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Now, I was a tad dishonest in saying that you can't capture all of
elements of a scene. You can hint at them. For starters, motion. Yes, even in a still picture, there is motion. Something happened before, during and after your picture. In a mountain vista scene, you may find something that hints at motion, whether it be a branch of a tree that has been swaying in
breeze, or a river flowing through
valley below. These add a sense of motion.
Then there's
"rule of thirds." When you place
main object of
picture smack-dab in
middle, it is static and boring. Place it one third of
way from either side, and you IMPLY motion. Put
horizon in a landscape photo a third of
way up or down, not across
middle.
Remember, when a person looks at a picture, their eyes move. You want to frame your photo to help that movement. If you can find some lines in
scene, such as a skyline, cloud formation, path through
forest, etcetera, use it interestingly, and with
rule of thirds to draw your viewer's eyes into
picture.
Avoid "summit syndrome." You get to
top of Mount Washington and shoot
majestic vista. Great. The pictures come out ... boring! How? No PERSPECTIVE. Big vistas will be flat unless you have an object in
foreground, such as a rock or a tree, to give them perspective. Then
eye really grasps how big this scene is. People enjoying
view is a real winner, because
viewer may identify with their emotions, giving
image real impact.
Cheese! Yes, you do have to take
family photos. It's obligatory. But when you do, make sure that they show
LOCATION of
photo. Otherwise, you might as well do it on your driveway. Frame
scene in context, with landmarks as part of
picture. Find a way to tell as story in
picture, such as little Sara climbing up
rocks by
waterfall.
Finally, any element in
picture that hints at more senses than just
visual will make it remarkable. Actor headshots for example, tell a story about
subject. You can almost hear them saying their next lines. If you photograph a garden,
viewer may experience
aroma of
flowers. A tourist street with an accordion player on
corner may have your amazed friends whistling "Dixie."
In summation, picture taking on travel is recording
experience in a satisfying way. Use motion, perspective, sensory, storytelling and so forth, to bring your photos to life. Oh, and needless to say, make your job easy and go to great places! See you at
overlook!

Seth Lutnick is a photographer, composer, and performer. He has taken thousands of scenic photos, recorded two albums of original music, and appeared on stage, TV and film. Visit his website - http://www.getitdone.biz - for more detailed plans on photography, music, health and education, and extensive product links for the resources to fulfill your goals.