Are these photos anything? Just messing with perspectives a bit and thought they were decent shots, but know basically 0 about photography. Hoping for 8% as cool as one of CS’s shots.
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Ha well it’s all subjective, but of course they’re something! In #1 you’re doing a nice job illustrating the colorful ornations that you can’t see from further away, while still getting the building in the shot. My first thought was that this should be shot horizontally though, as to include all of the entranceway. But yea the key is to keep playing around with the compositions and you’ll start getting a feel for what works better. I’d try a similar shot in a whole bunch of different places, the stairs look like a good candidate as well. Also in general, if you can, shoot later in the day, you’ll get more saturated colors, and hopefully have more interesting skies. In the evening I like to set off with my camera an hour before sunset, usually with a good sunset location in mind, and finish about 30 minutes after.
The 2nd one is pleasing, the reds really pop! I suppose I’d also try and get closer, (low and wide often makes a dynamic shot for statues) and maybe try and use the Christmas ball as like a halo for the statue? Or get some of the water spouts in the foreground? Possibly using them as leading lines? Basically just try a bunch of stuff to get more interesting angles and perspectives like you mentioned. So yeah, just keep toying around!
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Thanks for the tips! You’ve given me quite a bit to think about wrt setting up interesting shots.
My thinking was that the foreground was ornate enough to be the focus of the shot, while in the background, out of focus, it’s like “ho hum, here’s one of the great plazas in the world just sitting there.” I probably should’ve included a bit more of it. I’m not really a fan of the obvious shot, of which there are a million examples floating around on the internet. Instead I’ll try to get a reflection off the water, or through a window/door, etc.
I’ve always been interested in photography, but never put in much time to learn more or invested any money in equipment, but your photos are inspiring me to dive in.
I’m likely moving to Tbilisi in a couple months, and I’m toying with the idea of investing in some decent equipment and watching a couple intro photography crash courses. It’s a city that’s a bit under the radar, but still picturesque w/a gritty side. Certainly it has been shot a fraction of the times that Sevilla has. I’d like to get some great shots and maybe set up a page or IG account and my gf and I would like to set up a channel to shoot some videos as a way to keep our families more in the loop with what we’re doing.
Maybe I’ll treat myself to a budget DSLR for Xmas. Only problem is, I’ll be in/around Europe and I’m sure the deals probably pale in comparison to the USA. Guess I should’ve thought of this earlier. OTOH, maybe in Turkey or Georgia, there are some deals to be had taking advantage of weaker local currencies.
Oh I agree, I like having the non obvious shot, and I like that the background here is a bit blurry but you can still see what it is. But just the way the eye moves from left to right in this photo, it kinda just feels cut off with no proper finishing point. And in general I just think horizontal shots look better the vast majority of the time!
[quote=“Fossilkid93, post:126, topic:6635, full:true”] Aghh, I don’t know how to multiquote!
I’m likely moving to Tbilisi in a couple months, and I’m toying with the idea of investing in some decent equipment and watching a couple intro photography crash courses. It’s a city that’s a bit under the radar, but still picturesque w/a gritty side. Certainly it has been shot a fraction of the times that Sevilla has. I’d like to get some great shots and maybe set up a page or IG account and my gf and I would like to set up a channel to shoot some videos as a way to keep our families more in the loop with what we’re doing. [/quote]
Yea sounds cool! It’s definitely a fun hobby, especially when you’re in a brand new location. Although it can be frustrating at first if you set your expectations too high. I’m not sure what the best resources are nowadays for beginner stuff, I’m sure there’s plenty on youtube. I started on the Canon Forums, which are pretty much dead nowadays. To get started I’d read about compositional guidelines, stuff like this compositions just to think about when taking some shots.
For buying gear, I’ve always been a craigslist guy, I’ve never needed new, mint condition cameras, just something that works properly. And with more and more people going mirrorless, lots of DSLRs are on the market for cheap. But yea the US is usually the cheapest for gear. So that’s not very helpful for you! Although Istanbul might be a good place to look on the secondary market.
Tbilisi seems like a pretty sweet spot to end up for a while! It certainly seemed charming enough for the few days I was there, plus you’ve got so many nice trips to the mountains and wine regions close by. I also did kinda like walking through some of the grittier parts of town :)
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This might be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.
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Yeah, the unique, dilapidated architecture has a lot of character. I think Fossil needs to buy one of these places and spruce it up a bit! Well the inside anyway, the outsides look cool how they are.
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I have no formal training in photography production or appreciation but I appreciate the art form. Of the two, I think the first is the much more interesting one. It gives the feeling of focusing on an interesting detail in the midst of a grandiose plaza that is what most people would tend to focus on. And because of the focusing, you are forced to focus on the detailing even if you want to peek at the plaza, so it conveys a feeling of stopping to smell the roses. The building in the background isn’t terribly unique, but it is enough that someone who knows the area could probably place it, which is satisfying, too. You feel like if you were told what city this plaza was in, you’d want to go and look at this detailing.
The second seems like a well composed shot of a fairly neat fountain I don’t know, but it doesn’t make me feel much more than that.
I have absolutely no material advice on how to do this or even how to practice doing this, but what makes so many of CS04’s shots interesting is that they make us feel things. That his pictures so often include people doing things that make us feel things is something that draws us into his shots like no impersonal landscape or architecture really can. And he as a knack for making us feel things different from the usual travel cliches of relaxation, or joy. There’s the pompousness of the man with the long pipe. The smallness of the people on the lake under the volcano. The camaraderie of the people pushing the car. The drudgery of the women carrying water. The woman at the party with all the bright dresses who just isn’t feeling it right now and needs a moment to herself under the hubbub.
So, I don’t know how he does it, but if I were to want to work on making interesting travel photos for a side hustle, I’d start taking a lot of crappy photos of locals doing things and see if maybe 1 of them is half as good as a random shot he’s posted. His work has been really enlightening about how so many travel photographs focus on getting the perfect picture of THE THING WE CAME TO SEE that’s devoid of people, but you feel more looking at a photo of someone expressive doing something ordinary.
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Thanks for the input and what you say makes a lot of sense and is kinda the way I think as well.
I also like the idea of spamming a ton of photos and hoping you stumble upon something good.
I sometimes feel like I have a bit of a sixth sense for shots. Like sometimes, I’ll feel like something is a good shot and take the photo and my girlfriend will usually agree. But then in certain instances, my girlfriend will ask me to take a photo of her, and it will usually turn out like shit b/c I’m not really feeling it and have no clue how to set up the shot.
that is an original Lada Wagon 4. with stock roof rack.
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I’m not great with people posing, I’ve had people ask me to shoot their engagement photos, and I said yes once, and the results kinda sucked because I don’t know much about portrait photography, good poses, using flashes etc. So that’s not happening again. Good travel photos ≠ good everything else!
But its definitely nice if you already have a decent feel for what makes an interesting composition, then you don’t have to spam everything! And like most things, there’s usually a bit of luck involved (plus persistence and putting yourself in the right spots) to really get that killer shot.
Sometimes I’ve found the right setting, the spot I want, the right lighting, one that would make a good photo w/o anyone in it, but I just have to wait and hope that someone comes to complete the scene, to really tie the whole room together! Sometimes it doesn’t happen. Sometimes it does.
A sunrise over a bamboo bridge would be a pretty cool shot on its own, but fortunately these monks came along to make this one a bit more interesting
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A photo I liked from around the Otavalo market in Ecuador. It’s a mostly indigenous town an hour north of Quito and every Wednesday and Saturday they host Ecuador’s largest market. If you like to do some haggling, its the place
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A man preparing for the Thaipusam festival in Penang, Malaysia. Thaipusam is a Tamil festival in honor of the warrior god Murugan, and it’s a big deal in Malaysia, which has a very large Tamil population. It’s generally done as a pilgrimage to a temple, with the devotees making offerings to Murugan to ask for forgiveness, health, or peace, but the most revered (and noticeable) are the ones who undergo body transmogrification. Some carry arched structures called Kavadis, which may or may not be attached to their body through skin piercings. The Kavadi bearers also must undergo 48 days of fasting prior to the festival. It’s pretty wild to see.
Kavadi bearer
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That’s great - you can almost hear it.
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Karni Mata Temple, aka Temple of Rats, near Bikaner, India. It’s home to 25,000 (holy) black rats, and they’re literally everywhere. If you’re lucky you’ll spot one of the few white ones. If you’re a germophobe this is probably not the best place, as you might imagine it’s not exactly sparkling clean. You have to take off your shoes to get in, although you can put on these super thin slipper/socks, but even then it’s still kinda gross… Still worth it though!
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The vector for a future pandemic.
Lol yea, pretty much. I don’t know how most people walk around this place barefoot, uugh
