You want to travel light but still make travel photos that
you can print large and make digital presentations for
your family and friends. You might even like to sell your
photos to travel magazines or place them with stock
portals on the web. Try these tips and techniques
Even if you photograph for pleasure you can use some
of these techniques to generate travel content good
enough for magazines and newspapers.
• Keep the film speed low. Whether digital or film
based, you need low ISO, good saturation and
sharpness. Film speed and ISO settings are best kept
no higher than 200.
1. The tripod is forbidden in many places therefore
you need to develop ways of getting sharpness without
one. The tripods extra weight makes it hardly worth
lugging except for landscapes and night scenes.
Although the tripod is an essential tool in many
situations, for the traveler the tripod is just more
baggage to lug.
Learn to use a beanbag instead. With this handy
stabilizer of wedding photographers placed on walls,
restaurant tables, or the top of a vehicle for camera
support, you might never lug a tripod again.. Buy the
beans locally, donate them when done.
Carve a walking stick and use it like a mono-pod.
Steady the camera against light poles, window frames,
or benches to gain a stop or two of shutter speed and
depth-of-field. Sharpness is critical as is depth of field.
( See Joby below.)
2. Learn to use the Graduated Neutral Density
Filter.
The average scene contains three or more stops of
light on a sunny day so you must balance your
exposure. You can do that with a two-stop graduated
neutral density filter. The screw-on type has dark
material on one half that will absorb two stops of light
The filter then transitions into clear glass. Amazing, but
the sky stays saturated while the foreground remains
properly exposed, especially in sunrise and sunset
photos. Leave it on the camera. Compensate for it by
using a matrix setting on your metering which should
compensates for the dark material's absorption of light.
Check your image exposure and make adjustments
accordingly. Take foreground readings and set the
camera to manual.
Takes a leap of faith, but if you test it before your trip,
you will prove to yourself that the GND can saturate
skies more efficiently than a Polarizer because it
doesn't turn skies black nor does it absorb the stop and
a half of foreground light that a Polarizer would gobble.
you can print large and make digital presentations for
your family and friends. You might even like to sell your
photos to travel magazines or place them with stock
portals on the web. Try these tips and techniques
Even if you photograph for pleasure you can use some
of these techniques to generate travel content good
enough for magazines and newspapers.
• Keep the film speed low. Whether digital or film
based, you need low ISO, good saturation and
sharpness. Film speed and ISO settings are best kept
no higher than 200.
1. The tripod is forbidden in many places therefore
you need to develop ways of getting sharpness without
one. The tripods extra weight makes it hardly worth
lugging except for landscapes and night scenes.
Although the tripod is an essential tool in many
situations, for the traveler the tripod is just more
baggage to lug.
Learn to use a beanbag instead. With this handy
stabilizer of wedding photographers placed on walls,
restaurant tables, or the top of a vehicle for camera
support, you might never lug a tripod again.. Buy the
beans locally, donate them when done.
Carve a walking stick and use it like a mono-pod.
Steady the camera against light poles, window frames,
or benches to gain a stop or two of shutter speed and
depth-of-field. Sharpness is critical as is depth of field.
( See Joby below.)
2. Learn to use the Graduated Neutral Density
Filter.
The average scene contains three or more stops of
light on a sunny day so you must balance your
exposure. You can do that with a two-stop graduated
neutral density filter. The screw-on type has dark
material on one half that will absorb two stops of light
The filter then transitions into clear glass. Amazing, but
the sky stays saturated while the foreground remains
properly exposed, especially in sunrise and sunset
photos. Leave it on the camera. Compensate for it by
using a matrix setting on your metering which should
compensates for the dark material's absorption of light.
Check your image exposure and make adjustments
accordingly. Take foreground readings and set the
camera to manual.
Takes a leap of faith, but if you test it before your trip,
you will prove to yourself that the GND can saturate
skies more efficiently than a Polarizer because it
doesn't turn skies black nor does it absorb the stop and
a half of foreground light that a Polarizer would gobble.
Tripods are not
allowed in most ruin
sites; the bean bag
can help to steady the
camera.
The Joby Gorillapod,
(see below) will fit in
your camera bag and
not intrude on others
while you make sharp
photos
allowed in most ruin
sites; the bean bag
can help to steady the
camera.
The Joby Gorillapod,
(see below) will fit in
your camera bag and
not intrude on others
while you make sharp
photos
Freeing, yes but there are situations when a tripod comes in handy.
When in low-light situations like the slot canyons of the Southwest,lighthouse at dawn, windmills on Cape Cod at
sunset, the Grand Canyon at dusk, and twilight street scenes, you will need to steady the camera. Although a
tripod is the preferred tool for making sharp images, the bean bag or the Joby and your camera's timer will
stand in for the tripod for those who want to travel light.
The photos on this page of the cannon, the church, and the twilight street scene were done in this method. A
curb side rubbish container steadied the camera for the street scene, a bean bag on the ground gave support
for the cannon and church.
The camera's timer gave hands-off steadiness. Freeing
When in low-light situations like the slot canyons of the Southwest,lighthouse at dawn, windmills on Cape Cod at
sunset, the Grand Canyon at dusk, and twilight street scenes, you will need to steady the camera. Although a
tripod is the preferred tool for making sharp images, the bean bag or the Joby and your camera's timer will
stand in for the tripod for those who want to travel light.
The photos on this page of the cannon, the church, and the twilight street scene were done in this method. A
curb side rubbish container steadied the camera for the street scene, a bean bag on the ground gave support
for the cannon and church.
The camera's timer gave hands-off steadiness. Freeing
Copyright SoftSeatTravel
3. People. People in the scene give interest and scale. A
camera-mounted flash unit set on auto during the day will light
faces under hats or in shade, putting catch lights in the eyes,
punching up the color, and elevating your people shots to pro
status. Get up close with a wide-angle lens; shoot high, shoot
low, varying your point of view.
Dusk shots at markets, plazas, and beaches produce nightlife,
dining, and recreation scenes. The beanbag and the camera's
self-timer prevent camera shake. You can editorialize with
selective sharpness, expose automatically, determine the light
levels, and then go manual, varying the shutter speed for effect.
The GND will moderate hot spots like street lights or bright sky.
When using flash, you can use the GND to darken the
foreground areas.
4. Match Your Shutter Speed to Your Lens. When hand holding
your camera, match the shutter speed to the focal length of the
lens. Example: a 60mm lens requires a shutter speed of 1/60 of
a second or higher to avoid camera shake when hand holding
the camera. Match your 210mm zoom with at least a 1/210 of a
second shutter speed.
5. Lens Hood. Shade the front lens element to prevent lens
flare; retain crucial color, saturation, and contrast that you would
loose if the slightest bit of direct sunlight light or reflected light
enters the lens.
How Freeing. Four pounds of camera gear, half of it battery
charger and batteries. Be more mobile and quicker at getting
the photos that tell your travel story.
camera-mounted flash unit set on auto during the day will light
faces under hats or in shade, putting catch lights in the eyes,
punching up the color, and elevating your people shots to pro
status. Get up close with a wide-angle lens; shoot high, shoot
low, varying your point of view.
Dusk shots at markets, plazas, and beaches produce nightlife,
dining, and recreation scenes. The beanbag and the camera's
self-timer prevent camera shake. You can editorialize with
selective sharpness, expose automatically, determine the light
levels, and then go manual, varying the shutter speed for effect.
The GND will moderate hot spots like street lights or bright sky.
When using flash, you can use the GND to darken the
foreground areas.
4. Match Your Shutter Speed to Your Lens. When hand holding
your camera, match the shutter speed to the focal length of the
lens. Example: a 60mm lens requires a shutter speed of 1/60 of
a second or higher to avoid camera shake when hand holding
the camera. Match your 210mm zoom with at least a 1/210 of a
second shutter speed.
5. Lens Hood. Shade the front lens element to prevent lens
flare; retain crucial color, saturation, and contrast that you would
loose if the slightest bit of direct sunlight light or reflected light
enters the lens.
How Freeing. Four pounds of camera gear, half of it battery
charger and batteries. Be more mobile and quicker at getting
the photos that tell your travel story.
The graduated neutral
density material inserted in
a Cokin brand
Professional holder will
allow you to slide the filter
and thus vary the area of
exposure balance
density material inserted in
a Cokin brand
Professional holder will
allow you to slide the filter
and thus vary the area of
exposure balance
A great new tool
from Joby, the
Gorillapod can latch
onto any pole,
bench, or fence and
become a solid and
unobtrusive tripod.
Its three legs will
support the camera
on the ground or on
restaurant tables for
sharpness in
low-light situations
and its small size will
allow you to take it
to ruin sites and
churches. Its low
weight will free you
up to travel light
from Joby, the
Gorillapod can latch
onto any pole,
bench, or fence and
become a solid and
unobtrusive tripod.
Its three legs will
support the camera
on the ground or on
restaurant tables for
sharpness in
low-light situations
and its small size will
allow you to take it
to ruin sites and
churches. Its low
weight will free you
up to travel light
Not its usual load, the Joby Gorillapod
supporting an RB 6x7 at Glanum Ruin St.
Remy, Provence
supporting an RB 6x7 at Glanum Ruin St.
Remy, Provence
Wrapped around a church bench
the Gorillapod becomes an
unobtrusive tripod
the Gorillapod becomes an
unobtrusive tripod
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Photos While Traveling Light You want to travel light but still make travel photos that you can print large or use to create digital presentations for your family and friends. |
| Travel Light But Make Great Photos |
The Joby Gorillapod may be the only tripod the traveler needs. It will latch on to anything