Intrepid Travel – Real Life Experiences…

Nearly 100% of travellers will tell you their favourite real life experiences involve people. Meeting a kind local who pointed you in the right direction, enjoying a spirited haggling session with a charismatic shopkeeper or making new friends during a village homestay. But how do you hold on to these memories and photograph these lovely people? Travel photographer extraordinaire Steve Davey to the rescue with tips on how to take great portraits and capture those smiley, happy moments…

“You don’t want every portrait you shoot to be a happy smiling face, but the smiles of people you meet on the road are a major part of most people’s travel experiences. Getting a relaxed and non-gurning smile can be really difficult, so how do you avoid that grin turning into a grimace – or worse still the subject of your picture standing to attention like a soldier outside of Buckingham Palace?

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It’s wonderful being able to snap away happily on our holidays thanks to digtal photography. But it’s not only about the freedom of taking 100s of shots. There’s the added thrill of instantly sharing the moment and meeting locals, as Intrepid’s Yvette Thompson discovers in India…

“Waan foto!” “This is the standard greeting from Indian children to any foreigner: with or without camera. If you don’t have a camera, or you successfully hide it from inquisitive eyes, you can politely smile and walk by the group without risk of an ambush. However, if they spot your camera, then you better be prepared for village kids to run towards you at full speed!

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What is it about the wonders of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and all manner of photo uploading sites that have suddenly given us amazing photography powers? Or maybe not? It’s not as easy as it looks and let’s face it, there are a lot of very unappetising photo shots being shared, so photographer extraordinaire Steve Davey to the rescue with some much-needed foodie photo tips…

“Some people seem to have a compulsion to record, blog, tweet and update their status with everything that they do, or think. One example is in the habit of photographing each travel meal and posting them on Instagram. Am I unique in not wanting to see everyone’s dinner before they eat it? I might though be interested in seeing a good photograph that shows me something about the culinary traditions or cuisine of a country.

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Russ Malkin, adventure television producer extraordinaire, rose to fame behind the camera on popular TV series Long Way Round and Long Way Down, starring adventurer Charley Boorman and actor Ewan McGregor. He’s currently working on a new project, Charley Boorman’s South Africa, which hits screens in the new year.

Russ hosted an event, “How to Film Your Own Adventure”, in the London Intrepid My Adventure Store this week, and gave us his ultimate hints and tips on how to record your travels on film. Here, we give you the lowdown on the best way to immortalise your experience on cellulose (or, more likely, hard disk. But that doesn’t sound half as romantic, does it!).

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Ask a photographer what they never have enough of, and they are sure to say “time”! We put world-renowned photographer Steve Davey on the spot and asked how to get the most out of your photos in minimum time…

“Time is short. We all get precious little time off and need to make the most of every minute of it. For many people the short city break is the perfect way to do this. A chance to spend a few days in a new city to explore, eat and of course party! But how do you square getting the best pictures of your city break with trying to get the most enjoyment and relaxation out of your trip?

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Mark Stennett travels South East Asia in search of the perfect photo and the iconic and majestic temples of Angkor are just the starting point for a fantastic photographic exploration of Cambodia…

“Angkor Wat and the many smaller temples in Siem Reap offer a never ending array of photo opportunities and not just at sunrise and sunset, when indeed they really do shine. There are so many new things to discover as you wander around slowly, trying to image what this once mighty civilisation might have looked like back at the peak of power.

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Steve Davey is consumed by his love of photography and he’s managed to successfully make this passion his career. We asked this world-renowned travel writer and photographer for his tips on one of the more tricky aspects of digital photography, the perplexities of post-production…

“Post-producing digital images has gained something of a bad reputation. Some people think that it is time-consuming, other that it is too difficult, and some simply dismiss it as cheating. But post-production on a computer is an integral part of digital imaging. It might involve subtle changes or more significant edits. Don’t think of it as cheating though, consider it in the same way that film photographers used to think about printing in the darkroom: an integral part of the process and a chance to take a good image and make it better.

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World-renowned photographer Steve Davey knows about everything from making use of ambient light to choosing the right zoom lens, but ask what it really takes to take great photos and he’ll tell you it’s all in your head…

“The single most effective piece of camera equipment that you can take with you on your travels is your mind. If you want to take great travel pictures, you have to think! Snap away with little or no thought or creativity, and you will be lucky to come back with anything other than simple record shots.

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“There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.” Based on this astute observation by Logan Pearsall Smith, you’d have to consider Eric Kruszewski a very wise man. Albeit a newcomer on the photography scene, Eric set his sights on winning the prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year competition and then focused on enjoying every moment of his triumph…

“December 2010, my cereal bowl crashed to the floor as I read the announcement from TPOTY naming me their New Talent Award recipient. This recognition granted the winner an Intrepid Delhi to Kathmandu trip!

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