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B+Wwhere there’s always something going
on, a particular bar, a local market. I also
make a point of exploring the streets during
the day and at night because the mood is
completely different after dark and presents
a whole new set of photo opportunities.P
eople help to define a place as much
as the architecture and landscape
so if you’re ever going to capture its
character you must photograph the
people as well. For many this is about as
appealing as having teeth pulled, but I can’t
stress enough the importance of including
people on your subject list because as well
as being a source of great portraits they will
also add immeasurably to the enjoyment
of your journey – connect with the people
and you connect with the place. Most
folk are also flattered by requests to be
photographed and you’re far more likely to
make friends than enemies!
If you’re visiting a place for the first time,
it’s useful to have some kind of insight into
what you’re likely to see when you get there
so you can at least think about how you
might approach it photographically. That’s
not to say you’ll take a completely different
direction once you arrive, but it’s good to
get the creative juices flowing while you’re
still at home. Check out books on the place,
visit photographers’ websites and photo
sharing sites such as Flickr or 500px. Youmay see an image that inspires you and
sows the seed of an idea, or reveals a
scene or subject you didn’t know existed.
Maybe take some screengrabs and load
them on to your smartphone, tablet or
laptop so they can be used as memoryjerkers while you’re on the trip, or compile
a photographic mood-board – the images
on it may not be of the place you’re visiting
but can be used to lead you in a certain
creative direction. This isn’t cheating but
background research – I know of successfulHAVANA, CUBA This portrait of Camilo
Cienfuegos will live on in my photograph.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with 24-70mm lens, ISO 100,
0.8secs at f/8HAVANA CUBA Add variety to your images
by looking for unusual viewpoints.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with 70-200mm lens,
ISO 800, 1/800sec at f/4HAVANA, CUBA This busy corner is made more
interesting by the murals painted on the walls.
Canon EOS 5D MkIII with 24-70mm lens, ISO 1600,
1/250sec at f/6.356-61_LEE_FROST_171 ER/MB.indd 5956-61_LEE_FROST_171 ER/MB.indd 59 05/11/2014 10:4905/11/2014 10:49