Naked and Raw on Three Small Legs: Slow Photo Walk Tips
Your camera is your key to adventure. Grab it, plan a photo walk, and you can have fun slowing your pace down to enjoy your photography.
I gave myself a solo Slow Photo Walk exercise in the South Beach area of Miami,
Florida: Wait for at least 5 minutes on each block to watch what happened there.
When you are walking solo you can take more time. When I did, the exercise inspired a few photos and some ideas for Slow Photography walking.
When you are walking solo you can take more time. When I did, the exercise inspired a few photos and some ideas for Slow Photography walking.
To remember what do to on a Slow Photography photo walk, just puzzle over what is naked, raw, and walks on three small legs:
1.
NAKED
Strip
down your gear. Until you are in the flow, just pick one lens and
body and stay with them. Leave the heavy zoom behind, and go wide and normal with the nifty 50.
The
only folks I’ve seen shooting on the street with huge lenses are
either advertising photographers doing fashion shoots or people
looking for celebrities on the street to photograph for print. Big
and bright lenses are a hindrance on a Slow Photo street walk. They
bring unwanted attention and comments. Street and travel
photography is more effective when you are less visible.
2.
RAW
Photograph
in RAW if you can. Ready your camera in advance by taking a test
shot. I've missed opportunities when I had incorrect settings dialed
in. Had I taken a test shot first, I could have made some
portraits that got away from me. I shoot RAW about 90% of the
time now.
3.
THREE SMALL LEGS
Take a mini-tripod. For early morning photography, HDR, time exposure and time lapse, three legs is ideal. Leave the 4 foot long tripod behind and take an 8 inch high mini-tripod that unscrews into two small pieces to fit inside a backpack when I’m done using it.
Walking the streets, take extra care if you photograph the
homeless. Given something back, and if they refuse, do not personalize their request not to be photographed.
Always ask for permission to photograph someone you don’t know. You’ll get one of two answers. When you practice this repeatedly, the “no” responses will bother you less. To gain confidence photographing people for the first time, you can chat with dog owners about their dog, ask to pet their dog, then ask them for a photograph. They will most often say you can take pictures. Meeting and chatting leisurely with folks you just met is one of the best parts of Slow Photography walking.
Always ask for permission to photograph someone you don’t know. You’ll get one of two answers. When you practice this repeatedly, the “no” responses will bother you less. To gain confidence photographing people for the first time, you can chat with dog owners about their dog, ask to pet their dog, then ask them for a photograph. They will most often say you can take pictures. Meeting and chatting leisurely with folks you just met is one of the best parts of Slow Photography walking.
Have fun. See what you have never seen before. For instance, walking along Miami's Government Cut, I saw the upper deck passengers aboard the 1081' vessel Norwegian Epic as it left the dock to begin a cruise.
Reward yourself with a cafe break. Mark your personal calendar with the date of your next walk. The fun you had will keep you going out for another Slow Photo Walk adventure.
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