Most photographers start photography simply because they enjoy it. It can then lead to a paying career but sometimes it’s good to get back to your roots and remember why you fell in love with photography in the first place. For me it’s capturing a moment that puts you right there in the scene. It doesn’t have to be the perfect composition; it just needs to have the energy to convey what it was like to be there in that moment. It helps if you are always ready and can anticipate a possible moment with camera (or phone) in hand and control the focus and light. I would rather have a grainy shot with poor light that catches the atmosphere than a technically perfect shot that doesn’t tell a story. Here are some of my favourite travel photography shots from around the world.
My first trip to New York with my first DSLR in hand, fortunately I had it in burst mode and got about seven shots as he flew past, I loved the way he looked right at me as he passed, he did wave further down the road but my buffer clogged up (recording to memory card) as it was a cheaper camera.
Times Square New York. I think subjects can make the scene more than the scene itself sometimes. Quick on the focus so as not to be noticed, I practiced fast focus for years to be quick and discreet. I use a prime lens at night as they let a lot more light in with the wider aperture.
Storm Frank in Lyme Regis, me and a friend went to see the waves hit the famous Cobb, we had to duck into this alcove as the waves were crashing over. I love Jim’s reaction when someone else dived in too late from the wave that drenched him. The image quality is not great but the energy is captured as I had my settings dialled in already and the focus is spot on. It’s all about telling a story.
Walking through a jungle canopy in Thailand I saw this chap looking in admiration at this beautiful tree with clay hand prints on it. As I had already got the right exposure to capture the dark, earthy atmosphere I managed to get his natural reaction before he turned and looked at me. Keeping a fast shutter speed in dark conditions is vital for sharp images.
Khao Sok National Park Thailand, using a zoom to compress the image and waiting for the boat to reach the middle of the pillars. This was an amazing place to visit.
A simple shot in New York but I love the atmosphere, camera in hand and taken when crossing the road.
Seconds to capture this in Bangkok before they sped away. Having quick focus helps as you don’t want to point the camera at people too long and make them feel uneasy. This picture always makes me smile.
I got told off for this one by the marshal on the left, I got low down and on their pathway to get a good angle before he shoed me away. A great sound on the street’s off Barcelona.
Sitting outside a coffee shop in Bruges with camera and zoom ready when I saw this touching moment between a couple. One tip for discreet shots like this is to have the ‘beep’ turned off on the camera so as not to be intrusive.
Extreme low light, a lot of noise (digital grain) but what a stare from this chap as he busted me taking this photo at night. Sometimes grain in the image can give it a classic look from the black and white era.
Squeezing against a wall in a tight alley way in Bangkok as these bikes were flying past. I wanted to capture how crazy it can be in there and yet the girl is quite at ease facetiming a friend amid the chaos.
Walking back from a beach in Fuerteventura as the sun was going down, this chap looked so focused on the waves it was like he was modelling for a shot. It helps to have a zoom when you spot things from a distance and it compresses the background too to draw you into the image.
A very discreet shot of these ladies having a natter in a rustic village in the Greek islands. I had prefocused before using back button focusing, a technique I always use, and got the shot from the hip without them noticing.
On the streets of San Fransisco I wanted that classic look, not recommended to hang around for to long in the middle of a busy road but I wanted the compression of the steep streets behind the oncoming traffic. Shot taken in about three seconds.
This was taken with my phone on the wide angle. I had just got off the plane at Bangkok and didn’t have time to get my camera out in time so the phone was enough to capture this scene with a moving train. It wouldn’t win any prizes but it takes me right back to that moment soaking in the street life of Bangkok. Phones have so much capability now.
Walking through the streets of Bruges and saw this group dancing, the couple in the middle really stood out so I composed it so that they were in the middle. This is with a 50 mm prime lens, 50mm gives the same focal length as the human eye so it puts you right there.
This one took some effort. I wanted to capture the busy feel to Grand Central Station New York. You can only achieve motion blur of moving subjects like this with a tripod or a flat ledge like the one I was using. Balance the exposure so the shutter drags to give the sense of movement and put it on a timer.