|
 For a great number of people, travel and photography go hand in hand. Journeying to far-off destinations and capturing unique images of people and places is simply priceless to many photographers.
Of course, any person for whom travel photography is a passion would love to be accepted as a professional photographer. However, in order to get past being looked at as an amateur and to start being seen as a professional travel photographer, a person must invest a great deal of time, effort, and practice. Luckily, practicing travel photography is actually rather fun—after all, if taking pictures is your favorite activity (or obsession, even?), you are going to want to keep at it as often as possible. Here are two items you might try out as you practice—items that may help improve your skills as a travel photographer.
Consider a Tripod – Or, a Beanbag There are going to be times when you need a steadier hand, times when a tripod would be quite useful. You may want to take photos in low light situations or in the evening as well—both of which could benefit from the stability of a tripod.
However, many travelers do not want to carry the extra weight of a tripod around all of the time. Plus, there are a great number of tourist destinations (such as many churches and museums, for example) that do not allow photography at all. So, there is also a good argument against taking a tripod.
A good compromise? A beanbag.
You can use a beanbag anywhere to prop up your camera and steady it. Place a beanbag on top of a chair, a vehicle, an outdoor wall, a windowsill, absolutely anything. Your camera will sit snugly on top of the beanbag, just as it would on top of a tripod—and, beanbags are much easier to carry around with you at all times. There are special beanbags that can be purchased specifically for the purpose of propping up a camera—like this one from Bogen called The Pod (http://bogen.links.channelintelligence.com/pages/prices.asp?sSKU=TP%20R0017-B&nRGID=-1). However, you could just as easily use any type of beanbag that you already have or make one using some scrap fabric, filling it with dried rice or beans. Take a Polaroid -- Or, a 4x6 Printer Of course, you aren’t going to take any award-winning, magazine-cover-worthy photographs with a Polaroid camera. However, having one might get you access to some great photo opportunities.
Depending upon where you are traveling, many people are wary of cameras—you’ve likely heard about people who believe that cameras steal a person’s soul. If you have a Polaroid, you can get someone to demonstrate (even on yourself, if necessary) that cameras are safe. After you take one photo, everyone in the area will want one—and then you can ask for access to other, more interesting photo opportunities.
This works well with a digital camera hooked up to one of those small 4x6 printers as well, if you don’t have a Polaroid. You can simply print out a photo after you take one with the digital camera via the printer. Be sure to have plenty of photo paper!
 |
photographers 
Subscribe to this comment's feed