Bicycles in clock tower plaza
Horse and Carriage
Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery
Old Brick Church
Tag: street
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The A-Z of places: Belgium
Bicycles in clock tower plaza in Bruges, the ‘Venice of northern Europe”,Belgium Horse and Carriage popular with tourists who visit Bruges, the ‘Venice of northern Europe”,Belgium Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery near Passendale, West Flanders, Belgium Old Brick Church in Bruges, the ‘Venice of northern Europe”,Belgium -
The A-Z of places: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mostar’s Stari Most at night
Stari Most at night. Mostar’s old bridge that was destroyed during the Balkans war. Muslim Cemetery
Muslim Cemetery In Mostar Bosnia. many of these are victims of the Balkans war. Mostar
Mostar’s Stari Most above the Neretva River Colourful flutes
Colourful flutes. Hand painted musical instruments in Mostar Share this:
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The travel photographer FAQ’s: How do I get good shots of the locals?
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.
Old women at the Ranipauwa market. Ranipauwa Nepal is also called Muktinath after the sacred site nearby and close to the Tibet border. Share this:
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The A-Z of places A: Austria
City Hall , Vienna
City hall. Vienna’s city hall at dusk. The Vienna mountains 1
A small village in the mountains near Vienna Austria The Vienna Mountains 2
Autumn colours in the mountains. Some of the great scenery to be found near Vienna Austria Schonbrunn palace, Vienna
Schloss schonbrunn is the former royal summer palace is in Vienna, Austria Want to put any of these photos on your wall or licence or share this photo email or contact us
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The travel photographer FAQ’s: What is travel photography?
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.
Men playing Pétanque near the Eiffel tower in Paris, France Share this:
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Jogger in King’s Park Perth 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.
Jogger at Dusk in Kings Park Perth the biggest inner city park in the world and is very popular with joggers. This area overlooks the Perth CBD. Want to put this on your wall then go to King’s Park Perth photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Photo tip no 10 – review
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
Yellow Balloon reflection on the Yarra river in Melbourne Australia Want to put this on your wall or licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Photo tip no 8 – RAW V JPG part 1
This is a HUGE topic that will be difficult to do justice to but if the question is why? Then here’s a brief answer. I might add that this question (at the moment anyway) only applies to higher end compacts, micro four/thirds and DSLR cameras. If you are using a smartphone or a compact that doesn’t give you the option of shooting in raw, then jpeg it is then. So firstly why raw? Raw is digital negative that retains all the information that the camera sensor can see but needs post processing to get the best out of it. So if you want a outstanding image and are prepared to put in the time in front of a computer to get it then shoot raw. Secondly why jpeg? This depends on what you will be doing it with it. If you are sharing on social media or via email just among friends or they are happy snaps which display memories rather than artistic merit, then jpeg is fine. Bear in mind that even if you shoot in raw you need to convert to jpeg to show or share as raw files can only be read by a small number of programs and the file sizes are pretty big. A final tip on that would be to shoot (if available on your camera) raw + jpeg so you can ‘publish’ the jpeg immediately and fine-tune the raw image later. Happy snapping!
Man in a Zhongshan or Mao suit posing in the village Xizhou near Dali in the Yunnan province of China Want to put this on your wall or licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Canyon Road Santa Fe door photo
Slightly to the South East of downtown Santa Fe is Canyon Road, a street with wall to wall art galleries. There are over 100 places to view and purchase art in this area with most of them along Canyon Road. Most of the buildings were or still are houses built in the Pueblo style and some date back to the 1750’s. In fact it didn’t become a magnet for artists until the early 20th century. From the photographers standpoint these ‘Peublo’ style houses are colourful and ooze character. The most attractive parts are the doors and windows and this one was one of many. 1/320 @ f4.5 60mm ISO 100
A Doorway in the Canyon Road art district of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Want to put this on your wall then go to Sante Fe doorway photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Photo tip no 7 – its not the camera dummy!
How many times have you heard either “you must be a good photographer to have a good camera like that” or “what a picture! You must have a really good camera”. Wrong and wrong! A good camera doesn’t make you a good photographer any more than a great shot can only come from a good camera. I know it’s a cliche but it’s not about the camera! It’s about the picture maker – you! How you see the world, What story you want to tell. What beauty (or not) you want to capture. Yes buy a great camera if you can. It gives you more options to create great images. But it doesn’t mean you will. A few years ago I did my first wedding for someone close to me. I did an OK job with my Canon EOS5 (the film forerunner of the current 5D) and after taking the necessary shots of the reception I put all my gear away ready for a good time. I did however have a little Olympus compact film camera with me. It had a fixed lens and virtually no adjustments. But I couldn’t help myself and took a few shots with it and discovered later (remember this was the film days, the instant gratification of digital was still in its infancy) that I had taken by far the best shot of the day of the bride and groom. So remember its not the gear that makes great art but the person behind the camera.
Pilgrims on the Ghats. People on the Ghats or steps on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi, India Want to put this on your wall or licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Statue in Campo Santo Stefano in San Marco, Venice photo
Most tourists flock to Piazza San Marco, the bridge of sighs and the Ponte di Rialto in Venice. But there is a lot more to Venice. It’s a city of neighbourhoods and piazza’s. Whilst not really a piazza, Campo Santo Stefano is large enough for most of us to think otherwise. Its a short stroll from the madness of Piazza San Marco and yet it feels like it could be in another city all together, so quiet and peaceful but still with lots of locals eating and drinking, shopping and stopping for a chat. This fine fellow, bathed in the early morning light, is Niccolo Tommaseo, one of the leaders of the revolt against the Austrians in 1848 and a advocate for a united Italy. 1/400 @ f9 85mm ISO100
Statue of Niccolo Tommaseo, in Campo Santo Stefano in San Marco, Venice ©2013 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo, go to Statue in Campo Santo Stefano photo. To licence or share this photo email or contact us
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Table on the beach in Seminyak, Bali photo
I’m off to Bali soon for a long weekend and some RnR. Its only three a bit hours by plane from Perth. I’m also intending to add to my growing Bali image collection. This one was taken at the hotel Seminyak in of course Seminyak. Seminyak is the most western town in Bali with a big population of Aussie ex pats, designer label shops and the best restaurants on the island. In fact its fast becoming a culinary paradise with an influx some excellent international chefs who now have interests there. 1/320 @ f9 42mm ISO100.
Table on the beach setting at Hotel Seminyak, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia ©2013 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo go to Table on the beach photo. To licence this photo email or contact us
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Rue Mouffetard bar in Paris black & white photo
Like most photographers into street photography, my inspiration comes from two greats, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau both from France and whose famous black & white photos were taken in Paris. Whilst I’m under no illusions that my B & W efforts come anywhere near the quality of work by these two champions, I’ve done a few B & W projects and this is from my Paris collection. Rue Mouffetard is a long street in the 5th arrondissement in Paris’s south. If you love food, this is the place to be. Markets, shops, restaurants and bars line this street with some lively characters thrown in. Taken on Ilford XP2 film
Le mouffetard bar on Rue Mouffetard, home to one of Paris’s many markets.© 2007 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo go to Rue Mouffetard photo. To licence this photo email or contact us
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The Barber of Bikaner, India photo
In Rajastan there is small town (if any town in India could be considered small) called Bikaner. Its main claim to fame is its many deserted and decaying Havelis (private mansions) that reflect a bygone age of some posterity. They were closed in from the rest of the town and had many a beautiful frescoes. I did a shoot there and managed a few good street shots. This guy was taking a breather between customers.
A barber resting between clients, Bikaner, Rajastan, India © 2009 Nick Katin To buy a print of this photo go to Barber of Bikaner, India photo to licence this photo email or contact us
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Mulatto of Havana photo
Mulatto of Havana Lady in costume looking for photo tips © 2010 Nick Katin In Havana’s several tourist spots there are these beautiful women in colourful dresses parading on the streets and the leafy squares. Whilst the term Mulatto means mixed race it has also been borrowed to describe these women who approach tourists for ‘picture money”. You pay for the privilege of taking a photo of her with or without you. I was intrigued with guy selling newspapers sitting watching her walk by. What was running through his mind? 1/160 f/8.0 125 mm ISO 100
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