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Photography Tips from Our Experts
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Don't Leave Home Without … these camera bag accessories, which our sharp shooters never fail to pack.
• Ziploc bags: Cheap, waterproof film-savers that also keep your rolls from rolling away at airport checks.
• Gaffer's Tape: Strong, removable, and infinitely useful.
• A notebook and a stack of postcards from home: Keep track of where you've been and show new friends where you're from.
• Beanbag: Easier to carry than a tripod and nearly as useful.
• Passport.
• Leatherman Tool: For the fix you're about to be in.
•Polarizing and warming filters: Make your pictures pop in reflective daylight.
•Extra film and batteries: You can never have enough.
•A translation dictionary.
•Your hotel's business card: So you'll always be able to find your way home at night.
12 Places to Get the Classic Travel Picture:
1. Bass Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine: "Be there and be patient," says Michael Melford. "It was foggy, but I found a scene – with a lighthouse, shoreline and water motion – set my camera on a tripod, waited and hour, and at sundown it cleared for only a minute. I shot a few frames." TIP: If you like a scene, stay there just in case.
2. Eiffel Tower, Paris: "I try to find interesting details that put you in and represent the rest of the landscape," explains Beth Wald, who distills a familiar image down to what's essentially recognizable. TIP: Resist the temptation to photograph a whole scene. Make a tighter shot that's more compositionally compelling.
3. Stingray City, Grand Cayman, British West Indies: It's hard to get fish to pose, but at some aquatic habitats (like Stingray City) you can pose around them with a waterproof camera and click as they approach. TIP: "Get intimate: When shooting a portrait – whether it's of a human or a fish – you have to get close," says David Doubilet.
4. Amboseli National Park, Kenya: "Africa is full of incredible views, but only Amboseli affords this image of Masai, acacia trees, and snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro," explains Dan Westergren. TIP: Find a good guide who kows the locals and where to land the best views.
5. The Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt: "You might be sitting on your foreground," says Richard T. Nowitz. "Most people shoot from eye-level, but if you seek an atypical position, the foreground of your image will contribute to the overall sense of place." TIP: Foreground and background subjects shouldn't compete, but should be complementary.
6. Peyto Lake, Banf National Park, Alberta: "It's the contrasting light (which brings out the glacial lake's blue), the composition (I stood on a bench for a better angle), and the decisive moment (when these red-jacketed boys unexpectedly stormed the scene)," explains Raymond Gehman. TIP: Be adaptable. Photograph what's really there.
7. Tuscany, Italy: "You'll set your landscapes apart if they're shot in unusual light or weather. An approaching storm, a soaring rainbow, or driving snow can put an unusual spin on oft-photographed views," says Bob Krist. TIP: Pack assorted film speeds (50 to 800 ASA).
8. Great Wall of China: "This was shot on a bitterly cold day, tinged pink from pollution. I had to change camera batteries every 15 minutes. Even the camels were seeking refuge," says Macduff Everton. TIP: Brave the elements; you'll be the only photographer left standing.
9. South Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona: "At the Grand Canyon, vista stops are full of people bent over at the waist, trying to cram the entire canyon into their picture," laments Everton. TIP: Be choosy with your sights and play with your vantage point.
10. Route 101, Pistol River State Scenic Viewpoint, Oregon: Phil Schermeister's shot may be overexposed, but it works. "I waited until dusk, when the light from passing cars balanced with the ambient light, so it was dark enough to see taillights, yet light enough to see the coast. An eight second exposure blurs the taillights and captures the shore." TIP: Action, such as cars or people, can add scale and interest.
11. Santorini, Greece: "Santorini's pastels and whites glow in early morning and around sunset. Walk the high streets at the end of the day, when tourists are gone and the locals climb up the stairs to the city with their donkeys," says Tino Soriano. TIP: Ditch the tourists, discover how the locals live, and look for telling details within a scene.
12. Machu Picchu, Peru: "The landscape is classic and expected, but the llama is accidental," explains Frans Lanting. "The key is sitting down and waiting two days, instead of two hours." TIP: You just have to let things happen if you want to capture a unique moment.
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