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

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 Im traveling
and Im really enjoying your country. May I take your picture? This
is always the toughest part; youll be turned down sometimes, but its
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 weve seen before. For example, its 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.
Dont always be looking for the calendar pictures. Get the small stuff,
like when you pass that roadside attraction. Youll be glad that you stopped.
Youll produce memorable events of your travels, and thats what makes
the pictures worth having!
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Eastern Himalaya, Nepal
Photograph by Ethan Drinker |