in this issue
contributors
Ken Kaminesky is
a professional travel
photographer and a
co-founder of Discovery
Photo Tours. His
photography has been featured in
major publications and has twice been
featured on the cover of National
Geographic magazine. See more of
his work at kenkaminesky.com.Christina Selby
is a conservation
photographer, writer,
naturalist and founder
of Conservation
Productions, which uses visual
storytelling to inspire action for wild
places and things throughout the
Americas and beyond. See more of
her work at christinamselby.com.Glenn Randall’s most
recent book is Dusk
to Dawn: A Guide to
Landscape Photography
at Night, published
by Rocky Nook, a handbook for
creating images of the Milky Way,
meteor showers, lunar eclipses
and more. See more of his work at
glennrandall.com.O
ne of the challenges of making
portfolio-worthy photographs
when traveling in new places is finding
a balance between focusing on image
making and simply being present and
absorbing the experience. Speaking
personally, I often feel scattered at
first when I’m somewhere new with a
camera in hand, and unless I just get
lucky, my initial photographs reflect
that. “I don’t want to remember every
single place I visit with the obstruction
of a camera in front of my face,”
says pro travel photographer Ken
Kaminesky. “When I’m photographing
something special, I always try to take
a moment and put my camera down
to just appreciate where I am and be
grateful.” Being fully present and
practicing patience are among the tips
Kaminesky shares in his article “Take
Better Travel Photographs.” While the
subject of his work is usually exoticplaces and cultures, the advice he offers
can apply equally to most photographic
subjects and locations.
When we talk about travel
photography, it conjures images of
iconic destinations in places where
historic buildings and cultures
blend with modern conveniences
and amenities. If you’re looking for
something different, consider lending
your skills to the work of scientific and
conservation expeditions. In “Finding
The Flying Monkey,” Christina Selby
shares the story of her 42-day journey
with scientists attempting to locate and
document the Vanzolini’s saki, a rare
monkey in the Brazilian Amazon that
hadn’t been seen by researchers for
nearly 80 years. It’s not your typical
photo tour, and you won’t be pampered
in four-star accommodations, but a
trip like this can be the adventure of
a lifetime. “This work has affordedme the opportunity to experience
wild places where few outsiders ever
go, witness breathtaking beauty and
glimpse wildlife still mostly unknown
to science,” Selby says.
Also in this issue, Glenn Randall
shares advice to help you plan a trip
to photograph the Milky Way. Spring
and summer are the best seasons to
capture the galactic center, though
the exact dates vary by latitude. In
addition to information about timing,
Randall also offers tips for choosing
locations with interesting foregrounds
as well as basic exposure settings and
gear recommendations.
Whether you’re photographing for
a purpose or simply for the pleasure of
the craft, successful images start with
a strong foundation in the principles
of composition. In our last two
issues, Marc Muench introduced us
to many of the fundamental concepts
to know and use when framing
subjects. In the third and final article
in his series “The Art of Seeing,”
Muench talks about using color and
contrast thoughtfully to make more
powerful images and considers the
balance between capturing “reality”
and taking creative license. Taken
together, the three articles in this
series will give you the tools you need
to make compelling images wherever
your travels take you. Like any skill
worth learning, photography takes
time, patience and practice to master.
“All the hard work and ingenuity
pays off,” says Muench, “and in the
end makes the difference between
something interesting and something
truly beautiful.”
–Wes Pitts, Editoroutdoorphotographer.com May 2019 11