Tropical Travel Photography

As the sun rises over the hills, our small Zodiac boat drifts into the aquamarine bay. We sit silently, listening to the sounds of the awakening rainforest. Howler monkeys bellow while scarlet macaws screech against the sky. A squawking match erupts among the toucans in the dense vegetation as we touch the palm-fringed beach where the rain forest meets the Pacific Ocean. Led by a guide, we set off for a trek into a region containing thousands of species of flora and fauna.

Just another day in paradise from a week-long trip with great photo opportunities in a fascinating tropical location. Although this experience occurred during a trip to Costa Rica, there are dozens of other great destinations. Whether you're interested in eco-tourism, beaches of crystal white sand, colorful festivals, or colonial architecture, you can find just the right destination.

I talked with Bob Krist (http://www.bobkrist.com/), a full-time travel photographer for over two decades, about tropical travel photography. Krist often shoots in tropical locations for clients such as cruise ship lines and for magazines, including Islands, National Geographic Traveler, and Smithsonian. He is the author of (Amphoto), a valuable resource for anyone who wants to produce exceptional photographs.

I asked Krist to discuss his favorite photogenic places, starting with Hawaii and then moving on to the Caribbean. His suggestions should be useful as a starting point for anyone considering a vacation trip to a warm climate.

Kauai  "Hawaii consists of several islands, and there are great photo ops on each one. Kauai is my favorite, and the Kalalau Lookout in TK [Koke'e] State Park is ideal in the morning. You'll find spectacular views along the first mile of the park trail beyond Hanalei; this is not a difficult hike, and it offers most spectacular views of the Na Pali cliffs.

"At the other end of the island, the Hanalei Valley Lookout, on the main road, gives a great view of taro fields and the mountains in the background. Use a polarizer to increase color saturation, and you can get great shots most any time of day."

Maui  "Most folks will recommend going to the Haleakala Crater National Park for sunrise, but you'll need to hike up in darkness. I recommend going for sunset instead, an equally impressive sight. It's warmer in late afternoon, and it's much easier to get up there at that time. Look for silhouettes of fellow hikers and walkers against the magnificent skyscapes you get at this altitude.

"At the base of the giant crater, take a long lens and visit Hookipa Beach, probably the premier windsurfing beach in the world. You'll be treated to spectacular displays of windsurfing prowess on awesome surf. A 300 mm or longer [lens] will work well here."

The Big Island (Hawaii)  "My favorite stop here is south of Kailua Kona, a park called the Place of Refuge. The tiki statues here make great subjects against the setting sun, as does the grove of palm trees that face the western horizon and make picture-perfect sunset foregrounds."

See http://www.gohawaii.com for more information about Hawaii.

Puerto Rico  "Old San Juan is a near perfectly preserved Spanish colonial town. Highlights include the Rogativa statue, El Morro fort, and La Forteleza governor's mansion. One hour out of town is El Yunque Rainforest - great for waterfalls. The second largest city, Ponce, has great architecture: the firehouse and cathedral are classics. The city is known for its fantastic papier-mâché Carnival masks."

See http://welcome.topuertorico.org/tinfo.shtml for more information about Puerto Rico.

U.S. Virgin Islands  "In St. Thomas, you'll find great views of the beautiful harbor of Charlotte Amalie from the hills above town. Drake's Seat offers a panoramic view of the entire region. Colorful Danish colonial warehouses in the shopping district are best shot after business hours, when most cars are gone.

"St. John is one of the most picturesque islands in the Caribbean. Drive through the national park for great views of beaches like Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay, and Maho. Centerline Road offers great views of nearby British Virgin Islands (BVIs)."

Virgin Gorda, BVIs  "Home to The Baths - huge boulders that line the beach, creating fantastic caves and grottoes - this island offers some of the finest sights in the Caribbean. The road to Virgin Gorda Peak offers great views of the entire British Virgin Islands."

See http://www.bviguide.com/ for more information about the British Virgin Islands.

Dominica  "One of the most unspoiled islands in the Caribbean, this location's natural highlights include towering Trafalgar Falls, the Emerald Pool, a jungle grotto, and Boiling Lake, a huge open solfatara which is the second largest in the world. Canoe tours of the river give a firsthand look at deep mangrove swamps."

See http://www.ndcdominica.dm/travel.htm for more information about Dominica.

St. Lucia  "The Pitons, the two mountain peaks which dominate the landscape of the southern part of the island, are one of the classic sights in the archipelago. They are best photographed from the water or from the road to Castries, the capital city. The colorful Saturday morning market in Castries is well worth a trip. Rainforest hikes are offered here, as well as visits to Diamond Falls and the Volcano, a geothermal area of bubbling solfataras."

See http://www.stlucia.org/ for more information about St. Lucia.

Barbados  "The Andromeda Gardens near Bathsheba offer a wide selection of flowering subjects. This town is also a good base to explore the rugged scenery of the island's east coast. The St. Lucy cliffs, near the Animal Flower cave, are huge, and take the full brunt of the rollers coming in from the Atlantic. On windy days, it can look like the rugged coast of Ireland here. If you have a telephoto zoom lens, take great windsurfing and surfing pictures along the beaches on the South Coast."

See http://www.barbados.org/ for more information about Barbados.

As Krist mentioned, many tropical locations have excellent potential for landscape photography. Unfortunately, some of the most incredible scenes can be difficult to record effectively. After all, how do you translate the depth and grandeur of a wide vista to a two-dimensional photograph? In many cases, you'll find several pictures crammed into one, with numerous elements competing for the viewer's attention.

The solution is selective vision: breaking the big picture into several sections to photograph individually. After taking the postcard overview, try the telephoto setting on your zoom lens. Use the longer focal length to isolate details that give a broad view its visual appeal. Shoot several frames, each including one of the most appealing elements from the big picture.

Architectural photos are important too, for capturing the essence of a location. Where possible, include people in the frame: your companions dining under colorful umbrellas, or local fishermen delivering their catch to a small store, for example. Don't worry too much about distorted perspective, the leaning-over-backward effect that occurs when you tilt a lens upward to include an entire structure. In fact, you may want to exaggerate this effect for an interpretive image. If you want an accurate perspective, move much further from the subject, and shoot with a longer lens.

After taking the overview to define the setting, try isolating meaningful details. Look for striking color, texture, line, shape, and form, as well as graphic patterns; these will be most obvious through a telephoto lens. Zoom in on distinctive features that characterize an exotic location or the buildings from an earlier period. Look for ornaments, the symbols of tradition or culture, wall signs, colorful street art, doors, and archways. Open your eyes to fresh ways of seeing, and you'll be rewarded with excellent images.

Whenever a scene is very light in tone - sand and surf, or white and pastel buildings, for instance - you run the risk of underexposure: dark and grainy pictures. That's because most in-camera light meters are calibrated to produce ideal exposures with scenes that average out to a midtone (people surrounded by grass, trees, and a bit of sky, for example).

If you're using negative film, a photofinisher may be able to correct exposure problems when making prints. You can also adjust brightness or lightness in software, to solve exposure problems in digital images. However, it's always best to start with a correctly exposed image for the best results.

As a rule of thumb, increase exposure by 1.5 stops if you're metering a scene that's highly reflective. In automatic modes, set a +1.5 exposure compensation factor. If you use the camera's manual mode, set an aperture/shutter speed combination that causes the camera to indicate a 1.5 stop of overexposure. This tactic works well with negative film and with digital cameras. If you're using slide film, shoot three frames at different exposure compensation levels. You might try the first at +0.5, the second at +1, and the third at +1.5.

Tip  When using a camera's "intelligent" multisegment, evaluative, or matrix meter, you may not need to set as much exposure compensation for very bright scenes. Such systems recognize unusually high reflectance, adding extra exposure. Every camera is different, but try this when experimenting: Set a +0.5 compensation factor on sunny days, and +1 on dark, cloudy days. As you gain experience with your own camera's tendencies, you'll know the amount of compensation that's necessary in common lighting conditions.

You'll often want to photograph local people that you meet, but they may be less than cooperative. "This is partly due to cultural factors, and largely due to decades of insensitive snapping by gawking tourists," as Krist explains. "Despite this legacy of callous snapshooting, you can still get some great people pictures if you follow a few of these common sense rules," he says. It may be tempting to sneak a few shots with a telephoto lens, but avoid that technique: it's considered rude. Try Krist's approach instead:

"First, always ask permission. Some will turn you down, but others will reward the courtesy with permission to shoot. Lively gatherings like markets can provide good people photography opportunities. If I see a photogenic vendor, I'll make a small purchase to break the ice. Once rapport is established, your request for a photo or two will usually be approved."

Tip  The best time for great people pictures is during a celebration: a festival, a fiesta, a carnival, or another favorite local event. You'll find most visitors taking pictures, and the costumed participants are usually most cooperative. As Krist says, "If you enjoy good music, tasty local food specialties, and great people pictures, check the Web site of the places you're planning to visit for information on colorful ceremonies, parades, celebrations, and festivals."

People in such unique cultural situations are ideal for evoking a spirit of place. These are the images often selected as covers by major travel magazines, and they're just as effective in any travel photo album.

In most tropical locations, you'll get long days of sunshine. That may be great for some beach and architectural photos, but it can be a real problem in people pictures. Especially when the sun is high in the sky - most of the day when you're near the equator - the natural lighting is less than ideal. This "top lighting" produces dark eye sockets, and the bill of a cap casts unattractive facial shadows.

Whether you photograph your companions or local residents, move in close. This will allow you to use electronic flash to even out the lighting, softening shadows. The extra burst of light will brighten the subjects' eye sockets for a more flattering look, while adding sparkle with a catchlight.

Flash can also moderate very high contrast: the difference in brightness between a person and the surrounding sand and water. Flash will help to produce a nicely lit subject without grossly overexposing the brighter background.

You may occasionally get an overcast day. Then flash is useful in any close-up pictures, whether people, flowers, or colorful symbols of the location. The extra light will make colors pop, while adding some necessary contrast, making the pictures look sharper.

In bright outdoor conditions, you don't need an accessory flash unit or a connecting cable for off-camera flash. Because the sun is the primary light source, you can get good results even with a built-in flash unit. There's no need for high-power output if the subject is fairly close to the camera: ten feet with ISO 100 film, and 20 feet with ISO 400 film, as a rule of thumb. Don't use flash if your subjects are farther away, unless you have a large and powerful accessory flash unit.

In an automatic default setting, few cameras will activate flash in bright conditions. Fortunately, most offer a Flash On option, often denoted by a symbol of a lightning bolt. Select this mode, and flash will fire every time, even in the brightest conditions.

Many high-tech cameras automatically reduce flash output for a natural effect, with the sun providing most of the light. Some models, especially digital cameras, include an option for reducing flash intensity for a very subtle flash effect. Check your camera's manual for a variable flash output or flash exposure compensation feature.

Tip  If your camera can be set to vary flash output, a -0.5 setting should work fine. But remember this: To avoid underexposure, do not reduce flash output if your subject is set against a very bright background.

After deciding on an ideal destination, think about the film that you'll pack. Because tropical locations tend to be sunny, an ISO 100 film is suitable for most outdoor photography with a single-lens reflex (SLR) camera.

I also carry some ISO 400 film for shooting in the low light of an overcast day, or in early morning and late evening. More sensitive to light, an ISO 400 film lets you shoot at higher shutter speeds, reducing the risk of image blur from camera shake. Take a couple of rolls of Fujicolor Superia 800 or Kodak Max 800 too. These are great for indoor use when flash is prohibited or impractical.

You'll find many rich hues in tropical locations, ranging from pastels to bold primary colors. To enhance the vivid tones, consider using one of the supersaturated color print films: Fujicolor Superia; Kodak Supra, Royal Gold, or Max; and the Agfacolor Vista series. Do you prefer color slides, for stock photography or for scanning to make prints? If so, consider Fujichrome Velvia 50, or Kodak Ektachrome E100VS (Vivid Saturation) or Elite Chrome 100EC (Extra Color).

Cameras with a built-in zoom lens have a small maximum aperture: They don't allow much light to reach the film, especially at telephoto settings. To prevent a lot of blurry pictures, make an ISO 400 film your standard choice. On overcast days, or for any moving subjects, switch to an ISO 800 film for faster shutter speeds that will give you sharper pictures. The best of today's fast films are truly excellent, suitable for sharp 8" x 10" prints.

Digital camera tip  For the best image quality, avoid setting an ISO equivalent higher than 200. Some digital cameras include an option for increasing color saturation. I would not set this feature to the maximum level. Even a moderate increase will be adequate. Naturally, you can also using image-editing software, to adjust color balance and saturation later.

If your camera accepts filters, be sure to take a polarizer on your trip. This accessory will deepen the tone of blue sky and water for a picture-postcard effect that is often pleasing. By wiping glare from surfaces (except unpainted metal), the filter helps intensify colors that would otherwise appear washed out. By increasing color contrast, a polarizer provides a more "punchy" look with multihued subjects. Finally, a polarizer helps reduce the effects of atmospheric haze, so land, water, or cityscapes will appear more sharply defined.

Tip  Think twice before using maximum polarization. If you overdo it, a rich blue sky may appear nearly black in your images. Take care with rainbows, because at some settings a polarizer can actually weaken the colors. Finally, remember that some glare on water can be important for a natural sparkle. Maximum polarization can produce a flat, lifeless look, or render shallow water as a muddy brown.

With an SLR camera - with through-the-lens viewing - watch the scene through the viewfinder as you rotate the polarizer on your lens. If you're using a digital camera, view the scene using the color monitor while adjusting the polarizer. You'll see the effect changing; stop rotating the filter when the scene looks just right. At times you'll want a subtle effect, while other situations will call for a dramatic interpretation of the scene. Maintain creative control consciously, and this filter will be an ideal tool for making vibrant images.

If you shoot with a conventional camera, remember that film does not tolerate heat and humidity very well. Leave your unprocessed film in a hot car for the afternoon, and you may get strange color shifts (all of your pictures may have a magenta cast). To protect your film, consider the following tips:

• Take only as much film as you'll need for an outing, leaving the rest in an air-conditioned room. Keep the rolls in their plastic canisters, especially in humid conditions.
• If you must leave film in a hot vehicle, put it in the trunk inside a small cooler or insulated picnic bag with cans of cold soda or juice. Before removing a roll from its plastic canister, wait ten minutes for the film to acclimatize to the outdoors. This will prevent condensation from forming on the emulsion.
• Avoid buying film that's displayed in outdoor booths or in stores without air conditioning, because it may have been baking for months. Don't send film for processing by mail from a tropical location, because postal boxes and vans can get very hot. If reliable processing is available locally, consider that option.

Cameras and lenses can tolerate heat fairly well, as long as it's not excessive. Never leave your gear inside a vehicle, because temperatures can exceed 150 degrees on a sunny tropical day. If you must leave your gear in the car for security, place the camera bag in the car's trunk, wrapped in a large wet towel. The cooling effect of slow evaporation will keep the contents relatively safe, especially if you remember to redampen the towel every few hours.

Sand can create major problems. If a few grains get inside your camera, they can jam delicate mechanisms or scratch every frame of film. Take care when opening the camera back. It's also wise to keep equipment well covered around salt water spray, which can cause corrosion. To protect the front element of the lens, use a filter, such as a polarizer or a slightly pink skylight (1A) model. Finally, keep the camera in a zippered case when you're not actually shooting.

Tip  If you plan to go out in boats or shoot on the beach, pack some large, sealable, watertight plastic bags. Place your camera in a bag, with a hole for the lens to poke out. Keep the plastic in place with rubber bands. If your lens accepts a hood, use it to protect the filter from excessive spray. Carry a large, absorbent cotton lens cloth to wipe away any drops. In the evening, dampen a towel with a bit of tap water, and use it to wipe down camera and lens surfaces to remove any salt residue.

A tropical vacation is never the same without lots of pictures to help you relive the good times later. The right shooting techniques plus a few precautions will protect your investment in time, dollars, and memories. These should ensure that you'll have an enjoyable trip, without frustration, disappointment, or a lot of unnecessary expense.