Get These Shots Out of the Way First

SCOTT KELBY

If you travel to a famous city, your friends and family back home will be expecting shots of that city’s most famous landmarks. For example, if you go to Paris, you’d better come back with some Eiffel Tower shots (cliché as they may seem), because people expect it. If you don’t come back with some Eiffel tower shots, they’ll be so distracted by what you didn’t shoot that they won’t pay attention to what you did shoot. So, get those out of the way first—shoot those ones for the folks back home now and get them “in the bag.” That way, you can spend the rest of your time showing the city your way—shooting the people, the local flavor, the customs, and taking shots that speak to the photographer in you. One more thing: When you get back home, and friends and relatives tell you some of your shots look like postcards (and they will), just smile and thank them. Although photographers sometimes tend to look down on travel postcards, your average person doesn’t, so if they tell you your shots “look like postcards,” they’re actually paying you a huge compliment.