An Interview with Inspirational Travel Photographer Peter Adams

This interview with Peter Adams is the second of a series of interviews with photographers that have either won or placed highly in the Travel Photographer of the Year photography competition. I recommend you check out their website and also their online magazine Travel Shooters, aimed at anyone interested in travel photography or photojournalism.

Taj Majal, India

How would you describe your photographic vision? What kind of look/atmosphere/feel do you try and create in your photos?

The pictures that work for me are as simple as possible with a strong graphic element. I try to avoid images that are too busy, with too much extraneous detail. I love pictures that contain a subtle sense of humour, irony or a wow factor that makes you wonder what it would be like to be there.

Name three photographers you like and why. Who inspires you?

I’ve always admired Steve McCurry. Slightly less known, James Ravilious who spent 20 years or so documenting the rural life of N. Devon. As someone who is always on the move I would actually love to explore and spend time taking photographs of a place and community. Whether I would have the discipline to do this is another matter! Another photographer with very much an ‘English eye’ is Martin Parr who approaches travel photography in a totally different & unique way.

How much research do you do before undertaking a trip? How important is preparation to the commercial success of a trip?

How long is a piece of string? With the advent of the internet I could spend days researching. It’s important preparation though. I try and coincide my trips with a colourful festival or an event that gets local people out onto the streets. I look at existing pictures so I get an idea of what sort of locations to visit and to hopefully avoid shooting the clichés. I have a large file of cuttings from magazines and newspapers.

What’s your approach to photography once you’re in the field? How do you maximise the photographic opportunities that you have?

By being totally committed. People make sarcastic remarks about ‘oh off on your holidays again’ but until the end of a trip there isn’t much time for relaxing. I’m often up before sunrise and, if it’s a city location, I’ll still be going after dusk when the city lights have come on.

How do you deal with the people and communities you photograph? How do you gain trust and permission to photograph people?

By getting to know people before taking out a camera. Generally hanging out and showing an interest in their lives complementing people on their lovely homes etc. Often taking pictures of children is a good ice breaker and flattering for the parents, even if you’re not necessarily interested in getting pics of the kids for yourself. If I’m asked for copies, I always make sure I send prints afterwards. If I’m after more reportage type shots it’s important to blend in and I try & be as boring as possible so people eventually ignore that I’m there.

What is the key to making your work different to the work of other travel and stock photographers? What do you do to make sure you come away with photos that are beautiful, sellable and unique?

By bloody hard work and going that extra mile! Looking for unusual view points and unique opportunities; for example if going along to a performance of local dance, I might try getting permission to go backstage to shoot the artists making and dressing up.

You won the Travel Photography of the Year competition in 2003. How did this affect your career? What doors did it open for you?

Well the phone wasn’t ringing off the hook afterwards with assignments to South Pacific Islands. However it did raise my profile with interviews etc across the photographic press. It’s also a very useful handle for people who don’t know you from any other Adam or Adams, it gives them some credentials to latch onto.

In retrospect I should have made more of the opportunity myself, knocking on doors to try and get sponsorship or whatever whilst it was all new. However, with typical English reserve and a laid back attitude, I didn’t do much.

What changes have you seen in the stock industry over the last few years and where do you think it’s headed in the future?

How long have we got, it seems there are changes in the stock industry almost daily! As always if you get a group of stock shooters in a room together there will be plenty of gloom and doom of where it’s all headed. However I remain optimistic, despite the advent of microstock etc. To a large extent this is another case of the market being expanded as was the case with royalty free images. Whether it represents a business opportunity for me is another matter but you have to keep an open mind and keep tabs on it all, in case you miss the boat & regret it later.

What does it take to gain editorial and advertising commissions in travel photography? What’s the best approach for a newcomer to the business?

It’s not something I’ve had too much to do with recently. Though obviously as a newcomer you need to gradually build things up starting say with something like ‘Caravan Weekly’ before hitting on ‘National Geographic’!

I see that you also shoot film footage. Tell us a little about this. Who tends to buy your footage and how big a part is this of your future business plans?

Well it’s early days and I’m waiting for my initial 60 clips to be uploaded onto The Getty website. It may take a couple more years but I’m reasonably confident demand will grow for moving images for web sites etc as broadband connections improve & clients look for something different. If it doesn’t work out I still feel it’s been a rewarding challenge & has added something to the way I look at still images which are still my priority.

Finally - where is your photography going? What future photographic projects are you excited about?

I feel slightly at a photographic cross roads. I’ll be 50 next year and I’ve been thinking about pursuing more personal projects. There are a couple of communities in Europe I’m interested in that will be facing massive changes of modernity in the next few years that I’d like to document. I also have some ideas for the UK. The grass always seems greener somewhere else, but it’s still a beautiful and diverse country to photograph.

Links

Peter Adams’ website: www.padamsphoto.com

His work can also be seen at:

www.gettyimages.com

www.corbis.com

www.alamy.com

www.jonarnold.com

Learn more about this talented photographer, his work, and how got started in the business by reading more interviews with Peter Adams on his website.

Photo Gallery

India

Frozen Yak

Boat, Burma

Cyclist, Zanzibar

I’ll be following up this interview this week with another article about the story behind the Travel Photographer of the Year competition - and a look at the two books of photos from previous years - Journey One and Journey Two. They’re both full of inspirational and amazing travel photos and well worth a look.

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All photos Copyright © Peter Adams. Please contact the photographer for permission to use in any way.

This is the first of a series of interviews with photographers that have either won or placed highly in the Travel Photographer of the Year photography competition. I recommend you check out their website and also their online magazine Travel Shooters, aimed at anyone interested in travel photography or photojournalism.

Jordan Banks’ portfolio ‘Insight’ was highly commended in the 2007 competition. I asked him some questions about his work:

How would you describe your photographic vision? What kind of look/atmosphere/feel do you try and create in your photos?

Starting me off with a hard one!

My photographic vision is constantly evolving as different people; places and especially age influence me. The only constant in my photography seems to be my desire to try and evoke real emotion. I aim to try and make people see what they otherwise may miss, from the continuity in every day lives to the underlying symmetry between people and their surroundings that is present everywhere I look. Sometimes this comes across in such an obviously beautiful way that anyone can appreciate it. Other times it is a little more subtle. These are the images where the viewer has to look a little deeper into themselves to see what I am trying to portray. These images can be grittier, harsh or even ugly. They tend to be only appreciated by the few. When someone gets what I got from the moment and truly appreciates it, I know my vision was appreciated and may even change how people continue to look at the world and their surroundings.

When did you start taking photos? What made you decide to become a photographer?

I started taking photos at about age 16.

For years I just flirted with photography until I finally realized that I had fallen in love with it. I don’t really think I decided to become a photographer, it just happened and continues to do so. Sometimes in life something just finds you and no matter what you do you cannot escape it. Not that for one second I have ever wanted to. Its rules my life and probably always will.

Name three photographers you like and why. Who inspires you?

James Natchway - The best photographer to have ever lived. I challenge anyone to look at his images and not show some sign of emotion. I have even seen people laugh at it. If he can provoke a reaction like that from his work he is truly drawing on people’s emotions and feelings.

Peter Adams - I am not sure how many people know of Peter Adams and some may think this is a strange choice. I have never met him but his work has had a huge influence on me. I can’t really put into words why.

Henri Cartier-Bresson - “The decisive moment” is something every travel photographer should understand.

Tell us a little about the book of photos of Cornwall that you’ve been shooting. How did you obtain the commission, and what lessons have you learnt during the shooting and publishing process?

A gallery owner who had seen my work and wanted to know if I would be interested in putting together an exhibition together on Cornwall contacted me. Of course I jumped at the chance. From there things just spiraled out of control, we got on well, a few beers and trips to Cornwall later, we are in talks about a commission for a book. It all happened really fast, apart from actually finishing the book. Neither of us was or is in any rush to complete the book and everyone is very understanding of this (very strange). Every time we think we are nearly done we go out shooting and come back with another image that needs to be added, meaning we have to choose an image to leave out. In all honesty I am not sure how long it will take to complete. I guess sooner or later the moneymen will tell us to just go to print and that will be that.

Your ‘Insight’ portfolio was highly commended in the Travel Photography of the Year competition 2007. How did this affect your career? What doors did it open for you?

This was one of my greatest achievements; it is a competition that I really want to win so I was happy with a highly commended portfolio and I am still young so there’s time to win.

This has really helped my career, not financially directly but with exposure (like this interview) and in the end that is all I really want from my photography, for people to see it and hopefully appreciate it.

I believe that you moved all your photos from the stock agencies they were with to Alamy last year. Why did you do this? What changes have you seen in the stock industry over the last few years and where do you think it’s headed in the future?

I really moved them to Alamy to allow my images more freedom. Only time will tell if this was a wise or stupid decision.

As far as changes in the stock photography industry go I am not really the best photographer to ask as I haven’t been doing it as long as some of the guys out there. I guess I would say the same as everyone else, which is that there is a lot of crap being produced and sold cheaply. When I look through the magazines that purchase the type of work I produce they do not seem too bothered about technical quality as much as they used to. It seems that as long as the image has a high enough resolution, the price is right and the image has something to do with the article they are happy. I don’t blame the magazines they are in business and feeling the pinch like the rest of us.

As for the future of stock photography I think you need to get with a big agency with high standards, have a large body of work and don’t rely on it. Look for commission work and other sources of income.

You recently spent 20 months in Central America. What was your motivation for the trip and how productive was it for your career and photography? What did you learn from the experience on a personal level?

I had been planning to go and live in Guatemala since I was 18 but was always too busy doing something else. Why? It had always just fascinated me and I love Latin America culture and its people. I would still be there if I wasn’t in love with my girlfriend.

Guatemala changed my outlook and perspective on life, which was fantastic though more importantly it gave my photography the chance to refresh itself. I was immersed in a one of the most vibrant cultures on earth and given time to appreciate it and work at my own pace. I once spent 13 days revisiting a plain green wall with the words “Dios te ama” (God loves you) written on it. Alone the image was nothing but I knew it had potential. I kept returning until finally there was an elderly man sat in the opposite corner from the sign. Old, weathered and head in hands, perfect. I took the image and it is still my personal favorite. I very rarely, in fact never have I had the chance to revisit the same location so often waiting for the perfect image. I think that says it all about the motivation and experience of my Guatemala trip

How do you get so closely involved with the people and communities you photograph? In my experience they can be hostile to strangers with cameras. How do you overcome the initial distrust?

I am not sure exactly what I do that allows me to get so involved with the people and communities that I shoot. I guess it is as simple as approach with a smile and respectful manner and hope you give off some positive energy. A pretty assistant will always help if all else fails.

What are the three most important qualities that a travel photographer needs to succeed in this business? What advice would you give to an aspiring travel photographer at the start of their career?

1.            A good head for business. Photography is a business after all. Learn this and you’ll be alright

2.            Keep ahead of the trends and if possible try to create them.

3.            STUDY. Take pictures all the time, learn from them and your mistakes and when not taking pictures read books about photography and look at other peoples work.

Where is your photography going? What future photographic project or projects are you excited about?

I have commissions and trips planned to Albania and Libya this summer and a return to South East Asia for winter.

I have recently opened a wedding and commercial photography company. I have to pay the bills and feed my family just like anyone else. As a photographer I think you need your fingers in as many pies as possible. Photography is a very competitive business so you need to make money through any avenue you can.

I am also collaborating with war photographer Wade Goddard and the War Photo Ltd gallery in Dubrovnik, Croatia to run courses on travel photo journalism throughout the former Yugoslavia.

Finally I am in the very early stages of creating a stock library/agency that will represent a select few travel and documentary photographers with its founding members having equal say as to which photographers work is accepted or declined. A place where clients can come and know they are going to get the highest standard and quality of photography available.

Links

www.jordanbanksphoto.com

www.source-images.co.uk

Contact Info

Tel: (UK) +44(0) 7810 714 400

info [at] jordanbanksphoto [dot] com

info [at] source-images [dot] co.uk

Photos

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‘The more you knew of South America, the more you would understand that anything was possible – anything.’

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World

I love travel photography and sometimes I see someone’s work that just amazes and humbles me.

Here’s a selection of work from South American photographers that have recently caught my eye:

Claudio Edinger

São Paolo based Brazilian photographer Claudio Edinger has a stunning series of black and white photos of Rio de Janiero. The look of the photos is quite special because they were taken on a 4×5 camera. This unwieldy beast is difficult and time-consuming to use, especially compared to 35mm cameras. The pay off is that the extra-large negatives produce beautiful prints and that the shift and tilt movements of the lens can create some extraordinary selective focussing effects, which can be seen in Edinger’s photos.

I also like his colour photos of Bahia and Old Havana/India.

Martín Chambi

Born in 1891 in Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca in Peru, Martín Chambi moved to Cusco as a young man and became a photographer. His subjects range from the Cusco’s social and political elite to the lives of the local peasants and the landscapes and ruins of the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

The eyes of the people he photographed stare out of his hauntingly beautiful black and white photos like ghosts from the past. You can see them here, here and here.

Pablo Corral Vega

Ecuadorian photojournalist Pablo Corral Vega presents his photos on his website in slideshows accompanied by music. I especially like his portfolios The Andes and Tango.

Sebastian Belaustegui

Born in Argentina, now based in Mexico, Sebastian Belaustegui photographs the indigenous peoples of Latin America. In 2003 he published a book called ‘Guardienes del Tiempo’ (Gaurdians of Time) for which he travelled through 10 countries and lived with 25 indigenous communities. Now he’s working on a new project documenting the influence of African culture in the Americas.

You can see his work at his website.

I’ll be exploring the theme of travel photography a little more over the next few weeks. I’ll be writing a little about the story behind the Travel Photographer of the Year Competition and will be interviewing some of the past winners. I’ll also be reviewing some travel books that I’ve recently read including Tim Butcher’s ‘Blood River’ and Hugh Thomson’s ‘The White Rock’.

When I saw Richard Wainwright’s Counting the Cost of Gold story on the BBC website, I was curious to find out more about the photographer and his trip to the Ituri District of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This African country has been in the grip of war for many years, and I wanted to find out a little more about how Richard got involved with the story and the practicalities and hardships of working in such a remote and dangerous place. I asked him to participate in an interview, and he kindly agreed. Here it is:

How would you describe your photographic vision? What kind of look/atmosphere/feel do you try and create in your photos?

I’m a journalist at heart so the combination of image and text means everything. I use photography as an effective tool to communicate a situation, to help people visually understand what is happening in a place. I rarely take pictures that don’t have context, meaning or an underlying message. Most of my international work is for aid agencies so getting their message across is key. Sometimes it’s emergency work like the Asian tsunami where immediacy is imperative, and then there are campaigns like Pure Gold where the images have to see the project through over a number of years. Whatever the subject or client, journalistic integrity is paramount.

When did you start taking photos and why? What made you decide to become a photojournalist?

I came to photography later in life after I was backpacking. I realised I was more interested in the political situation in Cambodia than the beaches and how the miners of Potosi in Bolivia lived rather than how big an explosion the dynamite on sale made.  My final decision came in Beirut when I was caught up in a demonstration about freedom of the press and found myself taking pictures alongside photographers from Reuters and AP.  After that, at 25, I decided to go to University to study Documentary Photography and began work on a newspaper soon after graduating.

What are the three most important qualities that a photojournalist needs to succeed?

A passionate interest in the story and the people you’re reporting on. A determination that what you are about to do will work and be prepared for any eventuality. It’s very rare a foreign assignment works out the way you envisaged it whilst researching in the comfort of your own home.  Thirdly,  luck..the harder you try the better it gets..an old adage but spookily true..!!

Name three photographers you like and why.

A bit clichéd maybe but first of all Don McCullin. I saw his exhibition at the Barbican in London and almost missed my sister’s graduation ceremony as I was so enthralled. His book Unreasonable Behaviour was the first photo biography I read and it gave me nightmares thinking about the situations he got himself into.

James Nachtwey, and why not. For someone to consistently produce amazing pictures and remain seemingly uncynical in his reporting after being exposed to the world’s most horrendous and politically dubious situations is amazing.

Paolo Pellegrin…It’s a bloody out of focus dog to represent the tsunami..!..why is it so intriguing..!! I recently saw his exhibition As I was Dying at Fotofreo in Australia. A whole new vision for photojournalism.

To me these three photographers show the changing face of photojournalism through the ages and I’m incredibly jealous of their talent..!!! (I’m not usually into fine art/photojournalism but was blown away by Simon Norfolk’s work in Afghanistan)

Counting the Cost of Gold

How did you get the involved with this story?

I was in Melilla in Spain doing a story about African illegal immigrants when I got an email from the aid agency Cafod asking me if I wanted to go to Congo to report on the gold mines. This is an email most photojournalists dream about. Without a defined story, serious backup, finances etc any trip to the Congo is going to be difficult so I jumped at the chance.

I’d worked with Cafod before in Aceh on the tsunami and a story on child soldiers in Liberia so they knew how I worked. It’s a big investment for them to send a photographer all the way to Congo and be sure they are going to get all the material they need for a major campaign. It was a real privilege that they trusted me enough to take on the task and shows how building relations and confidence with picture editors is essential.

How do you work on a story like this? How much did Cafod help you or were you working on your own?

In a place like Congo that has been at war for decades, contacts and access are everything. There are few roads, little communication, intense but sporadic rebel activity and a deep held suspicion of outsiders so without the assistance of Cafod and their local partners it would have been very difficult. Transport and logistics were sorted out by people on the ground before I arrived so before I left I read as much as possible so I could hit the ground running.

How did you make initial contact with the subjects of your photos? How did you get so closely involved with them, and how did you overcome any initial distrust or hostility that they may have had towards you?

Because we were with the local Priest, Father Michel, the miners weren’t overly hostile, just curious. Mongbwalu has had a horrendous time, being overrun more than 5 times by various rebel groups and invading armies and the people have really suffered. Father Michel has remained in Mongbwalu supporting the people throughout all the fighting so he has the community’s utmost respect. It’s also amazing what a few good quality cigarettes will do to break the ice…!! Generally, if you’re open and up front with people they respect that and become indifferent to you being there allowing you make the best pictures.

What challenges, hardships and dangers did you face while shooting the story? How did you handle them?

The most common dangers photojournalists face are illness, harassment, fatigue and frustration. The danger with somewhere like Congo is you never really know when you may/may not be in danger. The situation can seem calm but can very quickly change into something nasty so you are always in contact with other agencies working in the region and plan for a quick exit.

Then there is the unreliability of air travel in Africa. Flying with MAF or Air Serv maybe expensive but would you really want to fly into a mountain on the local Hewa Bora Airways to save few $$$. There is always the usual problems of dodgy food, water, lack of medical care but these can be mitigated by planning ahead and not getting caught out. I swear by always keeping an emergency bottle of water and power bars to get you through a few days should things go unexpectedly wrong.

How much time did you have to shoot the story?

A very short 5 days in the field. It took over a week from leaving London to actually shooting a picture in the mines. Flying from London to Nairobi then to Kigali, overland to Goma in Congo, a flight from Goma to Bunia then private Cessna to Mongbwalu. Then it is the obligatory meet and greets with the local dignitaries and chiefs. This can be frustrating, sitting in a dark room talking for hours with the local governor, police chief, village elder etc but is absolutely essential to the success of your project. Without their permission nothing can be done. Finally you get into the mines themselves and you keep looking at your watch..!!

How does shooting a story like this affect you personally? How much do you get involved with the lives of the people you meet? What are the personal rewards that you get from this job?

When you’re sweating profusely and stuck thigh deep in mud looking up at ‘fellow miners’ grinning away after telling you it is safe to cross a mud pit you realize you have made some sort of connection. I met incredibly articulate miners who told me about their lives and how war, corruption and gold has decimated their lives. Then there are people like Father Michel who have dedicated their lives for others. It’s a real privilege and humbling experience meeting these people.

Having an exhibition at such a prestigious location at the Oxo Tower makes it all worthwhile. Not only will people already interested in this subject come along to learn something but more importantly for me are the passers by who ordinarily would never look at this sort of work or subject. Sometimes with photojournalism I feel we are preaching to the converted. It’s great to see so many people come to an exhibition who are generally not interested in photography but are willing to engage with the subject.

What advice would you give an aspiring photographer that wants to work for a charity on this type of story, or for charities in general?

Be personally interested in the subject you want to document. Do a story because you want to do it. Research and find out as much as possible about the subject. It’s very rare for an NGO to commission an unknown photographer but they are generally interested in hearing from photographers who are keen to photograph their activities.

Links

Richard Wainwright’s website: www.richwainwright.com

Email: rich [at] richwainwright [dot] com

Cafod: www.cafod.org.uk

The Pure Gold exhibition is traveling to cities throughout the UK over the next few months. Please see the website for details. www.cafodpuregold.net

Photo Gallery

Artisanal gold miners at work in Kanga-Isine, one
of the richest gold mines in Africa in Mongbwalu,
Eastern Congo.

They have to dig on average one tonne of earth and
rock to find just one gramme of gold worth $15.

A miner shows about 1 gram of gold they keep
wrapped up in cigarette paper before selling to the
traders.

Every shop in Mongbwalu trades in gold which is
then sent illegally out of the country, mostly via
Uganda. The local community sees no benefit from the
vast profits made abroad.

Porters carry the raw quartz rock mined from
Makala mine in Mongbwalu to the village of Sayo where
gold is extracted by crushing and filtering the rock.

All photos Copyright © Richard Wainwright. Please ask the photographer for permission to use in any way.

In August 2004 I spent a few days in a charming, remote village called Iruya in northwest Argentina. Imagine my surprise when I recognised the town in Guiness’ latest TV ad. A quick search on google confirmed that the location was indeed Iruya, that the ad is Guiness’ most expensive to date, and that the entire campaign cost a colossal ten million pounds (approximately 20 million US dollars).

The ‘making of’ video (see below) reveals that the makers of the ad spent a month in Iruya, 150 crew were there for two weeks and that they bought in 130 extras from 5 neigbouring villages. This is in a town with a population of only 1000 people.

The ad agency (AMV/BBDO) that made the video are from the UK. They used a Dutch company called Domino Domain to create the domino tipping sequence. Iruya’s a long way from Europe, fairly obviously, and to get to there you first need to fly to the Andean city of Salta (approx. 14 hours) , then take a bus to the town of Humahuaca (approx. 5 hours) then finally another bus to Iruya, which is 48km away on a narrow dirt track (approx. 3 hours - it’s hard going).

Then there’s the altitude. Humahuaca is 3000 metres above sea level, Iruya is a little lower at 2780 metres, and the road in between at one point reaches 4000 metres. That means that the people in Iruya are nearly three kilometres or two miles up in the air. There’s planes that don’t go that high, I’m sure, and trust me, until you acclimatise, it’s hard to breathe.

Not only did they have to get all the people involved in the project to Iruya, but all the equipment too. This included all the camera and filming equipment, 10 000 books, 7000 dominoes, 400 tyres, 50 fridges, 70 wardrobes and six cars. For this they needed 26 trucks.

So, after spending 10 million pounds and making all that effort, was it worth it? Take a look at the video and decide for yourself:

And this is the ‘making of’ video:

Now, in one way I’m kind of sad to see the ad because one of the wonderful things about visiting Iruya for me is that it’s such a remote and magical place. I hope it stays that way.

Here are some of the black and white photos that I took when I stayed in the village. Incidentally, the room that I stayed in cost me only 7 argentine pesos a night. That’s a little over one pound or two dollars.

And someone spent 10 million pounds making an ad for Guiness there? I don’t know about you but I think that’s a little crazy.

Photo Essay: Iruya, Provincia de Salta, northwest Argentina

This is how Iruya looks when you approach it along the dirt road from Humahuaca.

This print can be purchased from Imagekind.

The village’s main plaza.

Photos from the village.

I took these photos on a the edge of the village in the late evening. The dirt track leads to the next village, San Isidro, some 5 kilometres away. It’s only accessible by 4WD or by walking. In the summer, which is the wet season here, the road is impassable for vehicles and supplies are taken to the village by donkey.

I met these children while walking outside the village.

Kids playing football on a dusty field. No grass here.

The village’s cemetery.

The day I arrived in Iruya coincided with a local festival. I’m not sure exactly what the purpose of it all was but I know that the fiestas in this region date back to before European settlement. The people in these villages are descended from the indigenous peoples that lived here before the Spanish came. Their festivals typically are a combination of pre-colombian and catholic elements.

All these photos are Copyright © Andrew Gibson and are available for use under Rights Managed licenses. Please contact me for further information.

This is part two of the tutorial.

In part one I talked about a shoot I did with local model Laura. We took some photos outside in the bright sun and inside a pub. Now I’m going to explain how I set up my flashgun to take the photos.

I used a Canon Speedlite 580EX II, which is a very powerful and versatile portable flash for Canon cameras, but the same techniques can be used with almost any flashgun.

The first set of photos were taken outside in strong sun, with Laura laying on the grass. Now, if you’re relying on natural light, the best thing to do in this situation is find some shade for your model. The light in the shade is soft and flattering, but in the sun it’s just horrible (see photo right).

However,  if you have a flash, you can use that to overcome the shadows. In effect, the flash becomes the main lighting source.

I chose to position the flash to the side and held it in place with a tripod. This is partly a matter of taste.  Keeping the flash on camera gives a harsh, nearly shadowless lighting. Moving the flash to the side softens the light and creates a more directional effect.

I fired the flash with a sync cord connected to my camera’s hotshoe. I have one with a plastic dial that locks the connector down tight onto the hotshoe and it fires every time. An alternative (for cameras that support them) is to buy a wireless transmitter to fire the flash. Pretty cool and it eliminates the cords.

I also have a small plastic diffuser that slides onto the front of the flash. It’s a good idea to have some sort of diffusion to soften the light, especially when shooting women . Another useful gadget that I’ve seen is a small portable softbox that attaches to the flash (the photo to the right shows my lighting setup).

If your model is a man, or a woman with flawless skin, you can try direct flash.

In my photo, the sun was so strong that I needed to use a flash exposure compensation of  +  1 1/3 stops. This means the flash fired over double the light than if I’d left it on auto (see photo below).

If the sunlight wasn’t so strong I wouldn’t have needed so much exposure compensation, and in the shade you can use fill flash at one half or quarter strength - this equates to flash exposure compensation of -1 or -2 stops. It’s a matter of taste and adapting to the lighting conditions. Digital cameras make choosing the right setting very easy, all you have to do is take a couple of test shots and take a look at the LCD screen to see which works best.

This technique gets interesting when you start considering the ratio between the flash and the ambient lighting. Lets say your ambient light reading is 1/125 seconds at f8. Setting the flash to give the correct exposure at f8 would give a 1:1 ratio, more or less what I had with these photos.

But what if you set the camera’s aperture and the flash to f11? In this situation the model is still correctly exposed but the background’s underexposed by a stop, giving a result similar to this:

Remember that it’s a good idea to take notes of your lighting set up and flash ratios, so that after the shoot you can closely analyse the results.

In the Pub

Next we went inside. One of the local pubs has a battered leather sofa. I asked Laura to lie down on it and as you can see from the photo, the light is coming through the windows above her (see photo right).

The next photo (see below) was taken with just natural light, and it’s come out quite nicely. I was careful to make sure the windows weren’t included in the photo as they would just burn out. The sunlight has still burnt out parts of the photo but it looks ok:

It’s also possible to expose for the light outside and light the model with flash. That’s what I did with the photo below, I took the light reading from the windows and set the flash to automatic with exposure compensation at  -1/3 stop. Now Laura is lit by the flash, rather than natural light, but we don’t have any overexposure in the photo.  The background in this demo is boring but it’s an excellent technique when the scenery outside is worthy of inclusion in the photo.

Part one of this tutorial is available here:

Part One: Photographing Laura

Do you have any interesting photos taken using portable flash? Post a link using the comments below so we can take a look.

I remember a conversation I had once with a work colleague about the World Cup. Only a few teams have ever won it  - Uruguay is one of them. ‘Who’s heard of Uruguay?’ he laughed. At the time I don’t think I could’ve pointed to it on a map. It’s a small South American country sandwiched between two giants (Brazil and Argentina). Famous for…not much I believe, apart from winning  two world cups in 1930 and 1950. Compared to the scenic riches of Argentina, there doesn’t seem to be many good reasons to visit Uruguay.

Colonia del Sacramento is one of those reasons. It’s historical quarter is a wonderful maze of cobbled streets, colonial houses, ruins and ancient fortifications. It’s the oldest town in Uruguay, founded by the Portugese in 1680, in an eventually futile attempt to stake a claim on the territory of the River Plate in response to the new Spanish colony of Buenos Aires.

This time last year I was working on a cruise ship that departed from Buenos Aires and went straight to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, before heading south to Puerto Madryn.  As far as I know no cruise ships go to Colonia. This is a good thing.  Four thousand people descending from a megaship into this small and charming town would completely spoil this beautiful place.

We caught the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia. They’re separated by the Río de la Plata (River Plate), incidentally the widest river in the world (220km across at it’s widest point ). The trip took three hours (there’s a faster and more expensive hydrofoil that makes the trip in an hour). 

The port is just a few blocks from the Colonia’s historical quarter, and we soon found a hotel to stay in, the Posada de Armonía.

Colonia has some very luxurious, beautiful and expensive hotels (which we avoided, for economic reasons). My main priority was air conditioning. Buenos Aires and Colonia in February are extremely hot and humid, and I didn’t fancy sweating it out in a stuffy hotel room.

I’d visited Colonia once before, five and a half years ago, in the winter of 2002, just a few months after Argentina’s economic crisis in which the peso crashed and millions of Argentines fell into poverty. I was enchanted by it’s quiet, rain-washed streets, charming restaurants and old cars.

Now, in the middle of a hot summer and the high season, I saw another side to the town. Tourists walking around the historical sites during the searing heat of the day, enormous cameras dangling from their necks.  The restaurants had set up tables outside on the cobbled streets and at night they were full. I heard lots of people speaking English (and French).

Colonia is a photographer’s dream. Our first evening in the town was amazing. We set out with camera and tripod in the late afternoon. The warm light of the setting sun illuminated the cobbled streets and ancient houses beautifully. Then we headed to the river to take photos of the sun setting over the River Plate. There I had three pieces of luck. A girl was sitting reading a book on a rock in the water, and she made a perfect silhouette against the brilliant blue sky and the setting sun.

Then, as the sun set, a group of boys drinking and fishing by the river again made wonderful silhouettes against the setting sun.

And third, the sunset was wonderful, one of the most beautiful I’ve seen for a long time.

Then, after the sunset, we took  photos of the Calle de Suspiros, one of the town’s oldest and most beautiful cobbled streets, illuminated by the moon and lamplight.

Followed by a delicious meal in one of the restaurants, sitting outside in the warm night air.

Then, the following morning, we got up at 6.30am to take advantage of the early morning light and take more photos.  Luckily for me we made the effort as the weather changed during the day,  from searing sunshine to thick, gray clouds that completely wrecked my hopes of another beautiful sunset. 

The rain came the day afterwards, we stood by the river looking towards Buenos Aires and watching the rain sweep across the river until it engulfed Colonia in a deluge. We took shelter in a café and ordered coffees (for which we had to wait for an hour!) to pass the time until the rain passed.

Sunset over the Rio de la Plata (River Plate).

Lili admires the sunset.

Local boys by the river.

Calle de Los Suspiros (Street of Sighs) at night, the river can just be seen in the background in the top photo. I’ve heard several stories about the origin of the street’s name. One, that the sighs of slaves could be heard as they were led to the river. Two, that the houses were at one time brothels and it was named after the sounds of the prostitutes and their clientele. Three, that the wind from the river makes a sighing sound in the street.

Another night shot with the Calle de Los Supiros, Calle San Pedro and El Faro (the lighthouse, still in use).

See this photo on Imagekind.

The Portón de Campo, the gate and drawbridge at the entrance to the historical quarter of Colonia. Taken at dawn, with a full moon in the sky.

An old white ford in a cobbled street. Old cars such as this are still in use in Colonia and other Uruguayan towns.

All the photos are Copyright © Andrew Gibson. Please contact me for permission to use in any way. All the photos are available for licensing under Rights Managed licences.

It seemed simple enough to get to San Antonio de Areco from La Plata, a relatively easy journey of 150 kilometres or so by bus in 2-3 hours from La Plata. In a country with so many cities a 20-40 hour bus trip from the capital, this is short.  What we didn’t realise, until it was too late, is that our bus wasn’t going directly but instead made lots of stops not only between La Plata and Buenos Aires but in the south and west of the capital, in dead end places that I’d never heard of and that no-one in their right mind would go to. It was like a never ending excursion through the drabbest and dreariest that Buenos Aires has to offer.

But when, nearly five and a half hours later, we arrived in San Antonio de Areco, the destination was worth it.  After suffering through a mini heatwave in La Plata, it was wonderful to feel the fresher air of the country (the arrival of a cold front had helped too).  I don’t like towns and cities much (the only city I’ve visited that I think I could live in for any length of time is New York City), I like open spaces, trees, mountains, nature and fresh air. I like the slower pace of life, and to slip into the rhythm of the days from morning until evening. I like the smell of rain in the summer. I like to hear the birds singing, to walk in streets without traffic, and to eat my breakfast outside where I can smell the grass and trees.

We walked from the bus terminal to the centre of the town and soon found a hotel to stay in. San Antonio de Areco is known for it’s colonial buildings, and has a large central plaza lined with trees. A pretty little church faces one side of the plaza and there is an inviting bar on the corner with tables and chairs outside in the shade of the trees.

I think the plazas that nearly every Argentinian town, city and village seems to have are an excellent idea. During the day they are peaceful and shady, and in the evening they become a focal point where people can walk, relax and socialise.

San Antonio de Areco is also known for it’s pulperías and boliches, picturesque bars maintained in a colonial style by the owners. The pulperías and boliches in the town are genuinely old, not modern creations nostalgicly imitating times past. There’s a subtle difference between the two. Pulperías are where people go to have a drink, are found only in the country and attract an older clientele. In boliches it’s also possible to eat and to dance and they attract younger people.

The town is also famous for it’s gauchos – the Argentinian cowboys famed for their horsemanship, hard work and love of the countryside. It’s a powerful, romantic image, attractive I think because of their strong sense of identity and purpose in a celebrity obsessed and possession orientated culture.

Every Friday afternoon, a group of gauchos attend a fogón by the river that runs through the north end of the town.  A fogón is a meeting, a time and a place where the gauchos can relax and chat with each other, have lunch and a drink and play taba (a traditional game). San Antonio de Areco is a popular tourist destination in Argentina, and this particular fogón is organised for the benefit of the tourists that come here. A local restaurant supplies the meat for the asado (Argentinian barbecue), and the gauchos are happy to chat with and be photographed by anyone that comes along. They were a very friendly bunch of people and most of them belonged to the same family.

In the evenings we wandered around the town, ate in colonial style restaurants, and I enjoyed myself taking photos of the old buildings illuminated by artificial light as night fell. In the mornings we woke late and ate breakfast outside, in the fresh air, near the river where we could smell the grass and the trees, just how I like it.

A gaucho in traditional dress, eating at the fogón.

A gaucho stirs the fire for the asado (barbecue) while his companions play taba in the background.

Close up of a gaucho, showing elements of his traditional dress including leather boots, the riestra  (a belt covered with coins) and bombachas (loose fitting trousers). 

A stirrup on one of the horses.

Another portrait of a gaucho showing the traditional dress. This photo is available to purchase as a Fine Art Print (or greetings cards) exclusively through Imagekind.

Los Principios - an almacen (grocery store) and bar. One of the oldest in San Antonio de Areco, it has been in this building since 1920.

 Los Principios Almacen and Bar - this time showing the bar area.

The Boliche de Bessonart at night. I mounted the camera on a tripod and used a slow shutter speed to create this photo. The lights of passing cars are recorded as red trails in the photo.

The photos are copyright © Andrew Gibson. Please contact me for permission to use in any way. The photos are available for licensing under a Rights Managed license.

When I saw Mike Rinnan’s website I knew that I wanted to ask him some questions about stock and travel photography. He talks about Alamy and new kid on the block PhotoShelter and comes up with some great insights into the state of the modern stock photography market. He gives excellent advice for anyone seeking to understand or work in the business. Here’s the interview:

How would you describe your photographic vision? What kind of look/atmosphere/feel do you try and create in your photos?

Depends on if I shoot on commission or privately. When doing client jobs there are always visual requirements to meet that constrain your creative freedom. The job often boils down to supplying images based on the client or designer’s vision. But as much as possible I go for realism.

When doing personal work a lot of it is about details, of highlighting everyday objects. I like to take “portraits” of things.

When did you start taking photos and why? What made you decide to become a photographer?

Dad gave me a Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm lens when I turned 15. I really enjoyed that first camera and it was a good learning experience. The time from shot to actually holding the prints and seeing how they came out could be weeks. You had to keep written notes on camera settings to be able to analyze what settings did what. Another time, slow time..

The more serious involvement came later at one point when I was jobless and simply answered a job ad seeking a photographer assistant. I got that job through fast talk and not a bit on qualifications.

When did you decide to work in stock photography? How did you start out?

Shortly after the assistant stage,  my brother and I started a offset printing company producing brochures and other marketing material. We often went to local stock agencies looking for suitable images. I soon realized a lot of my shots were similar to what we were buying. Without contacts or a complete portfolio however, I never succeeded in joining the big agencies but sold my images through direct sales and uploading the rest to Alamy Images.

Your photography business involves many aspects including weddings, portraits, fashion and model photography. How does your travel and reportage photography fit into the overall scheme of your business? Are they a major or a minor part of what you do?

These days travel and stock are my main focus, partly because I am engaged in another business together with my nephew. In time though, I hope to concentrate more on studio work and portraits.

I also want to do more “projects”. There is a plan to go on a portrait “tour” through Europe and/or USA but this is a major undertaking and will probably not happen until I “retire”.

What obstacles and difficulties did you face when you started to sell your own travel and reportage photos? How did you overcome them? How are you marketing your business and building your reputation?

The hardest part is always starting. The next hardest part is learning that rejections are a part of the deal. For those who begin now: don’t expect to give up your bill-paying job until after many years, perhaps never.

If you want to be top dog or accumulate a certain status among a group (of peers or clients) reputation opens many doors. Reputation is important in getting high-level commissioned work. For myself, since a lot of the work is personal, reputation has less impact and my main focus is on widening my base of contacts and long-term planning of my projects.

How do you market your work? How important is your website to your marketing strategy?

You must have a website. Period. It is essential in everything from reaching new clients to supplying confidence to suppliers and business contacts. If you don’t have a web presence today you do not exist.

You sell your photos on both Alamy and PhotoShelter. What advice would you give any photographer who would like to successfully sell their work on these sites? Is it possible to earn decent income doing this? For instance, my impression is that Alamy values quantity over quality, the pictorial quality of a lot of their photography is very low and to me that demeans the overall value of the agency. What are your thoughts on this? PhotoShelter is a new venture, do you think they have a bright future?

Although they now have about 10 million images online, Alamy Images can generate quite respectable sales. Alamy is a portal and does not edit on content. A lot of the material online might seem meaningless but Alamy also has perhaps the best image search engine of all agencies. Buyers quickly learn how to filter out unwanted images and find what they are looking for.  In view of this, 10 million images is a strength, and it shows in Alamy quarterly reports as increased sales and profits. Main market is UK and Europe.

At Alamy Images there are three groups of submitters.

Agencies that represent individual photographers, whole collections and sometimes other agencies. You will find these same images through many other agencies. One portion is bulk material, often badly keyworded and somewhat outdated in style. Another portion is good standard stock material with a lot of people and lifestyle shots. Whichever the case, these images account for a large chunk of the 10 million images.

Pro, semi-pro and enthusiast photographers who put in time and effort into their submissions. Here you can find some real gems, both travel and studio/people shots and more abstract material. Usually moderate amounts of images online.

Snapshot and editorial material. Here is another bulk group who often submit loads of similars, from every angle, and lots of “documentary” editorial stuff that is not edited and often looks pretty flat. This often keywords very diligently and gets all the street names and monument locations right. Undoubtedly, this helps their sales. Many have a lot of images online.

The Collection at Photoshelter is a new player that seems to target the US market. They edit and screen images and what gets accepted and what does not may turn some heads. The Collection represents a lot of modern images and many photos are popularly vogue and avant-garde. Images are divided into “pro stock” (normal stock), “contemporary” (modern style grungy contrasty stuff with a lot of angles) and editorial. Rumor has it the contemporary material is attracting the buyers while the standard pro-stock is what sells.

I think they might have a chance to pull it off (long term) but the website needs a bit more work, especially with navigation and structural logic. Time flies though and windows of opportunity are shorter these days. I feel The Photoshelter Collection as a edited prime-material managed modern portfolio is not clearly differentiated from The Photoshelter Personal Archives and this may initially confuse buyers.

Still, the Collection is growing rapidly and the interface for us submitters is great. There is also a nice statistics function. As a submitter I naturally hope the best for The Collection. It is good to have another venue where the pricing of our images feels adequate.

Both Alamy and The Collection are accepting new photographers. Joining is simple.

Image submission to Alamy is all about meeting technical requirements. Your files must equate a minimum of 48 megabyte and not have sharpening artefacts. Apart from that, almost anything goes.

Image submission to The Collection at Photoshelter is also simple through the member interface. Make sure your images do not have any noise, artefacts or copyrighted material and show interesting, eye-catching content. Trial and error will show what they want but odd angles and contrasty punchy images do well. Think young audience magazine material. The Collection has a image rating system where “editors picks” get stars and place highest in client searches.

What changes have you seen in the stock photo industry since you have been working as a photographer? Where do you think the industry will be in five or ten years time?

The stock business is not what it used to be and there are just a handful of shooters that live solely on stock today. There is more competition, less pay, a torrent of incoming images… but at the same time - it is today much easier to get started in stock. The doors are open to most shooters meeting the basic requirements of image quality and fresh content. It used to be the reversed where fresh content came before IQ. The buyer base is also so much wider, so mostly all agencies are diversifying their product range. Getty is getting into music now.

The market is still widening but in five years time I would expect to see some very selective agencies popping up. Perhaps Getty will create a new division where it is almost impossible to get in and that has really superior and exotic work. That is the only way clients will be willing to pay the premium.

I also have a personal plan for the stock industry but it is not something I discuss publicly since it is a business venture. Let´s just say that when the present stock industry have laid all their cards on the table and the business is going stale, this will be the next level in the image market.

What advice would you give someone just starting out in stock or travel photography now?

Once again: don´t quit your dayjob. For most of us, photography is a balance act between creative ambition and meeting requirements to reach the market. f you are a star, you will already have noticed, others will have noticed, and you should concentrate on commissioned work where the pay is better, and reputations are built.

Micro-Stock - Good or bad? Discuss.

Micro-stock is here to stay. It is a sign of the times, much like royalty free music. A lot of the initial scare has gone away though and both market and photographers now realize it fills (or could fill) a niche: low to moderate resolution royalty free generic images.

Unfortunately, some material on the Micro-stocks is too good and would be better off as rights managed material at higher paying agencies. A lot of these images are surplus material from model shoots rejected from the big agencies. Time will tell, but I think we will see a slowing down of prime quality submissions to Micro-stocks.

Name three photographers you like and why.

National Geographic shooters. The whole lot, past and present. They all do a great job in spreading insight and knowledge.

Ansel Adams - not so much because of his photography as for his analysis and methods.

Lennart Nilsson, the Swedish photographer that for decades has pioneered techniques for imaging the human body and life, inside and out, and shown us truly new and revolutionary photography.

Where is your photography and your business going? What future photographic project or projects are you excited about?

I have a couple of bigger projects I want to do. The Portrait Tour is one. I wouldn’t mind a sponsorship with for instance Pentax, so that I can do my project about Airports that has been an ambition for some time. Both are big and lengthy projects.

Tell us a little about your views on child labour? I see you mention it on your website.

It is just one of those things that needs addressing. You are only truly free at one single stage in life - childhood. By free I mean mentally, before real worries and commitments and memories and reality cloud your vision. This should be a time where all is not understood or experienced and life is about discovery. Child labor robs these persons of this relatively short window of opportunity, and exchanges it with hardships and existential worries much too early in life.

Bonus Question:        Your dream assignment. What is it?

To follow a performance group of some sort - music or a circus - and do behind the scenes documentary. All of the best portraits I have seen come from these settings.

Links:

Mike’s website:  http://mike.rinnan.com/

Mike’s collection at photoshelter:  http://my.photoshelter.com/mikrin

Cactus abstract - nice spine texture and detail in full size. Good example of shooting with copy space for the buyer in mind.

Iron Horse - this simple image of a Allen set is part of a series called Boys Toys with posed household tools.

Summer flower - just a snap really, but the odd angle and bright colors makes it work.

In transit - candid in an airport of a business traveler hurrying by. Taken while waiting for my own flight and just fooling around. Quite typical of a lot of my images.

Can of tomatoes - part of a series about food, contents, packaging, etc. I like this image because it is sort of silly, slightly abstract and is about tomatoes - my favorite vegetable!

All photos Copyright © Mike Rinnan. Please ask the photographer for permission to use in any way.

Everywhere Mag is the latest creation from the publishes of JPG Mag. The basic idea is the same, the site’s registered users can upload photos and articles, other users vote for them and the best make it into the printed edition. But where JPG Mag covers all types of photography, Everywhere Mag is about travel.

It’s a cool concept that I like. Here’s my Photo Essay on Everywhere Mag:

La Fiesta de Casabindo, Argentina: Man Vs Bull

And here’s the article:

La Fiesta De Casabindo, Argentina: Man Versus Bull

So, my journey began. I gathered information when I took a day-trip on the Tren a las Nubes. One of the guides had been there. “Listen,” he said. “I went two years ago. I had a great time, but the only way to get to Casabindo, if you don’t have a car, is to hitch a lift on a truck from Abra Pampa. The trucks provide transit for people who have things to sell.”

Casabindo, I was learning, is a difficult trek. It’s breathless - 3500 metres or so high in the Argentinean Andes, in the remote province of Jujuy. The only access is by dirt track.

I made my way to Humahuaca, the nearest town on the tourist trail, and was fortunate to not only find a room, but a tour company taking a car to Casabindo. We arrived Sunday morning, after a bumpy three hour drive, in a small village of primitive mud-brick huts and a large crowd that included market vendors, photographers and even a TV camera crew.

Following a morning of ceremonies, the bullfighting commenced. Picture the scene: a lone torero (bullfighter) in the middle of a dusty plaza, a ragged piece of cloth in his hands, surrounded by people sitting jammed together on a low stone wall that surrounds the square. A large, black angry bull stares at the torero, dust billowing as it scrapes its front hoof on the hard ground.

The object is not, like in Spain, to kill the bull, but for the torero to prove his bravery by snatching a red headband sewn with silver coins (the vincha) from between its horns. The vincha is later given as an offering to the Virgin.

As the torero crouched, cloth in hand, he moved closer to the bull. Dressed in plain blue jeans and an old jumper, the bullfighter wasn’t a trained and sequin-suited showman like the Spanish bullfighters, but an ordinary villager.

Head lowered until its horns nearly scraped the ground, eyes glistening, the bull charged the torero. The first two bulls had been quite tame, almost disinterested, and the toreros had easily taken the vinchas. But this one was big and angry! The torero had a problem and I couldn’t see how he could get close enough to grab the vincha without being hurt or even killed. We watched awestruck as the torero approached the bull again and again, each time narrowly avoiding slashing horns or flaying hoofs by spinning away or fooling the bull with a wave of his cloth. Then, perhaps frustrated at not catching his prey, the bull turned towards the stone wall on the other side of the plaza, and charged, jumping it with a single powerful leap. He went straight through the spectators atop the wall, sending them flying backwards in a tangle of limbs, where they crashed to a landing on the other side, out of our sight.

We couldn’t see what was happening, but we heard screams and saw panicked movement. After about ten minutes all grew calm. Evidently no one was seriously hurt, because another bull was driven into the plaza for the torero. None of the other bulls were as angry or dangerous as the one we’d just witnessed and the bullfighting and vincha grabbing continued relatively peacefully until dusk.

This is a journey that will always remain etched in my mind.

Scenes from the Toreo de La Vincha, Casabindo