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| Improving Your Travel Photography (2) |
| Composition: Some valuable tips for taking that perfect shot |
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Moira Groeneveld (moira)  |
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Published 2006-01-26 17:09 (KST) |
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Photography is the way people permanently capture memories of their travels, for not only themselves and others on the trips, but to tell a story to their friends and in the future, their kids, grandkids, and so forth. Ansel Adams once said, "The [35mm] camera is for life and for people, the swift and intense moments of life."
Understanding the general rules of composition will not only help your travel photography, but any kind of photography you do. Whether it is taking pictures of your dogs or of your friend's wedding, you'll be sure to notice a difference.
Obviously when you arrive at your destination you have a list of places you want to visit and, therefore, things you want to photograph. Maybe it is only a mental list, but it is not a bad idea to do your research before departing, so you have some idea of what there is to capture with your camera.
 | |  Beauty Shot in horizontal format emphasizes the vastness of the ever impressive Cadillac. | | | ©2005 Moira | |  | | | Calgary Tower, shooting near the base of the tower in vertical format amplifying its height. | | | ©2005 Moira | |  | | | Notice the eyes of the statue are on or near a grid line, as well as her hand and seashell. | | | ©2003 Moira | |  | | | The horizon line is on the upper third grid line, the focus should be on the beach, the biker and the water line. | | | ©2002 Moira | | When you are out walking around your travel destination with camera in hand, here are some things I want you to take into consideration before you click that shutter; horizontal or vertical, the rule of thirds, getting in close, and lines, patterns, textures, and shapes through silhouettes.
Let's begin with what you are looking at -- is it a vast landscape? A towering church steeple? Is it a portrait of a local citizen? Or your travel partner? Unfortunately, because most cameras have the shutter button on the right hand side, the majority of pictures travelers take are horizontal, due to the awkwardness of flipping the camera and pushing the shutter button. This makes for very boring pictures, and limits how you tell the story or convey the feeling of what it is you really saw.
Subjects like trees, people, skyscrapers, churches, will be emphasized in a vertical shot, because the eye is forced to scan from top to bottom and back, amplifying depth and distance. Vertical shots often convey a feeling of aggressiveness or instability.
Horizontal shots are best suited for landscapes, scenic shots, long but short objects, and a beautiful shot of a car. Horizontal images force the viewer's eye to scan left to right and reverse, emphasizing the feeling of width and vast space. Some scenes may look good either vertically or horizontally, so bring lots of film/memory on your travels and snap a picture both ways.
Now that you have picked the orientation of your shot, you want to start to think about the rule of thirds. Don't get hung up on the rules part of it, just think of it as a guideline to help you decide where to place your main subject in the image and in your viewfinder, or LCD. The rule of thirds is effective in both vertical and horizontal formats.
Take any photograph, one you or someone else has taken, or even better -- pick up your camera and look through the viewfinder and imagine dividing that image with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines to divide the image into thirds. Placing your subject on any of the 4 intersecting points or lines will immediately create dynamic visual interest.
If shooting a portrait while on your travels, try to place the eyes, generally considered the main point of interest, on one of the intersecting points or lines. The rule of thirds, however, also works really well for scenic photographs or a photograph with a lot of empty space. It balances out the image. When you take a photograph of a yacht on the vast ocean, placing it in the middle creates a very static and often boring image, simply placing it on either one of the lines or points will create added emphasis and interest for your subject and image, overall.
When taking a shot with a visible horizon, never place it dead centre of the frame. If your focus is the land, then place the horizon on or close to the upper horizontal line. If the sky is your focus, then place the horizon line on or near the lower horizontal line.
If you have more then one subject in your image these lines will also help you place your subjects on a diagonal, which is another method of creating dynamic visual interest while still keeping the image in balance.
 | | | Catching the celebration of Buddha's Birthday in Seoul, South Korea. Note the leading lines, and the woman in the foreground is on the right third grid line. | | | ©2003 Moira | |  | | | Macro photography can be a lot of fun. This image was taken several ways, spikes in focus and flower out, and the reverse. | | | ©2005 Moira | |  | | | The tight shot, getting in tight and vertical creates an impression of dominance and intimidation. | | | ©2002 Moira | |  | | | Lines of the rail way tracks lead your eye to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp entry way to freedom on the other side. | | | ©2002 Moira | | Getting closer refers to two things; one is that great images can often come from looking at subjects really close up, looking at a tiny piece of a greater whole. This is most often done through macro photography and many point and shoot cameras today come with this option. If you think you will find this interesting, it's a worthwhile investment. If you don't have that function on your camera, the closest you can get is about 1 1/2 to 2 feet. If you have an SLR (single-lens-reflex) your options are pretty much unlimited, you have macro lenses, filters and the list goes on. Use fast film (ISO 400) when taking macro photography, as there is less available light, and the chance of blurring from camera shake is more likely to occur if you don't have fast enough film.
Secondly, people often think they are closer to the image they are taking than they actually are. So many people are surprised when they get their images back and think, "Wow, it seemed like it was a lot closer." So, when you lift your camera up to take that photo, take a couple steps forward right away. Then before pushing that shutter button, scan around the edge of the viewfinder frame. Is there still a lot of space around the edges? Move a couple steps closer and check again. If the shot is nice and tight in the frame, snap away. Just remember, I'm not telling you to step off the edge of a cliff or into a river. Be safe -- if you can't physically get closer and you have the option of using a zoom lens, try that. If there are no other options, take the best picture possible and enjoy the view.
Lines, patterns and silhouettes are things to look for when wandering the exotic streets of wherever you may find yourself traveling. These can create some beautiful shots whether close up or wide angle.
Straight lines are useful for leading the eye into the scene; they also create feelings of great distance or depth. Lines can split your picture in two or accentuate your subject by bringing the viewer's eye to it. A naturally pleasing curved line for the human eye is the S shape If you find a winding road that leads to something or someone, this could make a very visually engaging picture.
Patterns are everywhere around us, man made or natural. As you travel, keep your eyes open for them. Look for repeating lines, shapes, forms, and colours and then pick how you want to shoot it. You often want to get in close to isolate the pattern within your viewfinder because it creates the feeling that the pattern goes on for eternity, strengthening the visual impact of the image. Look at bridges, buildings, lavender fields, colorful traditional outfits, animals, insects, flowers and check out local celebrations.
 | | | Silhouette of the escalator against the unique and much brighter domed ceiling of Noksapyeong Station in Seoul, SK. | | | ©2003 Moira | | Silhouettes are a great way to simplify your images, and to reveal your subject with a bold statement. Finding a bright background and an interesting yet simple subject to put in the foreground creates a silhouette. These don't generally just jump out at you, so take your time and look around. When taking the shot you want to expose the bright background. If you have a point and shoot camera, most likely you have an averaging meter and you'll want to bias your viewfinder to the bright background and use your exposure lock feature. If you have an SLR that has spot metering you will want to meter the brightest area only and bracket towards overexposure with 1 or 1/2 stop increments. Remember also to make sure there is good separation with your subject; a silhouette of a single person will create a clean distinct and recognizable shape. However, a cluster of people can become just a black blob. So, whether you have one or more subjects just make sure each one is surrounded by a light background keeping them separated.
Remember -- don't forget to include yourself, family and friends in your photographs. It is not always about getting that award winning shot -- it's about who you went and laughed with, so make sure to capture those moments as well.
Secondly, don't get so caught up in rules and guidelines that those are the only shots you take. It helps initially to improve your photographs, but its still art, which means sometimes the rules should be broken to capture that awesome shot.
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©2006 OhmyNews
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