In travel photography, pictures of distant landscapes can capture people's imagination only for a moment. It's well known that humans are wired to be most interested in observing other people. Foreign people also spark our natural curiosity.
Portrait photos taken in distant countries during travel have a certain flavor that other genres of photography do not. There are also specific challenges.
There's no single solution or right way to approach people. But a few tips can make taking great portraits of locals more manageable in your travel photography.
Travel Photography Tips
1. Prepare Your Gear
Let's assume that you have everything arranged. Someone has let you take their picture, feels comfortable, and is waiting for you to fire the shutter. Then you start messing with your camera settings, which can easily ruin the mood and the shot.
The easiest way to avoid such embarrassment is to adjust your camera beforehand. It's much better to do a photo session when neither of you has to worry about technicalities.
2. Study the Culture
To take good portrait pictures, you must interact with your subjects. To make this communication smoother, learn more about the culture and etiquette in advance.
Even your outfit should fit local "fashion," especially in more traditional or conservative countries like Kenya. You will have an easier time if you appear to locals as a fellow member of the culture. And, wherever you may go, being polite is a must.
3. Find Yourself a Guide
Having someone show you the way in a foreign land is a good idea and can benefit your travel photography.
A guide can help you navigate an unfamiliar place, learn about local culture, and demonstrate the intricacies of local etiquette-all necessary knowledge if you want to communicate with the local people. Furthermore, why not take some pictures of the guide(s) themselves?
4. Make it Personal
It's one thing to grab a lens with a great zoom and "snipe" people's portraits from a distance without them knowing.
But you'll have to establish closer contact to achieve something more engaging, even visceral.
Start with small talk and build up from there. If you run toward someone and ask them to take some close-ups immediately, you may appear annoying, impolite, or even threatening.
5. Or Keep Your Distance
Contrary to previous advice, you can also keep the world unaware of your presence, especially in cities, where people come together and their culture is vividly expressed.
You capture the mundanity of local life and photograph people minding their own business. This method will also work in rural or natural environments, wherever people live.
Related: Instagram and Comparison Culture
6. Give Something in Return
More often than not, local people are doing you a favor by allowing you to take their pictures, not the other way around.
It is right to show gratitude for this. Sometimes, a friendly smile and handshake are enough.
In other cases, it is better to offer cash or a printed copy of a travel photograph you're taking (carrying a Polaroid camera helps in these situations).
Be aware of local culture and etiquette, and read the room to know what to do.
7. Don't Neglect Post-Production
Very few professional-looking photos haven't undergone editing or correction. So if you think your image could look better with post-processing, do it! After all, neither you nor your camera is perfect.
Plenty of programs can enhance your photography. We recommend checking out PhotoDiva, an easy-to-use portrait editor designed for this kind of photo processing.
It lets you smooth skin, remove wrinkles and dark circles, apply makeup, and more. This photo editing software includes tools for face sculpting, background removal, and a built-in library of artistic filters.
The possibilities are endless, but remember to keep things natural. It is one thing to add contrast or color to your shots and another to iron out every wrinkle on an older adult's face.
Conclusion
Photographing local people on your travels is a great way to give others greater insight into a country's people and culture. Plus, getting to know them is its own reward, an enriching experience.
Why not try some of these travel photography suggestions the next time you're on a global adventure? You might be pleasantly surprised by the results!
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This story is brought to you in partnership with PhotoDiva.
