Ten tips for taking Holiday photographs

A dry summer will also leave the grass looking parched, but this year it hasn't been a problem, so rather than complain about the rain, appreciate the rich greens it leaves behind. The flowers are still in bloom, adding to the variety of colour which is predominant in the South West as its balmy climate lends itself to a wide range of plant life.

1. DECIDE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH

Don’t try and include everything but, or perhaps everything plus the kitchen sink because your shot will look overcrowded and confusing to the eye. Don’t be afraid of cropping people from the waist downwards, especially if they are engaged in an activity using their arms, even if it is only eating an ice cream. Similarly, when going for close-up shots of faces, you don’t have to include the whole head. You can cut off the top, perhaps just showing the brim of a colourful hat and fit the whole of the face into the frame. If photographing a large building, would a smaller corner be more effective, especially if there are some interesting cornices which would be lost in a longer shot? As with good writing, good photography can leave something to the imagination.

2. TIME OF DAY

Don’t think that midday is the best time for photos because the light is good – it can often be the worst because in the summer the sun is directly overhead and gives a very harsh light. Even in September and October photographs can look flat if taken at this time of day. Study some of the atmospheric photos you see in magazines. Do you notice long shadows, muted colours? This is because the shots have been taken either at dawn or dusk, when the warm colours give an interesting glow to the shot and can add an air of mystery. Try getting up early, if you can bear it on holiday, and snap the sea at sunrise. Don’t point the camera straight into the sun as it can damage your eyes and you could get lens flare unless you use a filter, only available on a camera with an interchangeable lens facility. Look for red and orange in the sky and interesting cloud formations, which can take on a mauve tinge at these times of day.

3. RAIN

Although the rain has been a sore subject this year, the wet stuff really is a huge shower which washes the whole landscape clean. While some wonderfully atmospheric photos have been taken in the rain (which can be especially mysterious if the street lamps are on and you see drops of water coloured by the yellow light) it is very difficult as your lens may be splashed by drops of water, giving you a blur you certainly don’t want and the moisture could seep inside the camera body. If you can get an obliging friend or relative to hold a large umbrella over your head, try a few rain shots. Otherwise, wait for the moment it stops and head outside, especially if the sun comes out, allowing you capture a rainbow. Look for droplets of water on plants. With the sun shining on them they are transformed into jewels.

4. MIST

Don’t write off a dull day. Mist can be evocative, especially if you use a filter over an SLR camera, such as one of the blue 82 series, which gives a very cool cast to the mist, making the scene look decidedly ghostly. If you have Photoshop on your computer, use the Image, Adjustments, Photo Filter menu and choose the colour of your filter and density. The good thing about this is, if you don’t like it, you can cancel it, so there is plenty of room for experiment. Pink and mauve filters also look good on a misty scene.

5. COMPOSITION

Do watch what you are capturing in the viewfinder and remember, the lenses on many cameras will add an extra border around what you see, so take this into account. Many photographers think they have missed the waste bin, only to find it peeping in at the side, stuffed with rubbish! Always look slightly around the viewfinder.

6. PEOPLE

Don’t have people pose like arranged wedding group shots. It looks false and stilted, even if they are smiling. Far better to have them doing something, such as a couple sitting at a table sipping a long, cool drink through a straw, admiring a view, or engaged in some action such as cycling. Make your people blend into the scene, unless you particularly want model shots, then get them to pose – perhaps reclining against a grassy bank, or hands on hips, creating angles between arms and body, or with one leg resting on a step. Pages of photographs with people standing to attention become very boring.

7. CHILDREN AND ANIMALS

Forget the saying, “never work with children and animals”. Their expressions can be priceless, especially if you catch them in a natural pose or activity, such as a dog can be chasing a ball or a child building a sandcastle or feeding the ducks. They don’t have to be looking at the camera either – some of the best people shots are taken with the subject facing to the side, or sometimes completely away from the camera, especially effective if that person is looking out to sea.

8. LANDSCAPES AND PEOPLE

How often have you waited for ages for everyone to get out of the way to take a shot of a beautiful scene or building, only to find a tourist wearing a beany hat walks in front of your lens just as you have pressed the shutter? If you’re using digital you won’t care because you can delete it; otherwise you could end up wasting a lot of film. Try making people a part of your scene, unless it needs to be desolate, but watch the crowds and the way they are moving before clicking. People normally amble along so there is plenty of time to decide whom you want in your composition. Beaches can look good deserted, but a few people can really bring them to life, especially if children are playing in the sea or on the sand. Similarly, photographs of stately homes and buildings often attract far more interest from a viewer if the odd person or two is walking down a wide path to break up what would otherwise be a large expense of grey. Don’t be afraid of getting strangers in your photos and look out for some interesting movements or poses, such as a person stroking a dog in an otherwise deserted park, or even a woman rummaging in her handbag, especially if she is standing outside a handbag shop or market stall displaying colourful bags. Shopping areas devoid of people look dead, and remember, holiday resorts especially in the summer are usually crowded so get used to incorporating people artistically into your shots.

9. COLOURS

Depending on the mood of your scene, either look for strong contrasts, or muted shades. For instance, if you want to photograph a market, pick out stalls which are particularly colourful, such as fruit and veg, ethnic goods or flowers and try and blend them into your composition with the other stalls. If you are in a wooded area, select different shades of green on the shrubbery and try to break the colours up with a stream, a bench or a fence.

10. EXPOSURE

The general rule is, expose for the highlights. This is because if the light areas are over exposed you can get a certain amount of flare on the photo, which doesn’t look good. The highlights are any light areas of the scene, such as paving stones, sandstone or cream buildings or of course, anything white, which is a particularly difficult colour to capture successfully. Some cameras let you point at the part of the picture you want exposed correctly, lock in this exposure and then focus. If you have this facility, use it. You will notice a great difference in the quality of your prints. If you don’t have this facility, try and avoid harsh sunlight on light objects: they will either burn out or the camera will compensate for them and the rest of your scene will be too dark.