Transport, it sure covers a lot
of things. The way we move ourselves and
our things around is certainly varied.
From the cars, trucks, motorbikes and bicycles we see every day on our
roads to the rarer things like horses and donkeys and Rickshaws. Photographing
such a variety can be both challenging and rewarding.
Here are some of the questions to consider:
One good technique for getting sharp photos of moving subjects is to pre-focus on the spot you think the subject is going to move into and then start shooting just before it hits the area, and hopefully one or more photos will be sharp. This can be done with any fast subject including sports photography.
Safety First
Here are some of the questions to consider:
·
What do you
need to have with you to photograph these modes of transport?
·
What things
do you need to look out for?
·
What are
your objectives/goals?
I won’t attempt to tell you what
kind of camera system you would need to successfully capture ‘transport’ on
your memory card. The options are just
too many nowadays with high quality compacts, awesome MFT and CSC systems and
of course DSLR setups that will all give you exceptional results if you know
how to use them. The choice comes down
to your budget, the requirements of the image (publishing in a photo book?
Facebook only? Instagram? Prints for your house?) and how much gear you want to
be carrying around with you (that’s always a big consideration for me).
What I would like to talk about
is different things to keep in mind when you are taking photos of your
preferred mode of transport. Things
like lens selection, techniques to try, ideas for different photos and safety
when you’re out and about.
Movement
The most obvious thing to show
when shooting transport is the movement.
You can show movement in an object by dragging your shutter (slowing the
shutter speed down). How slow it has to
be to show movement depends on the speed of the object and how much movement
you want to show. If you want to record
car headlights on a road at night you might want a very slow speed, a few
seconds at least, but if you want to show a slight blur than you can use a
shutter of around 1/40th of a second. The other option is to pan with the subject
resulting in a mostly sharp subject but a very blurred background. Try this technique on a street corner and pan
smoothly when a car turns the corner.
Remember to continue panning during and after you activate the shutter,
this can take some practice but that’s the fun!
One good technique for getting sharp photos of moving subjects is to pre-focus on the spot you think the subject is going to move into and then start shooting just before it hits the area, and hopefully one or more photos will be sharp. This can be done with any fast subject including sports photography.
Selecting your Lens
Lens selection is another thing
to consider, I like to use a wider angle lens when shooting larger vehicles to
try and get in as much as I can. This
can also be a good lens for photos inside a vehicle, as normally you don’t have
much space to play with. Longer lenses
are good for getting close to the action when you can’t access a better
location, for example motorsport or aviation photography. Longer lenses can also be good for portraits
of travellers inside vehicles.
Perspective
Try to look
for a different perspective than the usual point and shoot crowd. Things like overpasses or nearby buildings
can get you a better vantage point and can help make your photos stand out from
the crowd. You can get some nice photos
of car headlight trails moving through intersections, a mess of train tracks or
highways merging and looping like spaghetti.
Keep your eyes open to the possibilities of changing your vantage point
and you might just end up with a winner!
People
One of the best (or worst,
depending on your perspective) things about public transport is the characters
that share the space with you. You see
all kinds of people doing all kinds of things on public transport and they can
make for some really great character portraits.
The light coming in through the windows can be very nice at times and
this can serve you well if you learn to see it properly.
The final thing to consider when
working with transport is your own personal safety. Cars move fast and it’s not a good idea to be
taking chances around moving vehicles. Be
aware of your surroundings while taking photos and always consider the safety
aspect.
Lastly remember that the more
photos you produce, the better you will get as a photographer so get out there
and start shooting! And have fun!
