Travel photos with people in them
A landmark on its own is a postcard. The same landmark with a person in it is a memory. Here is how to put people into travel photos without hiding the place they are standing in.
Scale the person to the story
Decide what the photo is about. If it is about the place, keep the person small: a figure on a bridge, a silhouette in a doorway. If it is about the person, step closer and let the place become the background.
Use leading lines
Streets, rails, rivers and stairs all draw the eye. Place your subject where those lines meet or end. The viewer’s eye travels through the scene and lands on the person.
Avoid the crowd
Popular places are busy at noon and quiet at dawn. Arrive early, or wait for a gap in the flow of people and shoot in bursts. A longer lens also helps: it narrows the view and leaves most of the crowd outside the frame.
Ask before you photograph strangers
Street portraits of locals can be the best photos of a trip, but ask first, and show them the result. Most people agree when you are friendly and clear about what you want. Respect a no without argument.
Tell a small story
Instead of one posed shot, take a short sequence: arriving, looking around, laughing at something off camera. Together they say more about the day than a single smile at the lens.