European Vacation

Join Jack Hollingsworth in this episode of Picture Perfect as he doles out tips and tricks for shooting your next European vacation with your iPhone.

Tech notes from Jack:

Best camera
• I recently spent 6 weeks in Europe. I never even touched my DSLR. The iPhone is the perfect camera for traveling.
• The key is to learn what subjects the iPhone shoots well and avoid the stuff it doesn’t do well.
• For every city I visit, the very first stop is a Postcard rack.
• I’m also a big fan of going on a hop on/hop off bus to scout the locations I want to come back and visit.

Cosmopolitan Life
• What I think is cool about shooting with your iPhone is that you blend in and don’t stand out.
• Pedestrian streets are a favorite place of mine and usually full of life and photo opportunities.
• I always try to eat a snack at a restaurant with good views.
• When I’m stopping for a drink or coffee, I always power up my devices with portable chargers.
• Depending on how many accessories I bring along, I love the convenience and fashion of ONA bags.

Poetry in Pictures
• It doesn’t matter in the least what others say about what, why and how you shoot. If you like it-shoot it!
• It’s often the small, un-applauded, unnoticed details in life that get my attention and make my travel more memorable.
• It’s okay to see design before you even see subject. This is exactly how you learn to put the poverty in your photographs.

Facades
• When traveling in Europe, building facades are an obsession of mine.
• Facades not only tell us about the history and culture of a place they also help to frame our travels.
• Every building facade tells its own story

Food and Flowers
• As a general rule, I oftentimes search restaurants in advance. And go there just to shoot food photography.
• You don’t want to get too close to food with your lens as that becomes an abstraction and not generally flattering.
• I think it’s the overall color of flowers that seduces me and pulls me in for a second and third look.
• I always like to have in my camera bag a flexible-leg Joby tripod and adapter for those times I’m shooting in low-light.

Gardens and parks
• Gardens and parks are not easy to shoot, because there is a white dynamic range between the highlights and shadows.
• I like to include man-made structures along with natural scenery in the frame.
• High-angle views provide a nice overview type of photograph.
• I use and IOS extension called ViewExif to give me all the metadata I need for a photograph.

Monuments and Attractions
• The iPhone camera is built for well-lit, outdoor subjects-perfect for Monuments and Attractions.
• On occasion I might opt for a wide-angle attachment sense, like here, to give me a wider Field-of-View.
• If you are picky about perspective correction in your photographs, try this great app called SKRWT.
• Use one monument to frame another.

Panoramas
• With IOS 8 and the iPhone 6s…panoramas have greatly improved. I find myself shooting panos more and more.
• You don’t always need the full 240 degrees of pano action-try shortening the pan movement.
• Shooting shorter panos has pretty much replaced my need for wide-angle attachment lenses.
Faces behind the places
• Who can resist a shot of a local while traveling? This adds a human element to your travels.
• Photographs are people are generally more flattering and easier to shoot when you shoot in the shade.
• I don’t normally get any model releases from my people pictures unless I plan on using that photo as stock photography.
• A genuine smile is a smile in any language 🙂

Room with a View
• When I check in a hotel I always ask for a room-with-a-view so I can shoot out the window or from my balcony.
• I am also fond of shooting B/W from my hotel rooms and wherever I’m eating.

Photos by Jack Hollingsworth