They say a picture can speak a thousand words. When it comes to growing delegate attendance for your next conference, consider using photographs of the destination with a unique perspective to capture delegates’ attention. Three Winnipeg photographers with a flair for capturing a city’s beauty give some tips and tricks on how to showcase a local landmarks and streetscapes from a fresh, engaging perspective.
Meet April Carandang
April is a photographer in Winnipeg on Instagram @peggrammer. She captures everyday streetscapes, quirky scenes, beautiful moments and peak experiences with a goal of creating compelling photos that inspire the community.
Top photography tips:
The best camera is the one you have with you
I do a lot of active transportation and usually walk or bike to work. Having my phone with me in my pocket during my commute makes it easy for me to capture something as soon as I see it. There are a lot of interesting things happening in a split second and there is no time to fumble with a camera. So, use your phone! Phone camera nowadays are more than capable of taking a nice photo.
Keep lines straight
Pay attention to your lines when taking photos. Always make sure to keep the horizon straight. Do the same for horizontal and vertical lines in the photo. As human beings, we generally prefer straight, levelled lines instead of odd angles. Doing so strikes a visual balance to the photo.
Use foreground elements
In my photos, I try to add a foreground before the subject just to keep things interesting. Usually get my camera low enough to get the bushes or grass in the photo. Doing so gives “depth” to the photo making the audience feel like they are in the scene.
Get out and take photos when people won’t
Interesting photos are usually scenes that aren’t seen every day. That hour before sunrise or sunset produces beautiful light that makes the city colours more saturated. Snowstorms and rainy days are also great opportunities to capture that one-of-a-kind photo. Go out and explore but also make sure it is safe to do so.
Meet Salvador Maniquiz
Salvador Maniquiz is the creator behind the Instagram account @pongtravels and his passion for the city shines through in his account. He is an amateur photographer who shares stunning images from his travels and hometown city in unique and inspiring ways.
Top photography tips:
Seek higher ground
I am fortunate to live in a condo building downtown that has access to a rooftop where I get to shoot some interesting downtown scenes, but if you do not have access to something similar, do not despair. You do not even need to go that high to get a higher up perspective of Winnipeg. You can shoot from the rooftop of the Forks parkade, or through the glass tower from inside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Also, take advantage of local events like Doors Open Winnipeg, where some buildings give the public access to normally inaccessible areas, like the rooftop of the Artspace building over at the Exchange.
Know your golden and blue hours
The golden hour occurs just after sunrise and before sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon, which gives the light an orange or golden tone. Blue hour arrives shortly before sunrise and after sunset, which gives the sky a beautiful deep blue colour. The architecture in the city looks beautiful during these hours as the light is not harsh. I am particularly a fan of the Exchange District during golden hour.
Meet Anthony Urso
Anthony Urso is a Winnipeg-based photographer and explorer (Instagram @anthony_urso), specializing in cityscape/landscape photography. Anthony makes it his mission to showcase Winnipeg in its best light to its residents and the world, along with showing people different sides of the city.
Top photography tips:
Light can make or break an image
Try to capture your building or landmark in the most flattering lighting. Pay attention to the shadows, do they hide important aspects? Do they enhance the structure? Try capturing dramatic light, capture a sunrise or sunset. This may take multiple attempts to get a good sunset/sunrise, but it's usually worth it. The absence of light may also be useful. Try shooting at night. If the structure has artificial lights shooting at night can achieve quite dramatic images.
Don’t think like a tourist
Take a look at your subject of interest, imagine you're a tourist with your phone out trying to take a photo to post on facebook. Once you have that image in your mind you'll need to take it and make a mental note to get anything but that. Thousands of people may view said object every day, but most view it from the same view/place. Try and find a different angle.
That may mean acquiring special access to surrounding buildings to photograph from balconies or roofs, or using drones to acquire aerial photos. Finding different perspectives doesn't just mean finding high ground though, you can also try getting low, very low. In general, if you've never seen the angle or view before you're on the right track.
Try going out in different seasons
Capture your landmark or building covered in snow, or maybe surrounded in fall colour. Weather can be used to create a wow factor to an image. Maybe there are dramatic clouds over a building, or a lightning strike behind the building. All those things can make an image stand out.
Consider a time lapse
There may be hundreds of images of your location, but is there any video? Consider taking a time lapse of some nice clouds or a beautiful sunset with your location.
