Katin Images Travel Photography
Travel Photos, Travel Photography Tips and Software
China would have to be one of the most fascinating countries I have visited. It has some of the top attractions and sights in the world and some of the oldest. It has culture, philosophy a burgeoning middle class and abject poverty. From natural sights like Tiger leaping gorge to the history of the great wall and then the monolithic skyscrapers of Shanghai – it has it all! Or does it?
Hall of Prayer for good Harvests
Roof tops
Noodle maker
Man in a suit
I have generally found that bars are the most interesting places to visit when travelling. There if it’s not a tourist hot spot, you usually get to see the locals at play. In Guadalajara the guide books direct you too Bar La Fuente and yet when we where there the were no tourists to been seen. Just guys sitting up at the bar and mixed groups at tables all singing along to the live singer and his small two piece band. When the music stops the guys get up and sing to any female close by and this case it was one of us who was treated to a Spanish version of what sounded like That’s Amore but in truth could have been anything. One of these romantic boys was actually a tourist guide who earlier that day took us on a tour of one of Guadalajara’s impressive buildings that contained murals by the famous 1940’s Painter & Muralist Orozco.
Peggy’s cove, Nova Scotia
A misty Peggy’s cove, Nova Scotia
Pow Wow in Ontario
Sunset on the Bruce Peninsula Ontario
The famous London Bridge on a dark day. It wasn’t really as dark as this, I just tweaked it a bit in Lightroom to give it a brooding look.
Canoeing on the Okavango Delta
Makoros
Peek-a-boo
Lion
The travel photography FAQ’s are on hold for now. But they will back in a new form on new site so watch this space! In the meantime more photos from around the globe.
Perth in Western Australia was once a sleepy city far from anywhere and where getting a good coffee was always a challenge. That’s all changed now and there are coffee places everywhere that all have good coffee. In my suburb, Subiaco, 3 km’s from the city centre there are around 20 different café’s or places to get a coffee along its main strip.
Bicycles in clock tower plaza
Horse and Carriage
Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery
Old Brick Church
Mostar’s Stari Most at night
Muslim Cemetery
Mostar
Colourful flutes
How do I get good shots of the locals?
Good question. It really depends on where you are and what shot you are after. Begin with making sure that your camera is ready for an immediate click! This is essential. Nothing worse than loosing a shot because you weren’t prepared. So lens cap off, camera on and the right settings in place, usually a wide aperture i.e small f stop. If you are after candid shots of people just going about their business then a reasonable size zoom lens is handy and usually if you are far enough away you probably won’t need to ask permission. If you are going to try and get close up then it really is courteous to ask permission and then you may need to have a chat to make them feel comfortable. The trouble then is that they will pose which is often not what you want.I take an initial shot of them posing and then continue chatting and taking pictures which tends to yield more relaxed portraits. Beware of cultural sensitivities – in some countries there’s a believe that you are taking away a part of their soul.
City Hall , Vienna
The Vienna mountains 1
The Vienna Mountains 2
Schonbrunn palace, Vienna
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Why do my photos of landscapes look ordinary?
Ever taken a photo of a beautiful scene and found that even after you thought it looked OK in the rear screen, once it was displayed on your computer at home it looked nothing like you remember it. Usually that’s caused by a rush of blood to the head that tricks you into believing you can capture the scene before you (usually a landscape). Most common faults are that everything is too small, too much sky, too much foreground, e.g. grass, or it just looks uninspiring. When composing a scene look to use the rule of thirds and place the horizon carefully away from the centre either high if the sky is uninteresting or blown out and the foreground has some points of interest like interesting rock formations or place it low if the sky is full of interesting cloud formations or colour. Make sure the horizon is straight and if you have the sun at your back watch out for your shadow. Finally play around with different positions and zoom in and out.
Here’s an interesting landscape
Anzac Day Perth
Gum Trees Perth
War memorial Perth
Beach at dusk Broome
What is travel photography?
Well that depends on whose asking and whose answering because there is no right answer. Look it up on the net and you will find various opinions. My take is that it’s a collection of several genres like landscapes, street, culture, nature, wildlife, black and white, people and so on. Most would say that the shots are from your travels away from home. But that means if I take an image of a cultural activity in my town then it’s not a travel photo but if a visitor from New York takes it then it is. Maybe then its the use of said image………..! Maybe we’re just over-thinking this. So anyway this is a beginning of a new series of posts that aim to help anyone interested enough to take better photos on their travels. Here’s a black and white ‘travel’ photo.
Kings Park in my home town Perth, at over 400 hectares or 1000 acres, is the biggest inner city park in the world. Situated on Mount Eliza it overlooks the Perth CBD and is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Western Australia thanks to its diversity of attractions, beauty and activities. It’s also very popular with walkers, cyclists and joggers. This is one of the many joggers thrashing their hearts all in the name of health, that I snapped running past me in quite dim light just after a touch of rain.
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So let’s just recap on the tips 5-9: No 5 was a recap of the previous 4 which were briefly: 1. keep your camera on, 2. Turn off the flash, 3. Use auto ISO, 4. Avoid Camera shake by using the viewfinder if fitted or if not, by tucking those arms in.
So number 6: Select a tripod to suit your camera and lens and invest in a cable release or use the timer.
7. Don’t think that because someone has an expensive camera that they will create great images – it’s not the gear that makes great art but the person behind the camera.
8. Use RAW if you want great images but only if you are prepared to invest some time in front of the computer
9. Use JPEG if you don’t want to spend time in front of the camera, can’t afford big memory cards or need speed for quick successive burst shooting.
There are numerous other tips I could give but I’ll stop there and as from next week I will post my top 10 travel photography tips. However feel free to ask me a question on taking photos. I may not know the answer but I’ll probably know where to find it! Ciao
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Katin Images Travel Photography 