Creative “play” during airport delays
As a “travel” photographer, you’d think I’d take more photos while I’m traveling. I mean en route, as opposed to on location. But I don’t for several reasons. For one thing, my gear is usually all packed up to be as efficient as possible when moving through airport security, check-in, etc. I’m also aware that many countries have laws against photography in airports, from airplanes, around banks, of bridges, etc., etc., etc. Even when it would be legal, I tend to not bother with being so conspicuous as to shoot with pro gear in airports and train stations.
Plus, these days I always have my phone. With phones reaching 12 megapixels and more, they are now capable of capturing images of the same size as the DSLRs I was using just a year or two ago. Phones also draw less attention since everyone has them.
So I don’t typically do professional photography in airports, but I do spend many of those hours of waiting in terminals by playing with the camera in my phone. It’s a fun little exercise, finding images I would never otherwise take. And the apps are interesting as well, converting the images into paintings, sketches, etc.
Here are a few of my airport and airplane window experiments from the last couple of years. Some were adjusted with the Snapseed app, others use Waterlogue, Etchings, Whisky16, or even Photoshop. They’re wildly outside of my usual style and use of post-processing, but that’s the whole point. I’m playing, experimenting with composition, and tools I don’t normally use. And sometimes an idea from one of these shots makes its way into one of my “real” photos.
