Photograph the Best of the Holiday Season with These 3 Tips

Photographing holidays and national celebrations is one of the greatest parts of travel photography. In fact, holidays and celebrations are the perfect time to become a tourist in your own town and make the festivities all the more fun. You’ll also find plenty of subjects during these festive times– the Military parades, concerts, decorated streets, historical characters, and, of course, fireworks are a few things you’ll find.

Every event is unique and each country has its own way of doing things; that is what makes everything interesting. Looking for examples? Think of the 4th of July fireworks (for USA national day), the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Norway’s Constitution Day, Bastille Day (France National Day), Tomatina (tomato fight in Spain). All these involve grandiose parties, streets full of people, decorated cities, and a lot of energy.

Here are some tips to take advantage of these special days.

Prepare in advance

The good part about these national or local celebrations is their periodicity. You know exactly when it’s going to happen and you can plan ahead. Additionally, you can know the event’s agenda and highlights in advance. There are some things to keep in mind when you prepare for a public event:

• Don’t use heavy gear. You will probably stand for the entire event, so pack a small backpack with many batteries and memory cards. Pack only one or two lenses and one camera.
• Mount the filters you want to use before going to the event. Crowded places are not ideal for switching filters, so mount everything you need before. You can use overlapping filters, like a color enhancing filter, a polarizing filter, and a UV filter, but keep in mind that too many filters can go into the frame and ruin your pictures.
• If it is a moving event (parade, carnival etc.) try to use the same camera settings for a longer period of time. Use Auto mode if you are not comfortable changing the settings fast.
• Night scenes require a tripod.
• Crowds and street events look better with wide lenses but use a telephoto lens if you are going to take pictures from distance.

Small details change everything

There are some small details which can say everything there is to know about the celebration you take part in (i.e. the location, the time of the year, the specifics of the event). Typically, these are flags, emblems, posters or costumes, but they can also be boxes of tomatoes, Christmas ornaments, masks or totems.

There is no fixed rule on how to integrate these objects into your pictures. To begin, simply look for patterns and motifs and use them as background. If you see something extremely interesting, make it the main subject, even if it is a little object like an anniversary coin, for example.

Respect the local rules

If you are in a foreign country and take part in their celebrations, respect the local rules. This is extremely important when it is a religious or spiritual celebration. Some traditional celebrations might also have special rules for men and women, a specific dressing code or behavior. Respect their rules by not interfering or making fun of them. Doing so is inappropriate. Not to mention, masses of people can become dangerous when they get angry.

Photographing special events is a joy and a privilege. Keep in mind that not many people have the chance to take part in national or local celebrations, especially when traveling is required. Stay alert and don’t miss anything. Get close-ups and panoramas, go among people or use a roof as your tripod. Be creative and frame the energy that surrounds you. And remember: As a general rule, the photographer must be invisible, impartial, and impassive.