I’ve just finished reading–devouring, if you want to know–David Hobby’s little book, The Traveling Photographer’s Manifesto. Hobby, a seasoned newspaper photographer, is perhaps best known for his long-running and popular blog on lighting, The Strobist. Since leaving newspaper photography, he’s taken up leading workshops based out of Hanoi, Vietnam. This little book distills many valuable suggestions for enhancing travel photography in particular, street photography more generally, and for that matter photography of all sorts.
Hobby’s book, which is replete with illustrations drawn from his own photography in Hanoi, is chock full of hard-won advice. Here are just a few of his tips.
- Be a thinking photographer. Before you travel, do research to identify the things you want to explore and photograph. He likes Google Maps, Street View, and YouTube to get the lay of the land and Reddit to ask questions and get granular data.
- The early morning hours have the best early light and are relatively uncrowded. Plan on an early morning walk to both observe the environment and capture what may be your best images.
- If you’ll be in one place for several days, spend the first morning observing. Hobby carries a small notebook and makes notations about things happening around him that might make interesting subjects the next day.
- Focus your photography. Simplify your approach by giving yourself an assignment. Hobby suggests building a “you list” by first identifying your specialties and expertise, then the things you may not have as specialties but that interest you nonetheless. The items that show up on both lists are topics you should consider exploring photographically and would be ripe subjects for self-assignments.
- Carry the least gear you can get away with. Hobby favors fixed focal length lenses because they allow you to get settled on your point of view. He avoids zoom lenses because your viewpoint is easily altered and confuses the eye. If you carry only one lens, he likes a 35mm lens (full frame equivalent).
- Shoot scenes the way they feel, not the way they look. Auto white balance tends to homogenize light’s appearance toward a daylight look. He strongly advocates making adjustments to the Kelvin scale to get the best feel from lighting. Once you learn to do this, he argues, you’ll never again retreat to auto.
- Photos are boxes. Your responsibility is to fill all corners with interesting and relevant content. At the same time, “shoot clean.” Avoid including anything distracting or unnecessary to the image.
- People photos are a part of the story of the place you are visiting. But don’t make sneak attacks by shooting portraits from a distance with a long lens. It won’t make the best photos, may be resented if you are observed, and can leave you feeling like a thief, which of course you are. Great portraits, he says, aren’t taken; they’re given. Hobby gives many tips for overcoming the fear of approaching strangers and for creating satisfying relationships and even friendships with your subjects.
- Above all, remember that your purpose is to experience the place your are visiting to its fullest. What matters most are the experiences you have and the relationships you create. The photography that follows serves the purpose of preserving memories of those experiences.
Hobby makes his points by drawing on his experiences in Hanoi, a fascinating place he clearly adores. As a travelog, the book is well worth the $7.99 I paid for the Kindle version. The photographic advice is a mountain of icing on this well-baked cake.