Mario's Note: Are you planning a trip soon? Vicente Nadal proposes in his collaboration for this week some tips and tricks to get the best "photographic" advantage of your tourist trip. Do not miss it. Going on a trip is exciting, as much or more than taking pictures during it. But taking pictures during a trip requires some planning to make everything perfect and the photos unforgettable. When you go on a trip, the usual doubts assail you:
- What team took me?
- Can I take pictures in the most interesting places or will I need to ask permission?
- And if it's sunny ... or if it rains?
- Is it dangerous to go out with my camera at night?
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY: FIRST OF ALL PLAN THE TRIP
The first thing you will have to do is plan your trip well, that is obvious, but have you planned it photographically speaking ? To do this planning you will have to do the following:- Make a list as detailed as possible of the places you want to visit, at what time you may visit them or at what time you would like to visit them. Prepare the best time and place from which to photograph that monument or landscape.
- Search the Internet for information on these places, their schedules, their conditions or rules for taking pictures, etc. In some places the use of the flash or even the tripod is not allowed, in others it is totally forbidden to take photos.
- Find out also about the history and characteristics of the place you are going, think about how to join the photos to tell a story with the photos . In this way they will gain in narrative strength by not being simple, tourist photos.
- Look at photos of those sites, both the official postal type souvenir and those of other fans or more creative professionals. Do a search on « Google Images » with the name of the place and you will surely find hundreds of photos that can inspire you. Take note of the most original ideas. You can also try Pinterest , Flickr or 500px .
- Find alternative routes and little known places, so your photos will look better.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY: PLANNING THE TEAM
If you are going on a trip and want to take pictures you will have to make a few decisions: 1- Quality or comfort?- If it is more important the ability to make different types of shots and its quality you can think of taking a complete equipment such as a SLR with several optics, external flash even tripod.
- If you are more concerned about comfort during the trip, it will be more practical for you to carry something more compact such as a bridge camera with a very versatile zoom, or a camera they call "without a mirror," and a small flash of support. You can replace the tripod with a tripod-clamp to hold or support the camera somewhere.
- If you still find the above too complicated then your ideal team is a compact pocket .
- If you are a handyman and very organized in addition to meticulous surely your ideal format is RAW. In this case you will need to take many memory cards to have space to spare. If you travel through sites with the possibility of it you could buy some extra card but that will not be possible in some destinations and you have to take it into account.
- If you like the immediate, you have little space on your cards, you want to share the photos or upload them quickly with your friends and on Facebook and you do not like to complicate your life surely your format is the JPG. Upon arriving on the trip you can select your photos and prepare the material to show it.
- Although obviously it is not the same, in some ways prolonged exposure can prevent us from shooting with flash and in many cases the photo may be better when capturing the original ambient light.
- TIP: The cheapest tripod is a piece of string. Take the shoe from your tripod and place the camera on it. Tie a string long enough to be able to step on it with your foot while tightly tightening it and shooting the camera. To improve stability, lean against a wall against your shoulder. With this trick you can take photos with long exposure times without hardly being noticed in the photos.
- You will surely have to take pictures indoors. To make them look perfect, review this article on how to take photos indoors properly.
- Take photos from the first moment. Travel arrangements are also part of it.
- Take pictures on the means of transport including the plane. For that you must be attentive and request the window seat in which the wings of the plane do not cover your vision. Take the opportunity to take aerial photos.
- In addition to the typical places also seeks to take out customs and everyday characters.
- Photograph the local people ... but first ask permission, not only to take the photo, but also if you plan to publish it or upload it to your social networks.
- If you photograph your travel companions in a space or in front of an important building or monument, take a short shot of your friends, half body or closer. Otherwise they will be so small that they will not be appreciated in the photograph.
- Above all try to do things are common sense, discretion and education. When in doubt, always ask.
- Finally, when you return from the trip, make a rigorous selection. Pose the selection as if it were a projection, at 4 seconds per photo, you should be able to see the selected photos in 3 or 4 minutes maximum. If it gets longer you can bore your audience.
- Plan your trip, your routes, the schedules and permits you need.
- Plan the material you want to take according to the type of trip and photos you want to take.
- Take photos from minute one to the last.
- Imagine new points of view, photograph the details, take out the customs and characters of the place.
- Ask for permission and mix in the environment.
- Be careful with the safety of your equipment.
- Select your photos well and tell a story with them.
