Different angles on well-known places

The Taj Mahal, India, from across the River Jumna © Philip Dunn

How do you find new angles and avoid the hackneyed shot? It's not always easy, but here Philip Dunn explains how you can bring a fresh approach to familiar scenes.

QUESTIONS
When you arrive at a famous tourist venue it is natural and right that you should take the standard view. But as you are going through the motions of gathering these photographs your mind should be working overtime. Look around you. Think what the place will look like if, for instance, you move some distance away and photograph it with a telephoto lens. Ask yourself questions. Will you get a clear, uninterrupted shot from a distance? Is it possible to find an elevated position from which to take pictures? A rooftop, an upstairs window? Don't be afraid to knock on a door and ask if you can use such a vantage point, especially in foreign countries where people are often much more understanding and less suspicious.

LIGHT
Remember to consider the dramatic effect that different lighting can have on a subject. Perhaps it is worth revisiting the spot very early in the morning when there might be soft side light and morning mist. Maybe it would be best to return at dusk when you can mix the different temperatures of artificial and natural light. The chances of capturing a unique picture are greatly enhanced if you plan your visit for times when few other photographers are likely to be around. See the section on LIGHT

CLASSIC
The picture above of the Taj Mahal was achieved because I could raise little interest in the classic shot of the Taj. I walked along the wall that runs beside the river Jumna and realised that there would be a very different viewpoint from the other side of the river. Over there was another world without a tourist in sight. I could actually see the ploughman working in the fields on the far bank. Now if I could only get across the river and use the Taj as a background for the picture of the ploughman...

If you want something in India you only have to ask. In no time at all I had found a man with a boat to take me to the far side of the river. I spent a good couple of hours exploring and taking pictures, many of which have sold several times, but the picture above has sold best of all. Why?

TIMELESS
The photograph has captured the obvious fact that within the shadow of one of the world's most famous and well-visited tourist spots, real India carries on regardless. People go about their daily work without a thought for the tourists. And, if you look carefully at the photograph you will see that, apart from the man's cotton vest, the picture is timeless. It might have been taken a century, or even two or three centuries ago. That timeless quality, in addition to the unusual viewpoint, means that the photograph hits the mark.

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See also - A sense of place