Photography light techniques and travel photo poses

Many times, traveling is for taking photos, and the editor’s outing is no exception. Today, the editor tells you about taking photos while traveling and the postures for taking photos while traveling.

Choose the correct camera equipment

Choosing the right camera and lens is the basis for taking high-quality photos. Especially for travel photography, the choice must be correct. First, a full-frame camera is indispensable. High-definition travel photography must have high image quality and high definition, and full frame can meet this demand. When choosing a lens, you must first have a wide-angle head. A powerful wide-angle or ultra-wide-angle lens allows you to take stunning photos of large scenes. When the model is at the entrance of a large building or in a vast landscape, the wide angle can be used to take photos with strong visual impact. In addition, using a fixed-focus lens while opening a large aperture to take blurry photos is a common method used in travel photography. In this shooting state, the scenery looks hazy and you can better experience the model's temperament. Of course, telephoto lenses are also suitable for some travel shooting scenes, and the correct choice should be based on the actual shooting situation.

Recommended cameras: Canon 5D3 and 5D4, Nikon D810 and D850, Sony A9, A7R2 and A7R3.

Recommended lenses: 16-35mm (F2.8), 35mm (F1.4), 50mm (F1.4), 85mm (F1.4), 70-200mm (2.8)

Set the camera mode correctly

Use the rear focus button (AF-ON)

Many cameras have a focus button (AF-ON). This function is suitable for situations where the subject's position changes at any time. For example, when you want to shoot a model who needs to run to create a picture, you can use AF-ON technology to adjust the autofocus to AF-C (continuous autofocus), and then use AF-ON lock to continue shooting.

Use m mode as much as possible.

The camera has a variety of shooting modes, including AV (aperture priority), TV (shutter priority), P (automatic exposure mode), and M (manual control mode). We can see from a picture that only the M file is suitable for any scene. However, in travel photography, due to the many uncertain factors in the environment, using M mode is most suitable. Of course, this model requires higher capabilities.

Make full use of flash/fill light

Although some photographers think that flash will destroy the feeling of the photo, in fact, reasonable use will bring an environmental impact in the photos taken during travel. Come with beautiful eyes and enough brightness.

Use posture correctly

Concave shape is a very important factor in travel photography. If the model's pose is too stiff, the photo will look dull and boring, like a soulless painting. There are countless styles of travel photography, some of which are classic.

Side shot

Many times the side face looks better than the front face, because the side face can conceal facial expressions to a certain extent. Profile shots mostly use a blurred scene as the foreground, and the background is also blurred. The face takes up more proportion in the picture, allowing people to pay more attention to the model's face.

Back shot

Shooting from the back, almost without looking at the face, can reflect the beauty of the model’s body lines, especially the lines of the arms and neck. The concavity of the back is more important. For example, stretching, jumping around, tying your hair, looking into the distance with milk tea, etc. To a large extent, you don’t have to worry about your appearance.

Lie flat and shoot

Lying down will give people a naturally lazy feeling, especially when shooting fresh and fresh themes, lying down will make you more youthful and energetic. Such scenes are generally chosen on green grass, the playground on campus, etc.

Squat shooting

This position is more suitable for close-ups, such as asking the model to squat down, licking her hair, holding her chin, etc. Or use some specific small scene environments to match the models to create a fresh and elegant feeling. Compared with other postures, this posture requires more effort, but can provide a different visual experience.

Use light correctly

Light is an extremely important part of travel photography. Without perfect lighting, photos will lose too much texture. Going to different places, different weather, different scenes, carrying different equipment, different manpower configurations, and different shooting methods all involve different lighting skills and methods.

Direct light

Under clear weather conditions, sunlight directly shines on the light-receiving surface of the subject's body to produce a bright tone, while the indirect light-receiving surface forms an obvious projection. This kind of light, which we call direct light, is suitable for shooting the three-dimensional shape of the model.

Front lighting

Split light is also called "front light", which refers to the light that is projected in the same direction as the shooting direction. The light received by the scene is uniform and bright. In this case, the environment and characters have enough brightness, but the texture under the lights is relatively flat.

Backlighting

Backlighting, as the name suggests, is shooting with backlight. The light ratio of the backlit picture is large, making it difficult to shoot. But there are many ways to play and create many extraordinary visual effects. It is the most "artistic" light position and is also a very common light used in travel photography.