Many shutterbugs are good about photographing their travelling group, but don't always take the additional photos that help fill in the bare bones of their adventures. Professional event photographers, on the other hand, excel at finding novelty and freshness in what others see as ordinary and mundane. (For example, a talented wedding photographer can turn a special day for a nervous couple into a unique and memorable story). Although I very rarely shoot events, I've been fortunate enough to learn a few things along the way from those who do.
Here's an example how I utilized that knowledge today to visually explain how D and I navigated all 12 stops in a mere four-hour period, blissfully wrecking our diets while supporting local businesses and organizations. (I took about 100 images total and edited them down to about 35-40 by deduping photos and eliminating the clinkers. I've reproduced about a 1/3 of the resultant shots below.)
Details, Details, Details
The ski tag that doubled as our admission ticket:
Capture the Expressions and Feel of the Day
Surroundings tell a story in themselves. The long icicles at Stonehurst Manor are a reminder of this year's seemingly-endless winter:
The joy of the score:
Photograph Signs if You Make Multiple Stops
Building or road signs make interesting additions to the day's collection of photos. Also, because your digital camera or smart phone numbers images sequentially, these kinds of images serve as visual notes of where a particular set of images was taken:
Don't Forget to Get the Photographer in the Picture!
My father is conspicuously absent from photos of my family, because he was almost always the one behind the camera. Today, selfies are OK if no one else is around, but often distort faces and perspectives. There are other, more flattering ways to get in the picture. For example, make friends with those around you. See someone taking a picture of their travelling companion? Offer to take their picture together and ask them to return the favor for you. A couple on their first anniversary took the following picture outside the maple sugar shack and a local took the "ice bar" photo below it:
It's OK to Take Unrelated Pictures...
I often shoot images of things I find interesting which are minimally, if at all, related to the story I'm trying to tell. These photos might form the basis of a project at a later date (or be added to an existing image collection).
Have a favorite tip of your own? Leave a message below...
