IMAGES Filming in foreign lands

Press, 19 October 1977, Page 5

IMAGES Filming in foreign lands

photography with 'The Press'

Perhaps the biggest attraction any location offers is the people, their unique lifestyles, unusual activities and occupations. While globe-trotting, you can save these memories with candid photographs of the people you encounter.

Be sure to ask permission before you click the shutter. Even if you do not speak the language, you can communicate your intentions with a smile and a gesture toward the camera.

Remember, also, that in some countries “colourful” locals might expect, or even demand payment for posing.

To create character studies, move in as close as your camera allows so that the subject fills the picture area. Check the background to be sure it is uncluttered. Too much detail will distract from your principal subject. Try a very low camera angle for a blue-sky, uncluttered background.

Bad weather may sour your zest for travel but it need not stop your picture-taking. On misty, overcast days, lighting conditions are ideal for making soft, flattering close-ups of people. Colours tend to reproduce as subtle pastels. Shadowless lighting reveals every detail in your subject.

Candid photographs capture a moment in time, an image of a person or persons made from life as it was really happening — without interference by the photographer. Potential candid subjects surround the traveller.

Look at the constant stream of people hustling to work in an exotic capital, or streaming into a sports arena or concert hall. Probing for, and extracting, evocative pictures from your travels requires a real ability

to see, to interpret, and to feel.

Anticipate the action and keep an ever-ready camera. Whatever camera you select, handling must be practised and smooth. A fast-moving, humaninterest situation does not afford an opportunity to fumble with controls, accessory equipment or involved loading techniques.

The secret to successful candid camera travelling is being quick, efficient and unobtrusive. You must be able to snap your picture without calling undue attention to yourself. Occasionally the subjects may be so engrossed in their activity that they will forget you are there. Or, after the first few shots, they will simply ignore you. Be alert. Keep shooting and looking for the significant facial expressions or gestures. Watch for the relationship of one person to another. Frame the principal subject with another person or object in the foreground that helps communicate the story.

Whether character studies or candid action views, your pictures can mirror the people and events encountered on your travels and capture the local colour, the authentic “you-were-there” feeling that posed pictures often miss.