Shoot Better

Tips for Improving Your Travel Photography

The question I get asked a lot is “How can I take better vacation photos?” Which is followed with “What camera should I buy?” or “I don’t know how to use my camera”.

With summer vacations right around the corner, there will be endless opportunities to capture cherished memories.  So, let’s get those questions answered!

Shooting at sunset makes colors rich and images sharp.
 Taken with GoPro Hero 4 camera.
Palermo, Sicily

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAMERA(well, not as much as you think)

Do not run out and buy an expensive camera. The quality of your camera is important but it’s not everything.  I think every professional photographer has heard, “Oh, I love your photo.  You must have a very good camera.”  It makes them cringe when they hear that.  You wouldn’t say to a chef, “This dinner is delicious.  You must have a good oven.”  The camera is only as good as the person using it. 

Time of day, composition, posing, and the right camera settings are the most important ingredients of an image.  Get those right and you will love your photo, regardless of what kind of camera you used. 

Well, that’s a lot to talk about.  For today, let’s “focus” on the Time of Day you shoot.

Time of Day. This is one of the easiest things to get wrong but also one of the easiest things to correct.  It doesn’t mean you can take better photos after your morning coffee (even though I think that’s true!)  It means plan your outdoor photo based on the position of the sun.

The Scenario

You are on vacation with your family. You've taken tons of photos of your kids in front of beautiful landscapes.(all around lunch time) The kids' outfits are coordinated, you found cute poses on Pinterest to use, you shot on beautiful sunny days.  So, why aren't your photos any good? What happened?

The Problem

Harsh shadows can ruin a photo. 

Poor quality of light.  Midday can be a very difficult time to take photos, especially of people.  The sun is harsh and creates unflattering shadows, particularly under the eyes and to the side of the nose.  Wrinkles on the skin are exaggerated and skin tone looks odd.  Some colors are washed out and others oversaturated. Glare from the sun prevents your camera from focusing properly and causes everyone to squint at the camera. 

Technically speaking, your photo stinks.
  

The Solution

A much better time to shoot is early in the morning or late in the day.  Maybe you have heard of the “Golden Hour”.  This refers to the hour after sunrise and before sunset.   The low hanging sun is filtered through more atmosphere removing the harsh blue rays and leaving soft diffused golden light.  Skin tone looks soft and colors are rich. Long shadows on the ground add depth and drama.

By facing away from the low sun we can achieve a halo of light. 

The Golden Hour allows you to get creative!  With this wonderful light you can create silhouettes, solar flares and most importantly…backlighting. With your subject’s back to the sun you can create a halo of beautiful light around their heads.  Because your kids are little angels, right? 

Photos taken within a couple of hours of the "Golden Hour" or with a little cloud cover will give you nice results as well.  Below is a photo taken at 8am in Utah.  The sun had been up for a couple of hours but you can see how soft and even the colors are.  This is also due to some partly clouded skies to help diffuse the sunlight.  

The photo below it is 2 days later but at 10am.  Can you see what a difference only 2 hours made?  The shadows on my face are so harsh I look like I have a beard!

Shooting early in the day with a little cloud cover diffuses the sunlight and produced a nice result.  
Somewhere in Utah

This photo was taken too close to midday with not enough cloud cover.  Produced harsh shadows.
Vermillion Cliffs, Arizona

Use the low sun to create cool silhouettes!
Eleuthera, Bahamas

A low sun is great for back lighting! (I stayed in this fabulous tent) 
Cody, Wyoming

Don't forget to hang out after your shoot 

and capture those fabulous sunsets! 

Sea brook Island, SC

Cody, Wyoming

Get up early and take a sunrise photo! 
The moisture in the morning air creates interesting textures.
Cody, Wyoming

An added benefit of shooting early in the day when traveling is FEWER PEOPLE to photobomb your background! Pick your favorite spot and come back the next morning right after sunrise.  Yes, this could be 6am or earlier!  Just jump out of bed and go. There’s nobody up that early to see what you look like.   You will have an amazing landscape all to yourself.

In my first attempt to take this, the background was filled with tourists.
I came back at 6am and got the shot I was looking for!
Taormina, Sicily

  But wait a minute…sometimes you can’t control what time you shoot, especially when traveling.

  If you must shoot in the middle of the day, follow these tricks. 

1.  Use a diffuser panel. A cloth diffuser is a simple and affordable tool to filter the harsh rays.  Light Diffusers at Amazon

This photo was taken at 3pm.  Notice the
 harsh shadows on the left and
hot spots on the right. 

We used a diffuser to filter the sun here.
See what a difference it makes?

2.  Pose your subject with their backs away from the sun avoiding any “hot spots” on their face or head. 

3.  If there is shade available, use it.  Make sure it’s FULL shade on their faces.  Dappled light is not flattering.

4.  Have subjects look away or at each other and NOT at the camera.  This will avoid under the eye shadows.  Using one person’s head to shade the face of another person is helpful too, especially with groups.

5.  Use a hood on your lens.  This can greatly reduce glare and flares from the sun and helps your camera focus.

6.  Use a polarizing filter on your lens.  These filters will reduce the exposure and are especially helpful with landscape photography. You can find these on Amazon or any camera shop.

7.  Use a flash. I know it sounds contradictory to use a flash when it’s sunny outside but it can fill in harsh shadows.  Flash photography can be tricky if you aren’t familiar with it so practice ahead of time. Too much flash will ruin a photo.

8.  Shoot on a cloudy day.  You won't get those beautiful golden tones but you will have great diffused light.  

9.  And last but not least...continue to come back to Lifedigs for more valuable travel photo advice!

Good Friday in Sicily

**Please note.  The traditional costumes shown in this article are centuries old, originating from Sicily's Spanish period. While those unfamiliar with this tradition may find it surprising, please be assured that it has everything to do with reverence and respect and nothing to do with the other thing you may be thinking of. 

As soon as I touched down in Palermo, I had one thing on my mind.  I needed to make it across the island in time to see the famous Good Friday procession in Enna.

Having spent Holy Week in Rome several years ago, I knew Easter in Sicily would be a grand affair. I had no idea, however, I was in store for the most heartfelt and touching display of faith, culture and tradition I had ever witnessed.

Every town on the island celebrates Holy Week with reenactments of the Passion and Death of Christ, each with their own unique and ancient traditions.  The festivities begin on Palm Sunday and climax on Good Friday with attendance from the entire communities and visitors from around the world. 

Enna arguably has the most elaborate and profound Good Friday procession of them all.  The town is divided into 15 confraternities, similar to parishes, and each has their own church and traditional costume.   Hundreds of representatives from these confraternities silently march from their respective churches to the Duomo, carrying statues of the Dead Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows, on their shoulders. Then later, parade to the cemetery by torchlight.  It's a huge honor to be a participant, the tradition handed down from father to son.

Inside the Duomo.

After driving through the countryside, with an endless view of rolling green hills and wildflowers, I arrived in Enna right at 2pm.  This was an important time because I knew they were going to start closing the streets then.The road into town is a dramatic drive straight up into the mountains to the highest inhabited point in all of Sicily. It was hard for me to believe such a thriving community has existed up there for literally thousands of years. But then again, lack of accessibility was most likely their goal to defend itself from invaders.

The view of the neighboring village, Calascibetta, from Enna.

I was surprised to find a parking space very quickly in an empty lot of a very old cemetery.  I had an even bigger surprise waiting for me when I got out of the car…and that was a fantastic view of Mount Etna. White steam was billowing from out of the volcano against a brilliant blue sky.  It was hard for me to take my eyes away from the expansive panorama. It’s said, that on a very clear day, you can see to all three coasts. I thought, if I see nothing else on this trip I will still be satisfied.

Before I got very far, luckily, I had a conversation with a priest at the cemetery who explained to me (in very broken English) that once the procession started, remaining cars would be towed from that lot. Having the rental car towed within hours of arriving to Sicily would have really stunk, so I was grateful for that bit of divine intervention.

Finally, I was safely parked down the road, and walking to the center of town. Every so often, I passed one of the parish churches decorated for the festivities.  Confraternity members gathered outside, dressed in the parish’s traditional colors, while proud family members took photos.  

The narrow streets were already filling up with people so I hurried to claim a spot on the top steps of the Duomo, Santa Maria della Visitazione (Saint Mary of the Visitation).  The Duomo is the main cathedral where the ceremonies would begin and end. The atmosphere around us was electric with excitement.  Onlookers were an interesting mix of locals, tourists and photographers from around the world.  Beaming parents escorted young confraternity members to the steps, clearly proud their child was continuing the family tradition. Small children rubber necked around their parents to see if the parade was starting. 

Without any introduction, the procession began with the Confraternita del SS. Salvatore (The Brotherhood of Saint Salvatore), the oldest in Enna, established in 1262. Dressed in long white vestments under a yellow cape emblazoned with The Maltese Cross, they marched silently into the Cathedral with the town’s band playing somber funeral music.  A few minutes later, dozens of members carefully carried the body of Christ on their shoulders, heaving up the steps and into the Cathedral. You can't help but feel what they feel, the seriousness of the ceremony. It's the funeral of Jesus.  And it's been celebrated exactly this way for hundreds of years. 

Every few minutes, a different confraternity arrived, each in their own colors and carrying symbols of Jesus' suffering. With the exception of those carrying Jesus or Mary, all the members are hooded. This tradition is the legacy of Spanish domination in Sicily. Some say it’s a sign of reverence or respect for the dead.  Others, that it is a sign of penance.  Try to imagine hundreds of hoods and cloaks of all different colors marching silently with torches through town. To say it's a dramatic scene is an understatement. 

I was staying in Palermo that night and didn’t want to drive through mountainous roads in the dark so I decided to make my way back to the car before the procession was over. Standing on the hill looking down I couldn’t believe what I saw. Throngs of the faithful slowly moving toward me as a solid mass. They were following the procession that was now carrying the grief stricken Mary, recreating the tragedy she experienced. It felt wrong to get in the way of their pilgrimage, so I didn't.

I let the parade pass and I watched as Mary and her followers traveled up the hill.  As I walked back to the car I tried to process what I had just witnessed.  I believe many people around the world assume this kind of deeply rooted faith and tradition has been lost forever. But it's on full display here, as it has been for centuries and will be for centuries more.  I was so grateful to have experienced Good Friday in Enna. 

Confraternity members carefully carrying Our Lady of Sorrows on their shoulders.

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