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September 7, 2008 |
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Created and Maintained by: The Photoimaging Information Council |
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by Brooks Crandall |
 
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When you are a photographer on vacation it is never really a vacation. Your friends don’t tell you to have a good time and relax they say they can’t wait to see your photos. Their expectations are high and you are expected to deliver the visual goods.  Euro style in Venice’s St. Marks Square. Among the thousands of pigeons and tourists meandering aimlessly, these women stand purposefully with the Basilica of San Marco in the background. © 2006 Brooks Crandall Every person with a soul of a photographer accepts the picture taking responsibility and views it as a challenge. The only problem is that if you try to capture every picture you see on vacation you will spend the entire vacation looking though a viewfinder and under varying levels of stress. It is easy to catch a case of the dreaded vacation picturitis. The telltale signs are being tense and firing your camera like an Uzi submachine gun. If you start to feel stressed as the “got to capture everything” feeling is coming over you, stop, take a breath, and realize the world will go on with a few less of your pictures. You can also take a read from your traveling companion (in my case my wife) who will give you the evil photo eye that says I know you take great pictures, but if you take another picture during dinner I am going throw your camera in the canal.
 A flotilla of hand crafted gondolas pass under one of the 300 bridges in Venice. © 2006 Brooks Crandall Before heading to a recent vacation in Italy, I decided that I was going to take shots that focus on either the detail, the moment or the distinct culture and not take the basic tourist shots. I convinced myself that if I missed the basic tourist pictures there are hundreds of these shots in travel books or in the photo albums of family and friends.  Pisa Pose. A different angle of a woman giving her most spirited holding up The Leaning Tower of Pisa impression. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
When you vacation in Italy you know you will eat well. You also know that you will gorge on a smorgasbord of gourmet images as well. The key is to indulge the appetite of your multi-gig card with memorable images but also to know when you are full.  Venetian Glass. Since 1291, glassblowers form the island of Murano have been crafting beautiful glass pieces like this vase. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
Here are some thoughts that you may want to consider: -Take more time taking the shots that you feel compelled to take and less of the shots that you think you should take. Shoot with your heart not your head and let your eye be the guide.
A man carefully steers a boat entering the Grande Canal from the Tolentini canal in Venice. © 2006 Brooks Crandall -Find the balance between documenting the trip, grabbing some meaningful shots and enjoying the “here and now” of the vacation. It is empowering to let a few pictures go. You feel that you are not a slave to every image. -Take a break and bury your camera in your backpack on certain parts of the trip. Tell yourself that you will unpack the camera only if a really great picture presents itself.
 Pink Link. A stylish senior tour group heads through Padua to the Basilica of St. Anthony. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-If you are traveling with a partner let them capture the straight on, ho hum, “Basilica in a box” photo while you go for the more unique image.  A seasonal frame of foliage frames the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-If they do not already have one, make sure your travel companion has their own digital camera that is easy to carry. You might even get a picture of you in the online album to prove you were actually there. Of course the risk is that there you may unleash another photographic eye. Then, the vacation photo competition will begin.
 Locks of Love on the Ponte Veccio bridge. A tradition for lovers in Florence is to lock their love with a padlock and throw the key in the Arno River. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Try taking a walk without the camera to just soak in the vista for your minds eye. You get a better appreciation for composition and lighting.  Renaissance women. Students bask in the warm sunshine of the Piazza Della Signoria and sketch the replica of Michelangelo’s David in the heart of Florence. The original David stood outside in this spot for hundreds of years before being move to the Accademia Gallery of Florence © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Shoot more candid shots of people.
 Mezzanize Lean. Italians love to lean in the doorways and watch the world go by. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Focus on a part of a subject not the whole
 God is in the details. The exterior Byzantine style of the Basilica San Marco is adorned with the winged lion (the symbol of the Venetian republic), bronze horse sculptures and detailed mosaics. The Basilica was a work in progress from 829 to the mid 18th century.© 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Find contrasting images and shoot them even if the composition isn’t perfect.
 Window Shopping in Perusia. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Frame pictures for added interest
 Lost nuns. These nuns grab some needed direction in Assisi. © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-When possible, enhance the photos by using better natural lighting
 Casting long shadows on the summer solstice. Two backlit tourists walk through the yin and yang of late afternoon sunshine in a narrow Florence street.© 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Play with the shutter speed to convey motion and emotion  Pedestrians beware. The fast moving and noisy Vespas are everywhere in Florence © 2006 Brooks Crandall
-Add some angle to give a picture more interest and edge if it improves the composition.
Leaning Towers of Pisa. © 2006 Brooks Crandall -Upon your return, avoid torturing your friends and family with image overload. Use an online photo site and create an edited album of select shots of the vacation and share it. When I reflect on my Italian vacation, I captured the images I wanted and enjoyed being on vacation more than past vacations. I still took my fair share of pictures but it would have been hundreds more if I tried to capture everything. It also gave me more time to focus on the pasta, olive oil and vino – Ciao!
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