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Taking The Perfect Holiday Picture
Taking the perfect holiday picture is essential, not least because when you take your snaps back home to show the in-laws, the neighbours and the guy at the bus stop, you have to make them interesting. There’s nothing worse than 50 shots of Jonny doing his first dive into the swimming pool. It’s boring. So come on, we might not all be David Bailey, but at least we can have a go.
Right, some basic tips.
First, subject matter. Think about why you’re taking the shot. Be critical, is there any point to it? A picture of you stood grinning in the departure lounge waiting for the big steel bird to fly you across the water might be of interest only to you. So, a picture of those naughty baggage handlers throwing some punches down on the tarmac, might be more fascinating than you choosing a perfume at the Duty Free.
And, still on subject matter, is it a bird, a plane, no its….? You might know the subject of your picture – a good looking mountain – but if that mountain is about 100 miles away, it will come across as a small bump on your picture. Landscape shots are tricky, as the colours and relief shading will not always come out as you see them. The great joy with digital cameras is that you can take a dozen shots just to see if it’s going to work – there’s no excuse for a lazy shot.
If you’re taking a picture of someone, then try to do something different. Having the subject matter pose for the camera is never a good idea. Kids pull faces and make bunny rabbits ears on their siblings, adults for some inexplicable reason lean towards other when posing, and everyone seems to gurn at the camera. In short, it’s usually a freak show and not one to show emotionally unstable Auntie Betty when you get home.
So, catch your subjects when they are unawares. See little Jonny whooping as he jumps into the pool; sweet Sally laughing hysterically as she throws that custard pie into the clown’s unsuspecting face; and, the look of horror on your spouse’s face when the subject of surcharges is raised by your agent. In short, let the spontaneity flow.
Also, consider the lighting and angle of shot, which are not just the playthings of Hollywood Directors.
Using a flash is fraught with problems, not least the dreaded red eye, which makes everyone look like an extra from a Tolkein movie. So, try to use natural light to backlight your shot. And don’t think about placing the wonderfully hot sun in a corner of your shot, as you’ll get the kind of picture the boys at the Hadron Collider are expecting. Keep the sun to the rear, or at the extreme side of you.
The angle is also crucial. Try to keep the camera level with your subject. Looking down on a person, as every supermodel knows, can make the tallest of people look like applicants for the job of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. On the other hand, look up at people with the camera and they will appear unnaturally tall. Again, with digital cameras, you can experiment a little.
Taking the perfect holiday picture is not difficult; just try to make it an enjoyable experience for all concerned.
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