Tell A Story

Tell a Story

            As with many things in life, the rules of photography are made to be broken. So go ahead and take pictures any way you think is interesting, but always try and remember one thing - tell a story with your camera. This should help you to come back with potentially saleable pictures. A catalog picture "clone" rarely tells your story.

            Just as the sun is about to set you have arrived in a new country after a long flight across several time zones, and you're jet lagged. That doesn’t stop you from shooting around the aircraft as soon as you get off the plane, if you're at a smaller airport where passengers are bussed or walk to the arrival concourse. I do this even with a splitting headache as I know the shots will not show my headache. Then you get to your hotel and sleep. You’re going to need to build up your stamina -- after all this is not a holiday!

MAPS ARE USEFUL

            The next morning get hold of a good map which has a scale on it; some maps don’t and are worse than useless. Make a list of locations and things to be covered in conjunction with the map so you know where the sun will be should it be out. Plan some interiors if it is raining, although tropical torrential rain pictures are good to take. (Better yet get a map and do much of your planning before you leave, in preparation. You can always revise your basic schedule once you're on-scene and discover additional things you want to check out and cover.)

            If you find yourself in a downpour, use a plastic bag over your camera and keep it simple by starting with a new film and just one lens. If the camera does get wet, go back to the hotel, open it up as much as possible then blast a hairdryer onto it. I rescued three camera bodies this way in Brunei when I got caught out by a seemingly wonderful sunny day which changed to sheets of rain in minutes!

            Get to your first location and start by shooting overview pictures (establishing shots) which show the setting. Then gradually work into the subject, shooting a variety of pictures, ending up with close-ups of objects and/or people doing things. Your resultant photos can then be put together afterwards as a progressive story should a photo buyer want to do that, or each picture can stand on its own, which is more normal.

            As you go through your stay in a place laboriously ticking off your list of locations completed, all the work and effort that you put into planning and taking the photos will eventually mean that your photos are far more valuable than your equipment. Never lose sight of this fact. Your future income depends on it, so guard your exposed rolles of film above all other material possessions. When you’ve shot 150 films over six weeks you’ll understand just what this means!

Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. Email: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare