Jul

Travel blog with Andrew Newey – Part 2

Rosie Tanner

Travel Portraits

Travel Portraits

Wherever you travel to in the world there will be people you encounter that you will want to photograph. This weeks’ blog offers advice on how to capture those moments…

One of the many joys of travel is meeting and interacting with people from different cultures and in many parts of the world they can be the most interesting and photogenic subject matter. I personally prefer to capture people from traditional cultures who still wear their traditional dress as this often results in bright colourful pictures. A trip to Peru in 2007 provided some fantastic photo opportunities however many of the Quechuan people I met in the Sacred Valley did not want their picture taken because they believe that the camera captures their soul. It is very important to be culturally sensitive when taking pictures of people in some parts of the world so do your research before you go. Insensitively shoving a camera in someone’s face is not recommended and give other tourists and travel photographers a bad name.

Many photographers myself included find that children and older people are the most photogenic age groups. The look of excitement, bemusement, curiosity, fascination or shyness on some children’s faces can make great pictures as can faces full of wrinkles of the old and wise.

There are many portrait styles that will result in capturing people in a wide variety of situations which can help tell a story about them and their environment.

Head shots

The classic head shot is probably one of the more difficult styles to master which produces a close up of the subjects head and maybe shoulders. This tight crop shot is useful when the light is not ideal for photography because you can exclude a grey, overcast sky quite easily by either getting close to the subject or using a zoom lens. Most portraits are best taken when the sky is overcast and the light is very soft and flat which results in a low contrast image revealing the detail and texture of the face. If you are shooting in a crowded place or there are distracting elements in the background then zooming in close will easily eliminate them. I mostly use a 70-200mm telephoto lens for most portrait work and use the largest aperture (f/2.8) to drop the background out of focus as much as possible to make the subject really stand out.

Action portraits

By using a shorter focal length and shooting wider you can capture more of the subject as well as including more of the background which will reveal more about their identity. Including objects that people hold and things they do with their hands can really add meaning to a picture. Many people will stop what they are doing to pose for you so either ask or gesture to them to carry on with what they were doing to get a natural looking shot.

I took the shot below by gesturing to the fisherman to take a photo of him putting his fishing net away after he returned from his daily evening catch. He nodded and so I waded out a few feet and climbed into the boat and was still capturing the action 20 minutes later! He was so relaxed he just carried on as if I was not there which enabled me to compose and expose to show him at work.

Environmental portraits

This style of portrait captures the subject in their environment and helps give meaning to the picture. This is an easier style of portrait to shoot because you are much further away from the subject and not invading their personal space. I usually opt for the wide angle lens to include as much of the subjects environments as possible. Mount the camera on a tripod if you have one and try experimenting with slow shutter speeds to create some motion blur for added effect.

A focal length of between 25-50mm is generally sufficient for capturing environmental portraits but this depends on the distance between them and the camera. Try to choose a subject that is in front of an appropriate background to give a sense of place and by doing so you establish a relationship within the picture. If the light levels are not too low use a smaller aperture than you would if you were taking a head shot so that the background can be identified but make sure the subject stands out well enough to be the focal point.

Shooting tips:

• Always ask permission to take a picture of someone before you point the camera at them unless you are adopting the candid style of shooting or using a telephoto lens so that you are far enough away from the subject to not be intrusive.

• Have some small denomination notes or change to pay the subject and try to avoid those people who dress up in traditional dress just to relieve tourists of their cash – these encounters will result in forced poses and smiles and not make great pictures.

• Set the camera to consecutive shooting mode and keep your finger on the shutter button so that you don’t miss that perfect expression.

Candid portraits

Candid portraits can often be the easiest way to capture people and the majority of subjects look far more natural using this style. It also means that you don’t need to ask permission to take the photo which in my opinion is less intrusive. When I first started out as a travel photographer I found it quite hard to ask people if I could take their picture, especially if I could not speak their language, so tried to shoot as candidly as possible. With more practice and experience it became easier to approach people, strike up a conversation and take close up head shots to the standard I was happy with. I believe there is a fine line between this style of shooting and shooting someone who has made it clear they do not wish to be photographed. Your camera skills will need to be up to speed though because your subject will not be standing still giving you time to compose and expose – speed is of the essence so you will need to know your controls camera very well!

Creative portraits

Get creative and focus on parts of the body other than the face. Now, some people say I have a hand fetish because so many of my people shots are details of hands but in my defence many people you encounter when travelling do some interesting things with their hands so they make interesting and unusual subject matter.

Experiment with different angles; don’t just point the camera straight forward at eye level. Crouch down and shoot upwards to get some sky in the shot. Find an elevated position and shoot down onto the subject. Also try capturing the subject as a silhouette.

You could also try experimenting with the panning and blurring techniques to add some motion blur to your images. For more information on these techniques check out the resources page on my blog.