The Keeper of the Lamps. Bodhnath, Nepal 2011.

Head along some of the access roads to the Bodhnath Stupa, particularly on the north-eastern side, and you’ll come across tables full of butter lamps. Traditionally made with clarified yak butter, these lamps represent the illumination of wisdom and help to calm the mind and aid meditation. While on pilgrimage or when visiting temples, Tibetans will typically light a large number of lamps. With a small donation to the custodian, the pilgrim is free to light the lamps. Bodhnath is not the only place to find these but in the Kathmandu area at least, it’s probably where you’ll see the most activity around them. With Losar (Tibetan New Year) fast approaching, the Tibetan areas of Nepal will become frantic with activity and energy as pilgrims descend upon the sacred sites and lighting butter lamps will be one of the rituals undertaken.

The image above was shot at f2.8, 1/80 ISO1000 at 70mm.

Rabari - Encounters With The Nomadic Tribe

Rabari – Encounters with the Nomadic Tribe is the newest eBook by Australian travel documentary photography Mitchell Kanashkevich. It documents the Rabari people of India, a nomadic tribe of cattle herders, and features what Mitchell describes as

the first thing that really put me on the map as a photographer.

I was fortunate enough to feature Mitchell on this site a couple of years ago around the time of his first eBook and so it was with great anticipation that I started reading his latest publication. I have a feeling that history will look at his body of work and justifiably class him as one of the leading travel documentary photographers of both his generation and all time, and it’s great to have a window seat on that journey through his eBooks.

In this first of what is hopefully many eBooks produced by Light Stalking, take a walk through 10 exceptional photographs complete with a discussion on objectives, light, composition, processing and before / after images. See how simple, basic setups and equipment can be used to create compelling imagery without need for complicated arrangements or expensive equipment. The included photographs cover both close up portraits and environmental portraiture. This eBook offers a strong lesson in self-editing – four months of work went into creating the ten photographs that are presented in this body of work. I don’t know how many images were shot in order to get this ten but the end result is what counts. It must have been awfully difficult to edit it down to these ten from the presumably thousands of frames that were taken.

Also included are notes on the practicalities involved in photography of this nature, from workflow in the field to the need for transport and guides.

Inside Rabari.

This eBook will appeal to those of you who are just starting out on your photographic journeys as well as those who are more experienced. With a series of excellent photographs and discussion on each of them, Rabari – Encounters with the Nomadic Tribe makes a great Christmas gift for yourself and any photographers in your life. Pick it up before Christmas Day and you’ll get a $5 discount. Click here to get it today.

How many times have you returned from a vacation, looked at your photos and been underwhelmed? Have you ever wondered how to make great travel photos? Well read on after the jump because I’m about to give you a few tips that will take your travel photography from good to great.

1. Before You Leave.

Great travel photography starts at home. Before you head off on vacation there are a few things you can do to ensure your photographs are the envy of your friends. Firstly, make sure you are familiar with your camera. It’s not uncommon for someone to buy a new camera right before leaving on a trip. If you plan to do this, try and give yourself a few days to get comfortable using it and learn what all the controls are for. At the very least, spend an hour or two around your house or in a local park taking a few shots with different settings.

Some pre-travel research is also recommended. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a family vacation or a highly paid photo assignment – the more you know about a place, the better your pictures will be. Spend some time on the net looking at pictures from your destination. This will give you an idea of the type of things you can expect to see. Take note of the direction features are facing. Is that cool looking building on the beach facing east or west? Look up the sunrise and sunset times – prime times for photography, known as “Golden Hour”, when the light is soft and warm. Find out if there’s a tourist office in the area and write down its address. Tourist offices are handy for maps and other local knowledge.

There are countless other small details that could be an article in themselves. Make sure you have freshly charged batteries and plenty of memory cards or film. Check that the various plugs for your battery charger and so forth are compatible with the power source at your destination – you may need to buy adaptors if you travel to a different country. Find out whether permits are required for any locations, or whether photography is banned in certain places such as museums. Plan a backup strategy – do you have a second camera, even if it’s just a cell phone? Things can go wrong, and if you drop your camera into the ocean on the first day of your holiday you won’t be taking many pictures if you don’t have a backup. The more you travel, the better you will be able to anticipate these things and they’ll become second nature.

2. On Location.

So now you’ve done all the pre-departure planning and preparation and are at your destination. How do you go about making great photos? As mentioned above, the time around sunrise and sunset is ideal for photography, particularly landscapes, scenics and wildlife. The light is soft and golden, the animals are active and, at sunrise at least, there aren’t too many people getting in the way. Try and plan to get out at these times if possible – you’ll be glad you did when you see the results. Also remember that for 30 minutes or so after the sun goes down there is often an “afterglow”, where there is still color in the sky. Many people pack up and head to the bar as soon as the sun sets. Give yourself an extra half hour and you’ll get some of the best light of the day – ideal for skylines, lighted monuments and cityscapes. If you’re near a body of water, the reflections will last as long as the light in the sky.

3. Rule Of Thirds.

Following a couple of simple rules can take your photography to a higher level. The most basic rule of thumb is the “rule of thirds”. It states that an image should be imagined as being nine equal parts, formed by two equally spaced vertical lines and two equally spaced horizontal lines. This forms a grid three parts wide and three parts high. If you can place the main subject of your photo on the intersection of these lines, it’ll naturally create a more interesting composition than merely placing the subject dead center. It’s important to remember that it doesn’t have to be exact – near enough is good enough.

4. Shooting People.

One of the most common shortcomings in travel photography is a lack of people pictures. Landscapes and monuments are fine but can become a little boring to friends and family back home, whereas photos are people are a lot more engaging and interesting when viewed at a later date. The biggest obstacle to photographing people is shyness – we often don’t want to approach someone to take their photo. A good place to start is with pictures of the people you interact with – waiters, taxi drivers, vendors and so forth. If there’s a local festival taking place, you’ll find that people are relaxed and happy which makes it much easier to get some good photos of people.

There are two main ways to photograph people and end up with strong photos. One is the environmental portrait, which includes the person and the immediate surroundings in the frame. If you take a photo of a waiter for example, an environmental portrait might show him serving plates of food or drinks to a table; a taxi driver may include all or part of the taxi.

The other method is to “fill the frame”. Here, you make the subject the only thing in the photo, completely filling the frame which means that all of the viewers attention is one the person in the photo. The most important thing to remember here is that the eyes need to be in sharp focus – if the eyes are sharp, everything else can be soft and it’ll still look good. For more tips on people photography, take a look at my earlier tutorial post Ten Tips For People Photography.

5. Final Thoughts.

Travel photography doesn’t need to be difficult. By following the above tips, you can transform the photos from your next vacation into something your friends and family will want to look at time and time again.