Winjeel.Com
Back • Home • Up • Next  

Special Message:

Everything comes in cycles: with every downturn; there'll be an upturn.

 

Get these as cards

Buy my art

Get these as prints for your walls

How to take photos: Travel Photography: Subjects
 
Also see 'How to use your SLR' articles. Bookmark this with  del.icio.us (more below). Visit our forums to discuss and ask questions.
Basic gear you need:
bulletWhatever you've got (and it doesn't have to be much)
bulletSuggested: A zoom lens, tripod, polariser, Neutral Density filter
The Aim:
bulletTo choose a single subject and do it justice
How:

< Whilst it's best to use iso100 where possible, and maximum iso400 to avoid noise; recently I've tried having my camera set on Manual at 1/125 (handheld to avoid blur from pushing the shutter button), and f6.3 to f16 (usually f9). From this, I'd then adjust the iso accordingly (or set to auto). This gives me good control of composition, but little control on noise. For family holiday photos, this is fine. For commercial use, it's not.
< Be sure there's no distractions, or unnecessary junk in the background or interrupting the foreground. Plan it, so everything that you see through the lens is there, because it needs to be.

< ONE SUBJECT! Most tourist photos are 'boring', as the photographer takes a single photo of EVERYTHING. I look for details, smaller things, or I take a few steps closer and photograph a single subject. Also see the DOF article for more help on isolating the subject.
< Don't be afraid of the cliché shots, as these are also your memories of the place. This is Todaiji Temple, Nara, Japan. It contains the largest Buddha statue in Japan. This was taken with a polariser, to reduce glare of the roof (leaving details in like showing roof tiles), and to bring out the full effect of the sky.
< Always be ready, and be fast. Taken at Nara Park.

< Look for details, patterns, and contrasts.

 

 

Examples:

Click on these to view them at a larger size

< Taken using Minolta 303si set on Portrait Mode. At Angkor Wat, 2005. Notice there are no distractions. Refer to the Composition article.
< F8, 1/160, iso400; 75-300mm lens at 300mm. Little Flute. An overcast day (notice soft shadows and no harsh bright spots). What I needed though, was a monopod, as this collection was mostly blurred because of the distance and the difficulty in holding a zoom steady enough. Also notice the thirds rule being applied; refer to the Composition article.
< F9, 1/125, iso100; 18-70mm lens at 70mm. A park in Kuwana City, Japan. Notice there is still a main subject, though a geisha walking across would have been awesome!
< F5.6, 1/100, iso100; with 18-70mm lens at 18mm, with linear Cokin polariser filter. Horyu-ji, Nara, Japan. A typical touristy photo. Though, notice how the subject is not in the centre, nor was I facing square onto it either. Compared the the 'Little Flute' (above), there are, unfortunately, harsh shadows, but great clouds nonetheless. The harsh shadows normally reduce the details in the darker areas, but these details were picked up with a little Photoshopping.

Also see this gallery for more examples

We proudly support:

Home
Up
Living in Asia
Teaching English
Photography
Forums
Community
Sleepless and Bored
Advertise with us
Contact Us

 

 

Like us? Why not visit again: 

Copyright (c) Winjeel.Com 2003 - 2008  Contact Us  Terms & Conditions