I can recall how the first camera that my father gave me smelled like it. It was a big, cumbersome, stodgy sort of affair, with a worn-leather odor and a touch of stories it held as long as it lived. In those days, travel photography was a plodding fancy. You timed the light, you sensed the instant and were fortunate to fix a part of magic in your hands. The world is a smaller place now but the desire of getting an authentic, soul stirring picture is ever greater. We want not only an image but that we come back with an emotion, with narrative, with a bit of the pulse of the world. This is the exotic travel photography art. Not the places you see, it is a matter of moments you will find. So we are going to trot pedantically along some of the eternal travel photography ideas to help you do the same.
The Storyteller’s Eye: Finding Your Frame
The most exotic travel photo ideas do not begin with your camera, but with your eyes. Ask yourself, before you get to clicking, what is the story here? Or Is it a play going on in a crowded market? Friendly comedy in a tea-stall? Search out the places where things speak.
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The Drama of Daily Life: In the zigzag streets of Varanasi I observed an elderly priest and a youthful boy playing with a kite on a ghat. The hands of the old man had been shriveled up by many years, those of the boy were bright with merriment. The kite was not the only story, passing on the tradition between generations was also involved. This lovely drama I photographed crouched down so as to get the river as a background.
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Comedy in the Chaos: A monkey in Jaipur where the monkey is attempting to steal a glasses to the tourist who was sleeping. The bewilderment on the face of the tourist, the impertinent smile of the monkey--a comedy classical and unstageable. To capture the funny moment I used a quick shutter speed.
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Mythology in Stone: Geography of the ancient temples of Hampi is not limited to rocks. They are mythology in ice. I expected the sunset to come. The yellow rays struck the stone chariot and it appeared to be burning. One almost expected to see the deities spring into life. I have made use of the long shadows to bring some mystery in the shot.
Gear That Travels With You, Not Against You
You no longer have heavy gear in a bag. The most appropriate travel gear for exotic photography is the light, fast, and ready one. It is not that you want to match other people, but rather you do not want to be an obvious tourist shining in terms of big bag.
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The Magic Lens (The Nifty Fifty): I use my 50mm the most. It is compact, featherweight and does pretty much everything. It also allows you to make crisp shots of people, food and streets without making too much noise. It is the all-time companion of a traveler.
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The Storyteller Lens (Wide Angle): A wide-angle lens (such as a 16-35mm) is magic to deal with vast scenery, such as the Thar Desert at sunrise, or the interior of a large mosque. It drags the entire scenery into your picture so that the viewer would have the feeling that he/she is standing with you.
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The Hunter Lens (Telephoto Zoom): Take a lens with you. It is your secret weapon. A 70-200mm zoom lens. It allows you to take shots of something distant and it does not interfere. A farmer in the works in some field, a monk in a profound prayer, the decorations of a palace which he can barely see. It assists you to locate those odd travel photographer shots on a remote basis.
Related: Lightweight Camera For Travel Vlogging
The Golden Hour: Your Best Free Tool
The correct illumination is able to transform a typical picture into something remarkable. The golden hour right after sunset, and before it, is as its name suggests. This is tender, hot light and everything is beautiful in it. It gives richness and feeling and a sense of magic to your exotic travel photography.
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Sunrise at the Ghats: The vivid spectacle of the morning Sun falling on the ancient steps of ghats in Varanasi and transforming the Ganges river into gold. The light gives a suggestion to the boats and people a still calm image of power by referring to them a soft touch glow. It is always worthwhile waking up early to have this light.
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Sunset in the Desert: In Jaisalmer there is prolonged and dramatic lighting as the sun sets behind sand dunes. It produces exquisite shades and infuses the tones of the desert, ochre, orange, red. The figures of men and camels in profile against this sky are pictorial and timeless.
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The Blue Hour: You don t pack down immediately after sunset. The blue hour is the time immediately afterward, when the sky has become a dark blue. It is ideal in urban areas. A palace or a market lights come on, and the blue sky is ideal as its setting.
Weaving Culture Into Every Pixel
An excellent travel shot acknowledges and glorifies the culture it is being brought into. It is not only a matter of capturing, but of connecting. Being nice, requesting to get permission and demonstrating respect is always appropriate. Due to it, your photos will be more real.
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The Eyes Tell the Story: A portrait of an individual does not refer to his/her clothes, but to eyes. I encountered in a small fisherman village in Kerala the face of a fisherman who has been drinking the brine of the seas over the years. I was chatting with him, we had a cup of tea. When at last I obtained his portrait it was a story of the ocean--of conflict, of calm, and a long life--in his eyes. The picture was soulful due to the connection.
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Festivals of Life: Indian festival is an explosion of emotions and colour. Holi, Diwali, Durga Puja these are a blessing of any photographer. However rather than simply shooting the images of colours, seek out those interims between insanity. The mamma putting colour on the face of the child, the silent prayer before the feast, the fatigued and yet pleasant smile at the end of the day.
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The Quiet Moments: Culture does not need to be noisy. You find it in the stillness of the chai wallah customer going over a cup. It leads to the hands of a woman who is roti on a clay stove. Come in close, attend to the details close in hand, close in steam the focus. These muted photographs are usually loudest of all.
Beyond the Postcard: Finding Your Unique Angle
All of us take a picture of the Taj Mahal front. But what would be itsemulsion in a rain-puddle? instead of an enlargement of the ornamental[sc] marble? When you want to get the best travel photography ideas there are two places to look at.
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Change Your Height: It is not necessary to shoot in the standing position. Crawl on "(truncated expletive)"! A photo of a street with people and animals filmed at the ground level speaking in terms of feet makes a quite different point. Or, take a lens vantage-point--a cafe balcony, a hill--and survey the flux of the city as a river of life.
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Look for Reflections: This can be anything to Puddles, mirrors, sunglasses, windows these are all your tools. A picture of an ancient fort in a modern car window has the potential to create a very vivid image of past and present existing side-by-side.
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Focus on Details: minor details reveal a greater story than the scene itself. An old rusty lock on a rustic door, fading paint on a truck, the spices in a market basket. These are the facts that are giving an exotic travel photo ideas and make a lush, textured replica of your trip.
Conclusion: Bringing More Than Pictures Home
The point of the exotic travel photography is not to fill a memory card, it is to fill your soul. The ideal travel camera is the one you are carrying and the best travel photography ideas are the ones that are deep in the heart. It is about the tolerance to be patient a wait to cross the road, the courtesy of meeting the strangers and the curiosity to find something extraordinary out of nothingness. Just a map of exotic travel photo ideas: The journey itself is the best mark of treasure Go out there, walk, experience and share your experience. Revive the kind of pictures that lived, that breathed--that, decades later, will still have the smell of adventure.
