In Vacation Photo Tip #3 we rather esoterically looked into the matter of time in photography and found out that we never seem to have enough and it is very hard to get more of it. Real life, you know. This time let us get a bit more practical.
Did you notice that after a while many photographers seem to be stuck in a certain corner? They developed their own, personal, unique style, which is a good thing. But now it seems they are doing the same picture over and over again.
I think a vacation, all the new places, people, and experiences, are a very good time to take things a bit further.
Vacation picture tip #4: be experimental, try new things
Very often we like pictures that show the world in a way that we have not seen before, at least not exactly. Photography must not be the faithful reproduction of reality lest it becomes incredibly dull. So why not fool around a bit in your vacation, try new things, get a fresh look at the world? Here are just a few ideas:
- Forget the eyeline. Interesting pictures are often done overhead or from a low perspective. Modern cameras are very easy to handle in such situations as very often they have displays that can be tilted in any direction. Use those things.
- Try super close-ups or super wide pictures, maybe with people in them only to show just how wide they are. Or do the opposite. Use a 50 mm lens for the entire duration of the vacation and do everything with it: creativity sometimes bursts if it is limited for whatever reason.
- Deliberately over- or underexpose. Look what it does to colors and detail. Find out what kind of vibrance you get out of an underexposed field of lavender. Whatever – just try something new.
- Explore new techniques. There is no better time to try an HDR or a timelapse than in your vacation.
- Try something you have not done before – and take your camera with you. On my honeymoon vacation I tried snorkeling for the very first time in my life and what I’ve got was a new hobby, great pictures, and a terrible sunburn
Embrace the waste
If you walk down that route you will end up with some exceptional shots and with tons of horse manure. The trick is to forget about the latter. But it works. It is much better to have two outstanding shots than 100 mediocre. Nobody wants to see tons of pictures anyway. So be bold.
Further reading: here are two articles (not specific on the topic of vacation photography but a bit broader themed) that I enjoyed reading on the matter:
- http://webneel.com/different-types-of-photography – 50 types of photography – you may find something to try out in your vacation here,
- http://weburbanist.com/2008/12/19/photography-creative-approaches-types-techniques/ – “only” 10 types of photography, but very well chosen.
Any more ideas on the subject? Or do you see things differently? Let us know in the comment section below!