Istanbul | Travel Photography Tips | Don’t Forget To Take An Establishing Shots

© 2012 Wazari Wazir | Eminonu | Istanbul Turkey

Have you ever read any travel photography magazines lately? Have you look at their centre spread? Normally most travel; magazines, especially when the article focus on one particular city or country will use a centre spread to put an establishing shot, normally it will involved a wide angle view of certain places, main attraction of that particular place, to put context to the photograph and also a way to introduce the viewers  to the geographical location of a particular scene just like in the movie.

This establishing shot does not look great in small size, because it is complicated, there is so many activists going on and if you share it whether online or in prints media in small size, the impact will be less felt, so an establishing shot will work great for full spread pages in the magazines or in centre spread.

I f you wanted to write a photography essay for a magazines, it is good to start with an establishing shot before you goes into details of any particular scene or subject, an establishing shots help to tell the viewers where those details shot taking place. So the very next time, you visit any particular country or place, don’t forget to take an establishing shot first from various angle, to set the scene before you goes into details shot like a portrait or peple doing there activities in close up.

This photograph were taken at Emoninu, a famous meeting place for the people of Istanbul, yes it is busy everyday, not just during weekend, busy most of the time. Can you imagine if I share this picture in small size, you can hardly see what’s going on there, so this shot might not look great because it’s complex and so many subject screams for your attention, there is not one point of interest but many, that’s why it was called an establishing shot, to set the scene before you get real close to the action in close up.

Emononu is not very far from the famous Blue Mosque or Aya Sofya, in fact if you are not in a hurry, you can walk from Aya Sofya to this meeting place in less than half an hour and if you took the Metro or Tram from Sultanahmet Tram Station which is located next to Blue Mosque (the fees is just two Lira/USD1.10 as of April 2012 ), you can reach this area in less than ten minutes. Have fun traveling.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” 

– Augustine Hippo –

Related post : Istanbul at Dusk From Galata Bridge