“What is the easiest form of photography for you?” I have had some people ask me that question before.
My answer?
There’s no such thing as “easy photography”. Taking photos is no easy matter. I can tell you what I love shooting best, and what I’m good at doing, but neither of them is “easy”.
I love doing portrait photography. I love doing landscape photography. I love doing nature photography. I love doing adventure photography. I love doing documentary photography.
Tell me, which one sounds “easiest” to you?
Portraiture involves knowing how to pose models, place them in the right light (or place the right light on them) and knowing how to capture their natural selves. Landscape photography involves waiting minutes, hours and sometimes even days for the right light to fall on your particular landscape. Sometimes we have to sit out in the cold just to be disappointed by bad weather, or sometimes we have to wake up at the ungodly hour just to capture a few shots before running back into bed. Nature photography, again, involves heavy equipment and tones of patience. Adventure photography? Ever tried sitting on a speed boat veering left and right and your hands are preoccupied with taking photos that you have no way of holding on for your life? Documentary photography; do you have the physical and mental strength?
Unfortunately for you, travel photography seems to be a mishmash of everything put together. Definitely you’re going to be shooting some people, some landscapes, documenting some of the local’s daily lives, shooting some of the natural landscape and animals in the area, and maybe if you’re into adventure, you’d have to do some of that too.
But no problem.
I’m here to offer some tips in this travel series part one.
1. Learning to smile and look friendly.
This sounds almost mundane and stupid. Why do photographers have to learn how to smile and look friendly?
The simple reason being your photographed subjects are actually mirrors of your personality. If you project a good positive outlook, your subjects feel natural and at ease for your shots. But if you look uncertain and scared, there is very reason for your subjects to feel tensed up and scared as well.
Also, people won’t want to let creepy and scary looking people take photos of themselves. Friendly and outgoing photographers tend to let people feel that they are not posing for some pervert. Of course, don’t be TOO outgoing. That’s gonna creep people out too.
2. Get a feel of the local scene.
In some cultures, it is really rude to touch somebody’s head. In OUR culture, we may feel that it is all right to ruffle a kid’s head of hair, but you do not want to rub the locals in the wrong way. Knowing what might upset the locals is very important, and in the event that you know you have accidentally done something wrong, offer your sincere apologies.
Nepal is a very poor country. Not many people own a camera, or have their photos taken before. More than once I take photos in a village area, the villagers will crowd around to take a look. Being a Singaporean, we hardly get that sort of response that it almost feels threatening to us. But understanding the local scene will also let you know that these people are just plain curious. Befriending them will actually help you get even more portraits of the locals.
3. Learn how to say “Hello” and “How are you?” in the local language.
How difficult is it to learn saying hello and how are you? No matter where you go, it is just sheer common courtesy to ask before taking a photo. Saying hello and how are you will show that you are not just some rude foreigner who doesn’t know any manners.
Usually, this will garner friendly responses from the locals, and they’ll be more than happy to pose for you.
That’s all from me today, I will be posting more when I have time touching on the other parts of travel photography.
Over and out-
Eunice Chan
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A little about the writer:
Eunice Chan is a third-year undergraduate studying in NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, majoring in Broadcast and Cinema Studies. Although she loves photography and film making, she also has a strange liking for suffering. Currently she is serving a five-month journalism internship in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Eunice didn’t know how to take photographs before she joined MJC Photography Club, much less know how to use a DSLR. Before long, she won her first DSLR upon graduation from Meridian in a competition, and was on her way to becoming a press photographer. She has covered stories and issues relating to NTU and also the Youth Olympics last year.
She hopes that through her blog posts in this little space, she could continue to inspire youths today to become better photographers.
Read her photography blog and musings at http://eunicechan-photo.tumblr.com/
