Page 81 - All About History - Issue 54-17

Interview

Take a winning photo

Rebecca Greig, reviews editor for Digital Photographer,
offers top tips for photographing historic sites

Get there early — or late Check the rules
Photographers call the period shortly after Many historic buildings and museums have strict
sunrise or before sunset the ‘golden hour’. guidelines about photography. For example, some
Terracotta Warriors The daylight at these times is redder and don’t allow you to use flash bulbs as they may
softer, producing better images. Tourists are damage paintings and other exhibits. Tripods are
also less likely to be at popular attractions also often prohibited as they take up too much
at these times to walk through your shot. space. Check the rules before you visit.

The Alamo

Do you think history can adequately
be summed up in 140 characters?
I don’t think it can, but then again I don’t think
you can really do World War I any justice in only
an hour of television. What you can give people,
however, is a taste and possibly pique their
interest. You can also give them some context, so
when Donald Trump says “No one in history has
been treated as badly as I have”, you can quickly
demolish that argument.
What other mediums are you keen
to reach people through?
I’ve always been uniquely bad at picking a winner.
I spend a huge amount of time on Twitter, but
it’s no longer the dominant force that it used to Let there be light Keep it straight Look for details
be. I’m doing a lot on Facebook at the moment, The insides of old buildings When it comes to photographs Many old buildings boast
but of course the kids aren’t around on Facebook are often a bit dark, but as of buildings, ensuring that the beautiful ornaments
anymore so I’m reluctantly having to get up to we’ve said, some historical verticals and horizontals are like statues or carved
speed with Snapchat — it’s a never-ending battle sites don’t allow flash straight is the key to a good patterns. Rather than
trying to photograph a
photography. Instead, simply
image. If you can’t use a tripod,
where social media is concerned. But I do think increase the ISO setting of turn on the compositional whole monument, consider
that virtual and augmented realities are absolutely your camera to compensate gridlines and use them to focusing on these details ©Getty Images, Alamy, Dan Snow, BBC.
made for history. For example, you can no longer for the low light. Most help compose your image — as a way of framing your
go into Tutankhamun’s tomb as the moisture from cameras will be able to reach simply line up the vertical and shot. Look above doorways,
ISO 6400 without noise horizontal lines with the grid windows and around
our breath causes too much damage, but VR could
being too much of an issue. to ensure everything is straight. rooftops for such features.
transport you there.
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