The slides Matt Widgery presented during the Cambridge Darkroom meetup the 27th of August 2015 (Maypole)

1. 30th July 2015
From Holiday Snaps toTravel Photography
By Matt Widgery

2. A bit about this
dude…
✤ Self confessed photography nut
✤ First picked up a camera aged 5 (Boots 110 Easy Grip) Still got it
✤ Earns a living shooting portraits, bands and commercial work
✤ Teaches workshops around the world
✤ Founder FramedPlanet.com international photography news and
entertainment website.
✤ Part of the F Stop Lounge international photographer’s collective
✤ Has a YouTube channel which you should all subscribe to immediately!
✤ Is at www.mattwidgery.com if anyone has one of those internets at home.

3. ✤ How to avoid gas ruining your holiday
✤ How to stay married and avoid the divorce courts
✤ How to make a thousand pesky tourists disappear in broad daylight
✤ How to come away with a set of photographs actually worth a damn
What we’re going to learn today

4. Don’t let G.A.S. (Gear
Acquisition Syndrome)
ruin your holiday
Or, how to pack what you need to take great photos,
without needing a sherpa to carry it around for you!

5. Henri Cartier-Bresson only used a 50mm in his
personal work!
✤ You don’t have to limit yourself to just a single prime but you may find it
liberating to try.
✤ You will miss some shots, but you’ll get your eye trained on that focal
length. You’ll start to see the world in those frame lines.
✤ For street I use an 18mm (28mm equiv.) lens. I like to get close!

6. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s…

7. …A Super Zoom!

8. Pros of a super zoom lens?
✤ Wide range of focal lengths in one
✤ No need to change lenses
✤ keeps dust and moisture out of camera
✤ Lighter than carrying a bag of lenses
✤ Can often be had cheaply (unless you’re a Fuji user)

9. Cons of a super zoom lens?
✤ Variable aperture so image darkens when you zoom in (like your kit lens)
✤ Optics of a zoom never as good as a prime
✤ Wider the focal range there worse the optics (although modern lens designs
and post production software are freakin fantastic these days that I
wouldn’t worry too much.
✤ Not very bright (the lens, hopefully not the photographer). You may want
to pack a prime with a f/2.8 or brighter) aperture for low light shots.

10. Spend more money, get better photos?
The best camera for travel photography

11. The best camera is the one you have with you
- Chase Jarvis

12. A few tips for choosing the best travel camera
✤ Size and Weight
✤ Low light capability
✤ AF speed
✤ Weather Sealing / toughness
✤ Manual controls easy to get to

13. Other stuff you probably shouldn’t forget
Essential Travel Photography Gear

14. Useful bits and bobs
✤ Tripod. Light Weight = good! Carbon fibre cheaper than ever now.
✤ Essential for astrophotography
✤ long exposure shots of water or other cool stuff we’ll come on to in a while

15. Useful bits and bobs
✤ Filters
✤ ND Filters cut out light so you can shoot wide open in the day
✤ Allow you to get very long exposures for cool effects like smokey water &
Making a thousand pesky tourists disappear in broad daylight!
✤ Cut out glare from glass and water.
✤ Increase colour saturation especially in foliage and skies

16. How to make a thousand pesky tourists disappear
Photo credit: Etienne Gaboreau

17. useful bits and bobs
✤ Graduated Filters
✤ Darker at top than bottom.
✤ Bring detail out in the sky and maintain detail in the shadows.

18. Useful bits and bobs
✤ Spare cards and batteries
✤ Bring at least one spare card and battery with you
✤ Both can fail unexpectedly
✤ Both can fall in the sea
✤ If the card is full and your battery is dead you’re screwed!

19. Useful bits and bobs
✤ Camera bag
✤ Branded stuff is attractive to thieves
✤ get a camera bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag
✤ For travel pick a smaller bag so you’re forced to take less stuff!

20. How to stay married and avoid the divorce courts

21. Get up at sunrise but don’t insist the whole family comes too

22. If you spend all your money on camera gear

23. Leave enough for the hotel

24. Some more tips for a pleasant trip for all
✤ If you’re travelling with non-photographers don’t keep them waiting for
hours while you get the perfect shot
✤ Find some time to go out and shoot while the others are shopping or at the
beach
✤ Book a photography specific holiday so you can indulge your passion with
like-minded people and expert guidance

25. The meat and
potatoes
How to make better travel photographs

26. Light matters

27. I got up at 4:30am to get this light

28. Mostly the light sucks
If you’re with a tour group they will leave after the good
light is over and get back before the good light comes back.
Harsh shadows and midday sun are what you’ll have to
deal with.
Embrace them! Look for shafts of light, and remember to
expose for the highlights.

29. Photo series can be more powerful than single images

30. It’s about people and places, not pictures!

31. The journey is as important as the destination

32. GetClose

33. Get Creative…

34. Try out new techniques

35. Think like a photojournalist
Tell the whole story

36. ✤ Food
✤ People
✤ Culture
✤ Religion
✤ History
✤ Landscape
✤ Wildlife

37. The Final Product
Make a photobook and keep your memories safe.