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| Friends
in Saris by Peter K. Burian |
This weeks photographer is a very talented Canadian Photographer, Peter K. Burian. I have been admiring Peter's work for a few years and I am glad he agreed to share his photos with you... Take it away Peter...
During a two week tour of Southern India while testing some new DSLR cameras, I
made thousands of images for my stock portfolio. Although my wife Bev was
travelling with me, I doubt that I included her in more than a half dozen
photos. But in this case, she was an essential component, since this image was
intended specifically to illustrate a magazine article http://www.hereswhere.ca/content/index/page?page=1&pid=4717Share Here's
How to Get Great People Pictures While Travelling. While the final copy did not include this photo,
I believe that it's ideal for illustrating important concepts.
In his
book, Spirit of Place
- The Art of the Travelling Photographer, pro photographer Bob Krist http://bobkrist.com/book-videos/
provides an interesting perspective. “If your friends are all architects and
landscapers, they’ll love your building and scenic photos. Otherwise, people
want to see pictures of people,” he insists.
Of course, most everyone finds it awkward to approach
strangers. That can lead to a temptation to sneak a grab shot with a telephoto
zoom lens. This tactic is usually considered rude; and it will not produce the
best possible photos. Become involved with the people you meet however, and the
resulting pictures will become more intimate. That intimacy is easier said than
done, but it is possible if there's an outgoing person in your group.
While
walking in a village near the Periyar
National Park in Kerala
state, we noticed these ladies waiting
for a bus. I definitely wanted to get some photos of them, so Bev agreed to approach
them. In this rural area, there was a language barrier, but as Bob Krist has
also written, a mother will always understand when you say, "What a
beautiful child you have", in any language.
More importantly, here is my
favourite quote about taking people pictures anywhere in the world, by Rick
Sammon http://ricksammon.com/2013-workshops/ who wrote about dual vision that's worth taking to heart. “Whenever
you take a picture, you're also taking a picture of your relationship with the
subject,” Sammon insists. “How you feel and act – the image that you
project – will make them feel and act and respond in a certain way. These
projected and received feelings are the key to good travel pictures of people.”
Tech Specs:
Pentax K20D, Aperture Priority, Center Weighted metering; f/11 at 1/60 sec.
Canadian photographer Peter K. Burian is a Contributing
Editor with several publications (
Photo
Life,
Here's How,
Marketnews and
Australian Photography) as well as a stock shooter whose work is
represented by Corbis, The Stock Connection, and Alamy.
Check out his photos,
including a selection from his tour of
India, at
www.peterkburian.com .
