TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS TO HANG ON YOUR WALL NOT STUFF IN A SHOE BOX
by Marc Silber

Choosing the right pack

Art and Culture,Travel & Tourism When you return from your most memorable travels, what is it you cherish the most? The items you may have bought, the postcards, the tid-bits collected along the way? No, you are much more likely to cherish your photos, second only to your actual memories. But even here, it is the photos that evoke those memories that we laugh about, tell stories about or dream over.

How can you take great pictures that are more than just throw-away or put-away items? You can see some of my work at www.silberstudios.com

I can give you a few tips that have worked for me over the years and I hope that you put them to good use.

The famed French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson gave us his view of how to capture a great photograph: “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.” Let’s look at the steps to be able to apply this simple yet powerful advice:

1. Make friends with your camera, get to know how it works. On this point, Ansel Adams said: “The next time you pick up a camera think of it not as n inflexible automatic robot, but as a flexible instrument which you must understand to properly use.”

I have started photo journeys with my camera and instruction book in my lap on the plane. No matter how familiar I am with my equipment I always learn more and this gets me wanting to use what I have learned. There’s nothing more frustrating than missing a great shot because one really doesn’t know how to shoot in dim light or fast action. This practice of in-flight learning may sound dull but it beats the boredom and gets me “in the zone” to get out and find the great shots.

2. That brings me to my next tip: Get in the frame of mind to find your shots. It’s a game of knowing you’re in the right place, now what’s the right time to capture that shot? Part of this process is learning to frame your shot which means to fit what is happening out there into the frame of your camera so that you have “…a precise organization of forms which give that event its proper expression.”

Ansel Adams taught his students to develop their eye by having them cut out a rectangle in a card the size their camera’s film. For example, take a file card and cut a rectangle roughly the size of a 35mm negative, then go around and practice finding and framing your shots. Do this exercise at home before your trip and you’ll be surprised at how you can tune up your awareness.

3. When you shoot pictures of people, put them at ease so you get more than the stiff poses. The way I do this is to take that first posed shot but keep talking and taking shots. I will even hold the camera away from my eye and keep shooting to engage the real person rather than their pose.

4. Look for action shots of your trip. Add the element of framing. Fill the frame with the story you want to tell. “Every picture tells a story,” but is the story clear or muddled? Move in to get the story you want to tell. Move around or zoom in past the elements that distract. Just as if you were trying to get a good sound recording, you wouldn’t want cars and sirens to spoil the recording, so do you want a clean shot.

5. In addition to capturing your shots while traveling about with friends and family, make time to go off by yourself with the sole purpose of getting memorable shots. Not only will you get some great photos this way, but by practicing this method of careful looking you will see many things that the hurried tourist misses.

These five points have worked for me and I invite you to try them on your next trip, or better yet before you leave, as a warm up. Your family may laugh at your holding a 3x5 card to your eye, but when they see you have graduated up in your skills, they’ll do the same!

My last point is don’t be afraid to take pictures, let yourself go. When you get home take the time to edit them if you have a digital. Crop them, adjust the brightness and contrast. Then get prints made of the ones you really like. Oh sure, get small prints of them all, but splurge on some large prints—5x7 or 8x10—of the ones you’re really proud of. This extra step of selection and finishing moves you that much closer to being a pro. Finally, frame the ones you really like and hang them up.

I invite you to work with the above. I am happy to help; you can reach me at the number and email listed. I hope I have inspired you to take the next step on your journey as an artist-traveler. Here’s to more photos on your wall and fewer in the shoebox!

Marc Silber www.silberstudios.com