Globetrotter

Have fun! Sure we are all serious about our photography, but heck, have some fun with your photos. Work with a subject to create a picture that will bring a smile to someone's face.

Go wide. In addition to your telephoto lens for portraits, you'll need a fairly broad wide angle lens to photograph buildings or statues from close distances. For this shot I used my 16-35mm zoom set at 16mm.

Add more interest to a picture. Create a sense of dis-equilibrium in a picture by tilting your camera to the side. This is a popular effect in music videos and in television commercials.

Look for way-cool backgrounds. Most cities have walls painted by local artists. Use these outdoor canvases as a backdrop for your photos.

Slow it down. To capture the hustle and bustle of a city, use a slow shutter speed (1/15 sec or slower) to create a sense of motion in a picture. At slow shutter speeds, you'll need a tripod to steady your camera.

Think flashy outdoor pictures. Shadows created by buildings and trees can darken a subject's face. Use a flash to reduce or eliminate the shadows. I took this shot with my digital camera set on Program and my flash set at -11/3. The reduced flash output filled in the shadows for what's called a daylight fill-in flash photograph.

Be creative. Look for unusual photo opportunities, and think about how you can picture a well-known subject differently. Here is a photograph of the famous Dakota reflected in the window of a bus.

Hand over your camera. You don't want to leave a city without the most important photograph: a photo of you! Set up your camera so all someone has to do is point-and-shoot. Make sure the picture-taker follows your directions about composition. If you have a digital camera, check the picture on the camera's LCD monitor.

Get closer. Most people don't get close enough when they frame a subject. When composing a picture, think about how moving in or zooming in can improve a picture.