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TRAVELER Magazine
Tips from our pros

Each year, we pick over two dozen winning photographs in our annual photography contest. These tips from some of our photographers and editors may increase the chances that your photo will be among our winners.
 
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Find a different angle
Taj Mahal, India
Photograph by Andrew Hudson
GAIL MOONEY, Photographer
Recent TRAVELER Assignment: Memphis, Tennessee (May/June 1997)

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Even if your camera has auto everything, use it with the manual settings. You’ll do more experimentation.

Use a warming polarizer (such as a Heliopan) to warm the quality of outdoor light.

When shooting a big-city skyline, use a pink fluorescent filter to correct the green light from inside the buildings.

To make better people photographs, plan your trip when something is going on (such as during a festival).

Always look in the other direction—you never know what you’ll find. For example, when everyone is looking at the stage at a concert, turn around and look at what the people around you are doing.

Always try to find a unique angle on the subject.

JIM RICHARDSON
Recent TRAVELER assignment: Lanai, Hawaii (January/February 1997)

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Go where the locals go. Take the opportunity to meet people and great pictures will follow. Go to church. Go to a pub. Go to where the old guys play checkers. Put a smile on, be earnest, and be serious about meeting people.

Break the ice. When you approach people, tell them “I’m traveling and I’m really enjoying your country. May I take your picture?” This is always the toughest part; you’ll be turned down sometimes, but it’s sometimes very rewarding.

Do your research. If you are going to the trouble to go someplace far away, have an idea of what that place has to offer. Get tourist brochures, postcards, and talk to the locals ahead of time, such as a hotel owner or someone at the tourist office.

Take more film. Professional photographers look good because we throw away all of our bad pictures. I would not blink at shooting 100 rolls of film in a two-week assignment.

Broaden your idea of what a picture is. Too often, we get trapped into shooting what we’ve seen before. For example, it’s easy to shoot the Eiffel Tower in its entirety. A photographer friend broke the mold by going to the top and photographing its shadow lying across Paris.

Don’t always be looking for the calendar pictures. Get the small stuff, like when you pass that roadside attraction. You’ll be glad that you stopped. You’ll produce memorable events of your travels, and that’s what makes the pictures worth having!

 
Break the ice
Eastern Himalaya, Nepal
Photograph by Ethan Drinker
 
Shoot at twilight
The Burren, Ireland,
Photograph by Richard Cummins
General advice from TRAVELER’s editors: . Anticipation is the key for capturing pictures with moment; follow the action until the event occurs.

Scout a location and wait until something interesting happens. You may find yourself returning again and again.

Shoot during twilight. Light and shadows are most playful, and colors are most interesting.

A tripod is essential for shooting during twilight. When you choose a tripod for traveling, select one that is big and sturdy but not too heavy.

Is it raining? Foggy? Windy? Unusual weather often makes a subject more interesting.

Freeze a moment of high action with a fast shutter speed. Experiment with slower shutter speeds, however, to capture the essence of motion.

It’s always a good idea to take extra batteries and your camera manual.

 

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