Zhao Yihuan’s hat was blown away by the wind while taking photos of tourists. What are your tips for taking photos of tourists?

How can you stand out when taking photos in a crowded scenic spot with a complex background of people?

First of all, find the most typical scenery in the scenic spot or the local characteristic elements. For example, the coconut trees on the seaside of Hainan, the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, or the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Take a portrait photo wherever you go, using that iconic element as the background.

It’s just used as a background, you can use it a little bit, don’t take too much of it. Even blurring it out a little is no problem. For a perfect tourist photo, the subject is the tourist, not the scenery.

When actually shooting, the camera is close to the characters to balance the characters and scenic elements. For example, reveal the plaque of the building behind, or a selective corner, etc. The more famous the landmark is, the more likely it is to take photos like this. Famous scenic spots, everyone knows what they are like, and can be used as a companion. The main subject at this time is you, the tourist.

Shooting with a large aperture lens

The first and easiest method is to use a large aperture lens. We know that the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. Generally, if you shoot with a large aperture of f1.4, as long as it is not in the same focal plane as the eye (with the eye as the focus point), there will be obvious blur. Therefore, if you want to stand out in a scenic spot, you can use a large aperture lens. Of course, there are limitations to using a large aperture, because generally when traveling, everyone likes to use a zoom lens to facilitate shooting. The maximum aperture of the zoom lens is f2.8, so you need to bring an extra fixed-focus lens, which virtually increases the weight.

Shoot with a slower shutter speed

The second method is to use a slower shutter speed, such as 1/2s, which is slower than the normal movement of people. Press the shutter button. The model is not moving, while the other tourists are moving, so when I take the photo, I feel like I am alone in the quiet time amidst the crowds of people (hahaha). This shooting method has some requirements for the photographer, which requires the photographer to have a steady hand or to carry an extra tripod.

Change the shooting angle

The third shooting method is to change the shooting angle. Generally in scenic spots with many tourists, we can use a slightly upward shooting angle to avoid the crowds. Lower the camera and shoot upward with the sky and characteristic buildings as the background. This will make people look at the photo and feel that there are not many people in the scenic spot.

The above is a general shooting idea. The specific shooting mainly involves finding the shooting position and angle, adjusting the aperture and composition. These should be selected according to the actual conditions of the specific scenic spot.