People, People, People...

We have all suffered the tourist spots with all these randomly dressed, annoyingly happy tourists jumping into our shot.  I have written before on the attitude adjustment that I had to go through to just accept them and try to incorporate them.  Looking over all of the images from previous vacations, I find that my best shots have people in the frame.  

The shot above was a throw away image taken with my Leica ME.  I love the frame and bright colors contrasted with the deep black of the tunnel. This shot has fascinating people standing, waiting, walking, running or talking. 

We are drawn to buildings and smaller permanent cultural reminders and focus our attention on these. Going to the Parthenon can be a wonderful experience however it has not changed in 500 years! But the people, walking around, looking and marveling at the beauty, have changed.

If we look at the images we love, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sabine Weiss, Fan Ho and others, the magic in their images are the people they capture. It is the people, dressed in the fashion of the time, that help us put the scene in context. 

On the left is a picture from my hometown of Buenos Aires Argentina. Dog walkers in the city are famous for their love of animals and the number of dogs they walk. I wanted to capture the street with its hustle but this dog walker helps transmit what the city is like today. The young woman going to work out also helps place the image in context so I filled the frame with these two scenes allowing the street to fade to a backdrop.

This shot was captured in Ubud, Indonesia. This place is known for its touristy temples, which are magnificent by the way, and the wonderful rice patties which are breathtaking. But while the scenes are amazing while there, pulled out of context they are just snapshots.

I went out looking for the human element and trained my lens on them. Most of the looks were ones of open curiosity, from nice, gentle people. 

Here a woman is carrying bags of rice on her head. Her expression and simple clothing help define the location and the photograph's time. Come back in 20 years and the rice patties will be there, the temples will be there but she will not.

I have spoken about the image on the left a few times. This is my favorite example of 'fishing' which is a street photography technique of finding an interesting scene and waiting for the right person to walk by and complete the image.

Here I liked the handrail and the tiles in the background. As I set up, I waited for the shot.  While I waited I blended into the scene. People saw me as part of the building because I was there before them. They were intruding on my space not the other way around. This makes street photography less obtrusive. But regardless of the technique employed, this image is interesting because of the lady.

This was shot with a cheap camera which I kept the Exposure Index low and let the shutter drag, to capture the movement of the dancer. The musicians, audience, background and stage are just a framework for these wonderful tango dancers. Their movement perfectly captured as if the man is dancing with a ghost. 

The people in the image do not need to be looking in your direction. This image of two ladies shopping in the rain helps illustrate that point. Umbrellas or brightly colored clothing are magnificent anchors for an image. Find a suitable interesting background and you have an image that tells more than the story of the building, but tells the story of two ladies shopping in the rain.

The next time you are out with your camera on a family vacation, take a moment to look at the people around you, the locals, tourists and other photographers. These are the people that help define a place. Find an interesting background and wait a few minutes.  Look for the interesting person walking by and take your picture.

This simple picture will be a keeper and one of your favorite images of the vacation. The human element is the most intriguing in any photograph we just need to be willing to capture it.