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Travel Photography Tips
(5)
.E. Photographing People
Watch people and their behavior - studying peoples habits,
gestures, expressions, movements and postures will help
hone your observational skills. Capturing the right mood
in your subject can make or break not only a portrait, but
a landscape which has human content.
Stopping a stranger and asking if
you can take their photograph requires a certain degree
of confidence. If you don’t speak the local language,
try and learn at least a few words – this helps break
the ice, and does so by showing respect for their culture.
Be friendly (yet always respectful) and use hand gestures
to indicate
your photographic intentions.
If
walking up to a complete stranger is a bit daunting at first,
take advantage of brief acquaintances - such as a street
trader you have bought something from, or the rickshaw driver
who took you to your hotel, or the owner of the restaurant
you’ve eaten in for the past 2 nights. It’s easy
to strike up a friendship with people; showing postcards,
or photographs of home and family can help break down social
barriers.
If
someone objects to having their photo taken, abide by their
wishes. Sometimes perseverance can achieve results, but
if this fails, smile, say thank you, and walk away. Unless
you’re an insensitive moron, upsetting someone for
want of a photograph is really not worth it and seeds mistrust
of all foreigners with cameras who follow in your footsteps.
If shooting with other photographers,
and particularly when another photographer is trying to
build up a rapport with a potential subject, DO NOT swan
over and shoot over their shoulder – it might upset
the subject, the photographer or both.
The issue of paying people for them
agreeing to pose for a photograph is a contentious one and
best left to the photographers discretion. Most travelling
photographers I know tend to adopt the approach that unless
you distract someone from their work, paying is not to be
encouraged as it sets a precedent and paves the way for
the expectation that everyone carrying a camera is a potential
debtor ! Discretion aside, there there are other exceptions
- such as giving money to a religious beggar. Monasteries
and other religious institutions often rely on public support
through donations. Paying children is also not to be encouraged
(as is giving sweets unless you give toothbrushes away at
the same time) - it's a sad indictment when the first words
children learn is the name of their local currency said
with palms outstretched.
In most situations I like to give postcards of home - in
this waythe exchange becomes more of a cultural than economic
one. If travelling in poor, rural parts of the world, pens
of course are valuable for schooling, and friendship bracelets
make nice treats too.
If you agree to send someone a copy
of their photo then make sure you do. Ideally, travelling
back with photos taken on a previous trip is the way to
go but not everyone is afforded this luxury. It is something
I have had the opportunity of doing in Latin America on
a number of occasions and requests will flood in for more
photo sessions.
Some
places are already so affected by mass tourism that a photographer
will be unable to get consent for a photograph without paying
for it. The choice is yours.
Whilst photographing a subject, get
them to look either directly at you/the camera (rather than
someone standing by your side), or in another direction
entirely. Pointing and gesturing for them to do this is
often the easiest way of getting them to understand and
they should get the message.
Maintain
eye contact whilst engaging them. Pulling your face from
the viewfinder momentarily is something one can practice,
and talking to the subject at the same time will help them
relax. Use your camera to help bridge barriers – let
you subjects look though the viewfinder if necessary (kids
love this.)
If your subject is particularly photogenic,
shoot both horizontally and vertically to ensure you end
up with a more varied selection of images. Make the most
of the moment without shattering your subjects patience.
If
photographing a group of people, try not to embarrass the
one you find particularly photogenic by dwelling on them
for too long – this may cause embarrassment. If you
suspect this to be the case, work through the group and
return to that person again later if possible.
Work as quickly as you can when photographing
people. If you have distracted them from their work, suggest
they continue with it, rather than stand like a stone statue.
This can both help them relax, and create an interesting
composition.
For people shots, lenses in the 70mm
to 105mm range make flattering portrait lenses as they have
a tendency to flatten facial features and permit easy isolation
of the subject from their environs without getting too close.
f5.6-f8 are good apertures to work with to ensure that all
facial features are sharp.
Kids make great subjects, and parents
rarely object (be sure to ask though as some cultures are
very suspicious of photographers intentions.)
Including people in scene can enhance
a composition a great deal. Combining the best of portraiture
and landscape photography can yield breathtaking results.
Wider angle lenses (such as a 28 or 24mm) often allow one
to incorporate the subject and their environment in a single
frame. This can make an image more appealing, bringing human
interest and scale to a composition.
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