Wyndham Wisdom

Photo Tips - How to Find and Shoot a Festival

What's the best time to photograph the locals? Why, when they're having fun.

It's no accident that articles in travel magazines are often accompanied by pictures of parades, festivals, street fairs and the like. Professional photographers know that people love to look at interesting pictures of others, and one of the best places to get those shots is at an open-air celebration.

Tracking down parades and festivals during your travels is a good move for other reasons, too. Most amateurs are simply too shy to ask if they can photograph a stranger on the street. But folks involved in public celebrations don't mind being on the other end of a camera - in fact, they enjoy it. The festive atmosphere brings out the best in everyone, and the normal barriers of language and inhibition come tumbling down. What's more, the accompanying decorations, fireworks, bonfires, dance performances and other activities always provide a wealth of outstanding photo opportunities.

Make a Date

The first step is to zero in on festivities that might be happening during your visit. That sounds easy, but you'd be surprised by how inexact guidebooks can be (like, "the spring festival in early May is not to be missed"). For specific information, contact the U.S.-based tourist board office of the country or region you'll be visiting, or the state or provincial tourist office if it's a domestic trip, and ask for a calendar of events. On the Internet, try searching with key words like "festivals," "schedule of events" or "calendar," along with the name of your destination.

Once you've spotted a promising event, request a schedule from the tourist board office at home or abroad. And continue your research after you arrive. You can find fodder for your camera even at a minor event - something as simple as a kids' folk-dancing performance or as silly as a crab race.

Get a Jump On It

Parades and processions can be frustrating to photograph because of crowds, bad backgrounds and, in larger events, limited access. But you don't have to be stuck on the sidelines if you can locate the parade's starting point.

Let's say the procession is due to start at 10 a.m. Plan on arriving about an hour earlier (two hours for a major parade). While the route itself may be roped off, lined with spectators and accessible only to credentialed members of the press, the starting point is generally easy to reach. Marchers have to gather early, and while they're waiting, you can get close-up portraits of individuals and groups.

In larger parades, groups often start marching several blocks before the starting point. During that time you can usually walk along with them and shoot freely without incurring the wrath of spectators or officials.

Travel Light

Mobility is key when choosing appropriate gear. Leave the camera bag behind and try to work with one camera and a single lens (or just your trusty point-and-shoot). Bring extra batteries and memory cards, and if you encounter strong light with bright highlights and deep shadows, use your "fill flash" or "always on" flash setting.

Vantage Points

Don't limit your "people pictures" to parades; folk-dance and craft demonstrations are also good opportunities. Arriving 15 minutes early will usually get you a front-row seat. Since most stages are elevated, try shooting from the stage floor perspective - a dramatic angle that's especially effective for photographing dancers, because it emphasizes their footwork.

When you're caught up in the spirit of the celebration, it's easy to forget the all-important scene-setting shots. This is most easily done from above - say, a balcony, office or apartment window. Sometimes I make previous arrangements, but more often than not I simply look up, catch the eye of an onlooker and lift my camera hopefully. Using this approach, I've been invited into countless homes and gotten plenty of good overhead shots. But the big problem, you'll find, isn't getting asked in. It's figuring out how to exit gracefully, amid all the invitations to eat, drink and be merry with the locals.

Caught in the Act

To get great shots of your kids on amusement-park rides, try the technique called panning. Basically, track your kids with your still camera the way you would with a video camera, and shoot exposures while they zoom past you. Keep tracking their movement as you shoot, and you may get some interesting effects - blurred backgrounds and in-focus faces that say "speed" and "action."

Published: Endless Vacation Magazine July/Aug 2008