Making Your Travel Photos Work

Making exceptional travel photographs requires you to be good at a wide variety of different types of photography, varying from street photography, to still life work to portraits. In a typical day of travel you can photograph busy festivals, quiet buildings, people, open landscapes or close-up imagery of nature. The best travel photographers are versatile in their skills and fluid in their process, using minimal gear to achieve a maximum of results.  In this four day class, David H. Wells shares explores his strategies on the following topics:

• The traveling photographer's camera and bag
• Being in the right place at the right time. Varying the time of the day
• Specific issues of time of day / morning vs. evening light
• Quality and direction of light
• The importance of the photographer's position
• Understanding the light. Portraying people
• Composition
• Stopping action vs showing motion
• Framing and scaling
• Thoughts on tripods
• Using the appropriate lens
• Basics of flash

This is a lecture/shooting class with extensive visuals. The class is for beginner and intermediate photographers. In the first meeting we start with introductions, then the instructor shares his, looks at student’s work and introduces important techniques.

Later that same day we photograph on location as a group in the afternoon to early evening to apply the techniques. Each day is typically an early morning shoot, followed by mid-day class talking about technique and critiquing the previous day’s images. Then we are out photographing on location. We shoot at least an hour or so past sunset to get the sunset itself and some night photography. Shooting time follows the demonstration so students can put the information to use. The class is the first step in what may be a life-long journey for people who combine two of their favorite passions, travel and photography.

David H. Wells (www.davidhwells.com) is a freelance documentary photographer and photo-educator based in Providence, Rhode Island. He specializes in inter-cultural communications and the use of light and shadow to enhance visual narratives. David’s “Light Studies” have appeared in a wide range of exhibitions and publications including the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Magazine and Rhode Island Monthly.  He has received two Fulbright Fellowships, a grant from Nikon/N.P.P.A. and a fellowship from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. His work has been shown around the world in over fiftyexhibitions and publications including American Photographer, Camera and Darkroom, Camera Arts and Zoom. He has taught workshops at the International Center for Photography in NYC and the Maine Media Workshops.  David recently launched an online educational tool with video podcasts and other useful information for photographers called “The Wells Point” (www.thewellspoint.com).