conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a book about Photography, York, British with the genre: Arts & Photography, Photography & Video?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this book could be 'How to Shoot Great Travel Photos'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: How to Shoot Great Travel Photos
  I've seen the Alps, the Andes, the Rockies, the Himalayas, and more, but the North West Frontier province of Pakistan, near the border of Afghanistan, has the most rugged mountain scenery I've ever seen. The inhabitants are a proud and, on my two visits, gracious and hospitable people. File this information away for the day when it will be prudent to visit the area again. (I hope that will be soon.)
  As I've said before, there's more than one picture to be made out of almost any subject. Take time to explore different possibilities.
  Tourism photography is done for tour, cruise, and hotel operators, airlines, national, state, and provincial tourist offices, as well as for hotels, resorts, theme parks, rodeos, county fairs, and more. I've done a great deal of this work and find it fun. It's very important not to interfere with the running of any tourism group, and to get on well with both the passengers, who may have paid a lot for their vacation, or with the work of the hard-working staff who make things run smoothly. I am nice to all passengers and guests of course, and super-nice to staff who can make or break a tourism shoot. The pictorial aim is naturalism and an unposed "look." Tourism clients in general are usually best shown as couples or in congenial small groups having a great time in a lovely place, but feel free to add your own interpretations—after you have made the bread-and-butter shots.
  Honeymooners are often shown on gorgeous empty beaches, or looking into each others' eyes in upscale restaurants, or romantically entwined at sunset on the deck of cruise ships. You get the idea. The trick is to render all these clichés fresh, the place as pristine and lovely, and the people as charming and believable. I like best to pick out "real" people and work with them at tourist sites, rewarding them with a drink, meal, or a special excursion if I've spent a lot of time with them. If I promise pictures, I make every effort to send them as soon as possible.
  I always try to make the best possible pictures I can of any "icons" that instantly identify a place— city skylines, important buildings, gorgeous scenery in beautiful light—as well as famous streets, especially at twilight, attractive shops and markets, and local specialties. Where possible, I shoot in museum interiors and hotel and restaurant interiors too. These places are important and at the heart of good travel coverage anywhere.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: I always try to make the best possible pictures I can of any "icons" that instantly identify a place— city skylines, important buildings, gorgeous scenery in beautiful light—as well as famous streets, especially at twilight, attractive shops and markets, and local specialties. Where possible, I shoot in museum interiors and hotel and restaurant interiors too. These places are important and at the heart of good travel coverage anywhere.
  Having captured these iconic sites alone, I don't yet have what makes travel or tourism coverage come alive: pictures of interesting and attractive local people in all walks of life. To me, people pictures are the most important aspect of any travel coverage. To approach people, I use any and all introductions I have, walk around and wait around a lot, and go to places where people are likely to be relaxed and feeling good about themselves. When I have found a willing subject or subjects, I take plenty of pictures of them. Because I know that I will show my subjects only at their best, I feel totally free to ask people to do what I need. For instance, I might ask someone to move out of overhead sun into a shady area, or pretend to shop or look at pictures or do whatever else that seems appropriate and will make the shots look natural. I'm not worried that I will outstay my welcome. Trust me, people will always let you know when they've had enough. (For much more on photographing people, see pg58–pg65.)
  Commercial photography can be for any type of advertising or promotional use, and in travel can be made for airlines or hotel chains, casino or cruises, or can promote a product, such as a car, at a scenic travel destination. I've done some commercial work, mostly for airline promotion, and big-time advertising shoots require a lot of preparation. You will first have to show a portfolio, then submit a bid for the job. If you get the job, your real work is just beginning—the ultimate aim is to capture what the client needs, from your own special point of view.
  Recently, the stock picture business has embraced digital imagery, and high-quality digital files are now the norm for stock viewing and delivery. The "file size" required by stock agencies or clients may vary, but "tweaked", color-corrected 32-, 50-, or 72-megabyte "tiff" files are the norm. Individual agencies and clients will let you know their precise requirements of course.
  If you have professional ambitions, know that is not easy to be accepted by a major stock agency, though, of course, almost all are interested in outstanding new talent. Model releases for all images of people and private property are a requirement for acceptance by most agencies today. As a travel photographer your most likely chance of success is if you photograph the life of people in the countries you visit. Be sure to get model releases from all of them. If your collection of travel photographs is highly specialized and model released where needed, contact some of the agencies that might be interested.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Provide the last four paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: If you visit art museums and photo galleries regularly, as I do, you already know that fine art travel photography can be of any style and can be presented in many different ways. I've seen huge digitally manipulated color prints hung at New York's Museum of Modern Art, and a grouping of about a dozen 4" × 6" mini-lab prints taped directly to the wall in the trendy West Chelsea gallery district of this city. Obviously, I've seen plenty of conventional 11" × 14", 16" × 20", and 24" × 36" black-and-white enlargements exhibited. Digital prints are now exhibited at top museums and have gained acceptance at commercial galleries, too.
  The travel/fine art pictures that interest me most often have a haunting, evocative quality. They seem simple while you are looking at them, but later stay in the mind's eye. I remember shots of huge empty rooms in what must once have been the grandest of mansions in Bahia, Brazil, or large, manmade alterations to recognizably Japanese landscapes, both by photographers whose names escape me. As fine art photography is now accepted by museums everywhere, visit exhibits to see beautiful original prints, even if you don't hope to show yourself. And if you do want to exhibit, it's often possible to start with shows at colleges, local museums, libraries, and banks. To have a show, you need to print, mat, and frame at least twenty good pictures.
  You will have to present a portfolio of prints and convince a gallery owner that your work will appeal to a fairly wide audience, and then foot most of the above exhibit expenses yourself if you want to show in a top commercial photo gallery.
  These may give different perspectives on current events than the U.S. sites, and I hope will be useful to readers from these and other English-speaking countries.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the first sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: I've seen huge digitally manipulated color prints hung at New York's Museum of Modern Art, and a grouping of about a dozen 4" × 6" mini-lab prints taped directly to the wall in the trendy West Chelsea gallery district of this city. Obviously, I've seen plenty of conventional 11" × 14", 16" × 20", and 24" × 36" black-and-white enlargements exhibited. Digital prints are now exhibited at top museums and have gained acceptance at commercial galleries, too.
  The travel/fine art pictures that interest me most often have a haunting, evocative quality. They seem simple while you are looking at them, but later stay in the mind's eye. I remember shots of huge empty rooms in what must once have been the grandest of mansions in Bahia, Brazil, or large, manmade alterations to recognizably Japanese landscapes, both by photographers whose names escape me. As fine art photography is now accepted by museums everywhere, visit exhibits to see beautiful original prints, even if you don't hope to show yourself. And if you do want to exhibit, it's often possible to start with shows at colleges, local museums, libraries, and banks. To have a show, you need to print, mat, and frame at least twenty good pictures.
  You will have to present a portfolio of prints and convince a gallery owner that your work will appeal to a fairly wide audience, and then foot most of the above exhibit expenses yourself if you want to show in a top commercial photo gallery.
  These may give different perspectives on current events than the U.S. sites, and I hope will be useful to readers from these and other English-speaking countries.