5 Ways to Practice Your Travel Photo Skills (no airfare needed)
Why is it that SO many people have told me “oh I have a really good camera, but I never use it”. Or “I have a good camera but it’s still in the box in my closet.” Until they plan a big trip. And then, it’s AHHHH!!! Diane help I don’t know how to use my camera and I want to make amazing photos in...Cuba, France, Morocco…
Yep. I hear it all the time. So here’s what my advice is to you. Go get that camera out of the closet. Out of the drawer. Out of the box. It doesn’t belong in any of those places. It belongs in your hands, in front of your face, making photos. Now. Before your trip.
I get it. I’m basically lecturing you about getting your camera out and when was the last time MINE came out to play? A while...I’ve been working so hard on the course I’m about to launch. Which is REALLY fun to me. But my camera is getting lonely, and so is yours.
I’ll admit, I live in a pretty beautiful area. But I still don’t get out enough! This post inspired me to take a little road trip. This is at Bella Vineyards & Wine Caves a couple of hours from us.
I also hear a lot of “I’m too busy”. Well, let’s just let that one go right now. I know you are. We are all busy. But guess what? We also all waste a lot of time. If you’re thinking “Oh not ME!”, I’m busy all the time! Well here’s some tough love for you. What’s the last show you watched on Netflix? Now I’m NOT saying you need to devote your life to learning photography - well unless you are really inspired and that’s your thing. What I’m saying is that we can all squeeze out 30-60 minutes a week, or every few days if we just try. If we want to.
The way I look at it...it’s all about priorities. We prioritize what’s important to us, and that’s what we do. Sometimes binge-watching Netflix is EXACTLY what you want to do, and what you need (have you seen Good Girls yet???). Oh I’m not judging, I’m all in for a good Netflix binge once in a while. What I’m saying is don’t let lack of time be your excuse for not learning to use your camera. It might be fear of the unknown, it might be technology overwhelm, it might be insecurity...but it’s probably not a lack of time.
So now what? We’ve decided we have the time if we schedule it, and commit to it. What the heck do you practice on? If you’re saying “I don’t live in a place that’s very photogenic”...au contraire. EVERY place is photogenic, if given a chance.
Let’s talk about some different options for local “travel” photo practice.
#1 LOCAL FARMERS MARKET
This is one of my favorites. Something about the energy, the people, the fresh produce...it gets me all fired up and inspired. If the farmers market is seasonal where you live, there’s always flea markets, antique shops…all make for some fine subjects. All right, you have your camera at the market, now try some aperture priority at f/4 or even f/2.8. Make some portraits of the vendors, make some photos of the produce, of hands selecting just the right produce… And then try f/11 or even f/18 (if you have enough light) and try making some photos of an entire table of produce with the vendor and shoppers all interacting together.
This photo was made at a local farmers market.
#2 DOWNTOWN OF YOUR NEAREST CITY OR TOWN
Another of my favorite types of photography is street photography. People often ask me what that is exactly. Street photography involves documenting people in their everyday environment. Find an interesting location, and just hang out for a while. Make photos of people passing by, interacting with each other, looking at you. Now this one is VERY intimidating for some folks. If you’re at all nervous about it, take a step back and get more of the scene with people passing through it. Even try for some blurred photos by shooting in shutter priority, and just trying all different settings. 1/30 second, ½ second...just get crazy. You can even practice on the cars passing by, which can be fun.
#3 YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT
This can be a fun storytelling opportunity. Try to capture the restaurant - the building, the entrance, the environment around it, leading up to it. And then the table, food, other patrons, the waitstaff or even the chef if you’re feeling sassy. In this case, I would definitely ask permission of the staff, even other patrons if they are close and notice. You can always say that you are taking a class, and do they mind having their photo made? If they say no, then you move on. Nothing lost, nothing gained. This is also the approach you should take in street photography. If it’s a general scene with people in it, I don’t worry too much. But if I want more of a portrait then I ask. It’s fascinating who you meet and what kind of conversations you have along the way.
The Tower Bridge here in Sacramento.
#4 YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
You really don’t have to go far to practice. You see your house, your yard, your neighborhood, every single day. So you stop seeing it - really seeing it. This is the opportunity to look through a different lens...literally. Go on a walk down your street, around your block - and take your camera. Think about trying different camera settings like shutter or aperture priority. Try taking close-ups of flowers, or rocks, or a dog - fill the frame with your subject. Get UP in there! Try getting an interesting shot of the whole street - look for leading lines. You see where I’m going? Try to look at it with a different perspective. It’s a fascinating exercise to see something new in what you see everyday.
This photo was made right here in my own backyard.
#5 FAMILY & FRIENDS
A fabulous opportunity to practice your craft on captive subjects. Now not everyone (like my husband) will agree to this exercise, but some (like my dog, Maggie or my friend, Kelly) will be all in. Having subjects who aren’t moving or glaring at you with the “what the hell are you taking my picture” look can be a calm and supportive environment in which to practice. Try the shallow depth of field with f/2.8 or f/4. Get close, move farther away. Try to fill the frame with the face, and step back to get more of the whole person (or pet). It’s hard to get a nice shot of someone, actually. They tend to be a little stiff about it all. And then there’s the question of do you get just the waist up or try for the whole body? And if so, where do you position them in the frame. Try it all.
My willing family member, Maggie - always up for a photo session.
Well, I think that’s a good start. And guess what? Writing this motivated me to get the hell out of my house this weekend and make some photos!! I hope it does the same for you. Make sure to share the results…I can’t wait to see your photos!
If you have questions, want to share photos and be inspired by other photos…make sure you join us over in the private Facebook Group. We can’t wait to meet you!