Canon 5D Mark II. Canon 24-105mm lens.

It’s Day 3 of Storytelling Week here on my blog. Each day, I’ll share a photography tip illustrated with one of my favorite photographs that I took this past April at the Sister’s Meal Festival in the province of Guizhou in southwest China.

The idea of this weeklong project: When you go to an event, on the other side of the world or on the other side of town, try to “tell the whole story” with your pictures.

Today’s tip: Get up-close-and-personal.

I guess I could have titled this post “Don’t be shy,” because you simply can’t be shy when photographing events. You need to get up-close and personal with your subjects to tell your story.

If possible, try to frame a subject with another subject, as I did here. See yesterday’s post for info on how to get everything in the scene in focus, as illustrated here.

When shooting close, it’s especially important to know your camera settings. You simply can’t waste time fussing around with buttons and dials to get a good exposure. You need to shoot and scoot.

Want more travel photo info? My current app, 24/7 Photo Buffet, offers dozens of photo tips for photographers on the go – even HDR photographers.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. Shoot me an email if you are interested in joining my 2011 China workshops. I will have some guest pros leading some workshops, too. Email me: Rick Sammon at mac.com