Most of the pictures that people take are either on vacation or at family events. The two types of situations call for two different types of pictures. This is my third article in this photography series.I love to travel. I had a job in the 1990’s that kept me on the road nearly all of the time. My wife and I lived in Portland but I worked in Chicago and Boston. The travel for work meant millions of frequent flyer points, which of course meant lots of leisure travel, which meant lots and lots of vacation pictures.
The key to great vacation photos is to be original.
Recently I was on the Oregon Coast. We stopped at a spectacular overlook north of Florence. My wife and I sat in the car for a few minutes enjoying the view, and watching car after car pull up. The occupants piled out of the car, stood in the same spot as everyone else, and took the same shot of the same view. Those people would leave and another car would pull up and do the same thing. It’s comical if you think about it. We were there for just a few minutes but think about it… this has been going on in that spot for decades. There are millions of pictures of that view. With a tiny bit of creativity, any one of them could get a shot that was uniquely their own.
5 (maybe 6) Things…
When I get to a viewpoint, I go through a checklist in my head of the five things I can do to get a creative shot. The five things are lower, higher, left, right and foreground. There’s actually a sixth one too, but I’m not sure that I know you well enough yet.
Can I get lower? Sometimes, getting all the way to the ground – even putting the camera on the ground – will give you a unique vantage point. Lower tends to make the subject look more impressive. Waterfalls look bigger, buildings grander, mountains taller.
Can I get higher? This might just mean holding the camera over your head. You won’t be able to look through the viewfinder (so you’re going to get some crooked shots), but just shoot. The other way to get higher is to climb. Of course this is site specific but lots of places have picnic tables you could stand on, hills to climb, or you can just stand on your car’s door-jam. It’s about getting a different vantage point, so try some things.
Left or right. In many situations, the authorities have put up a barrier that attempts to keep people from doing what I’m about to suggest. Live life on the edge and go around the barrier! Of course be careful of where you walk, and if the barrier is keeping you from falling into the ocean, feel free to disregard this idea. You will get some funny looks. Be prepared that other tourists will look at you like you just committed a crime that will get you time in the Graybar Motel. In most cases though, trust me, it’s no big deal. You are merely stepping out of the societal norm for a second. It’s OK. You’re trying to get a great picture!
Foreground – this is probably my best tip of all. Great pictures have something in the foreground. Look around for something – anything – that you can get into your foreground. A flower, a leaf, a hand rail, an old building, a rock. Look for anything that will add interest to your picture. In fact, you might be shooting something as grand as the Grand Canyon, but just getting a weed in the foreground can effectively double the interest of the photo. It’s amazing what it can do.
I said I had six things in my checklist. I’m hesitant to tell you because it’s evidence of my craziness… but here goes.
The sixth thing is “danger”. Now I don’t necessarily mean putting your life in peril, in fact, I’m kind of a wimp in that regard. I’ll tell you that I have some photographer friends who only post pictures on Flickr if they can relate a story of some death defying feat that was required to achieve it. We all accept it as a badge of honor to cross a river and then scale a rock cliff covered with poison oak. Those shots are awesome but what I’m talking about more often than not is that I’m going to get wet… and my camera could be destroyed (I have a story for another day about just that). That’s what I mean by danger.
Without question, the best waterfall pictures are taken from the river. Wanna shoot the ocean? The best pictures are taken in the surf. Say a little prayer and jump in.
Along with danger, I would add the word “work”, because oftentimes, the best shots are going to require a little effort. The best pictures are always taken down a steep embankment. It’s just a fact. The best wildflowers at Mount Hood in Oregon are in Elk Meadow. It’s a 6 mile hike in, and a 1,500 foot elevation gain. The view of the Grand Canyon is great from the rim, but better from the bottom.
What I recommend is that on your next sightseeing adventure, plan on taking at least one walk. Bring some boots and a dry change of clothes. Take the pictures at the overlooks, but at least once a day, plan on going a little further. What you’ll find is that not just your pictures will be more interesting, but you will be more engaged by the adventure.
