Shoot First, Ask Afterwards

In some situations you will find yourself in a quandary as to whether it is permissible to take pictures or not. This will vary from country to country and city to city; there is no 'one for all' rule.

Places
For example, you enter a university/church/museum, etc. and look around for signs barring photography but cannot see any. What do you do? Simple, go to the position where the best shot will be, set the camera, wait for the right moment then shoot. Someone may then come up and tell you photographs are not allowed, so apologize and move on. Most times denial of permission from an authority seems to be so that the local venue can sell postcards, not for any copyright reasons.

In Kyoto, Japan recently I paid the entrance fee into a temple that housed a number of Buddhas, and it was only when I got inside that I found 'No Photographs' signs on display. So I went and asked for my money back pointing out to the ticket booth agent that there were photos of the Buddhas on the ticket itself, seeming to imply that photography was allowed. They made no fuss and returned my money.

People
When it comes to people this is even more of a minefield, as some will expect payment if you take their photo. Generally I am against this as it sets a precedent for those that follow on afterwards. In very poor countries, though, you have to make an even tougher judgement, as what you 'tip' a group of people in a village, for instance, might feed them for a week.

In Merida in the Venezuelan Andes, I hired a car with a driver for a day (it's easier to take pictures if someone else is driving) and he took me to a village and then negotiated the way into a farmer's house where the family was all around. I was asked to give something to the folks in return, and I had no hesitation in this instance because they were actually helping me to take pictures by allowing me to pose them.

In another instance a colleague of mine was in North Africa, and wanted to take a series of pictures of the people in a small village. They were reluctant until he offered $50, then they posed happily for a couple of hours. The photographer easily recuped the $50 later, after the sale of one photo.

This is a constant enigma for any travel photographer, so be prepared in advance about your plan to react when it happens to you, as it surely will!

Jeremy Hoareis a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. Email: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare

Welcome to AvailableStockPhotos.com. Here's where you'll find information about travel photography, travel photography how-to, and selling pictures.

Horizons and Composition Lines

Horizons are something we all deal with in photography. Get it right and the picture composition works, get it wrong and it often looks a mess. Where you put the horizon line in the frame is crucial, especially for a landscape picture. For a travel photographer the horizon comes into play quite a lot.

There are basically three dominant lines of force within a given composition frame which imply specific subconscious thoughts:

1 Horizontal - calm and relaxation
2 Vertical - authority and respect
3 Diagonal - movement and variation.

Inevitably these descriptions are bare outlines, but play around with a chosen subject and shoot just three frames using the different lines, you will quickly see what I mean. These 'rules' have stood the test of time. Look at reproductions of great old master artists over the centuries and all will become clear.

For a horizon, put it low and it will emphasize the sky, giving a feeling of space and lightness, dependent on if there are clouds, of course, which could also make it dramatic. If there is a blue sky, try a Polariser filter; that will make it more dramatic still, as well as saturating the colours.

Putting the horizon high can be good, if the foreground subject matter warrants it, but the subject has to be bold enough to be framed this way. When it does work well, this can make a very powerful image.

A horizon placed in the middle of your compostion generally is boring, but now and then it can work. Generally, though, I try to avoid this. Some subjects do need it, though, so never get hung-up on 'rules.' Follow your gut feeling.

One thing you must always do with an horizon, no matter where you put it in your frame, if the subject demands that it be level, then ensure that it is. A sunset over an ocean would be typical of the kind of picture where I would make sure the horizon is level, otherwise it will always detract from the effect of your image. I try all the time to get the horizon straight, but know well that in the heat of the moment sometimes I fall short.

I detest my slightly lopsided pictures, but thankfully with the increasing use of film scanners it is possible to rescue such mistakes by zooming into the frame slightly then cropping, to remove the then-lopsided edges, and saving a new image as another file. If you are submitting pictures to a stock library, check first that they can accept digital files, and if they don't, put those images aside until they do or until you start your own online library. Don't trash those trannies which are slightly lopsided, as in the future you might make a saleable picture from them. I'm sure hanging on to all of mine!

Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. E-mail: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare.