An interview with professional travel photographer Debbie Jefkin-Elnekave

Photography thoughts by Barbara Ganley, a lecturer in the Writing Program at Middlebury College and a teacher of creative expression.

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Tips & How-To


"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
—Robert Capa, Magnum

Robert Capa's advice still lingers in the minds of many of today's most influential photographers. In a day and age where technology increasingly connects us through phone calls, video chats, e-mails, and Google Earth, the time spent face-to-face with others is often overlooked. There is an inherent intimacy that people generate when traveling to new lands, experiencing unique cultures, feels, and smells, while developing a new sense of place. It is the experience of all our senses being thrust into new territory that heighten our perception of those things happening around us. In order to share our experiences with others through photographs, we need to keenly train the eye. We need to make ourselves aware and curious, to be up close and personal. Light, color, shapes, and motion are just a few aspects of photograph that heighten the senses and reaction of the viewer, and that make our shared stories come alive with emotion and meaning. We cannot always bring our friends and family along with us on our travels, but we can recreate scenes of experience through the still images by capturing the detail of life around us in varied, direct, and
artistic ways.

Frame your story. Play with the details of life happening around you. Get close.

—Remy Mansfield, Photo Content Manager


GENERAL INFORMATION

Photo.net
Everything photography resource with an incredible amount of information and many, many guides.

Geoff Lawrence
Tutorials for several aspects of photography from cameras, to technique, to printing.
Great all-in-one resource.

Photoxels
Digital photography for beginners guide with a solid overview of the elements of the camera.

National Press Photographers Association
Self-training resources for professional development.

TIPS

National Geographic Traveler
1) Five ways to use the Web—the world's largest photo gallery—to help you become a better photographer.

2) Photography Tips from National Geographic's Professional Photographers.
Overview of a few key points to keep in mind while photographing.

International Center of Photography (ICP) Photo Tips
List of tips. Great resources and class offerings at their school in NYC if you want to pursue your technique further.

Outdoor Photographer
A comprehensive list of photography techniques regularly updated with new articles. Search by subject, techniques, photoshop tutorials, and more

PHOTOGRAPHY (film & digital)

Outdoor Photographer
A comprehensive list of photography techniques regularly updated with new articles. Search by subject, techniques, photoshop tutorials, and more.

Photo.net
Making photographs: Light, lens, film, exposure, film or digital.

About.com
General information on "everything you need to know about photography."