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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.
