Holiday pictures: From disastrous to desirable

YOU RETURN FROM your vacation - schmoozing in Paris, riding in Mongolia, backpacking in Europe - and are excited to show your holiday pictures to friends and family.

Then you look at your photographs and find they don't look anything like what you saw - they turned out blur, too 'busy', or just so wrong that you cannot pin down the cause.

You can avoid these mistakes, says photographer Ian Lloyd, whose photos have appeared in National Geographic, Time and Gourmet magazines. And you don't need professional equipment to take good vacation pictures, he says. All you need do is follow a few simple rules.

I showed Mr Lloyd my holiday pictures and those of my friends, and asked him to critique them. His comments, and tips for turning holiday snapshots into prized pictures, follow:

Iconic architecture, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Pyramids of Egypt or the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is a staple for most tours. So how come your photographs of these great structures look like HDB blocks?

Ian Lloyd says: Buildings need front or side lighting. It's the same with statues. They are usually dark so you want light on them. People benefit from back light. Buildings don't. You need to find interesting light. Walk around the building until you find it.

A photo also needs to show architectural details to give the building shape. Vary the angle. For a tall building, try getting close and angle upwards.

Shoot at twilight when the light from inside the building balances the light outside. That's the magic moment when the sun goes down and the building lights come on - before it gets really dark outside.

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Not this (left): The face and the beard, not the clothes, are the most interesting features about this man. So why shoot sideways? Were you too scared to go closer?
But this (right): Getting up close and personal, and in his face, is the way to shoot portraits. The character lines, the expression and the texture of the jacket make this man come alive.

If your pictures are not working, you're probably not close enough. That's what war photographer Robert Capa believed, until he went too close one time and was blown up.

Ian Lloyd says: Most people tend not to get close because they are afraid or are in a rush.

You need to get close and concentrate on the details of a person: whether it's his face or his costume. If it's his costume, make sure the background doesn't detract from it.

If it's a group shot of many people, make sure the light on all the subjects is even and soft so no one ends up squinting or is in shadow. Place them in the shade with a simple, interesting background.

It's not about the background, it's about the people. When these people get the photo, they will immediately look out for their own faces, so take a few pictures in succession. Some of them will blink. Tell the group that if they can't see you, the photographer, you won't be able to 'see' them in the picture.

Also, avoid self-portraits where you hold your camera and snap yourself. Better just get someone else to take your picture.

Everybody loves panoramic shots of mountains and sea views. But can you capture them in a special way?

Ian Lloyd says: In scenery shots, mountains can appear so small that you can't tell how big they are. Focus on a small sliver of mountain, or concentrate on an interesting part of it.

Photograph in the early morning or evening; midday light is not advised. But beach scenes look best in the middle of the day. The sun comes down and makes the water look blue and the sands white. But if it's an overcast day, everything on the beach is going to look white - the sun, the sand, and the water will look grey.

This refers to the shots taken through a window, from a coach, a plane or even a bullet train. But most times, we just end up with the reflection of the bus.

Ian Lloyd says: Even a few inches away from the window will mess with the autofocus on the camera and cause reflection to occur.

Point the lens right up against the bus window with the lens touching the glass so that there will be no reflection. Sometimes the windows are not clean, so you have to find a clean spot of glass otherwise spots will appear on the picture.

When there's insufficient light, pictures usually turn out blur or underexposed (pictures that are dark), or both.

Ian Lloyd says: When at night, rest the camera on a lamp post or car top, to keep it steady. Set your camera's ASA setting (or ISO setting) to the maximum.

Mr Ian Lloyd will hold masterclass workshops on digital techniques and skills on Sept 30 and Oct 01. Visit www.rianlloyd.com or www.canon.com.sg for further information.