Australian_Photography_-_June_2016_

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The author’s shot

of a musician

waiting for a drink in

Trinidad.

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A mechanic

services a car on

the cobbled streets

of Trinidad. With few

overseas imports,

many of the cars

are more than 60

years old.

AUSTRALIAN PHOTOGRAPHY JUNE 2016

PHOTO TIPS travel photography

He shows me how he included just a tiny part of the road
behind the cowboys, in doing so bringing the image to life.
By shooting in shutter priority and constantly keeping an eye
on his shutter speed on his top panel as the light changes, he
knows his images will be exposed correctly. He’s also a strong
proponent of using the viewfinder, not the rear LCD. “With the
camera held up to your right eye your left is free to see what’s
changing in front of you,” he explains. “You can’t do that when
you have both eyes on your rear screen.”
His other tips are just as simple. When holding the camera,
keep your left arm ‘like a tripod’ with the elbow near the
body. “That way, it’s steady and solid and the camera won’t
shake,” he says.
As we move on, he encourages me to get close to my subject.
Very close. It becomes another mantra.
“One of the joys of teaching photography is getting people
to ‘break the line’,’’ he says, as we walk to a grittier part of town
more popular with horses than cars. “Often people are scared to
get close, but when they do, it’s wonderful to see.”
It’s also why Muñoz favours the simplicity of prime lenses.

Rule of thirds

This basic rule of composition says that if

you lay an imaginary grid across your image,

splitting it into thirds, your main subject or point

of interest should be at one of the four points

where the lines intersect. These are called

anchor points.

The rule of thirds helps create more balanced

compositions than placing your subject in the

centre of the frame. You can experiment by placing

your subject on the edge of the frame too – it can

make your images really stand out.

“If you’re shooting like a sniper far away with a big telephoto

lens, your life isn’t on the line and your photos will show it,” he

explains. “use your feet.”

With his advice ringing in my ears, I spot a young musician

leaning against a wall. I get close, and then closer still, carefully

ensuring I don’t exclude too much around him, before taking my

single shot – it turns out to be one of my favourites from my trip.

In Muñoz’s eyes, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a local – what’s

important is having confidence and a clear understanding of

what you want, and his tips can be used anywhere – you don’t

have to be in a photography paradise like Trinidad.

As often as you hear the expression no es fácil in Cuba, you

hear the word ‘change’. For the first time, The Rolling Stones

performed in Havana just after I left. Mick Jagger told the

500,000 strong audience that ‘the times are changing’.

Today, entrepreneurs like Julio Muñoz are just the kind of change

the band was talking about. Cubans are reinventing themselves in a

changing world. It’s still not easy, but given time, it will be. ❂

The author travelled to Cuba independently.

PHOTO: MIKE O’CONNOR

PHOTO: MIKE O’CONNOR