So you've finally got round to it - you're off on that trip of a lifetime, trekking to Everest Base Camp, hiking the Inca Trail to Macchu Piccu, backpacking to India or overlanding across Africa. Naturally enough, you expect to produce a fabulous photographic record of the trip, that will have Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide beating a path to your tent, pleading to publish your images that capture the essence of world travel. After all, if you're going to places like Asia, Africa and South America, you can't fail, right?
Well, realistically, you're not likely to interest the major travel publishers in your photographs. Lonely Planet have their own picture library, containing over 500,000 - that's half a million - images already, and they only accept new submissions of 500, so unless time and budget are unlimited, your photographs will be a personal collection, that can be published to the world on your web site. But with a little forethought and preparation, the pictures you bring back will be far more than a record of the trip.
Here's the 10 step plan to perfect travel photographs:
Step 1: Research - Read the guide books. Find out what are the main attractions and photo-opportunities, but be aware of other possibilities that will arise when you're out there. If you buy a new camera for the trip, familiarise yourself with its operation thoroughly before you leave.
Step 2: Prioritise - in the context of the trip, how important is the photography? On a lightweight backpacking trip, you're probably carrying minimal gear, so a compact camera, plenty of film, and spare batteries are all you'll want to carry, but this will limit the type of pictures you're likely to take to a record of the trip, which can make great photo-journals or travelogues. If you expect to return home with stunning shots which capture the essence of your travels, then you're going to need more gear, maybe even a back-up camera in case anything goes wrong.
Step 3: Gear - you're going to need a good quality compact, or preferably SLR with zoom lens to produce more than snapshots. Digital may seem a good option, but only if you have access to electricity for re-charging, or a team of yaks to carry the spare batteries. Film is easy to carry, so take plenty - at least one 36 exposure roll for each day of the trip - and relatively inexpensive if bought before you leave.
Most conventional cameras need batteries, so take spares. You can guarantee they will fail at the most inconvenient point of your journey - mine packed in at a village halfway up Mount Meru in Tanzania (yes, I did have spares). Other useful items include ziplock bags to keep out dust, and silica gel or uncooked rice to avoid problems caused by condensation if conditions are very humid. A UV filter is always useful, both to remove unwanted ultra-violet radiation, and to protect the lens. Talking of radiation brings us to airport X-ray machines - are they harmful to film or not?
In theory, modern X-ray equipment in use at major western airports will not fog film of normal speeds of 100 to 400 ISO, and all security personnel will insist that their machines are safe. However, airports in third-world countries generally use older, more primitive machines that may not be safe, particularly with cumulative doses, or with very fast film. The advice usually given is to ask for a hand-inspection of film and cameras rather than subject them to repeated exposure to X-rays, but in the light of the catastrophic events of 11th September 2001, there is no guarantee that this request will be granted.
Don't bother with lead-lined film bags, the machine-operator will either turn up the intensity, or ask for the contents to put through separately. I have never had film damaged by X-rays, even when travelling to Africa, passing through a total of eight airports, with film of speeds up to 800 ISO. Hold baggage will be X-rayed also, and the machines are industrial-strength, so don't even think about checking camera gear into the hold. Always carry camera gear into the aircraft as cabin luggage.
If you are carrying very new equipment into a country like Japan, it is wise to carry documentation to prove you bought it prior to arrival in that country, or the customs inspectors at your return airport may think you are importing new gear, and hit you with import duty. Professionals have to make out a carnet listing every piece of equipment to avoid this problem.
Step 4: Safety & security - keep the cameras and film out of the sun as much as possible, and in sealed ziplock bags if it is dusty or humid. Many cameras will not work in very cold conditions, so keep them inside your clothing, where body heat will stop them freezing up. Taking very cold cameras into a warm humid atmosphere will cause condensation to form on the glass surfaces of the lens elements, and also inside on metal and electrical contacts, so this should be avoided also. In very cold weather, film becomes brittle and breaks easily.
Robust camera cases like Oyster or Lowe Pro offer the best from protection from knocks, and are less distinctive than conventional camera cases. It's a fact of life that the value of your camera gear represents the equivalent of about a year's wages in third-world countries, so it's not a good idea to wave them around too much - in places like Nairobi, or Nairobbery as it's usually called, unwary western tourists are regularly mugged for a pair of trainers or less.
Step 5: Don't be over-ambitious - be realistic about what you can achieve. Travelling through different places means you're on the move, with little time or opportunities to wait for the light to improve, or return at a different time of day to get the shot. Quite often, you have to get what you can while you can, and if conditions are not ideal, if the weather is poor, if it's the wrong time of day when you happen to be there, then you just won't be able to replicate that famous picture you've seen of this exact place. But sometimes you're lucky, and everything falls into place just when you need it to - so make sure your camera is loaded with film, accessible in your gear, and ready for action at a moment's notice.
Step 6: There is not step six- There just isn't alright? Stop asking awkward questions.
Step 7: People Not Places - pictures with people invariably work better than empty views, but make sure you ask permission first. Don't just stick your camera in someone's face and click away. It's rude, and they won't thank you for treating them like zoo exhibits. In some countries, people can react quite aggressively if they spot western tourists pointing cameras in their direction. Far better to speak to them first, and interact - once the ice is broken, people react naturally, and you will get better images as a result.
It's not unusual nowadays for some tribespeople, like the Masai in East Africa, to have recognised the commercial value of their appearance, and to demand payment for being photographed. Some tourists deplore this, but it does not seem unreasonable to be asked to pay a few cents to an impoverished African who will have a starring role in your travel memoir. Digital cameras are great ice-breakers for showing people the pictures immediately, and professional travel photographers often carry a Polaroid camera to give out instant prints to the people they photograph. Real people in real situations invariably make better pictures than staged tourist events.
Step 8: Think about the Image - don't just point and click, remember to think about the image. Consider the viewpoint, and try to get unusual angles of famous tourist sights rather than reproducing the standard view that every other tourist is busily snapping away at. Try to get as close as possible to the subject, and fill the frame. Simplify the composition by eliminating extraneous information. Don't forget to shoot close-ups as well as general views - often, the details will tell you as much about a place as the big picture.
Step 9: Remember The Plane-Spotters - sometimes you have to put the camera away. Remember the case of the plane-spotters in Greece? In most foreign countries, even in Western Europe, it's simply forbidden to take photographs of military installations and personnel, the police and security forces, and even government buildings. If you disregard this, as the plane-spotters discovered to their cost, you face the very real prospect of arrest and imprisonment, or at the very least confiscation of your camera, and a very unpleasant experience to remember.
Step 10: Get Involved - the best pictures are produced when you immerse yourself in the places you visit. Spend some time engaging with local people, taking part in normal life, and try to capture the essence of a place photographically. When you get back, your pictures will form an indelible record of your trip of a lifetime - who knows, you may even interest Lonely Planet!
Copyright Simon Kirwan www.the-lightbox.com 2002
About Simon Kirwan
Simon's outdoor lifestyle and travel images have been used by Adidas, Liverpool FC, Whizz Kidz Children's Charity and Kelloggs, and have featured in The Rough Guide to Mallorca, Global Adventure, Outdoor Photography, & Ultrafit magazines and The Guardian. In 2000 he won the Observer Outdoor Photographic Award, and spent a month travelling overland across Africa. He has also photographed the mountains of the Nepal Himalaya, the Polish Tatras, the French Alps, and many other locations in Europe and the UK.
His new community site for travel photographers has free gallery space and can be found at: www.phototravellers.com.
Cullen Ward
