A Travel Photography Tips & Tricks Series Post
Equipment: EOS 5D Mark III EF17-40mm f/4.0L USM
EXIF: 17mm f/6.3 1/1000 ISO 200
Travel Photography Tip – Culture
A travel photographer always dreams of capturing the place, the people, the history and the culture of a destination – ideally, all in one shot. I am no different. Recently, while in Warsaw, I was roaming about the old town (which, incidentally, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site). When I reached ‘The Mermaid’ – a bronze statue that’s considered one of the two saviors of Warsaw – I was fortunate to have landed right in the middle of one such situation that offered all this and more.
There was a newly wed couple that arrived at this spot for their wedding candids. Before I could say Nicolas Milaslovic, they entered the small fountain pond around the statue and started jumping up and down. The expression of crowds around (both, tourists as well as locals) was priceless. The light was just right. And fortunately, the lens on the camera too was just right.
I went to the widest possible focal length (17mm), narrowed the aperture to f/6.3, increased the ISO a bit to 200, checked the shutter speed and, at 1/1000, found it was just right to freeze the water droplets mid-air. After that, I shot a burst. The happy-go-lucky uninhibited couple, the onlookers, the historic bronze statue, the sidewalk cafes and the colourful old houses of Warsaw – all these elements just summed up this East European City for me. What’s your view?
