More than a pretty face

My most memorable experience on a recent trip to Peru was not Machu Picchu or the beautiful rugged mountains, but the time I spent with the amazing Uru people, who live on floating reed islands on Lake Titicaca. I spent hours photographing the women in their colourful dresses and simphanas (pompoms in their braided hair). The stark contrast between the drab, monotone huts and their vibrant costumes compelled me—philosophically and photographically.

Each year, in my photography workshops and seminars, I review dozens of travel portfolios packed with hundreds of sweeping landscapes, wispy waterfalls, mouth-watering food shots and impressive ancient ruins. Unfortunately, I don’t see many people shots. And that’s too bad because the single most defining characteristic of any region is its culture, and few things define culture better than people.

So why don’t we shoot more people portraits when we travel? First off, most of us are terrified of approaching a stranger and asking if we can take their picture, and second, good portraits are more technically challenging than landscapes or ruins. Good people shots need lots of patience.

The biggest hurdle in photographing people is getting them to stop moving long enough for you to get a well-composed shot. Most of the people we meet in our travels are busy with their daily lives and getting them to stand still for a portrait is difficult. Further complicating our task are language barriers, superstitious beliefs, skin tones, a person’s attire and their surroundings. All issues that test our ability to get good portraits.

After 20 years of shooting in some 70 countries I have learned that most people don’t mind having their picture taken. A polite smile and a few friendly words work wonders in establishing a rapport with your subject. So instead of trying to “sneak” shots, learn a couple of local greetings and then move in close to get a better portrait.

Images of people looking directly into the camera, if done incorrectly, can accentuate round faces and produce that deer-in-the-headlights look. A good tip is to have your subject turn her head slightly away from the camera. Then, try to keep the tip of her nose within her cheek line.

It’s always best to photograph people in shade, especially those with dark skin, but I didn’t have that luxury on a floating island without trees. So I positioned my subjects with the sun at their backs and used fill flash to brighten their faces. It took a couple of tries to get the exposure right, but my guide helped with instructions and conversation to relax the women.

Good travel portfolios should include a selection of traditional close-up and environmental portraits. For traditional portraits remember to shoot vertical, fill the frame and place the subject’s face off centre (use the rule of thirds—see sidebar). Environmental portraits work best when you include enough surroundings to connect the subject with his world. Too much surroundings can be distracting, though, so play around with the composition.

I try to have fun with everyone I photograph. I even let some of the Uru women take my picture. Of course this produced many laughs, and nothing spices up a portrait better than a smiling face.

SEE PRO TIPS AND GEAR SUGGESTIONS ON PAGE 2…

All photographs courtesy of Michael Defreitas

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 12th, 2010 at 2:06 pm and is filed under Shutter Stop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site. Add to del.icio.us.