Digital SLR Photography - UK (2019-10)

THEWESTERNWORLDIS SUCHA

SMALLWAYOFLIFE;EXPLORETHE

GLOBETOSEEHOWOTHERS'LIVE

ANDSEEYOUROWNLIFEEXPAND

CAPTURING

THE CULTURE

A

PLACE’SCULTUREIS thesumofits

partsandit’sitsculturethatattracts

photographers.Thepeople,the

architecture,theseasonalfestivitiesand

religiousritualsthatdiffer fromourownall

enticeustoexploretheglobe,camerain

hand.However,howcanyoustopyour

photographsfrombecomingmeretourist

snapshotsandmakethemwall-worthy,if

notsellableorinstagram-bound?

Whenmanythinkofarchitecture,they

thinkcities,butarchitectureextendsbeyond

thehustleandbustleofa metropolisor

majortouristdrawssuchastheBigApple;

encompassesinganythingwitha structure

fromshantytownsandAfricanhuts,to

grandinteriors,templesandlandmarks.

Gettingoriginalimagesofpopular

destinations,however,is incrediblydifficult

sodiscerningtravelphotographershaveto

raisetheirgame.Forstarters,youhaveto

researchviewpointsbeforeyougoand

avoidthehordesbyshootingin thebest

morninglight,beforetouristshaveeven

finishedtheirbreakfast– youcaneatwhen

thephotographshavebeentaken!Tryany

othershootingangleotherthaneye-level,

lookforwaystoframeyourfocalpointand

toemployleadinglinesorforeground

interestforaddedculturalcontext.

Unorthodoxfocallengthssuchasa fish-eye

lenscangivea newlooktoanoldview,as

doesstitchinga verticalorhorizontal

panorama.Usea tripod,if allowed,soyou

cancapturelongexposuresthaterase

peoplefromtheframeorfeaturemoving

localsbydraggingtheshutterorpanning.

Asculturesbecomesmallerandmore

homogenous,culturaldifferencesbecome

hardertofindbutmoreimportantto

capture.In bigcitieswhereculturescollide

andcombine,theauthenticityandtradition

ofa destinationis oftenerodedfromits

originssoheadingforareasnottargetedto

touristscandelivera moreauthentic

depiction.However,photographing

developmentsin a culture’sidentityalsohas

photographicappealsodon’tdiscountit.

Eitherway,seekoutdetailsthatmakeupa

place’sculturalidentity– clothing,foods,

CULTUREQ&A

Q

DoI needa modelorpropertyrelease?

Onlyif youplantosell,publishorenter

yourphotographsin competitions.Youmightbe

surprisedat whatpropertiesyouneeda release

fortoo,soalwaysdoyourresearch.Forinstance,

photographingtheEiffel Towerat nightis actually

illegalandsomesidewalksin L.A.areprivate

propertysoyoucan’tphotographfromthem.

Q

Is it worthpayingfora localguide?

It dependsonhowmuchtimeyouhave

tospare.If youhavea weekortwotoembed

yourselfin a culture,thenexploringunderyour

ownsteamis oftenhalfthefun;if yourtimeis

limited,thena guidecanbebeneficial.A local

guideis alsogreatif youwanttogooff-the-

beatentrackorovercomelanguagebarriers.

Q

Is a dayenoughfora destination?

Onlyif youwanttogeta figurative

‘snapshot’ofa place.You’lloftenfindyougetthe

mostcreativeportfoliobyreturningondifferent

daysandat differenttimesofdaytocapture

changingmoods,peopleandrituals.

colours and street art, for instance.

Timing your visit to coincide with local

festivities, such as La Tomatina in Spain or

Lhosar in Nepal, can also yield opportunities

but it’s sometimes best to forego the biggest

festivals in favour of the smaller ones. Leading

up to Mardi Gras, for instance, is often two

weeks of more intimate parades and events

that are as photo worthy without combatting

against the millions of revellers that turn up for

the main event. The more regular local

markets are a great place to seek candid

portraits, colour and cultural delicacies, too.

It’s worth researching a destination’s

traditions and rituals, too, for example the stilt

fishermen of Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks in

prayer in Asia, decorated African tribes and

the mass morning bathing in India’s holy

Ganges River. Not only can you photograph

THE PEOPLE, THE ARCHITECTURE, THE SEASONAL FESTIVITIES

AND RELIGIOUS RITUALS THAT DIFFER FROM OUR OWN ALL

ENTICE US TO EXPLORE THE GLOBE, CAMERA IN HAND

PhotoMasterclass

WHAT T O SHOOT...

60 Digital SLR Photography October 2019