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Photo special for travel

Photo special for travel
Take better photos

The road to a good travel photo doesn’t have to be rocky. If you take a few tips to heart, you not only bring expressive pictures home, but also enrich the trip with additional experiences. Because taking photos consciously is really fun.

Markus Biebricher

29/01/2009

Expensive camera equipment is by no means a guarantee for good photos. A good picture takes time. It is precisely this factor that is one of the greatest obstacles on the way. A vacation tour by motorcycle should bring relaxation and be fun. Constantly keen observation of the landscape and scenes, looking for motifs or constantly waiting for better light is exhausting. Even if the photographer is passionate about what he is doing, the travel partners get annoyed quickly, they want to drive, not stop all the time and play models.

It is best to clarify what the photos are to be used for before starting the journey. In order to photograph pure vacation memories, no huge production and material expenditure is necessary. If you strive for the light of the public, a travel story, an illustrated book or slide show, you shouldn’t skimp on material and time.

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The human eye is always fascinated by the unusual, which is why images with unusual perspectives not only have a great effect on editors. In order to create such images, one should master one’s equipment and identify places where these images can be produced. Sometimes you experience irretrievable moments, and then quick action is required. That’s why training can’t hurt, because photography is like sport: you should strive for fitness, no matter what league you want to play in.

For experienced travel photographers like Jo Deleker, who has already published over 200 travel reports in various outdoor, travel, nature and motorcycle magazines, pressing the shutter button is the last link in a long chain of preparations. “A good photo is first created in the head”, he says. Before starting the trip, Jo Deleker studies maps because he can roughly clarify which lighting conditions exist where and when. Sunrise and sunset plus / minus two hours, these are his times. Then the light is warm, the objects are illuminated from the sides and not from above, special moods can be captured.

A good shot is made up of the right moment, the right light, the conscious use of sharpness and the right image section. The latter can be optimized if you are aware of how the golden ratio works. This section is a certain ratio of two sizes to each other, is often found in nature and has been considered the ideal proportion in architecture and art since ancient times. To put it more simply: An asymmetrical picture division in a ratio of two to three looks more interesting. To do this, the main element (such as the motorcycle) is moved from the center of the image and placed in the upper or lower third of the left or right half of the image. This is not so easy for inexperienced users, because with many cameras the sensors for focusing are arranged in the center of the image and you only have to save the focus by pressing the shutter button lightly. Now you “move”, keep the slight pressure and only push through fully when the golden ratio is reached.


Photo special for travel

Useful for shooting in the wild: Gorilla pod tripod.

Unusual images are also created through the conscious use of depth of field. If the foreground and background are to be in focus, a small aperture (large f-number, for example 16) is required. However, this usually requires a longer exposure time. If the background is to appear blurred, as is desired for portraits, a larger aperture (small f-number, for example 3.5) is used. With the depth of field, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the essential picture element. The focal length of the lens also influences the depth of field: a telephoto lens has a smaller depth of field than a wider-angled lens with the same aperture setting and the same distance. Not only single travelers should consider taking a light travel tripod with them. Because this allows effective long-term exposures during the “blue hour” (Twilight with residual blue in the sky) or at night, as well as taking pictures of your own motorcycle with the entire crew. Photos, in which a machine stands around without a person in the landscape, usually lack their effect drastically (important for solo travelers).

In general, the photographic documentation of a trip should contain all spheres of experience, i.e. landscape, people (portraits), animals, plants, architecture, art and additional details or even macro shots. If you are planning a motorcycle travel report, you would do well to create a motorcycle reference in at least half of your photos and to integrate the machine into the picture, while it is moving or stationary. You don’t always have to be able to see the entire motorcycle; a cropped picture, a typical detail or a view over the cockpit of the road and surroundings is often sufficient. The motorcycle can take driving photos by means of an extremely short shutter speed “frozen” or get a dynamic-looking motion blur with a slower shutter speed. The so-called “Mitzieher”, tracking the motorcycle through the viewfinder takes practice and keeps the machine sharp and the landscape blurred. Depending on the focal length of the telephoto lens that is best for taking such photos, you have to experiment with the shutter speed.

Changing perspectives are essential for reports: proximity, distance, frog’s eye and bird’s eye view. Backlit shots can also provide creative variety. The reward for a little brain work before pressing the shutter release are exciting travel photos that will give you goose bumps even after years of viewing. Not least because they were not created through time-consuming post-processing on the computer, but rather through enjoyment of the matter and competence on site at the moment of taking the photos.

10 tips from the professional

Jo Deleker has been photographing travel reports for MOTORRAD Unterwegs for 20 years. His best pictures appear in MOTORRAD or on his website www.jodeleker.de. And his ultimate photo tips here:

1. Think, take your time.
As banal as it reads, a good photo is first created in the head, even before the shutter button is pressed, and by no means at home on the computer. Snapshots can be delightful, but a good photo takes time to think and take photos.

2. Time of day.
Steep midday sun is poison for photos. The flatter the sun, the warmer, softer and more plastic the light.

3. Unusual times.
Night shots are complex but fascinating. The pictures are even more beautiful “blue hour”, so about 20 to 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. A tripod is required for these photos.

4. Image composition.
Without basic knowledge of the image composition – golden ratio, diagonal, image division – hardly a good photo will succeed.

5. Experiment.
Take several photos of the same motif, with different focal lengths from different, even unusual perspectives.

6. Colors.
Black motorcycle, driver dressed in black, black helmet – the GAU of color photography. The motto for a better picture is dare to paint, light jacket, maybe a red helmet. A positive side effect: passive safety increases.

7. Role models.
Analyze outstanding photos: why do I like the picture? What makes it so impressive? What is it that fascinates me? Analyze role models, but don’t copy them.

8. Close to it.
“If your picture isn’t good enough, you haven’t been close enough”, once said the legendary photographer Robert Capa. Whereby he did not mean the spatial proximity, but the intellectual examination of the motif.

9. Light.
Twilight and backlight create special moods. Set accents with flash, reflector, motorcycle headlights or artificial light sources.

10. Dynamics.
Long exposure times create tension, especially with moving subjects.

Analog or digital?

The triumph of digital photography is overwhelming, but there are still professionals and amateurs who swear by films. One advantage of analog cameras is that they are less sensitive to dust and moisture. Their disadvantage are the follow-up costs for image development, which are not incurred with digital photography. Here you can take pictures without end and choose the best ones on your PC or Mac at home.

For most users, however, there are other advantages of digital photography that are decisive: While in the past there was a fear when traveling as to whether the images on the slide film would produce the desired results and whether the development would proceed without errors, today the image can be viewed on the monitor immediately after being taken analyze the back of the camera at least superficially. The monitors, which are becoming larger and more contrasting, are sufficient for assessing the exposure or the image structure. The picture is immediately available if required and can be sent by email, for example. In addition, digital cameras often offer more functions such as image stabilization, panorama assistant or simulated fill-in flash for less money.

One danger of digital photography lies in “random snapping around”. Anyone who learned to take photographs in analogue had to work more consciously with regard to lighting, exposure and image design. But even for good digital pictures, a closer look is a necessary virtue. What is messed up during the recording itself can only be repaired with a great deal of effort on the PC or Mac. Editing the picture on the screen should only serve to optimize the subject. Another disadvantage of digital photography: Many particularly artistic pictures are no longer believed to be “real”. In terms of quality, there are no longer any major differences between digital and analog photos for the human eye.

What and how much to take with you?

What belongs in the photo bag on the go and which accessories make sense are decided by the photographer’s requirements. Everyone grows with their tasks, and if you just want a few nice holiday memories, a compact camera with a zoom of 35 to 105 millimeters is sufficient. If you have higher demands, you will hardly get around a SLR system. With a housing and two to three lenses that cover a focal length range of 20 to 200 millimeters, you are already well equipped to be able to put most subjects in the limelight. An external flash, microfiber cloths, spare batteries, dust brush, filter and an external storage medium complete the equipment. Only professionals will still value a second housing, however, taking a light travel tripod with you, for example for atmospheric shots at dusk and at night, is actually essential.

The right camera

Even simple digital cameras can produce acceptable travel photos. To make photography more enjoyable, you should attach importance to a short shutter release delay, a sufficiently large, bright and high-resolution display as well as a brisk reaction of the camera when switching on and zooming, when displaying images and menu operation.

Digital cameras for beginners are cheap, can be had for less than 100 euros and meet simple requirements. Difficult photo situations will not be easily created with them, but standard cases will. Ultra-compact digital cameras cost between 100 and 200 euros, are very small, but have a large display and no viewfinder. The setting options are also limited with them, and the image quality is partially negatively influenced by the need for miniaturization. Compact digital cameras (from around 150 euros), on the other hand, offer significantly more features and better image quality, but the zoom range is still limited. Devices in the super zoom class (from around 300 euros) are characterized by a huge zoom range, are slightly larger than compact ones, but offer practically unlimited possibilities. Only a connection for external flash units, additional lenses and for filters or converters is usually a thing of the past.

Digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR) meet all the requirements of ambitious photographers (entry-level devices in a kit with a simple zoom lens from around 400 euros). The only disadvantage: They are relatively large and often heavy, but high resolution, image quality and the ability to connect external flash units and lenses of any focal length and light intensity make up for this disadvantage. If you are toying with SLR cameras, you should attach importance to a good lens, because what use is the best sensor if it has to capture the subject through optics whose lenses do not exceed the quality of the bottom of a bottle. In order to make the switch to a digital SLR camera more attractive, most manufacturers have designed their lens connections in such a way that lenses from the analog age can also be flanged onto the housing. An advantage that comes at the price of a focal length extension, because most chips are smaller than the small format of 24 by 36 millimeters. The extension is usually in a range of around 1.5, which means that an analog 28-millimeter wide angle becomes a 42-millimeter normal lens in digital use.

Pixel customer

Those who do not necessarily have to expose large-format posters are well served with the resolution of all digital cameras. Falling into the megapixel hype is counterproductive. The number of pixels does not determine the sharpness of the image, but the maximum output size and thus the richness of detail that can be displayed. Two megapixels are sufficient for an exposure in the format 10 by 15 centimeters; six megapixels are only required for a 40 by 50 centimeter image. The manufacturer’s compulsion to offer ever higher resolutions has meanwhile resulted in the image quality deteriorating again. The optical system cannot exploit the resolution, the tiny sensors in the compact cameras do not receive enough light to work without noise (with “rush” is blurring and “Coarseness” meant), the subsequent noise reduction or in-camera image processing then flattens fine details. When the aperture is open, diffraction effects occur, which further reduces the sharpness. So you shouldn’t be surprised if the new twelve million pixel compact delivers blurrier images than the old six million sweetheart. Digital SLR cameras have more space for larger sensors due to their larger dimensions. Interesting information is also available on the website www.6mpixel.org.

Equipment transportation

There are several ways to place the camera equipment on the motorcycle. Dust, heat and moisture protection, vibration and fall insulation, protection against thieves and quick access for the photographer are important. If you only take a small compact with you, you won’t have any transport problems, if you need a housing and a lens, you can easily get by with a photo bag in the tank bag, more equipment then requires a specially padded and divided photo tank bag. The Touratech model, for example, meets most requirements, but no tank bag can come up with real theft protection. On the other hand, the space on the motorcycle’s tank is unrivaled in terms of the center of gravity and the amount of vibration. Anyone who transports their photo backpack padded in a lockable (aluminum) case ultimately enjoys the best protection against criminals. Even in the event of a fall, the aluminum case will protect the expensive equipment most effectively, we have already tested that involuntarily. Transporting it in a shouldered rucksack has disadvantages for the back and can be fatal in the event of a fall. Special rear photo bags work well, but are not an optimal solution in terms of access time.

Save photos

While analog photographers have to take films with them, bring them back in one piece and develop them, the question of how to store their image data arises for digital photographers. A storage medium is not one hundred percent secure, but there is no such thing as absolute security in other areas of life either. If you don’t want to expose a lot of pictures, the camera’s memory card is sufficient; if you want increased security and produce more pictures, you should carry an additional, external storage medium with you, one of the under the heading “Image tank” there is now a confusing variety of devices on the market.

Such photo storage devices are mass storage devices that are equipped with a card reader or a USB OTG function (USB-on-the-go is a standard that enables digital cameras to be read out directly via the USB interface). The content of the digital camera memory is read out and the images are saved on the mass storage device. Thanks to the large storage space, external memories are useful travel companions for more ambitious digital photographers.

What you should definitely consider when buying: Does the image memory accept the required type of memory card? And if you read large memory cards frequently, you should make sure that the transmission speed is sufficient. Because the ever-increasing file sizes due to the increasing number of megapixels in the cameras slow down the readout speed in some cases considerably. The remaining capacity of the camera batteries should be checked during the transfer, as a power failure while the image data is being written is very likely to cause data loss. After the data transfer, the full camera memory card can be deleted for further use. To do this, you should format them in the camera. This is the cleanest starting point for the next data storage and prevents compatibility problems caused by deletion or formatting in a card reader.

Among the various forms of storage media, mobile hard drives (memory tanks) are popular with ambitious travel photographers. They are light and small in size and have no additional functions. Mobile hard drives with multimedia functions, on the other hand, not only offer pure image storage, but also the possibility of checking the image quality on the built-in color display. In addition, they can often play photos, videos and music. With small notebooks or netbooks, not only can pictures be checked and, if necessary, edited, but CDs or DVDs can also be burned on the go. Some devices also work with twelve volts for connection to the motorcycle electrical system, for the others there are portable transformers. Prices for small, space-saving “Picture tanks” vary between 100 and 600 euros, taking one with you “adult” Notebooks on the trip are not always the first choice given the limited transport capacities on the motorcycle.

Book tips

“The great Humboldt photography course” by Tom Striewisch, Humboldt-Verlag, ISBN 3-8999-4017-6, 19.80 euros. The photo course leaves hardly any questions unanswered and gives many tips on everything from buying a camera to post-processing and presentation (www.fotolehrgang.de).

“Digital travel photography” by Duncan Evans, Rororo Verlag, ISBN 3-499-61266-6, 16.90 euros. Everything is explained, from the equipment to the handling of motifs and post-processing. If you want to bring more with you from your trip than just snapped together pictures, you should browse through this guide.

“Travel photography: practical knowledge of a well-traveled professional” by Reinhard Eisele, Augustus-Verlag, ISBN 3-8043-5138-7, 19.90 euros. A standard work with excellent sample photos, the right textbook to gain image awareness and a passion for photography.

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