On the Go





         Travel photography can be very tiring, especially in severe climates, hot or cold. You can end up doing a lot of
 
walking, as it's the best way to see a place. I usually follow my own advice about not shooting during the middle of the day, but sometimes this is not possible, because of limited time.

         Summer in Rome, Italy is stiflingly hot, and it's where I currently am, house-sitting for friends who escaped to a cooler climate. With my partner and a friend, I walked round the main visitor sites in a couple of days as the city is so compact. One day was very flat light and so offered little opportunity for scenic work, while the other had a brilliant azure sky that gave possibilities. On both days I carried the cameras and did shoot a little, but I used the opportunity mainly to work out what was the best time of day to shoot at various sites, and what lenses would make the angles look good.

         Our wanderings also gave me ample time to see what other photographers had come up with, by looking at the numerous postcards for sale. Some were fine pictures which had been taken from vantage points not accessible without knowing the right people, so I discounted these, while many were good because they simply had been taken at the right time of day, something I could easily do.

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"Maybe those photographers are laughing all the way say to the bank..."
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         There were also a large number of fairly mediocre pictures, but maybe those photographers are laughing all the   way to the bank! Although it is very easy to be judgmental about quality, buyers have endorsed them by purchasing them, so maybe they are right.

         Having made my plans on paper, I can now organize a schedule that will accommodate all that I want to shoot, at (most importantly) the right time of day. This will make it fairly easy with the right weather, brilliant sunshine for daylight and the 'magic hour' around twilight for others, my personal favorite.

         I should end up with a good set of Rome pictures. They might look similar to the work of others already in the
marketplace, but they will be mine and I know that new images are always in fashion however hackneyed the subject. I re-shoot Piccadilly Circus in London most years because I live in the city, because of changing fashions with clothing and cars, and the updated photos always find a home.

         As I carried the cameras on my two days of just looking in Rome, I did actually shoot a number of pictures that seemed right at the time, in spite of it being in the middle of the day. One of the great rules about photography is that really there are no rules; if it works for you then it's right!

Jeremy Hoar 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.

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