Focus on street images for more memorable vacation photos

Under a bridge along the pathway back to the river cruise ship, I noticed this musician entertaining the passersby. Most paid no attention to his presence, so I turned my camera on him to take advantage of both the graffiti and the lovely texture of the wall behind him. Although originally shot in colour, the RAW image was converted to B&W for a more fitting “street scene.”

We’ve all seen them, smiling faces standing like statues in front of tourist hot spots surrounded by hundreds of others waiting to get the exact same photo.

Sitting through photo after photo of “Here’s us in front of …..” get’s a little tiring for friends and family, but include some more “interesting” images and you might just have a very captive audience.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for these images among your vacation snaps. After all, what would a European vacation be without a shot in front of the magnificent cathedral, the impressive fountain or the incredible view of the Alps. Nothing says “I was there” better than a snapshot at the scene.

But don’t forget to get your creative juices flowing by experimenting with more memorable images that capture the true experience of going to an unfamiliar place. Take the time to embrace the real culture of the area, roam some of the backstreets and bring home some truly memorable images of a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

I was walking some backstreets in Heidelberg Germany looking for interesting images when I spotted this young girl walking toward me. As she walked past, I turned to capture her confidently walking down the cobblestone street past bikes heading to “who knows where” but with the confidence and sense of purpose that made me take notice. For the purpose of this “street photography” post, I converted the image to B&W, but her pink sweater and faded blue jeans and backdrop of pastel houses makes the scene as good in colour as it is in BW. (See the colour version below.)

That’s exactly what I did during a recent two-week European vacation that started and ended in Switzerland with stops in picturesque towns and cities in, The Netherlands, France and Germany.

While other passengers on the river cruise were entertained by the guide explaining the historical significance of certain tourist hot spots, I wandered off in search of more interesting images on side streets, at cafes and through shop windows.

The following is a small sampling of some of the “street” images I was able to capture, with explanations of why I was attracted to the scenes.

While my wife shopped in this well-known German Christmas store, I stayed outside looking for interested images. This young woman decorating a store window caught my eye and I shot several images of her arranging elements in the window. Shooting through windows is a common “street shooting” theme, but being able to photograph a worker decorating the window for Christmas was just too good to pass up.

Outdoor patios are such an important part of the culture in most European cities that it’s only natural to try to capture a taste of it. This waitress was setting up for lunch making capturing her coming through the doorway simply a matter of patience.

Bicyclists are an important part of the European culture. Walking the backstreets allowed me to capture this image, a quintessential European scene.

The iconic bike street scene. I was particularly attracted to the simplicity of the scene and the monochromatic look.

Another bike image. The shape of the bike attracted my attention as well as being able combine the three elements to complete the picture. The reflection in the windows also adds to the scene.

Look for small details

Again, wandering down the side streets, I stumbled upon a florist with a permanent four-legged friend.

Sometimes a scene presents itself and all you have to do is wait for the right subject to pass through it. This fellow looking at his phone walking away from a scooter was to good to ignore.

An iconic scene of an outdoor cafe in Germany. Waiting for the right moment adds to the simplicity of the scene. Moments before the image was taken, tourists milled about which would have turned the image into a touristy snapshot.

Searching for Simplicity

Finding simplicity in a touristy town is not always easy but with a little patience and a lot of luck, it’s possible. I was able to keep a very low profile by photographing with a Pentax Q miniature camera rather than a much larger DSLR camera and lens.

Pretty in Pink

This is the colour version of the image higher in the post. I love the soft pastel colours of the young girl’s sweater and jeans and the backdrop of coloured homes.

Rustic doorway

Our tour group stopped at a location to use the washrooms so I wandered around and found this old doorway complete with graffiti. The flowers at bottom right contrasts nicely with the vintage door.

This image was photographed in the same location as the BW image of the man and scooter above. I thought the woman’s red pants picked up on the red of the Lindt chocolate in the window and works better in colour than it would in BW.

Another outdoor cafe scene that captures the essence of a European city.

I noticed this well-dressed woman walking to the town centre earlier and came across her again people watching on a park bench. By moving around, I was able to add a little humour to the image by combining this colourfully dressed mannequin with the stylish woman.

I could not resist photographing this well-dressed gentlemen is his German attire.

Finally, I loved the vibrant colours of this woman’s clothing right down to her shoes and how her focus is trained on the beautiful pastries in the window of the highly acclaimed Cafe Gundel.