There we are. Standing at an intersection of 3 winding alleyways in the heart of historic Venice. We have been walking for hours pouring over the tiled doorways, climbing vines, and white washed stone bridges. It’s laundry day. I look up and bright sheets and colored dresses are clothes-pinned onto wire, crisscrossing above our heads. I can hear others talking around the corner, but it still feels as though we are the only ones in this part of city; I pretend we found a hidden spot no tourist has been before. I look up and see the sky peaking through the clothes lines, shining golden light down through the clothes into our little alleyway. It is a sight I won’t easily forget. I whip out my camera and take note of all the details I want to preserve in my frame.
Click . That exact place and time is now officially documented and preserved, in case I ever loose it in my mind.
When I look back at that photo, I see so much more than the cropped image of a venetian street; I picture Scott and I sitting on the doorstep, eating smoothie bowls for lunch, watching the people go by, looking for locals amongst the tourists. I wish very much that I could have included that scene within the photograph, but alas…I cannot capture a memory through my eyes while also orchestrating myself into the frame. This is the tricky thing about travel photography isn’t it?
I mean you can take a photo and show people what you saw with your eyes, or you can have someone take a photo of you doing something and show them how you feel. But when I travel I want both; I want to take the photos of my ideas, with my creative standards, AND be in that captured moment.
Over the past year or so of traveling I have found a 6 ways around this issue –
1 – Use a Tripod
There are lots of pros to this method. You can set up your shot just the way you like it, getting in every detail, including yourself. Set your timer off, get in place, and bam! You are now in the shot you created. There is also the benefit of making sure all the settings on your camera are just right for the shot you want. The down side? Carrying around a heavy bulky tripod as you go. There are light weight options out there, but we generally avoid tripods for this reason. We travel very light (See our blog on packing for travel here) and the wasted space on a tripod has not been worth it for us in the past. The other downside is more of a personal reference, but I don’t like drawing attention to myself as a tourist. I am there to observe, to learn, and to soak in everything. Setting up a tripod and having my camera displayed for all to see often makes me feel out of place and inconsiderate. Which leads me into the next option…
2 – Selfies & the Dreaded Selfie-Stick
The selfie was invented as a solution to the posed problem. A group of 2+ people and everyone wants to be in the shot? Just reach up the camera and squeeze everyone into frame. Its quick, it’s easy, and the style of photo is trending . So why not? Well I think the normal selfie has its place in photography, you can take cute stylized close up pictures of yourself with little to no hassle and you have complete control of what is in your frame. BUT. When I look at selfies I have taken, the focus is on me. Like I said there can be a place for this, but when I travel and want to remember being immersed in a location, I often want the place to be the focus, and myself the after thought. The solution to the limited range of a selfie, was the selfie stick. Similar to the tripod, I find them distracting and slightly inconsiderate. They get in others shots, they label you as a tourist, and at the end of the day, the focus is still on “self”. To each his own, but for me the selfie stick is rarely the best solution.
3 – Ask a Stranger
As I have traveled I have noticed this gaining popularity. As more and more people know how to operate smart phone cameras and even DSLRs, asking a stranger to take your photo for you is a valid option. You can briefly tell them what you would like in the shot, jump in with your loved one and meet a new face along the way. Honestly that last point is the biggest draw to this for me. I enjoy helping someone out by being there momentary photographer. SO what is the downside of this? It is a toss up. They have complete control of what’s in your frame, and often with traveling strangers you have one shot before they are off to their next vista. Quite a few time I have found myself looking at photos taken by strangers thinking… ” if they could have zoomed out just a tiny bit more…” In many cases it doesn’t hurt to try. In this wonderful age of digital photography we have the privilege of simply trying again if it doesn’t work out.
4 – Photoshop Yourself In
This has growingly been my favorite option, but only for certain photos. When I would like a photo of Scott and I in a landscape, I will take two separate photos (one of each of us) and photoshop them together to help create the visual product I want. I love the results. I can make my vision come to life and get an immersive shot that included both of us; just the way I want it. Since there is a very fine line between editing a photo to look like what you see, and manipulating an image to the point that it’s no longer accurate – I am very careful when I use this method. I talk more about it in this blog post here: (link not currently available) The other issue is not everyone knows the design programs needed for this method. If this is something you would like to try, I would suggest trying to be very selective on the photos you wish to take, since it is time consuming. If you need help with the editing, you can pay $5to have someone (Me) edit them for you on this website here.(link not currently available).
5 – Prop it up
Lastly, sometimes it pays off to be creative. You don’t want the hassle of a tripod? Look to sidewalks, chairs, ledges, drinking fountains ad the like to be your tripod. Propping up your camera can open up a lot of possibilities and new angles you may not have thought of before. Make sure you are in a safe space when you do this, people can snatch a camera faster than you can blink. Of course this option will limit your ability to frame the shot just how you want it, but I have found it relatively successful.
6 – Hire a photographer
One last option is not for the budget minded, but if you want really solid photographs that include you and your surroundings, hiring someone to take them is a valid option. We have never done this since taking photos is part of the fun for us, but it would be a really fun activity if you have the time and money to do so. Make sure to research the photographer and their style ahead of time so you don’t have any unwelcome surprises.
Global Pastiche 