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To be a good photographer you need to live the vast spectrum of human experience

travel

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To be a good photographer you need to live the vast spectrum of human experience

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Hey folks,

How are you doing right now? I hope things are good wherever you are.

This is Diana today, hello!

The more we are in lockdown the more Anthony and I are asking ourselves, what are we learning from this experience? What can we do with this time to help us live and create things in a deeper, more fulfilling way?

How can we draw something from it that makes us more aware and more in touch with the vast spectrum of human experience?

Being human means that of course we naturally get to see and feel so many different types of experiences – incredible joyous moments, times laced with sadness and fear, long hours of boredom.

Everything is available to us.

“Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final.”
Rainer Maria Rilke

But I think so many of these experiences that we have, we throw away. We discard as unimportant or insignificant.

Because we are so used to thinking of our lives in terms of being either productive or pleasurable.

But when we are creative people, everything can feed our imaginations.

We escape the long moments of daily domesticity in our minds by thinking of other things – work, pleasure, dreams of travel and wild riches, perhaps.

We discard the gentle poignant moments of quiet at night to escape into our phones or into a book or the latest sensational news.

I read an article on Brain Pickings about the writer Rainer Maria Rilke, that brought the spectrum of human experience into the ideas and the awareness of life that we can use as creative people.

He wrote that in order to be a writer (but let’s substitute photographer or any creative pursuit) we must allow all of the different experiences that life can be.

“For the sake of a few lines one must see many cities, men and things. One must know the animals, one must feel how the birds fly and know the gesture with which the small flowers open in the morning.

One must be able to think back to roads in unknown regions, to unexpected meetings and to partings which one has long seen coming…

To childhood illness that so strangely began with a number of profound and grave transformations, to days in rooms withdrawn and quiet and to mornings by the sea, to the sea itself, to seas, to nights of travel that rushed along on high and flew with all the stars — and it is not yet enough if one may think of all of this.

One must have memories of many nights of love, none of which was like the others, of the screams of women in labor…

But one must also have been beside the dying, one must have sat beside the dead in the room with the open window and the fitful noises.”

To me this awareness and connection with the big and small moments of life is so very essential to our exploration as creative people.

Both “the gesture with which the small flowers open in the morning” and “to days in rooms withdrawn and quiet”.

And to know “mornings by the sea” and “to nights of travel that rushed along on high and flew with all the stars”.

As creative people we can use everything, every single thing that we experience to see what ideas, what thoughts, what things our imaginations and our minds do with this plethora of things.

We can soak it all in.

Let us choose to live in our life, not push it away from us – let us embrace everything that our life is and what we choose to do with it, or whatever is thrust upon us.

And now we are having a collective time of isolation – that perhaps feels terribly lonely, or wonderful in it’s solitude or strange in the time-emptying-out of activities. This can spur us deeper into ourselves to find new realms of imagination and thoughts.

It’s perhaps obvious to say, and too simplistic really, that to create something, anything, you must have experienced both the good and the bad in life.

The light and the darkness of life feeds our minds and creates ideas.

But it is also saying that there are many other experiences between those highs and lows. The hundreds of train journeys we’ve taken, the nights we’ve held our sleepless baby and looked out onto the street, the darkness punctuated by warm globes of light; the endless washing up and cleaning of our dwellings.

All of our experiences are nourishment for the creative spirit, because:

“If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches; for to the creator there is no poverty and no poor indifferent place.” Rainer Maria Rilke

Those are the thoughts and ideas I wanted to share with you today. I hope they provide something interesting to mull over.


We’d love to know what you think of these ideas, let us know in the comments below.

We have heard from many of you over these past few weeks, telling us how you are getting on in the places that you are in. And we love hearing from you.

For us it’s incredibly special to us that we have met so many of you – either in person or online on one of our many live sessions, webinars or classes.

We are always here – so if you feel like saying Hi we’d love to hear from you and see how you are doing at this strange and interesting time.

We are hoping you are all safe and well, and managing to use creativity for a way to explore all that this experience is bringing to our lives.

Sending our very best from our family to yours,

Diana and Anthony

 

Sunrise Academia Bridge Venice Italy

How to use the power of beauty in your photography

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Hey everyone,

Hope this finds you very well. Today I have swapped the wintery life of London for the heat and vibrancy of Mexico City.

I am a little tired of course from the long flight, but there is nothing like beating jet lag with the excitement of being in an incredible country like Mexico.

This is the weather I left behind on my short trip to London. Still beautiful, and when London gives me beautiful winter light like this, I can forgive the cold…

A few days ago I saw this quote on the cover of my mother-in-law’s National Trust magazine, and it struck me as really quite wonderful:

“We all want quiet. We all want beauty…We all need space. Unless we have it, we cannot reach that sense of quiet in which whispers of better things come to us gently.”

Octavia Hill, 1883. Co-founder of the National Trust

And it stuck because it combined for me the idea of our human need for quiet + space with the rejuvenating power of witnessing beauty.

When we look at the definition of beauty, it is – “the quality of being pleasing, especially to look at, or someone or something that gives great pleasure, especially when you look at it.”

The pleasure of looking. What a gift this is to us as humans, but also as photographers.

One of the most significant things that beauty can bring to our creative lives and our photography is the awakening of inspiration.

Placing yourself slap bang in front of beauty is just a fantastic way to inspire yourself – and, of course, to then lead you to fabulous photos.

Sometimes we need something to shock us out of the boredom and habituation of our life.To remove ourselves from that stale feeling that seems to collect in our minds from being so involved in routine.

To be in total awe of your subject, to be mesmerised, to be thrilled and excited – these are all fantastic emotions to have coursing through your body ready for you to lift your camera and shoot.

Something quite magical seems to happen when we fill our eyes, and spirit, with beauty.

As Joseph Campbell wrote:

“When we are transfixed by beauty, we are beheld in an aesthetic arrest. We are so transfixed that we stop breathing. We well up inside and experience life lived to the point of tears.”

Sunrise Academia Bridge Venice Italy

Beauty makes us stop and pay attention.

It makes us revel in something that stirs our spirit and lifts our soul.

But it isn’t something that is just vacuous and pretty – the experience of beauty can be challenging because beauty connects us to the feeling of eternity.

“Beauty is unbearable, drives us to despair, offering us for a minute the glimpse of an eternity that we should like to stretch out over the whole of time.”

Albert Camus

It is almost pain and pleasure mixed into one. The perfect explanation of life, right? And as photographers, don’t we want to capture what is so wondrous and strange about this part of life?

I am often placing myself in the midst of incredible beauty. I seek it out everywhere I go.

This is why I love to shoot at dawn – because sunrises can create such intense beauty they make any location, and situation breathtaking.

(And I will be on my usual travel routine by having an early night and shooting sunrise tomorrow.)

Let yourself get lost in beauty…

What I think is important about the witnessing of beauty is this: our eyes get worn out with all that we see – just as our minds get worn out by all the thinking and doing of our lives.

Don’t we all need sometimes to let go of all the worries and things on our mind, and just surrender ourselves into a state of awe? Once in a while?

To surrender to the immenseness and eternalness of life is to refresh one’s spirit.

Sunrise over the Seine Paris France

I felt as photographer Ernst Haas did about Paris – “All I wanted was to connect my moods with those of Paris. Beauty paints and when it painted most, I shot.” When beauty presents itself, let it lead you.

Beauty washes away the cobwebs and gives us the chance to relish something wonderful in a world that can sometimes feel, less than wonderful.

And of course because..

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Annie Dillard

I want to spend my life full of passion, creation and appreciating all of this beauty of the world. So I must then make decisions in my day to do exactly that.

I’d love to know if you are seeking beauty when you are shooting?

Let me know in the comments below.

And – a mini photo challenge – share your ‘Just because…beauty’ shots in our Facebook photo sharing group – Light Monkeys.

Chefchaouen Morocco

After I work with a fabulous group in San Miguel de Allende – in a few months time my next workshop is in the mesmerising country of Morocco.

I am taking a small group of people into the heart of the Sahara Desert to photograph its timeless beauty and sweeping landscapes – and capture the gorgeous splendour of a supermoon.

We’ll also be shooting the diverse and changing landscapes as we travel to and from the desert – the red rock mountains, luscious rivers and vast rich orange scenes of the deep desert. And we’ll explore the little villages we encounter along the way.

After our trip deep into the silent beauty of the desert we will explore the ancient and beguiling city of Marrakech, home to some wondrous architecture, vibrant street markets and fascinating history.

We will photograph the iconic sights, capture the people and spirit of the city – as well as venture off the beaten track to explore the local neighbourhoods.

I want to help you capture the feeling of this interesting country and culture, and help you bring your unique vision of Morocco to the world.

As always I want to bring incredible photography opportunities into your life – and this will be one amazing experience.

I have two places left on this workshop – don’t miss this experience and sign up here – or hit reply if you have any questions.

Orange Tree Fez Morocco

MOROCCO: Marrakech & the Sahara Desert
April 8th – 16th 2020

I’ll leave you with all those thoughts. I hope they have given you something to take with you into your photography this week.

Have an awesome day.

Anthony and Diana

Morocco April 22nd-30th 2021

9 days / 8 nights
All accommodation
Luxury desert camp and beautiful Riad
Special local guides
Transport and local trips
All breakfasts, 4 lunches and 3 dinners
Artist-led approach to photography
Small group 4-8 people
Pre-workshop 1-2-1 with Anthony
Photography tuition
Travel, Street, People, Astro and Landscape Photography

£3,697.00
Shop now
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Photos from the beautiful landscapes of Northern Vietnam

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Hello good people,

This is Diana and today I am standing in for Anthony as he is deep into teaching our workshop in Vietnam. It’s got off to an amazing start, and the group are loving the experience.

I am always learning things from Anthony about being a creative person, and he vice versa I would say. One thing that I feel is so significant is that he never stands still with his photography, there is always a process of evolution.

Now it’s a very slow, long process of evolution. His photo obsessions and projects can take a year, or even a decade. But evolve he always does.

And even within a project like his Cities at Dawn, on which he has been working in different cities since the early 2000’s, the way he shoots and what he shoots, and how he shoots is always developing and changing. Slowly but surely, it’s like a very long, windy road leading from one place to the next, landscapes slowly changing.

So I suppose what I have learnt from this way of working – is the importance of being committed to things you love, the subjects that make you feel excited and passionate, but gently keep pushing yourself to learn more, see more, and do more with that subject.

Keep asking questions, keep looking to get deeper into your subject.

This morning Anthony sent me some new photos he’d taken of the little village of Du Gia in Ha Giang. After our most recent post all about photography in COLOUR they were surprising – because all of these photos were in monochrome.

Anthony does occasionally take photos in monochrome, but never a series. So I was delighted to see them.

When I asked him why he chose monochrome for this selection of images he said:

“I went for the monochrome because after travelling through miles and miles of green – and shooting this dense, verdant green – I wanted to experiment with a new look. Something with a heightened and exaggerated texture.”

I thought this was very cool because it’s this idea of always gently developing one’s photography. Always pushing a little envelope.

So here are some more photos from this beautiful little village in the mountains of Northern Vietnam.

I’ve interspersed it with some extracts from poems by famous Vietnamese poets, which I thought would be wonderful to share.

“The grieving willows droop in deep mourning,

Their sad hair streaming like teardrops falling.

Here comes autumn, here comes the autumn cold

In its faded mantle woven with leaves of gold.Various blossoms have fallen off their branch

Amidst a garden where the red mingles with blue.

The trembling breath of breeze shakes the leaves and

A few shriveled limbs like fragile bones in somber hue.”

From Here Comes Autumn by Xuân Diệu, translated by Thomas D. Le

“Drop by drop rain slaps the banana leaves.

Praise whoever sketched this desolate scene:

the lush, dark canopies of the gnarled trees,

the long river, sliding smooth and white.

I lift my wine flask, drunk with rivers and hills.

My backpack, breathing moonlight, sags with poems.

Look, and love everyone.

Whoever sees this landscape is stunned.” Hô Xuân Huong, Spring Essence: The Poetry of Hô Xuân Huong

“Life has just begun to burst forth.

I want to seize the clouds and wind,

Drunk with love on butterfly wings.

I want to embrace in an ardent kiss

The mountains, streams, trees, and bright grass

To delight in this world of perfume and light,

To satiate my soul with the prime of life.

O, vermeil spring! I want to bite into thee!”

From Haste by Xuân Diệu, translated by Thomas D. Le

“The russet and the brown of distant woods of maple trees seemed like a background frieze, new-painted by the autumn sun in colours drab and dun to symbolise their parting woe, towards which, sad and slow, the horseman rode in robes of rust, wreathed in red clouds of dust, and slowly disappeared from sight…” The Tale of Kieu, by Nguyễn Du, Huỳnh Sanh Thông (Translator)

We’d love to know what you think about Anthony’s new images – please comment below.

Have a wonderful day everyone,

Diana

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5 reasons to travel from explorer Freya Stark

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Recently I started reading about Freya Stark (31 January 1893 – 9 May 1993) who was an English- Italian explorer and travel writer. She wrote extensively about travelling in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and blazed the trail for solo female travellers. 

By 1931 she had completed three dangerous treks into the wilderness of Iran.

Her incredible bravery with travelling was awe-inspiring, and I wanted to share five pearls of wisdom of hers that will inspire us to go deeper and explore more when we travel. 

  1. Travel brings the pleasures of the unknown

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world. You are surrounded by adventure.” Freya Stark

2. Travelling reveals the beauty and kindness of the human spirit

“If I were asked to enumerate the pleasures of travel, this would be one of the greatest among them – that so often and so unexpectedly you meet the best in human nature, and seeing it so by surprise and often with a most improbable background, you come, with a sense of pleasant thankfulness to realise how widely scattered in the world are goodness and courtesy and the love of immaterial things, fair blossoms found in every climate, on every soil.”

Freya Stark, The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels

3. When you travel, forget yourself and the life you normally lead

“One can only really travel if one lets oneself go and takes what every place brings without trying to turn it into a healthy private pattern of one’s own and I suppose that is the difference between travel and tourism.” Freya Stark

4. Keep our spirits young with curiosity & knowledge seeking

“I have no reason to go, except that I have never been, and knowledge is better than ignorance. What better reason could there be for travelling?” Freya Stark

5. Travel nourishes our spirit into old age

“Good days are to be gathered like grapes, to be trodden and bottled into wine and kept for age to sip at ease beside the fire. If the traveller has vintaged well, he need trouble to wander no longer; the ruby moments glow in his glass at will.” Freya Stark

I completely agree – and talked about this in my short video that I made a while back.

I hope you enjoyed these shots of wisdom!

More reading about Freya Stark:

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Photos: The Cats of Istanbul

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“Without the cat, Istanbul would lose a part of its soul.” from Kedi

One thing you notice when you arrive in Istanbul is the abundance of stray cats and dogs. This might sound a little off putting, but in fact these are some of the friendliest animals you will meet.

Locals feed and look after the strays, sometimes creating little homes for collections of cats in the neighbourhoods.

These are just a few of my snaps of cats in the city.

If you love cats – and Istanbul – you’ll love these stories too:

In Istanbul the Cats are King:

Cats of Istanbul on Instagram

Crazy cute photos of the adventures of felines in the city. And hey, Istanbul, what a background!

Kedi – documentary about 9 cats living in Istanbul

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Photos: Carnevale in Venice

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Last week I found myself once again in beautiful Venice having a wonderful time teaching fellow photographers all about the way I do photography.

The weather was good and springy, if not cold, and the light was fantastic.

February is Carnevale time and my workshop coincided with the final weekend. And boy was it busy…but busy in a good way. The city was alive with beauty and the strange. Costumed phantoms and Ladies of the court from begone days strolled the narrow streets, posed by gondolas and let everyone photograph them. And everyone did.

I have never seen so many photographers in my life. Usually, I don’t find the crunch of hundreds of other togs fun, but fun it was! Watching the pros and beginners all having such a good time (some togs were a bit too serious) wandering the city and finding the exotic everywhere to photograph.

Venice is a very special place at any time but during the Carnevale it is outstanding.

Want to join me in Venice next year for my next photo workshop? Email Diana and she’ll let you know as soon as the list opens! Diana@anthonyepes.com

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What can I help you with?

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Hello everyone,

It’s been a fine day here in the mountains of Morocco. The sun is so warm during the day, and then the sun sets and an intense chill pervades.

Standing on our terrace and looking up over the mountains at the clear, clear sky to watch the stars is a magical experience.

There is always the smell of woodsmoke here in the evenings. As you walk through the streets, the low lights create beautiful shadows on the colourful walls. I feel like I am miles away from everything and everyone.

We’ll be heading on to our next stop in about 10 days, so will be enjoying the walks in the hills, good food and excellent photography while we can.

We have promised the children a Christmassy location and the possibility of a Father Christmas visit. These are small compromises, we know, for the sacrifice of taking them away from their beloved grandmother and extended family at their favourite time of year.


Today I want to ask you one important question.

What one thing could I help you with in your photography?

What are you grappling to get to grips with? What knowledge do you need that would make a big difference in your photography right now?

Di and I are planning our next set of articles and posts and we would love to help you with your photo issues.

We want to be insanely useful – so please, offload your photo difficulties and struggles onto us and we will try to help you with them!

Just hit reply and let us know.

Have a great day,

Anthony and Diana

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Thank you

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“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” William Arthur Ward

It’s a warm day here in Chefchaouen, an incredibly beautiful town in the mountains of Morocco. I am in photo heaven, this place is possibly the most interesting and beautiful place I’ve ever been. And that is really saying something as I spend a lot of time in ridiculously beautiful places!

Today’s photos are from our last few days here.

We were out at the market this morning, buying vegetables and fruits from local farmers, freshly baked bread from the little hole-in-the-wall bakeries and for lunch an intensely spiced roast chicken from a busy cafe.

I had set out our lunch on the terrace of our house when my son said: “This is our Thanksgiving lunch!”

And I had no idea that today was indeed Thanksgiving! Partly it’s because I am surrounded by my English family, and haven’t lived in the US for almost 20 years so I usually forget. But also it’s that we are away, in this sunshiny warm town, far from any reminders.

But I was glad to remember, because to be honest I am always trying to remember to be thankful. To actively say – thank you for this incredible life and all of the beautiful things that I have.

I know that the more thankful I am, even for the difficult stuff, the happier and more fruitful my life is.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” Oprah Winfrey

And so today I want to say thank you to you. Each and every member of this photo loving community.

You probably don’t realise how incredibly amazing it is to have so many people follow and engage in my work. To see my photos, comment and shares, to come on my workshops, send me emails, ask me questions and listen to my talks.

Every time I get an email from someone, or meet a new face on a workshop or just see how many people open and read my emails – I think WOW, Tony! People like what you’re doing! You’re so super lucky, man!

It feels like a very long way from where I started, a shy, not at all confident photographer trying to find my way in a very extroverted, hustle-driven photo industry.

To be able to do what I love doing, in a way that is so natural to me, is incredible. No other way to describe it. Incredible.

I would not be able to do anything that I’m doing if it wasn’t for you all, supporting me, motivating me and cheering me (us!) on. And I hope that I am creating something interesting and valuable for you.

I’m going to leave it at that today. This evening we are off to walk into the hills to a Spanish mosque that has an incredible view across the town and valleys and I’ll photograph the sunset.

Again – thank you – and if there is anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to comment below. 

Have a great day and happy photographing,

Anthony, Diana and our kids!

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Preparing For a Photo Trip: Ideas and Inspiration

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“Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” Seneca

This month marks the beginning of a busy spring and summer where I’ll be taking several photo trips. My first stop is Istanbul for a month to work on my book of the city at dawn and to run a workshop at the end of April. Although I am dreading how much I will miss my kids (and my wife!), that sense of nervous excitement about setting off on one’s own for a long period of exploration is exciting.

I love finding beauty (in all of its forms) in the every-day. It’s quite poetic how interesting it is looking at people going about their lives, wherever you are.

Workers at The Trocedero © Anthony Epes 2015

I wanted to share how I get ready for a photo trip. I’ve got a lot to say so for this post I am concentrating on the preparation – both practical and mental prep – and then for the next post I’ll be looking at finding your subject when you are on the trip. But first…

Why traveling is good for your photography
“Of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares, and the slavery of Home, man feels once more happy.” Sir Richard Francis Burton

Sometimes I like to think of the dawn rising all over the world but in vastly different places – dawn light filtering through the trees of the Amazon, and bathing the fisherman heading into the docks in Venice, as well as gently bringing the dark alley ways and ancient streets of Istanbul into the light. That this very same dawn that is gently cloaking my little South West London street in wintry sunlight could also be taking me to such vastly different places, makes me feel excited.

La Seine © Anthony Epes 2015

I feel that travel creates space in your mind away from the stresses of the day to day. And that space will always exist there. It will always be part of you. And that’s what creativity needs – mental space. You can’t create anything new or special when you are cluttering up your mind wondering when you are going to fit in the weekly trip to the supermarket or endlessly running through your presentation for a new client.

I always feel a little different when I return from one of my trips. I’ve added another little well of inspiration for my mind to draw upon. I’ve created another filter from which my mind will adjust and work and see things. It helps me lead a richer life every day, especially when I return home.

Get into the travel mindset
Going away on your own or with others to take photos is an exhilarating experience. But it’s not always straight forward, and negotiating different cultures, not speaking the language, finding yourself in weird situations can be intimidating.

So for me one of the biggest part of getting ready for a trip is the mental preparation. Getting into the mood, thinking about what I am going for, getting fully into the creative experience, learning about the local culture so I can relax into the experience when it finally arrives.

Be nervous…but not too nervous
Whenever I start working for a new client, or start a new book or project, I am insanely nervous. The nerves go after a while, and then come back when I hit a stumbling block or two, but then disappear. A bit like waves, that’s how my wife is encouraging me to see it. The adrenalin in this situation works for me. It keeps me alert and aware of my surroundings, and it helps keep me motivated. But if you get too nervous or overwhelmed, that’s a danger, so if this sounds like it could happen to you have your little mental tool kit at the ready. In mine there is meditation and reading complex sci-fi or history books – those chill me out in no time.

Canal St Martin © Anthony Epes 2015

Ditch your expectations
“Travel like Ghandi, with simple clothes, open eyes and an uncluttered mind.” Rick Steves

You’ve taken the time out of your busy life, you’ve spent money on the trip – you want to have an incredible experience and come back with unbelievable photos – right?

But expectations are often a pathway to hell. It reminds me of how whenever I am really excited for my kids to get home so we can have a lovely evening together, as soon as they get through the door all hell breaks loose. But when I am not thinking about it, when I have no expectations of them, it seems we are more likely to have a wonderful, relaxing evening together.

As long as you go through the process of preparing yourself, then whatever you come back with, it will be worth the experience. Any time you take time out for yourself to be creative is fuel and nourishment for the future – so abandon your expectations and just get on with doing what you love.

Surround yourself with inspiring things
I don’t really do anything else that’s creative. This blog-writing is the extent of my non-photo creativity (and even then the thoughts and ideas are mine, ie. the skeleton, but most of the words have been plucked out by my wife Diana) but if you do, do it! And seek out inspiration from other sources. Whatever the medium, the objective of art is all the same in my opinion – the examination of life. We are standing and watching and seeing so that others who don’t do this can see the world more clearly.

So go to art galleries, pick up a book by your favourite author – try to add more inspiring stuff to your brain than the brain sapping stuff (the news, your tax return… you know what depletes you and what fills you up).

Read (and watch documentaries)
Knowing what inspires you is really important for any creative practise. It means you can go to that well of inspiration on a regular basis. Some photographers get really inspired looking at other photos, and I do, but only up to a point. What gets me most inspired when I start a new city for my book series is my love of history, so for my work in Istanbul I’ve been reading Orphan Pamuk’s brilliant book ‘Istanbul’.  Here is an edited extract, which in itself explains much of the feeling of the city (‘For me it has always been a city of ruins and of end-of-empire melancholy.’ Pamuk writes.) I’ve also been reading the new edition of A History of the Arab Peoples as a way to get to know the region in a broader context.

When I spent several months in Paris my wife and I loved Parisians, in which author Graham Robb tells a series of ‘stories’ about impactful historical events of the city in a very fun and absorbing way. We really enjoyed Francesco’s Venice, a documentary series on the history of the city by Venetian architect and writer, Francesco da Mosto. You get the picture…

Sacre Coeur from Pigalle © Anthony Epes 2015

Find people to meet
I love being on my own, and am quite happy to wander for days and weeks on my own. But I know that the easiest way to get under the skin of a new place is to meet local people. So into every trip I do I build a few immediate ways I can get to know people.Airbnb is a great resource for places to stay with local people. In Rome my wife stayed at this awesome apartment which included the owners doing a free tour of the city at night. She got some insider tips on the city, great company and a lovely apartment. In the same trip my wife had dinner with an Australian woman she had met at a cafe in Soho who lived in Rome, they fell into conversation and six months later they were having a great meal at a very local restaurant in the city.

I also ask around in my friends’/work circle if anyone has any friends in the city I’m going to. I’ve found people are usually happy to share connections and everyone I’ve met through my circle has been wonderfully accommodating. People are usually proud of their home and love to show visitors around.

There are also photo clubs in most cities or perhaps you’re a member of an organisation with international links. But perhaps the easiest way to meet people is just to be there. If you missed it my last blog was on how to photograph strangers, which is often how I meet locals.

The Painters © Anthony Epes 2015

Know where the rough parts are
As I’ve said I am a fan of wandering, and I do feel more relaxed than most, I’d say, wandering the streets at weird hours. My wife is the opposite and takes precaution to strange levels. Probably somewhere between the two of us is the approach most normal people should take.

I’ve had a couple of altercations, and both were down to my lack of preparation. The first time I came to London was in 2000. I was wandering out at dawn and wandered straight into King Cross, which was a lot rougher then,  and I almost got stabbed by some crazy homeless guy on crack. I felt like a total naive lost tourist.

In Barbes, in Paris, I was in the local African market and started to photograph some people who were involved in some not very legal selling of bags and things. I immediately got several people surrounding me and shouting at me very aggressively.‘It’s illegal to photograph us! Stop it!’ So I did.

So wherever I go I do a little research and ask around – Anywhere I shouldn’t be going? Any time I shouldn’t be going? Anyone I shouldn’t try and photograph? Just to have that in your little bag of knowledge is reassuring and lets you wander with more confidence. Get yourself acquainted with the culture.  Learn the norms.

And lastly, a few quick practical tips:

  • Get to know your camera: even if you are going on a photo workshop or tour getting familiar with your kit allows you to hit the ground running. Ideally you want to use your time with your instructor learning things you can’t easily glean from your camera manual. (** I know lots of people hate reading camera manuals, and I get it. So just do what you can. Or just play around with your kit. Go out and shoot and see what you get stuck on and what you don’t**)
  • Pack light: take the bare essentials of what you need. Take what you need but be ruthless.
  • Portable hard drives are essential
  • Plus: a plastic bag for your camera in case it rains, a hat or visor for when you are walking/shooting against the sun (not for style), a torch if you are doing any very early or very late shooting, spare camera batteries. I am always with my tripod
  • Insure your kit! Vital.

Prepared to be surprised
All of the photos on this post are from my Paris at Dawn book. I am kinda in love with that book, partly because I think it’s some of my best work I’ve done recently, but also because I was blown away by Paris once I had thrown off my preconceptions about it being a pretty, dainty, uniform…a little bit of a boring city, which is what I had seen on my weekend trips there with my wife (I like a little bit of grit as many of you will know). Once I really explored the city, and really looked at the life in the city my whole perception changed. Humans have an amazing capacity to do weird, interesting and crazy stuff with their lives. Which leads into the next weeks blog post on finding your subject…

If you have any questions please feel free to email me, I love hearing from you.

And I’d love to hear how you prepare for a photo trip, do comment if you have any tips to share.

Happy photographing!

Anthony
mail@anthonyepes.com