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So, you’re packing your bags and camera for a little summer vacation. It’s natural to want to document your travels, but what’s the point of taking photos at popular destinations when there are millions of others?
Pop photo We spoke with award-winning travel photographer Susan Portnoy An insatiable travelerShe has built her career by sharing thoughtful images that focus on the history of the places she visits. Portnoy’s career has taken her everywhere from the Galapagos Islands to Peru. Here, she shares her advice on being a conscientious travel photographer and creating photographs that have depth beneath their beauty.
Related: How to travel with a film camera
They have built a reputation for taking travel photos that tell a story. Why is this important to you?
I think it’s important because it’s interesting to people what the real story is. That’s in addition to any emotional response they might have to that photo. It’s no different when people watch behind-the-scenes documentaries for a big movie. They just love to know how it happened.
Sometimes it’s the story behind the person. Sometimes it’s the story behind how you decided to capture the shot the way you did. Sometimes this is incredibly crazy [moment]”How did you capture that second?”
Portraits can be intimidating to both the photographer and the subject. How do you get people to warm to you and create natural, authentic portraits?
It is very important to smile. It used to be. [have a really] A serious face, but to the person on the other side, that serious face doesn’t know if you’re thinking about your settings or if you don’t like the way you look.
If you are with an interpreter and meet someone, when you ask the question, ask it to the person you are talking to. Even though the interpreter is talking to you, you look at the interpreter and say, “Okay, what are they going to do or what’s going to happen next?” Don’t say.
[I also think] Knowing when to put the camera down [is important]. This was a wonderful Quechua community. [on my recent trip to Peru] For that community, he allowed me to come alone with an interpreter to see their Pachamama festival. There was no specific manufactured approach. And at one point they wanted me to participate. They offered me cocoa leaves and asked me to dance.
[So, what do you do?] You take a cocoa leaf and dance it. I didn’t get any dance footage because I was dancing, but it was an honor and they said, “Okay, do you want to come to our world? We want you to do that. Sometimes you just have to put the camera down and respect the fact that they are giving you their attention. Now, you have to focus 100 percent, not on the lens.
Trust me, when we were all dancing and twirling, I was like, “I wish I was taking pictures.” [However]their obvious happiness and their dignity [ask me to join] It should be given priority.
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What is your advice for being a conscientious travel photographer and beyond just capturing a beautiful image?
Take proper precautions. They confirmed the basic understanding of the culture, words and language. “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “Thank you”, “How much?” Things like that. Even if you kill it with your words, people will appreciate the effort.
Be respectful and understand that you are the guest. I think that’s what people forget. You wouldn’t be if you were in someone else’s house. [just] Treat yourself the way you want to look, that doesn’t even happen to you, so why do it in another country? It’s about being aware of what’s around you and remembering that you’re the stranger.
In your opinion, what makes compelling travel photography?
From the editorial [standpoint] And from my heart, I think it makes a good photograph if it captures your attention. Maybe it’s the use of color, maybe the angle, who knows? It has to have an attention grabber and it’s cliché but perfect. [important] To have a sense of place.
I think if they’re people, I want them to feel like I’m a fly on the wall. Even if they are looking at the camera, I hope my presence doesn’t change how they normally smile or act towards strangers. I want them to think I’m there if I don’t have a camera, they’re going to think I am. I don’t have people looking up to me all the time for seriousness and stuff like that. I think people can get overwhelmed very quickly, so that’s when I’m most successful when I say, “I understand, just do your thing.”
Do you have tips for photographing popular destinations?
Do not go to those places. that’s me. From a professional point of view, no one needs to see my Paris photos. There are a million photos of Paris. If you are here, the father is not the guardian of the old Eiffel Tower. But, of course it is. [about] Do a little homework. If you happen to be at the Eiffel Tower and want to consciously try something new, Google has all the photos; See where people usually work.
There are many night photos with the lights shining. Can you get there at a different time of day? Can you get there during a special event that only happens once a year? Can you play with the environment? You might have other buildings or things that draw your eye to it, but it’s not just like, “Wow, there’s the Eiffel Tower.” Actually, I try not to go to these places. I rarely go to New York or LA to take pictures because there is a point where everything is done. He just has.
What would you share with someone interested in pursuing travel photography as a career?
Run.
I think travel photography as a profession is very difficult, and I’m lucky to have a very successful job, which allows me to take care of work that I haven’t been able to do for months due to covid. It’s not right, but photography constantly slows down and therefore creates anxiety and discomfort. To do this you have to be comfortable with all that.
If not, run because it won’t work for you and you’ll waste a lot of time. This does not mean that you should stop taking pictures, because if you like it, keep doing it. It means there is no need to earn a living. However, if one really wants to do that, it is important to think about storytelling and give yourself a job. Think about how that story works. Do I have closures? Do I have the details? Do I have an erection? Do I have a closure needle?
Conferences are a great place to network and it’s not just about brands and destinations and things like that, although that is very important. [too]. The others are travel photographers. You’ll learn a lot from them, they’ve had experiences you haven’t had and one day you’ll ask that person for advice.
Stock up on some staples in your gear bag.
I have a 5D Mark IV. I have a travel power that works both plugs and USB, because I am often in remote places [with just] One plug and I have loads of batteries and loads of stuff I’m charging. I never go anywhere without a travel electric line. I love my memory card holder. I never want to use a memory card twice on the same trip. My fail-safe is one, that and an external hard drive.
[If photographing] For wildlife, my typical lens would be 200-400mm with 1.4 extension and that’s what I use 90% of the time when I’m on safari. [I also use] A 24-70mm for wide-angle, local shots. If I’m shooting people, it’s usually my 24-70mm and my 70-200mm.
What’s the best photography advice you’ve ever received?
Nevada is really, really amazing National Geographic A photographer makes amazing photos of people and I wanted to do a workshop with her. In the workshop, she goes, “When you think you’re done, just do one more.” It is very true. There are many times, “It’s starting to rain. Oh, the festival is over, whatever. I’m tired, I want to go home. At that point he shot one more. That one extra always ends up being something and you don’t want to miss it.
What is the photo you regret not taking?
I don’t have a single photo. I feel something where I walk around and find the camera and I see a beautiful light or whatever and for whatever reason I feel threatened that day. I don’t want to stop the crowd. Those moments exist. I see something like that, usually a moment out of the blue and I know it would make a great photo and I even have my camera, but for some reason, I don’t and then I’m always like, “Oh, I should have.”
Share one of your biggest photography mistakes.
Thankfully, there is no major damage on the field. That hurts. [A panic-inducing experience was] When my external drive crashes. If I didn’t have as many memory cards as I did to cover myself, I would have been screwed.
What is your biggest pet peeve as a photographer?
It drives me crazy when you’re photographing something or when someone and another photographer come up behind or beside you. Just that presence will cause anyone you’re in contact with to lose contact or stare at them. It’s rude. Wait for the photographer to finish before running in.
What is your current and/or all-time favorite camera?
I would say it’s the 5D Mark IV, other than the 1DX that I love, but it’s just a monster.
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