Travel Photography Tips with David Samuel Robbins

There are many places in the world that offer either stupendous natural scenery or an ancient, vibrant, living culture – but few that have both. Bhutan, Nepal and Ladakh, India offer both in abundance. David leads journeys to these stunning destinations and offers a few insights for travel photographers.

LENSES
Less is more. A 24mm-70mm and a 70mm-200mm is all I ever really need. I may throw in a 1.4X or 2X telecoverter for extended range.

LIGHTING
For fill lighting, I much prefer collapsible reflecting hoops to electronic flash. The hoops show you the effect in real-time, and they can be slowly moved around for very nuanced adjustments of direction and intensity. Enlisting a nearby local enhances the “interactive” part of the experience, making it more engaging for everyone involved.

LANGUAGE
Learning a bit of the local language is the ultimate gesture of respect for the culture. It also shrinks the gap between photographer and subject, helping to make more relaxed, intimate portraits of virtual strangers.

Learn more from David in his workshop
Nepal: The Kathmandu Valley and Beyond
November 1-13, 2010

Visit his blog www.himalayanodyssey.net/blog to see what he's up to.