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These are the hard truths about photographing people while traveling

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When you’re traveling, everything is new to you and there’s so much to photograph: nature, landscapes, cities, and of course: the people. It seems like a dream come true, but it can be a real challenge to photograph people in a country new to you and in a different culture. There are so many nuances to keep in mind and many potential misunderstandings.

In this video, Mitchell Kanashkevich discusses all the hard truths about photographing people while you’re traveling. But he also offers solutions to overcome challenges and end up with splendid photos, memorable experiences, and perhaps even some new friendships.

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Five innovative ways to isolate the subject in your photos

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I have no idea where I first heard this, but it’s extremely true: “the main difference between painting and photography is that the painters need to work hard to put things into their images, whereas photographers have to work hard to take things out of their images.” Painters start with a blank canvas, and every single thing that ends up in the final piece of art is a result of careful craftsmanship, years of hard-earned skill, and raw intention. The photographer’s canvas, on the other hand, is all of the world’s visual chaos, and he or she must deploy an equivalent amount of craftsmanship, skill, and intention to weed out all the fluff.

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Shooting the same model with three vintage lenses under $100

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If you’re looking for a high-quality, sharp lens with fantastic bokeh, vintage lenses can be a great option. They can give you images of great quality, yet you can buy many of them at very affordable prices. In this video, Mathieu Stern compares three vintage lenses for shooting portraits: Konica 40mm f/1.8, Porst 50mm f/1.4, and Jupiter 9 85mm f/2. He paid the cheapest among them around $6, so let’s see how they perform.

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The Fogtographer

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Justin Rosenberg is a photographer who loves fog! But that’s not all he shoots, in his own words he says ‘In my images, I aim to convey a sense of that hope in the struggle. Much of my work focuses on a single subject relating to a seemingly harsh/sparse environment. I’m often drawn to the natural world as a setting; particularly cold, foggy, and gloomy scenes. I find there to be a beautiful vulnerability in the loneliness and isolation of a subject in a harsh/sparse spaces.

Though fog is not in all of my work (mainly due to my lack of ability to control the weather), whenever possible, I try to incorporate it. Fog forces you to be in the present moment. In any direction, you can only see for a just a little bit, so all you’re left with is exactly what is happening in that moment. You can look in front of you, but you can’t see the future. You can look behind you, and you’re not defined by the past. You’re just exactly where you are, right where you need to be, right when you need to be there.’

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35mm, 55mm, 85mm or 70-200mm lens for portraits: which one should you buy next?

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If you’re thinking of upgrading your kit with a new portrait lens, you might be indecisive which one to buy next. In this video, Manny Ortiz shows you what you can get with four different lenses: 35mm, 55mm, 85mm, and 70-200mm. He replicates the frame with each lens at the widest aperture to show you what to expect and what you’ll get with different focal lengths.

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