegrass festival)
3. The Scene
The rich jungle, endless ocean, sprawling beach or waving fields of
wheat. When you looked up (or way, way, way down into a canyon) what did you see? Give the whole field of view so we SEE your world. (Bahamian sunset on Great Exuma)
A balance between these three when traveling is great, but imbalance loses the picture. If it's all people, we wonder if you ever ate, experienced art or went outdoors; if it's all scenery, we get no intimate impressions of your personal experience...we feel like an ant in a front lawn; and if it's all close-up objects, we have no setting. Balance, a ying-yang would show.
3 Easy Tips
You don't need to be a shooting master to accomplish these three easy tips to help instantly improve the quality of the pictures you shoot, and avoid shouting, "CRAP!" when you finally get them developed and notice your mistake.
1. Watch Your Thumb
Far too many beautiful pictures have been ruined by a misplaced relationship between a finger and the lens. Check your viewfinder before you click, or at least review after you snap to make sure your digits were out of the way of your digital. (Ruined sunset photo at Burning Man)
2. Charge Your Battery
Overnight and/or bring a spare (same for film and memory cards). You've spent a day at the beach, snapping photos of tanned locals strolling here and there, giant crashing waves and arching palm trees. Then suddenly, a Leatherback baby turtle pokes its head out of the sand, followed by 30+ more, and they make their way to the water in a desperate attempt for survival. You grab your camera to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment, and you get "out of memory" or no battery. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN. Be prepared if you want to catch the good stuff.
3. Make Friends
All too often we snap and snap and snap and get tons of great pictures of other people and places; but when we go to show others our photo album, they ask "were you on the trip?" Don't be shy to ask people to take your picture with things you REALLY enjoyed, or feel free to set your camera on a level surface and set a timer, and jump in. The race to make it in time is fun and so is capturing that moment of you being there.
Lastly, when you go to compile your album, make it a good story. Story-crafting is hard, so make sure to stick with the highlights. If you try and show everyone EVERY picture you took, they'll get bored (no matter how beautiful it was) and tune out. Highlight a few pictures from each event that REALLY impressed you, varying your shot types among the three, and show off some of your best shots. A short, sweet and IMPRESSIVE gallery is far more memorable then leafing through hundreds of images that feel like WORK to look at.
Those are this week's tips! Happy travels and happy shots!
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