See the Story


Bhutan is perhaps the most magical place that my wife, Susan, and I have visited, and I say that having been to nearly 100 countries in my travels around the planet. But even in such a magical place, great images don't just happen. You can't wave a magic wand or chant an incantation to get a great shot. You need to understand your subject matter, know the story you want to tell, and be prepared to get involved.

Environmental Portraits

I took this picture, and the opening picture for this chapter, at the Dzongdrakha festival, a sacred annual celebration that has remained basically unchanged for centuries (Figure 5.1). Knowing the importance and reverence of the festival to the local residents, I was especially careful not to intrude on the performance, keeping my shooting position on the perimeter of the blessed ground.

Figure 5-1.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/11. ISO 200.


The image on the opposite page is what I call an environmental portrait: a subject pictured in its environment. My goal was to capture the Black Hat dancer's beautiful outfit, as well as the wondrous and magical feeling of the festival.

Using my wide-angle zoom lens set at the widest setting, I selected a small f-stop (f/11) and, using the focus lock on my camera, set the focus one-third into the scene (as opposed to letting the camera focus on the subject). Once the focus point was set, while still holding down the shutter-release button, I recomposed the photograph and took the picture. Had I let the camera focus on the subject, the background would have been softer (a bit out of focus). When you want as much of the scene in focus as possible, try this technique. It's especially useful in landscape photography, when you want everything from the foreground to the distant background in focus.

Know the Subject

Check out the photograph above. Because the subject's eyes are closed, you may think that I missed this shot (Figure 5.2). Actually, the dancer is in a trance-like state, and this picture captures that momentthe moment I wanted to capture.

Figure 5-2.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm IS lens @ 200mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/4.5. ISO 400.


To isolate the subject from the background, I used my telephoto zoom lens set at a wide aperture, so that when I focused on the subject, the background was out of focus. As a result, your attention is focused on the dancer and his entranced expression.

Capture the Peak of Action

The lure of festivals brought me to Bhutan, and the annual Paro festival was the main draw. These Lords of the Cremation Ground dancers at that festival burst onto the scene at top speed (Figure 5.3). I used a fast shutter speed to stop the action. I also set my camera on rapid frame advance so that I caught the dancers in mid-step with their feet off the ground. This conveyed the feeling of movement and the sense that the action was at its high point. When the subject is moving, think in terms of capturing the peak of action.

Figure 5-3.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm IS lens @ 200mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


Posed Portraits

"I guess Rick has the personality to just walk up to people and take their picture." That's what a student said to one of my workshop groups recently, and it's probably true. However, the personality I projectmy feeling and emotionhelps me capture subjects the way I envision them. Different subjects require different approaches: happy, serious, enthusiastic, and so on. I'm well aware of the need to be sensitive to different personalities in different situations.

For this picture of a young girl in a remote village, I approached her with an attitude of respect and a feeling of warmth (Figure 5.4). I asked her if I could take her picture beforehand, and then I showed her the results of the photo session on the LCD screen on the back of my camera. I worked fast, taking only a few shots so I didn't overstay my welcome.

Figure 5-4.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1D Mark II, Canon 70-200mm IS lens @ 100mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/5.6. ISO 400.


"Why is he taking my picture?" the young girl asked my guide. Through him, I explained, "Because as I walked down the street of your village, filled with dozens of people, your beautiful face caught my eye." To me, she had the most striking face in the village. It's usually someone's face that attracts me to a subject. When I first saw the girl, she was standing in the harsh sunlight. For a more flattering picture, one with soft and even light, I asked her to move into the shade. She wrapped her arm around the pole. What a perfect model!

Looking at the girl's face I feel, as I do with many portraits, a bit melancholy knowing that I'll probably never see this stranger in a strange land again. And the subject may feel this, too! But I have the memory and the picture. The subject only has the memory, which fades in time.

Compose Carefully

This picture of a young monk with a dzong (fortress and temple) in the background is one of my favorites from the trip (Figure 5.5). I photographed dozens of monks and many dzongs, but here I wanted to show both subjects, isolating each of them. After asking the monk if I could take his picture, I composed the scene with him way off center and then framed the shot so that I didn't cut off any of the dzong.

Figure 5-5.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 20mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


As you can tell, the image is cropped to the panoramic format. I feel that cropping made the picture look more interesting than a full-frame shot.

As with earlier pictures in this chapter, I used a wide-angle setting on my zoom lens, used a small f-stop, and focused one-third into the scene. As a result, the entire scene was in focus.

Don't Settle for Less

On my first day in Thimphu, Bhutan's capital city, I took several photographs of this man smoking a pipe while sitting by some prayer wheels at the Memorial Chorten (religious structure). This is not one of them (Figure 5.6). Those pictures were OK, but the light level was low and flat, and I felt I could do better. I knew that I could go back the next day, so I warmed up by taking pictures and getting him used to having me around.

Figure 5-6.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 20mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


This picture is my favorite from my second photo session. One reason is that you can see the smoke.

The message of this little homily is, "Don't settle for second best." Go for the best possible photograph you can take.

Be Patient

Most of the time, I walk up to a subject and ask, "May I take your picture?" Sometimes, however, I stand in one position and wait for the subject to walk into the frame, as I did for this photograph of a woman at some of the prayer wheels at the Memorial Chorten (Figure 5.7). As with the picture of the young girl, the woman's face attracted me to her.

Figure 5-7.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 20mm. Exposure: 1/125 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


I stood there for maybe 10 minutes as she walked around and around the prayer wheels, smiling at her as she walked by. On one pass, I raised my camera and began the photo session. To capture her movement, I set my camera on rapid frame advance. This is one of 10 frames from that sequence.

Be Prepared

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of photography is being prepared for the unexpected. That means having your camera set to capture a fleeting subject or subjects, such as these young monks dashing out of a temple to have their lunch (Figure 5.8).

Figure 5-8.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 20mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 800.


Usually, I walk around with two digital SLRs hanging from my shoulders: one with a telephoto zoom and one with a wide-angle zoom. The two lenses help me capture different views quickly and easily.

Both cameras are set on Program (the mode that enables the camera to automatically set the f-stop and aperture for the correct exposure) so I can point and shoot and at least get a nice shot. Then, I may switch to Aperture Priority (when depth of field is important) or Shutter Priority (when motion is important) to fine-tune the image. All digital SLRs feature these exposure modes.

Be There

While driving through the Punakha valley, we spotted a school and asked our guide, Chencho, if we could visit. I enjoy photographing kids tremendously, so I knew this would be a good photo session.

I guess I do have the personality to walk up to people and take their picture. Here, I calmly entered the schoolyard during the school's morning prayer and song, and clicked away (Figure 5.9). I became part of the scenebeing in just the right place at just the right time.

Figure 5-9.

Tech info: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, Canon 17-40mm lens @ 17mm. Exposure: 1/250 sec. @ f/8. ISO 400.


The lighting conditions were ideal. The overcast sky provided a soft light on the faces of all the subjects, so they were evenly illuminated. If you plan to photograph a person outdoors, pray for soft light.




Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2(c) Rick Sammon's Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photographs
Idea to Image in Photoshop CS2: Rick Sammons Guide to Enhancing Your Digital Photographs
ISBN: 0321429184
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 72
Authors: Rick Sammon

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