There are so many different ways to photograph a famous sight it’s almost sad how people end up taking the exact same pictures.
Eliminate these mistakes and you’ll notice a big difference in your travel photos. Here’s an extra tip for you, from me personally – try not to carry ALL your gear with you everywhere! Carrying a bag full of heavy equipment has literally stopped me from getting to some of the best places.
Not enough research done ahead of time
If you want to capture any destination at its best, you have to spend time researching it and understanding as much as you can about it before you go. I was once told that to be a travel photographer you have to be the most informed tourist in town. Besides the obvious places of interest and highlights of a destination, you need to understand customs and traditions, local foods and communities, and what makes each place unique and different. You then need to research and be completely in sync with all the elements such as the weather, the direction and intensity of the light, and even pollution and visibility levels. In addition to all of that you also need to understand what imagery already exists for the destination you are visiting, so that you can make your images unique in order to stand out from the crowd.
Taking tourist shots
I was recently speaking to the Art Director of a large British travel magazine and he told me that 99% of the images he receives from prospective photographers are what he considered tourist shots – the type that you see on post cards. More and more these days picture editors are looking for photos that are unique, or are a different take on an established setting or place.
The only way to achieve this is to firstly do your research so you understand what already exists, but also spend time analyzing and composing the image before taking the picture. Try to think about what the story of the photograph is, and what elements could make it better. It might be that the beautiful landscape before you could work better with a person to show a sense of scale. Or it could be that you actually need less of a crowd. The key is to critic the composition and return to the scene if you need to.
Settling for the first photo
It’s very rare for me to ever choose a photo that is my very first shot from a location (although it does sometimes happen). Most people make the mistake of settling for their first photo and moving on to the next location. Unless you have all the elements in place – like the perfect subject and composition, light and weather, you are compromising the final result.
A huge part of this is planning and your shot list, and if you have set yourself enough time at a location, you will be willing to hang around until you can get it right. So the next time you are at a location and you have taken the first shot, spend a few minutes and just analyze the scene before taking your second or third shot. You will be surprised how often your second, third or fourth photo becomes the best one.
Read Kav Dadfar’s full article over at Digital Photography School.
Source: Digital Photography School
