Fodor's

Today’s tip comes courtesy of the website for the Fodor’s company. For those of you who aren’t travel addicts, Fodor’s is a really widely known company that publishes travel guides. I have used Fodor’s travel guides many times in my own travels. The site is wonderful- it offer a complete list of Fodor’s publications, information on travel planning, and a wealth of advice on all things travel.

I visited this site because I figured that any respectable travel website must have something about travel photography. I was right…and I was really surprised at how much information I found. The site has a whole section with nearly 100 tips for travelers wanting to document their trip with photos. The tips are organized into 9 main categories, each category divided into sub-categories.. The articles are concise, easy-to-follow and many of them were really interesting. Today, I’ll share with you one of my favorite tips from the site.

1- Under the category “People”, I clicked on “Stranger’s Faces”. As a photographer who loves to travel, I often experience the urge to take pictures of the local people because they are such an important part in the experience of a place. Nine times out of ten, I refrain from taking pictures of strangers because I don’t want to seem rude, or worse, creepy. This section of the site actually encourages the practice of photographing strangers because, as they say,

“no other subject you will encounter will bring home the wonder and charm of far-flung places like portraits of the people who live there”.

If you as the photographer want to remain inconspicuous, Fodor’s suggests using a long telephoto lens (like an 80mm to 200mm zoom). However, they mention that it’s polite to ask the subject if they will pose for a picture.

“Allow them to be shy or pensive or curious. Portraits look best when the background is either simple or out of focus; one technique is to use a large aperture and selective focus to cast the background into a soft blur. Soft, even lighting is most flattering, so try also to pose your subject in the shade of a building or tree.”

And finally, here is the link: http://www.fodors.com/focus/

That’s all for today!

-Valerie