Digital Photography

Without saying if you want to take perfect pictures of your baby, having a good camera will certainly give you an edge to get the perfect picture. I would even go as far as saying a DSLR would be the best camera to use. That is not to say you won’t get good pictures with a point and shoot - you can and you will - today’s compact cameras all come with a sophisticated feature set and usually have a portrait setting. Continue reading »

Tags: Best Camera, Nikon, Unnatural Environment

Alex Don asked:


One of the most appealing areas of photography is travel photography. When visiting a new place, every photographer wants to find a way to catch its feel, its uniqueness and bring it home with him. Travel photography can a very appealing and rewarding, yet very complex task. Just walking around and getting random shots is not the way to do it. You need to spend some time thinking about what you want to express and how.

When you think of a particular place, all the different elements that cross your mind are melt together to form its unique character or personality, that je-ne-sais-quoi that makes it different from any other place in the world. Whether it’s an old village or an exotic travel destination, a good photographer can capture its uniqueness and present it to the audience. This article is aimed to share some ideas on how to capture the character of a place through photography.

Basic Elements

A location has certain specifics that make it what it is. In most cases, these can be broken down into landscape, culture and people. Let’s take each of them separately to go into more details.

Landscape. Every little town, mountain or city looks different from any other place in the world. The architecture may be exclusive to that specific region or the natural surroundings may be unique. Think of the Gaudi area in Barcelona or the steep cliffs and rough seas of the coasts of Ireland and Scotland. Think of how the place looks like at night or early in the morning. A location takes on different personalities throughout a day and it’s important to capture each of them.

Culture. An important aspect of a destination’s character is its culture. A photographer can capture elements of culture in foods, drinks, local festivals and other things that are specific to that place. Local dishes, an yearly parade with traditional costumes or a street party are good examples.

People. People from different parts of the world look, dress and behave differently. Try to take as many photos as you can, both posed and candid, and catch people in activities the place is known for. If they are famous for being happy and lively you should take photos at parties to express this lifestyle. If they are hard working, photograph them while at work.

Creating the whole picture. To put all these elements together, zoom in on the subject. You can start with the landscape, photographing surroundings, interesting buildings and anything else to help the audience recognize the location. Then you can zoom in to people, capturing their attitudes and lifestyle. Finally you can start exploring culture. Apart from local food and festivals, photograph shop signs that can show the languages spoken there, as well as products that are a tradition for the area.

Travel photography is a very complex job because you need to be good at portrait photography, still life photography, nature photography and still life photography. Learning all these will put you on the right track of becoming a good photographer.



Bargain Digital Compact Cameras

Tags: Basic Elements, Je Ne Sais Quoi, Steep Cliffs

Mark Eden asked:


Many different elements go into making up the character of a particular destination or location, whether it be a far flung exotic city or your home town. It is the travel photographer’s job to cover these elements in order to present that character to the viewer. This article looks into what goes into bringing the character of a subject to the audience.

Essential Elements

There are many separate “parts” that make a location what it is, but these generally boil down to landscape, people and culture. Let’s look at these in a little more depth.

Landscape

Every city, mountain range or coastal area has its own unique look and feel. This might be created by architecture exclusive to that part of the world, such as Gaudi’s designs that are so prominent in Barcelona. Or well known landmarks (Eiffel Tower anyone?) or rough seas and steep cliffs like those so characteristic of the northern coasts of Scotland and Ireland. What does it look like in the morning? At night? The location might take on several personalities through the day so it is essential to try to capture as many of these as you can to give a broader picture.

People

Possibly the most influential factor in the character of a location is the people who live there. The way they look and dress, the way they carry themselves, the lifestyle they live and the customs they observe. Is there a particular piece of clothing that defines them? Or maybe a certain characteristic. For example, if they are known to be happy and smiling people, show them as such. If they are known to be hardworking, try to include some shots of workers.

Culture

This can encompass subjects such as food and drink. Local dishes give an immediate insight into the way of life lived by people of that area. Freshly caught seafood may be a specialty of the area, or it may be famous for a particular dessert or drink. Culture can also be shown in the festivals and events held in the particular region. This might be an annual parade where locals dress in the traditional costumes of their ancestors, or a huge street party that captures the energy and vibrancy of a population.

Putting It Together

To put these elements in photographic terms, I like to think of the process as zooming in on a subject. Starting with the landscape element described above, you essentially form an overview, or wide angle view of the subject, capturing surroundings. Distinctive buildings and landmarks give a feel and sometimes instant recognition to the location. Zoom in to form a collective portrait of the people, their way of life and daily activities. It is a good idea to use both posed portraits and candid shots to show personalities as well as customs and way of life. Finally zooming in further to capture details such as local food and dishes and detailed studies of buildings. Text such as in shop signs shows languages spoken. Also any products that are traditional or well known in the area. For example, leather goods from Morocco, or electronics from Japan.

Travel photography is in a sense a very broad specialization. Possibly not a specialization at all. A travel photographer needs to be a landscape photographer, portrait photographer, still life photographer and nature photographer often all in the space of a single shooting session. Learn to cover all these elements within the broader subject and you are well on your way to becoming a more accomplished photographer.



Nikon DSLR Bargains

Tags: Festivals, Local Dishes, Travel Photographer