How to Take Travel Pictures Like a Pro

CLASSIC VACATION SHOTS BY JEFF WIGNALL

SHOOTING FROM THE AIR
Pictures taken from commercial airliners won't be perfect technically, because the plastic windows are so thick they destroy sharpness. Still, the quality is fine for 4- x 6-inch album prints. You can minimize the blurring by getting the lens as close to the window as possible, but avoid touching the surface or fuselage, because the plane's vibration will cause camera shake. Take-offs and landings are the best time to shoot, because the lower altitude makes ground features more recognizable and there's less haze.
In many places you can take relatively inexpensive low-altitude air tours to get some one-of-a-kind scenery shots. Most of the planes have high wings, and often the pilots will let you pop open the window to get clean photos if they know you're a serious shooter. A normal or mild wide-angle lens is good for both commercial and low-level tour planes, but you can use longer lenses to isolate smaller ground features from an open window. In all cases, the exposure recommended by your through-the-lens meter should be very accurate. Depth of field doesn't matter, so use the highest shutter speed you can to offset vibration.


PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR CRUISE
There is one key thing about taking photographs on a cruise: You have to be prepared to work in a lot of different lighting situations: on deck in very bright sunlight, indoors by dim available light, and in both good and bad weather (yes, it does rain on cruise vacations).
One of the blessings of cruising is that you can bring a ton of gear and it's as near as your cabin. If you are an SLR shooter, bring a pair of zooms (a wide-angle-to-normal and a telephoto zoom), an accessory flash, and both fast and slow films.
If you're making an inland passage or are cruising in an island group like the Bahamas, you'll have many opportunities to photograph scenery from on deck. Coming into port is an especially exciting time, but it happens quickly and often at dawn, so be up early and bring everything you need. Work from the upper decks and use a wide lens to include the bow or side of the ship for scale and perspective. On breezy days there will be a windward (windy) and leeward (calm) side to the ship; if the scenery is equally nice, shoot from the latter.
Most ships publish a daily calendar that is slipped under your door each night by seagoing elves; it lists the next day's events and helps you plan your day's shooting. On a ship you don't have to worry about not being included in pictures; the ship's photographers will capture your group's every waking moment and post the photos for sale each evening.


ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS
It may not be quite as thrilling to photograph a lion or a zebra in a zoo as it is in the veld of Africa, but you can still make some terrific pictures. Because you can get much closer to your quarry, you can work with shorter lenses. While you might need a 400 mm or 600 mm telephoto to bring a lion or a polar bear up close in the wild, in a zoo you can get similar shots with lenses in the 180 mm to 300 mm range, or shorter. With smaller animals and reptiles that are behind wire or in glass enclosures, you can even work with macro lenses.
In composing pictures of captive animals, shoot some images that disguise the captive aspect and others that exploit it. To keep the human environment from showing, look for vantage points that hide fences or other barriers. You can make wire fencing or bars seem to disappear by working close to them with a long telephoto and using a wide aperture for shallow depth of field; be sure the autofocus frame is on the subject and not the bars. Conversely, if you want to make a statement about the plight of animals in captivity, look for shots that emphasize the confinement: a leopard peering out from between steel bars, for example.
The two problems you'll encounter in most aquariums (and many reptile displays in zoos) are the dim lighting and the thick glass. Though you may see people trying it, don't use on-camera flash through glass; you'll only get a picture of the reflection of your flash. With an SLR you can have a friend hold an off-camera accessory flash against the glass, but using a faster film is easier and keeps the light more natural-looking. Press the lens right up to the glass to avoid reflections.
As in the wild, animals in captivity have both active and quiet periods. Generally they are most animated early and late in the day and before feeding times. Finally, remember that captive animals of all types are already under stress; take great care not to add to it. Better to lose a shot than become another insensitive tourist.

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE
If you're planning a wilderness trip, fear not: The rich and ruddy glow of the campfire can be an equally evocative conveyor of atmosphere. The cozy mood of people relaxing around the flames is ideal for informal portraits. A tripod is a good idea for very sharp pictures, but you can take handheld shots using fast film if you steady the camera on a rock or a fencepost.
Whether or not you want the fire itself in your shots, be careful not to include it when you take your meter reading, because the flames will fool the camera into grossly underexposing your subjects. Instead, use your spot-metering mode to take readings directly from a well-lighted face; alternatively, move in close and fill the frame with just a face. This will provide good exposure setting for skin tones, though it may tend to wash out the colors of the fire. You can take a second reading of just the flames; setting an exposure that's midway between the two readings will keep faces well exposed while retaining the intensity of the flames.
With many autofocus cameras, the exposure and focus locks may be linked. If you move in to get physically closer to take a face reading and lock that reading, then the focus also locks at that distance. When you back up to recompose a wider picture, your subject will be out of focus. Using a zoom lens can get around this by zooming in on a subject's face, locking the exposure and focus, then zooming wider to take your picture. Changing the zoom setting does not affect the focus position with most cameras.
In any event, be sure your subject's face is evenly lighted by the fire, or ask her or him to turn toward the flames so it is. If there are lanterns in the scene, arrange them to provide additional fill-in lighting.
While flames are bright, the light reaching the faces isn't, so you'll need to use fairly fast (ISO 400 or 1000) film or mount your camera on a tripod. If you have a tripod and can get your subjects to sit still for an exposure of several seconds, sparks and flames streaming up from the fire will create interesting light trails.


SHOOTING FROM THE LAND AND SEA
On almost any trip, you'll find yourself using all sorts of ground and sea transportation. Depending on where you roam, your transportation may range from the ultramodern, like the high-speed trains of Japan, to the traditional, like the eccentric jitneys of the Philippines or the gondolas of Venice. Photographs of and from these conveyances bring a great sense of presence and authenticity to travel pictures that helps carry the viewer along on your journey.
En route, your transportation will often reveal vistas or vignettes that you may not see again once you arrive at your destination, so be sure you have a camera ready to snatch such opportunities. Point-and-shoot cameras are ideal for this kind of photography, because they let you react quickly with little fuss or bother. One solution to the problem of constant motion is to use high-speed films (ISO 400 or faster), so you can set shutter speeds fast enough to stop the motion and f/stops small enough to provide adequate depth of field. The alternative is to use a slow film and intentionally set a slow shutter speed to present a blurred, more vivid impression of movement.
Once you arrive in a place, take time to look around for interesting views that include your means of transportation. Straight shots of a ship in a harbor or a train at the station tend to be static, so try instead to find compositions that reveal their relationship to the locale.


PARADES AND CEREMONIES
Because festivals, parades, and other ceremonies can infuse your travel photographs with a splash of color and excitement, they're worth making a special effort to take in. People tend to be less inhibited at such events, so your candid pictures of strangers will seem more friendly and intimate. As they usually celebrate something of historical, religious, or traditional significance, they can add depth to your travel album.
Some festivals--such as the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain--are annual highlights that draw crowds of tourists from around the world. Others may be less adventurous but can be equally chaotic both physically and visually. Finding a clear vantage point to shoot from, then, is vital. You can shoot from above, from a hotel balcony or a high set of steps, or you can arrive early and stake out a good shooting position before the hordes arrive. If you're unfamiliar with the event or its history, ask around a few days in advance; you may get ideas for where to position yourself.
What to shoot? People--especially children--are the heart of any special event, so use a zoom lens to isolate candid expressions and reactions in the participants and the crowds. Look also for costumes or decorations that symbolize the focus of the festivities--the American flag and Uncle Sam costumes are a colorful part of Fourth of July parades. What are the emblems of the event you're shooting? At religious ceremonies and events, take special care to avoid photographing any situations or scenes that are sacred to the participants.
Sometimes important ceremonies are held at night, presenting a real challenge in available-light photography.


F I R E W O R K S
Photographing a fireworks display is similar to photographing an electrical storm, but you have the advantage of knowing approximately when and where the bursts of light will occur.
If you're using an SLR, you have a few different exposure options. For handheld shots, load your camera with an ISO 400 film, wait for the peak of a burst, aim, and fire. An exposure of 1/60 second at f/2.8 is a good starting point with bright, nearby displays. If your camera has a multiple-exposure button, you can use it to gather several bursts onto a single frame.
For a more striking effect, borrow the technique used for capturing bolts of lightning: With the camera on a tripod, open the shutter on B, set the aperture to f/8, and capture a series of bursts on one frame. This technique lets you trace the path of the bursts as their colors sear the night sky; the disadvantage is that you have to guess where the bursts will occur before you open the shutter. With either method, using a wide-angle lens will provide room for framing error.
Because most point-and-shoots lack both a B setting and multiple-exposure capability, the best option is simply to load up with medium- or high-speed film, set the autofocus to infinity, and shoot single exposures at the peak of each burst.
You can almost always improve a fireworks shot by including something in the foreground: either a partial silhouette, like a city skyline or heads in a crowd, or a lighted monument, like the Statue of Liberty. Two other tips: A small flashlight will help you see camera controls better, and don't forget to save several frames for the finale!


SIGNS ALONG THE WAY
At home we take most signs for granted, barely noticing them unless they happen to be lit up in pink neon, mention a monetary fine, or provide directions. On the road, especially in more exotic parts of the world, spotting interesting signs is great fun; you can use them as a running theme in a travel journal. Pictures of signs can identify locales, mark progress, provide information, or even just make people laugh.
Humor is always successful, especially when it is unintended and comes from juxtaposition or odd coincidence.
Familiar-looking signs in other languages, such as a French stop sign saying ARRET, are also attention grabbers. If you're traveling in a place where languages change frequently, as in Europe, try building a collection of similar signs in several languages.
Probably the most useful exploitation of signs is to mark progress in your travel album. Look especially for signs that announce dramatic locales (see the photograph of the sign for the equator), city limits, unusual town names, or driving distances. Signs that recall trip highlights, such as hotel banners or names of famous museums, are also useful as props or backgrounds for posing your companions. Photographing historical markers, if you can read the language, is a good way to remember details of a historic place or event.


STAGE SHOWS AND EVENTS
Stage shows and other theatrical events are a popular part of travel itineraries and, when photography is allowed, provide a chance to bring home professional-looking pictures. They are, however, among the most difficult photographic subjects you'll encounter. The two major obstacles are low light levels and limited stage access.
You can overcome some of the problems of low light by using a fast film in the ISO 400 to 1000 range, but even then you're likely to be working at very slow shutter speeds. Because stage performances are rarely static events, you're bound to get some motion. One solution is to watch the performance long enough to get a feel for when there will be lulls in the action and shoot at those instants. Sometimes it's better and less frustrating simply to accept a certain degree of subject blur--or even exaggerate it by using longer-than-necessary shutter speeds.
Stage lighting is also tricky to expose for, with bright spotlights hitting some parts of a stage and other areas falling into darkness. The best solution: Use a telephoto lens to isolate an individual performer, and take your meter reading from that person's face. Be especially careful not to let bright spotlights or very dark surroundings into the frame--either will mislead the meter. Incidentally, flash is rarely allowed; even if it is, it's not recommended, because it destroys the beauty of the theatrical lighting.
As to stage access, occasionally you'll have plenty of mobility and will be able to approach the stage or performance area freely. More commonly, if you want close-up shots, you'll have to work from a distance using a telephoto lens. In some cases (see the photograph of the bagpipers and the castle), you may even want to switch to a wide-angle lens to include more of the overall setting.
Remember, too, that if the stage lighting is very dim, your autofocus system may have difficulty finding sharp focus, so you may need to switch to a manual-focus mode if that's available.


SILLY PICTURES
One quick trick for improving the pictures you take of your travel companions is this: Lighten up. Stop taking your pictures (and yourself) so seriously. Let silliness reign and your pictures will be more fun to look at and tons more fun to take. Allowing your subjects to slip into occasional fits of silliness may also keep them from plotting a mutiny against your camera mid-trip.
How to set your own silly streak in motion? Start by letting your subjects decide how they want to pose. Or give them a challenge: See if you can get the family to do a Rockettes kick on the beach or mimic holding the Statue of Liberty's torch with an ice cream cone. Whatever the scene, be sure your subjects are in on the fun and that you're not catching them off-guard, or next time you may need to find someone else to hit the road with.

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