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for
TIPS
Natural Looking

Travel Portraits

A photographic tip for each day of the week

Mitchell Kanashkevich

A word from the author

Seven Tips is a series of ebooks aimed at helping you to improve your photography with a tip for each day of
the week.
My field of expertise is travel photography, so the content is based around that. However, travel
photography is such a broad topic and touches on so many aspects of photography that virtually anyone who
is into photography in general can benefit from the tips included.
The entire Seven Tips ebook series is completely free. If you like what you see, please spread the word and
direct other photography enthusiasts to Eyevoyage.com.
I hope you enjoy the first ebook of the series.

Mitchell Kanashkevich

About the author

Mitchell Kanashkevich is a travel, documentary photographer and a best-selling ebook
writer. He constantly travels the world in search of images of unique cultures and
stunning places.
His work has appeared in some of the worlds top travel and photography magazines
(National Geographic Traveler, Vanity Fair, Lonely Planet Traveler, Geographical UK)
on book covers, in ad campaigns and has made its way into private photo collections
around the world.

TIPS

for Natural Looking Travel Portraits

Introduction
Its tough to point out what makes a good travel portrait. It is, however, pretty safe to say that
there is an essential characteristic that any kind of portrait must share. The person in front of
the camera shouldnt look awkward, uncomfortable, or be visibly affected by the photographers
presence. Your portrait subject should look natural in your image.
Creating natural looking travel portraits is something that I have regularly strived to achieve
on my own photographic journeys. Throughout the years, I have developed certain ideas and
techniques which have helped me achieve my aims time and time again.
In this eBook, I will share what I feel to be seven of the most important tips for creating natural
looking travel portraits.
As a side note, I want to mention that photographing people is a sensitive area. I urge all of you
to be respectful in all of your actions. None of our photographic subjects are there for the sake
of our amusement; they are all human beings with emotions, feelings and needs. Please keep
this in mind. No matter how much you want to photograph your subjects, dont overstep certain
boundaries.

Interact and
communicate

In portrait photography,
communication is often a must.
Some people simply wont agree to
be photographed without knowing
our intentions; even those that agree
will usually feel more comfortable
with some level of interaction. A
comfortable person in front of the
camera almost always leads to a more
natural looking portrait.
The level of interaction and
communication required to make a
person comfortable differs. Sometimes
eye contact, a nod, or a smile is
enough. Other times, we might need
to explain ourselves and in certain
cases, we really need to talk and to
connect with the person before we can
proceed to make images.
Communication does not need
to come directly from you. If you
cant speak the language, you can
communicate through someone who
can translate.
I find that communication can
be particularly important when
my portrait sessions take more
time. In such cases, I like to keep
communicating either by myself or
through someone else. This way
I avoid awkward silence and keep
the person in front of the camera
comfortable.

Quick story about the photo

My wife and I met this woman outside of her house in a small village in Belarus. She was elderly, small, and alone,
but saw no threat in us and invited us inside. By default, a couple (boy and girl) is perceived as less threatening. I
knew that the woman would not feel comfortable being photographed right away; things just dont work that way
in her culture. It helps to understand these details.
I have a genuine interest in people. I feel most people are receptive to it, which allows them to open up. I was
born in Belarus and speak her language, so, we chatted. I told her that I was photographing traditions and culture
in the Belarusian countryside. She told me her story. She is a widow. She mostly lives for her children. The
spinning wheel is used to make socks for her grandson in the city.
After I established rapport, I asked to photograph her. She understood that and by the time the question came up,
she knew enough about me to be fine with the idea. The process was natural, as I believe was the resulting image.

Be a fly on the
wall

This tip can be approached in two ways.

The first might seem contradictory to
the previous.
One way that you can be a fly
on the wall or in other words an
invisible observer, is by keeping the
communication to a bare minimum.
This approach is rarely challenging in
short photographic sessions. If you are
taking photographs for an extended
period of time however, your subjects
will likely want an explanation of why
you are there.
Sometimes, when a friend or a
translator can do the talking, I arrange
for them to explain and to interact on
my behalf. I intentionally avoid making
a connection. I dont want the subject
to pay attention to me and to start
interacting with me in any way.
Some photo journalists prefer this
approach because its so unobtrusive.
One personal suggestion I have is that
after you finish your shoot, dont just
leave. A simple smile or a quick chat
is the least you can do to thank your
subject for gifting you a look into their
world.
Another way to become an invisible
observer involves more time. You can
go the route of communicating and
establishing a connection yourself.

By spending enough time with your

subjects, you will not be as much of a
novelty anymore. How quickly you can
achieve this will vary a lot. Sometimes
it depends on how exposed your
subjects are to foreigners.
Once you are no longer a source of
amusement, you can ask the subject
to not pay attention to you and go on
shooting without any interaction for
minutes at a time.

Quick story about the photo

I took this photograph at a home-stay in Spiti Valley, India. I stayed a few
days, so my approach combined the two that I mentioned.
There was a lot of communication with the subjects through my friend and I
communicated and interacted however I could myself.
Because my aim was to make photos that appeared as if I was not at
the scene, my friend asked everyone not to pay attention to me. It was
impossible at first, but after a couple of days my presence was not even
amusing to the little girl, and it is hard not to be amusing to children in such
remote places. The morning that I took this photo she didnt even notice me
when she woke up.

Be an observer
of people

Keen observation of people is of

utmost importance if your aim is to
make natural looking portraits.
Observe peoples body language.
There are myriad details that you
should pay attention to. Posture,
movement, and facial expressions can
all differ from culture to culture.
Through observation you build a
sort of a knowledge-base of body
language, of the way your potential
subjects behave and react to things
in general. This knowledge will help
you to make sense of what youre
seeing and will inform how you should
approach the subject.
Sometimes a subjects body language
might appear uninteresting or just not
photo-worthy to the untrained eye.
But when you have trained yourself,
you can better recognize what makes
for an interesting portrait. You will
also know when to intervene and do
something to break the ice or when to
step back and let things unfold.
A common example is when the
camera is pointed at children. Often
they squirm or twist their bodies in the
most unusual manner. Their parents
or other adults tell them to take
their hands away from their faces, to
look into the camera, or to stand up
straight.

Quick story about the photo

The untrained photographer thinks
that the pose is not acceptable for
a photograph. However, if youre
a keen observer of people, these
unusual poses tell much more
about the subject. You will come
to recognize the characteristics
that make for a much more natural
looking and engaging portrait.

I met this girl with my friend in Tigray, a remote, mountainous region in

Ethiopia. Like most girls her age, she was shy. When we spoke to her,
she answered very quietly, smiled, covered her mouth, and avoided eye
contact. I realized that if I captured this particular moment, Id be making
a photo that would be very telling of the girls character. I took a few quick
exposures.
I was lucky that I acted quickly because my friend, being untrained at that
stage, thought that such pose was inappropriate. He asked her to look at
us and uncover her face. When she did, the moment of magic was gone.
Thankfully, it remained on my cameras memory card.

Frame out awkward body

language, get up close

If youve been observing people,

youll recognize that sometimes
pointing a camera at them results in
body language which is awkward,
unnatural, and not interesting
photographically.
In some cultures, people assume
certain poses before being
photographed. In India, for example,
people in rural areas often have their
Im-being-photographed pose: body
straight, arms by sides like a soldier.
It transforms a potentially natural
looking portrait into something
contrived and stiff.
In other cases, the subjects might not
look right for reasons that are tough
to pinpoint. Previous observations
will help you decide whether the pose
is unusual, but interesting, or simply
awkward and uninspiring.

In many instances, the awkwardness

only happens below the face. The
face and the way the subject looks
into the camera are frequently still
engaging and photogenic. I focus
on these engaging qualities and
frame out the hints of awkward,
unnatural looking body language.
If youre having trouble, focusing
on the eyes is almost always a safe
option.
It pains me to exclude some of the
amazing costumes and ornaments.
Sometimes, I almost feel like
this is cheating, but when given
the choice of getting a strong
photograph or one which just
doesnt feel right, I will always
choose the former.

Quick story about the photo

This mans name is Gonko. He belongs to the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia. Over a
few days, I got what I felt were great images of him while he was going about
his daily activities. However, when I attempted a formal portrait of him, he
gave me a pose that was very straight and stiff.
I had a limited window of opportunity to get a strong photograph. He had
things to do and I couldnt keep him waiting. He had a captivating look, but no
matter what I tried, his poses kept looking awkward and forced. There was no
sense to frame wide, so I came in closer and worked with the strengths of my
subject.

Photograph
your subjects
doing something
familiar to them

When your subjects are doing

something that is familiar to them,
their mindset is different from when
they are simply sitting or standing
in front of the camera. They are
less likely to pay attention to being
photographed. This factor can
ultimately lead to more natural
looking portraits.
One way to take advantage of
knowing this is when we photograph
in the streets; particularly in countries
where a lot of life takes place outdoors
in the public domain. You can
photograph people engaged in various
activities, doing chores, working,
playing and so on.
These kinds of portraits are likely to
look very natural, but because the
people are paying less attention to
you, there might not be the immediacy
that eye contact brings.
If you do want that immediacy, theres
a trick that can be very effective. I
briefly interrupt the person I am
photographing by saying something,
myself or through a translator. This
gets their attention so they look at me
and I take a quick photo. In such case,
the person usually reacts in a purer
way which makes for a more natural
portrait.

Quick story about the photo

The ideas I mention in this tip can be
taken further. If youve established
rapport with your subject, you can
think of an activity that is familiar
to them and might make for a good
photograph. I might, for example,
suggest that the person I want to
photograph makes tea. I photograph
while they are making tea and, if
I want eye contact, the same trick
applies.

On the streets of Jaisalmer, India, I spotted two children transporting

mattresses on their heads. One of them was a small girl who, even from far
away, seemed very photogenic to me.
In India, photographing children in the streets can be really fun, but it can
also be challenging. They act for the camera and their level of excitement
can easily get out of control. In this case, the girl was working. She wasnt
in the position to strike poses or joke around.
I interrupted her through the sheer fact that I came towards her. I raised the
camera, she paused and glanced at me for a second with a smile, I took the
photo, and she continued her work.

Photograph
when the subject
is looking away
from the camera

For some people, looking directly into

the camera is too confrontational. It
might be much more natural for them
to look away; or they might look
much less awkwardmore comfortable
looking away.
A direct look might give a portrait a
formal, less natural feel. A look to the
side lends a kind of casualness.
Sometimes, I photograph people
looking away while they do it on their
own accord. Other times, I create a
situation where they will look in a
certain direction.
One way to get people to look in a
different direction is to simply ask
them. Often, I ask my subject to look
through a window or to look at some
object or spot. This isnt possible
all the time, as some people wont
necessarily be ready to follow your
instructions, but it is the most straight
forward method when it works.
Having another person with you will
maximize your chances of succeeding.
A translator, guide, or friend can stand
to the side of you and talk to the
subject. The subject will naturally look
in that direction so you can take the
photo.

Quick story about the photo

Not having anyone with you who
speaks the local language is not a
problem. Sometimes, I ask my wife
to stand in a certain spot and, for the
subject to look to the side, I ask her to
either talk to me suddenly, to cough
loudly, or to make any sudden sound
that demands a bit of attention. The
person looks in her direction and I get
the shot. If the subject is a child, this
process can be more playful.

The man in the image is a sulfur miner by the name of Paing. We became
friends while I photographed at Ijen Crater in Java, Indonesia, where he
worked.
I wanted a kind of a casual, natural looking, environmental portrait of Paing
in his surroundings. While he had no problem looking into the camera, I just
felt that such a portrait was not natural, nor casual.
Being friends, I developed a certain level of rapport with Paing. To get
him to look off camera, I asked if he could to look at a mountaintop in the
distance (its always good to be specific in your directions). He looked away
and I quickly made the exposure I needed.

Photograph the pose

after the pose

This approach is about making the

subject comfortable with being
photographed and capturing the
most natural possible pose. As Ive
already alluded to, the very act
of being photographed can cause
undesirable reactions that dont look
great in photographs. People pose,
they become shy, or look awkward.
If there are hints that a person is
not going to be at ease with being
photographed, rather than wait, I
actually begin shooting as soon as
possible. I dont necessarily aim to get
anything good at this stage. I shoot
to assess just what I can do with the
subject photographically while easing
their shyness or awkwardness. With

every click, they may be getting

more comfortable or at least
showing me what to expect. I might
also show the image to him or her
on the cameras display so that the
person understands exactly what I
am doing and feels less intimidated
or overwhelmed.
Once the novelty or the weirdness
of being photographed wears off, I
take a very quick pause. Depending
on how the person reacts, I either
ask for a certain pose or look, or I
make a few quick exposures while
they are back to being themselves
or being introspective and
forgetting about the camera.

Quick story about the photo

The young monk is from a monastery deep in the mountains of Sikkim, India.
He was actually a very serious character. Once I pointed the camera his way, he
stopped cleaning butter lamps and gave me a very formal pose. I took a few
photos and showed him the cameras display. His reaction was as if he wanted
to say, Ok, you got my photo. Now I can get back to my work.
He got back to cleaning the lamps. I obviously was not happy with his formal
poses, so after a few seconds of watching him work, I made a few more
exposures. He raised his head and looked at me while cleaning a lamp, and I
got the natural pose for the photograph I wanted.

Keep Learning!
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Tell the world!

Final words

The ebooks I write are something I wish I had when I was starting

You now know some of the most important tips for getting natural

out in photography. Through the ebooks I want to share the ideas

looking travel portraits. One of the first steps you can take upon

and the knowledge Ive gained over the years with everyone

the completion of this ebook is to visualize various situations and

hungry to know, to learn and to experiment.

to imagine yourself applying the tips to them.

It gives me great pleasure that somewhere around the world,

Of course with people photography, you only improve significantly

virtually any photo enthusiast, perhaps not unlike myself can

when you actually get out into the field and gain practical

download this ebook for absolutely free and hopefully gain

experience. The more people you meet, the more you shoot, the

something from it.

more you will improve. So, what are you waiting for?

These ebooks and many more will be a regular feature at Eye

Voyage. Please, share the love, spread the word and tell the world!
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all images and text copyright Mitchell Kanashkevich 2013