HOW TO…shoot green scenes

Award-winning photographer LESTER V. LEDESMA teaches us the basic principles for capturing the best shots of cities’ green-spaces

WHEN CITY FOLK NEED A BREAK, MANY HEAD off to the nearest park. These sprawling havens of green offer a few hours of peace and fresh air amid the chaotic hum of urban life. Parks offer abundant photo opportunities; the reason why they’re on my shoot-list in every city I visit.

Tip 1: Just add water

And I don’t mean pour it on your camera! A common element in many parks, water features attract a wide range of urban wildlife species, which for the avid photographer spells a great opportunity to snap both fauna and mini-landscapes. A telephoto lens of at least 100mm is often enough to yield close-up shots of squirrels, pigeons and cats (many are surprisingly tame). Flora shots are best achieved with a wide-angle lens – which I used in this shot of a man-made waterfall near Taipei’s Longshan Temple. The smoky water effect was achieved with the help of a tripod and a slow shutter speed.

Tip 2: Shoot during the golden hours

Despite their man-made origin, parks are landscapes in their own right. And there is no better time to shoot landscapes than during the “golden hours” of day – early morning and late afternoon when the sun casts its warm, soft light from a low angle.

I was waiting for an evening train at Paris’ Gare du Nord station when I noticed the lovely orange light cast by the setting sun. I walked over to a nearby park and was treated to this view of Parisiennes taking an afternoon stroll. Quick fingers and a fast shutter speed froze the moment for me, and I got this memorable shot.

Tip 2: Use different zoom settings

These days, most cameras are equipped with zoom lenses that can either bring the scene close to the viewer, or pull back to reveal a wider angle of view. An easy way to create a variety of portraits of the same subject would be to take a number of shots using different zoom settings. The lady in these pictures was preparing my lunch in Hoi An, Vietnam, while I was photographing her. The image on the left, shot with my lens set near the “tele” setting, has a different feel from the picture on the right, which was taken with the “wide angle” mode. Which one is better? You decide.

Tip 3: Make use of the setting

Parks are pockets of green in the city, and a good way to convey this idea is to include both urban and natural subjects in one shot. For the ultimate in contrast, scout around for a vantage point that shows the park – green trees, placid lakes and all – against a concrete jungle background. Another idea would be to find an “emblem” of the city – this could be anything from a street sign to a distinctive building – and then juxtapose it with nature.

I did that recently with this image of Singapore’s futuristic skyline, which I photographed from Merlion Park. The city lights combined with the dusk setting affirm this island-state’s reputation as a garden city.

Tip 4: Watch the locals

Photography matters aside, going to the neighbourhood park and observing the locals at play is a good way to get a feel for the place you’re visiting. Fine weekend mornings and afternoons are the perfect times to do this, especially in bustling Asian cities such as Bangkok or Tokyo. This pair of Taiwanese boys running around Tainan’s Anping Fort caught my attention, so I casually followed them around, hoping they’d run past a picturesque background. My opportunity came when they bounded up the stairs to the fort – framed by nearby branches, their red jackets set them apart from the light background. These kids embody the many fond memories that we have of our childhood days.

Tip 5: Look for details

Photography is all about seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary – and more often than not, a camera and a sensitive eye are all one needs to realise this. When strolling around the park, watch out for little scenes within the scene – think of warped wooden benches surrounded by flowers, or fallen rose petals on a cobblestone walkway and you’ll begin to understand what I mean. Focusing on these little details serves to isolate the image from everything else and can result in a truly unique picture. Intrigued by the shapes of this bonsai tree in a Taiwanese park, I decided to shoot it against a sunlit sky to emphasise its twisted, leafless branches. Does it look like a photo of a tree, or a Japanese painting?

LESTER V. LEDESMA is happiest out in the ?eld, writing and photographing travel stories that have appeared in countless publications throughout Asia. His stunning imagery has earned him the 2007 Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Gold Award, the 2005 Asian Travel & Tourism Creative Awards Silver Medal and the 2002 ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) Award for Excellence. Based in Singapore, he is currently the photo editor of Ink Publishing and a ?eld editor for Asian Geographic Magazine.