Images – Connecting the World

Close-up portraits of young Bali women wearing traditonal costumes at Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia, Asia

To start: Experiment with people you know, Use telephoto lenses. Try children first ….they are much easier with few hang-ups. On Location:  Relax, study your site for interesting subjects, get people to be used to you and that you are a photographer with a camera and using it!  When you arrive at a scene for the first time  you are like a rock in a still pond causing huge  ripples everywhere.  If you have the time, hang out, relax, sip a latte, let the “ripples” subside and others will soon get used to you.

Shoot around your subject, then move closer & SMILE.  Engage in friendly conversation “I love your hat” “you have a beautiful village”  “Can you help me find —?”  After establishing any type of relationship with your subject ask “may I take your picture?” or if there is no common language, point to your camera then your subject with  a “may I?” gesture.  If there is a negative response – move on, there are billions of people in the world left to photograph.   The first poses are often stilted or unnatural – get your subject to hold and show you something or interact with others and plan on taking several shots to get a good one.  Come back later and try again, the second time your subject will be more natural and relaxed.

Don’t feel obligated to tip unless your really want. Bring home town pins, flags, momentos to hand out. In high traffic tourist locales tips can attract amazing subjects dressed in local costumes for better images.

Close-up of a Vietnamese man wearing a straw hat in a fishing boat in Hoi An village, Viet Nam

In a photo rich setting, watch and prepare for candid shots and practice your camera techniqee at home to be ready for that once in a life time opportunity, like this one of women fruit sellers in Antigua, Guatamala. David had 2 seconds to grab 2 shots before they turned down a lane.

Colorful close-up portraits of ethnic Mayan women wearing local costume in Antigua, Guatemala, Central America by David Smith

A few tricks:

• Let children pose themselves – they’re natural; Say “Touch heads” and you will always get a smile and a laugh.  Want a friend for life? – exchange contact info, send/email photos.
• Using a digital Camera? The BIGGEST icebreaker by far is to show them the picture you took.  Everybody likes to look at themselves. Capture yourselves with your new friends by using Dave’s Smile Circle ä effect, a technique which will be explored in detail in a future post.

Group portrait of teenage girls in Sinop, Turkey dressed in local Amazon costume in a circle while looking down on the camera. Photographers and Travel Writers David and Anna Smith of Interface Images are in the top right hand corner of the image. A demonstration photo of David' "Smiling Circle Group" (tm) group portrait technique.

No need to travel afar, watch for local festivals and special events.  When people get dressed up for parades and cultural festivals, they are really saying “take my picture”  Don’t get there just for the parade – get there for setting up and post parade interaction. If you are on a tour be sure to photograph your traveling companions doing things, your tour guide and any local hosts or entertainment events.

Remember -A memorable portrait is really a moment in time between a photographer and a subject and is an effective  tool to get to know, experience & appreciate people around the world.

Please share some of your favorite photos and stories of people you didn’t know.

Here is a slide show from our World Festivals & Ethnic Life on line gallery:

Traveling the world gives us the opportunity to visit local fresh markets with rich colors, delicious aromas and interesting people. Always with cameras in hand, we attempt to capture ethic foods and culture while interacting with locals to capture proud smiling faces, ethnic costumes and their wears. Many travelers are reluctant to photograph people they don’t know but we love doing that and we will readily share our experiences and techniques in an upcoming  Blog post.

Fresh Market Travel Photography Tips:

Travel photographers should time their visit to the market schedules (check online, at the tourist office or your hotel) since they are not always daily events and arrive in the very early morning to beat the tourist crush or very early or late in the day to capture better side light and color of light. Take a variety of shot styles including the overall establishing shots,  mid range shots and close-ups to keep your viewer more interested when you share your images.  Be sure to shoot your travelling companion(s) sampling food, trying on hats, or smelling spices. Colors are more saturated on a cloudy raining day just be sure your camera stays dry and check your lens and clean off water drops frequently.

Some world fresh markets are better than others. Here are some of our favorites from famous markets on several continents.

1. La Bogueria market in Barcelona, Spain
2. The Spice Market, Istanbul
3. A Floating  Restaurant Market off the Chao Phraya Rivver in Bangkok
4. The morning seafood market in Hakodate, Japan

Capturing fresh market experiences in images and video is fun but when will digital photography technology enable us to capture the subtle aroma of fresh cut flowers, the memorable  scents of exotic spices, the tasty aroma of cooking stalls or questionable odor of butcher shops?  I guess spice sample bags to take home  will have to do until that happens but at least we have the image and video memories to entice us back.

Here some images form our recent visits to fresh markets.  To see more visit our online Fresh Markets of the World photograph gallery.

Fresh fruit stand in La Bogueria market in Barcelona, Spain

Old man selling posters outside the Spice Bazaar in Instanbul, Turkey

Floating Restaurant Market vendor in Bangkok, Thailand

Morning seafood market in the city of Hakodate in Oshima, Hokkaido in Japan