JUST STARTING OUT?
Wherever you travel, at home or abroad, your pictures can provide an income for years to come - but only if they are good enough to stand out and be used by publishers. Planning what camera equipment to take and knowing how to use it when you get there, of course is basic to producing the kind of results which then become sales.
What camera to use will depend on the sort of pictures you want to take. Keep in mind that the competition in the field of travel photography is fierce beyond belief, because so many photographers dream of doing this. The happy thing is that there's always room for more good work because of the insatiable need of travel markets for good photos.
Format
Your first consideration is to decide what format you want to use. For versatility you can't beat 35mm; it's eminently successful for every type of photojournalism. As for medium format, while it's better for image quality, it is bulky and not really suitable for some forms of travel. APS (Advance Photo System), the last revamp of chemical photography, is a non-starter, with its 40% smaller image being unacceptable to publishers except for rare cases where the image is highly newsworthy. Digital is the principal growth area, and promises in the next few years to overtake chemical film cameras. It's happening gradually at newspapers (mainly for sports), but books and magazines are slow to adopt digital.
Compact Cameras
Compacts have improved enormously and are versatile, so that handled with care they do a very good job in a lot of situations. I use one when I do not want to be 'seen' as a professional. You do need to pay close attention to lens quality.
Single Lens Reflex
In my experience, 35mm SLRs are the most versatile and appropriate cameras for travel work. 90% of the photobuyers you are dealing with in the travel industry will accept 35mm slides. Although it appears there are now more "rangefinder" cameras on the market, personally I have never been able to get on with them, although Magnum photographers use them extensively to great effect.
Weight
A major consideration is how much weight you want to carry. A heavy bag full of lenses and accessories might give you scope to cover absolutely anything, but will soon become a burden and the temptation will be to leave some of it behind. It's then that you see a great picture - but the right lens or gizmo is back in the hotel. I know, I've done it! Determine what range you want to handle, and equip for that - keep it as simple as possible. Choose a camera bag strong enough to take knocks and protect equipment, without letting your equipment and accessories move around inside.
More on SLRs
A basic SLR kit to cover most travel photo needs could be camera body, 28-70mm zoom, and a small flashgun if one isn't built in. The majority of lenses are autofocus now, and from my experience they have one rule: they always go the wrong way first. But you can still find some with manual focusing.
Good additions would be a 70-120mm zoom, a dependable lightweight tripod, and a second body. Lenses should have filters on at all times for protection, and I use a Skylight 1B, slightly warmer than UV. To reduce reflections and enhance colour saturation a polariser is vital -- always carry one!
Jeremy Hoare is a freelance travel photographer residing in London, England. Phone/Fax: +44 20 7722 2065. Email: jeremyhoare@hotmail.com. Web: www.travelwriters.com/jeremyhoare
For more information about Rohn Engh's Photo Source International Newsletter: info@photosource.com
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