Everyone brings a camera to Manuel Antonio on their vacation but does everyone take good photos? If you’re one of those people who is more disappointed than pleased with your vacation snapshots, that’s all about to change.

My photos have appeared on book and magazine covers, calendars, posters and every imaginable medium including stamps. An artist once called and asked my permission to paint a 22 foot reproduction of one of my orangutan photos on the outside wall of a restaurant. Several years ago my photo agent in New York assigned codes to everything, so I’ve lost track of exactly where my stuff ends up but the checks keep coming.

Confession time – I’m not a great master at lighting techniques or an expert at all the bells and whistles today’s cameras have to offer. I hate bells and whistles and although I’ve been taking photographs for 25 years, I’ve never had a dark room either. My talent comes more from choosing fascinating subjects and having infinite patience to capture special moments that take place in front of my camera lens. I was also fortunate enough to take classes from National Geographic photographers at UCLA. The 3 secrets I learned from them and am about to share with you will make a dramatic difference in your travel photos. The beauty of these 3 secrets is their simplicity.

Secret #1: Never, Ever Center Your Main Subject

Everyone puts their main subject in the middle of their photo. Bor-ing. When you place your subject off-center viewers sense there’s something different about your photo. Though they may not consciously know exactly why, they’re compelled to take a closer look. Have a look at my Orangutan in the Mist shot. I added a grid to give you several placement options. To compose an attention-grabbing photo you can put your main subject wherever the lines cross or even within any box other than the center one. Just remember to first focus your subject in the center by pressing the shutter half way then without releasing the shutter shift your camera so your subject is where you want it. Next, gently press the shutter the rest of the way. Your subject will remain in focus.

Secret #2: Shoot Everything Twice

Cameras are constructed in a horizontal format, so it feels natural to take photos that way. However, for every photo you take in a horizontal format, stand your camera on its side and take another in a vertical format. Some subjects lend themselves to the vertical format like tall trees or skyscrapers as in the previous photo. When I wrote photo illustrated books and magazine articles the two formats allowed art directors to wrap the text around my photos in different and interesting ways. If every page looked the same it would soon become monotonous. If you’re putting together a travel blog or a scrapbook you’ll have several options of how to make the text and photos flow together in an appealing way.

Secret #3: The Rule of 3

Whenever you have a choice isolate 3 zebras, flowers, monkeys or whatever in your frame. Let’s say you’re photographing the wildebeest migration in Kenya in July. There are a million of them crossing the Serengeti Plains and you take several photographs of that. Next, turn your attention to just 3 of them and photograph that. Visually, 3 of any subject adds balance and symmetry to your photos. It’s not only appealing to the eye; it can result in an extraordinary glimpse into something ordinary. If 3 isn’t an option you can still achieve symmetry with an odd number like 5 or 7. There were actually 4 orangutan orphans eating sugar cane in this photo but I shifted my camera to the right to eliminate one of them from the frame.

Now, you don’t always have a choice. In my Orangutan in the Mist photo there was only 1 orangutan climbing the tree but I glanced around to see how else I might incorporate the Rule of 3. Look at the upper two squares on the right. There was another tree in my frame but I shifted my camera slightly to the left to isolate 3 branches in the background. The Rule of 3 doesn’t always have to be the obvious but can still serve to add symmetry to your photo.

Parting Shot: Take the Picture!

You’re not always going to be faced with ideal conditions or have the time to run through these 3 Secrets in your mind. When in doubt or if you’re confused – take the damn picture! Photography is all about freezing a moment in time. I’ve taken photos when I didn’t even have a second to focus. A memorable one is of these 2 orangutans in the Borneo rain forest. This photo made the cover of a French magazine for an issue titled “Gestures of Love – Tenderness and Rites of Love Among Primates.” Was I perfectly happy with the photo? No, but ooh-la-la, how often do you get a chance to photograph orangutans kissing?

Was this information helpful? Would you like more travel photo tips? What else would you like to know about Manuel Antonio? How I can help you have the best vacation of your life here? Let me know, I’m here to serve.

Evelyn Gallardo

Your Inside Guide to Manuel Antonio

http://www.discoverybeachouse.com