Taking better travel pictures

[Photos: Dan Leeth] Elva Boyd flings a Frisbee across a field at Fort Casey State Park on Whidbey Island. Ideal for photographing people, the long rays of the afternoon light provide warmer skin tones.

By DAN LEETH

© St. Petersburg Times,
published August 5, 2001

Monuments and buildings are easy subjects, but people are the personality of the place. Politeness goes a long way when capturing strangers on film.

"Stop!" a voice calls out. "Would you please do that again? I would love to take a picture of you two smooching."

"If you'll send us a copy," one of them replies.

Photographer David Falconer promises to do so. To put the impromptu models at ease, he urges them to practice their puckering while he changes lenses. Camera ready, Falconer positions the duo and snaps a few shots.

The couple leaves minutes later, now sporting grins. I, too, am smiling, having watched a master travel photographer do what he does best.

Taking pictures of monuments and landscapes is generally unintimidating. They don't threaten, look wooden or run away. People, on the other hand, may do all those things, which makes photographing strangers a challenge. But most of us wish we could return from our travels with images depicting the fascinating folks we encountered.

To learn how it's done, I joined Falconer for a three-day workshop at the Coupeville Arts Center on Whidbey Island, northwest of Seattle. The expert boasts almost 50 years' experience as a newspaper photojournalist and then as a freelancer. His images have appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic, People and Sunset.

He begins the workshop with suggestions on how anyone from novice to pro can approach strangers. Lesson 1: Don't be shy, ask.

Usually something inspires us to want to take a particular person's photograph. It may be the person's looks, costume or activity. Falconer recommends walking up, telling the person what is intriguing and asking if he or she would allow a picture to be taken.

"Always approach with a smile," he emphasizes.

When foreign language presents a barrier, the pro grabs a phrase book. "I look up the words for, "May I take your photograph?' When I try to say them, they usually start laughing. It's a great icebreaker."

We leave the classroom to wander Coupeville's two-block Victorian-era waterfront. On a blustery day, with most people wisely remaining indoors, we meet a man walking in shorts.

"I can't believe you're out like that," I offer. Practicing what I'd learned, I ask, "May I please take your picture?"

I learn that my subject is from Alaska but now lives in Coupeville, where he coaches swimming. Working in a heated environment all day, the man finds the chilly air pleasant. Not only do I get a photo, but I also learn his story.

Plan the photograph

Mara Stevenson and Kermit Chamberlain watch his greyhound Gelert slurp ice cream on the streets of Coupeville.

Falconer advocates taking people pictures as "posed candids" and not as smiling zombies who stand rigidly staring at the camera. His goal is to come away with images of people who look natural, engaged in normal activities.

This might mean snapping a street artist painting at the easel, a costumed waitress toting a tray of brews or a tour bus driver sitting behind the wheel. Often, getting the right effect takes planning.

"There is nothing worse than approaching someone and not knowing what you're going to do," says Falconer. "Think of the picture you want ahead of time."

A father and his young son are standing on a floating dock at the downtown pier. The man explains that sea gulls pluck starfish from the water and drop them onto the wooden platform. The tyke awkwardly tosses them back to the sea. The action exemplifies Coupeville's strong environmental ethic.

After gaining the father's permission, I position myself and get the shot I want, showing just the boy, a starfish and the helping arm of the adult. Planning pays off.

Fill the frame

Falconer believes that standing back too far is one of the biggest mistakes made when photographing people. Almost any camera has the capability of focusing within a few feet of the subject. By moving in close, photographers can fill the frame with interesting, not distracting, matter.

"Don't show the belt buckle and what shoes they're wearing," Falconer suggests. "I think friends back home want to see faces and what they're associated with."

Take both verticals and horizontals, he adds, and always focus on the subject's eyes. That does not mean they must be dead-center in the viewfinder. With most automatic cameras, lightly pressing the shutter release locks the camera's auto-focus and allows you to create off-center composition.

Watch the lighting

Having subjects face into the sun makes for poor people pictures: They invariably squint, and shadows cast by glaring light usually appear harsh and ugly.

Falconer suggests more subdued lighting, such as bright shade, for photographing people. In such conditions, he often enhances natural light by using foldable, metallic-surface reflectors to bounce soft beams onto faces. One can accomplish similar results by using a camera's strobe unit.

Although good photos can be made at any time of day, Falconer prefers early morning and late afternoon for outdoor people pictures. The sun's long rays make skin tones appear warmer.

In the afternoon, we visit Fort Casey State Park on the island's western shore. Between its Admiralty Head Lighthouse and a battery of abandoned artillery emplacements lies a grassy field. There, teens toss around a Frisbee. The warm light proves perfect for capturing the young faces and flying action.

Respect cultural prohibitions

Falconer warns that in some countries, there are areas and situations where photography is either ill-advised or forbidden. Prohibited locations may include bridges, airports or even street intersections. Avoid any kind of protest or civil disturbance, and always ask before taking pictures of soldiers or police officers.

"Never photograph worshipers or shoot inside a religious edifice without first securing official permission," he adds. "Just because they allow visitation does not mean cameras may be unleashed."

Falconer does not believe in tipping the strangers he photographs. This is a debated subject among professional travel photographers, especially those visiting Third World countries. Some argue that the models expended time and effort in the endeavor, thus ought to be compensated. Others, like Falconer, eschew the practice.

"I've had a policy to this day that I don't pay people for posing. I think a nice "please' and "thank you' is much better than doling out dollar bills. I do, however, sometimes carry little adhesive roses with me, which cost 50 cents each. I can stick them on somebody after they've helped. It's just politeness."

Falconer, I discover, will also entice models with treats. As Falconer aligns his shot of Mara, a classmate, posing with an ice cream cone, a man approaches with a leashed greyhound. The canine stares at the ice cream.

"Does the dog eat ice cream?" Falconer asks the owner.

"He'll eat anything," the man says.

With that, Mara holds out the cone. In tongue-extended slurps, the greyhound begins lapping. A few minutes later, with film exposed and the treat gone, the man and dog depart. Like the kissing couple, the dessert-devouring dog and its owner have been captured in images of Coupeville, ready to show folks back home.

The right equipment

It is not so much the camera that makes good shots; it's the person who pushes the shutter release who determines the photographic outcome.

Falconer does not believe in hauling a lot of gear. For most of his shots, he carries only a moderate wide-angle lens and an all-purpose zoom telephoto. Lugging more only discourages subjects while encouraging thieves.

Those who prefer point-and-shoot cameras should look for one with a zoom lens covering similar ranges.

Falconer implores photographers to always read their camera's instruction manual from cover to cover. When taking new equipment, shoot a roll of film and have it processed before leaving home. If problems occur, they can be discovered and remedied before it's too late.

Unless one is a professional shooting for publication, Falconer recommends using color print film in the ISO 200 speed range. It works in outdoor conditions as well as in bright indoor situations.

In addition, he suggests toting a few rolls of 400 or higher speed film for shooting in dimly lit places.

Always take more film than should be necessary -- it can always be brought home. Instead of processing overseas, he recommends having your film developed and printed by a trusted lab at home.

Like most professionals, Falconer tries to never allow his film to go through airport X-ray machines. He removes the film cartridges from the cardboard box, bundles them in see-through plastic bags and gets to the airport early enough to ask for hand inspection. Because of the new high-intensity machines used at many airports, film must never be placed in checked luggage.

Dan Leeth is a freelance photojournalist who lives in Aurora, Colo.

If you go

A sample of David Falconer's work can be seen on his Web site, www.wetoregon.com.

STAYING THERE: Coupeville is on Whidbey Island, which lies in Washington's Puget Sound, a 58-mile drive northwest of Seattle. A ferry connects the island to the mainland at Mukitteo.

Accommodations range from the romantic Captain Whidbey Inn (toll-free 1-800-366-4097, www.captainwhidbey.com) to the peaceful Garden Isle Guest Cottages (toll-free 1-877-881-1203, www.gardenislecottages.com).

The Coupeville Arts Center provides students with a list of lodging possibilities.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: The Coupeville Arts Center annually offers dozens of workshops in painting, drawing, printmaking, fiber, photography and the business of art. Classes typically last several days and offer hands-on experience. Contact the center at (360) 678-3396; the Web site is www.coupevillearts.org.

To learn more about visiting Coupeville, contact the Central Whidbey Chamber of Commerce (360-678-5434, www.colorfulcoupeville.com).

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