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Ten Tips for
Travel Photographers
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By Bob Krist
Bob was voted "Travel Photographer of the Year" in 1994 by the Society of American Travel Writers
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INTRODUCTION
There's a school of thought that says the secret of successful location photography is simply a matter of "f/8 and be there." While that may be the case in a fast-breaking news situation or some other once-in-a-lifetime event, the fact is that shooting on vacation takes the same meticulous preparation that goes into planning one. When you're out of the safe confines of the house or the backyard, there's a myriad of things that can stand between you and a successful shoot. I spend 6-8 months a year on the road, mostly overseas, and here are a few things I've learned about the fine art of location shooting.
1. BE PREPARED
The Boy Scouts definitely have the right idea. When a camera or a vital piece of equipment goes down in the middle of a trip, it can be an inconvenience or a downright tragedy -- depending on whether or not you have a spare. The best spare is a second body, identical to your mainstay machine, but even if it's just a point and shoot zoom camera, it's better than nothing!
The further you are from home, the more important spares become. For instance, I do 90% of my work with three zoom lenses, a 20-35mm, a 28-70mm, and an 80-200mm, all f/2.8's. Zooms are a great convenience on the road, but if you drop or break one, you lose an entire range of coverage. I bring two lighter, slower, and cheaper zooms -- a 24-50mm and a 70-210mm -- as backups. If that's a little excessive, and a point and shoot zoom isn't enough, consider one of the compact 28-200mm zooms as a one-lens backup system.
How important are backups? I'm writing this article on the plane home from an assignment in Belize, where I dropped a camera in 3 feet of salt water on the first day of the shoot. Fortunately, I had two more bodies and a spare lens to complete the job.
2. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The magic word is research. Whether it's a major travel assignment or a family vacation, the more specifics you know about the location, the better your pictures will be. Here's what I do to research a destination I'm assigned to photograph.
I head to the library, where I look up any National Geographic stories that have been done on the area. These stories always give you a good visual sense of what the place looks like. Many libraries also have sections containing brochures and travel guides, and I make liberal use of these, ever alert to phrases like "stunning views" , "picturesque", and "photographers' delight", which pop up frequently.
You can't know too much about the location you're visiting. It's no accident, for instance, that many of the stories I shoot for Travel/Holiday, National Geographic Traveler, and Islands magazines contain lively people pictures. Whenever I land an assignment, I call the US-based tourist office of the country, or the state tourist office if it's a domestic shoot, and I ask for any literature on the area, including a schedule of events. If there's a big festival or parade happening, I may schedule my whole trip around it. But even small events, like a music festival or folk dance demonstration, can be great photo ops.
There are countless small details, which, if overlooked, can ruin a shoot. For instance, if you plan to use a tripod around some of the monuments and buildings in Washington D.C., you'd better have the proper permits from the Capitol Police, or prepare to be hassled. Popping down to the Caribbean with rechargeable batteries as part of your kit? Even though these islands are in the U.S.'s backyard, voltage and plug types vary from island to island and adaptors are all but impossible to find once there.
The more you travel, the more you'll be able to anticipate the types of questions that need to be answered before you set foot out of the house.
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Copyright 2006 Bob Krist. Reproduced with permission. No Internet reproduction or other usage permitted. For more information send an email. Bob's next book will be PhotoSecrets 101 Tips for Travel Photographers
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