Athens must be the ugliest city in europe

The best way to get a shot with no people in it, if it's a somewhat touristy spot, is to set up a tripod and take a long exposure shot. Err there is more to it than that, but the people disappear if you do it right (and there aren't tooo many of them)

This is a common "trick" that people do @ Machu Picchu. It works well there for several reasons. Would not work in a crowded plaza in Milan or something.

I've never actually tried it. I don't mind having people in my shots. I enjoy amateur photography and just snap a shot whenever my spidey sense is tingling when a good photo opportunity arises and I think the composition and lighting are going to work. I do try to minimize people, but most of the time, who's got time for that.. I'm there to explore, not take photos. Photos are secondary. But I do want them for my memories. When I'm an old senile man who can't remember anything, I want to be able to look at my pictures and hopefully convince myself that I was actually there.

Obviously I try to not include people if possible, especially people's faces. But they're in public, they can't expect full privacy. So I'm mindful of that, but don't let it stop me from creating memories for later
 
As long as when you're old and senile you don't waste a few hours trying to remember who's in the photo. ;)
 
warpus said:
The best way to get a shot with no people in it, if it's a somewhat touristy spot, is to set up a tripod and take a long exposure shot. Err there is more to it than that, but the people disappear if you do it right (and there aren't tooo many of them)

This is a common "trick" that people do @ Machu Picchu. It works well there for several reasons. Would not work in a crowded plaza in Milan or something.

I've never actually tried it. I don't mind having people in my shots. I enjoy amateur photography and just snap a shot whenever my spidey sense is tingling when a good photo opportunity arises and I think the composition and lighting are going to work. I do try to minimize people, but most of the time, who's got time for that.. I'm there to explore, not take photos. Photos are secondary. But I do want them for my memories. When I'm an old senile man who can't remember anything, I want to be able to look at my pictures and hopefully convince myself that I was actually there.

Obviously I try to not include people if possible, especially people's faces. But they're in public, they can't expect full privacy. So I'm mindful of that, but don't let it stop me from creating memories for later
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I have no objection to people in your pictures. They're yours, and it is interesting to see people enjoying themselves (even if some of them take insane chances by sitting near the edge of a cliff).

I just don't care for them in my own pictures, and prefer not to have my own picture taken.
 
I dislike photos of people posing. It looks so fake and forced. Pictures of people when they don't know they are being photographed are the best..

Which of course can easily add a "creep" element to the situation. If you use your best judgement and are mindful of these issues, then 99.99% of the time you won't have a problem
 
Having people in a picture will also give clues about when and where it was taken.
If people are walking along a beach wearing coats on a sunny day it likely to be winter.
People also provide scale, as do buildings. How big is that waterfall in Norway.
 
For my mother's 90th birthday we were putting together a montage of pictures to display and there was a picture of the Church where she was married with a woman in front. All the relative were trying to figure out who the woman was which got quite competitive especially among those that had attended it. We all put up some money betting to who it was. At the party we asked my mom who it was. When we told her that we had a pool going on who it was, she started laughing and said it was a random person but the shot was such a good one of the church, they had kept it in the official album.
 
:bump:

As you may recall, I lived in Athens for 5 months last year. I will be returning there in early September, probably for at least as long.
Things are looking a bit better this time around, due to having better pay, primarily from a seminar but also from getting a new deal with a second Athenian publisher, as translator (while the Lovecraft deal is also leaving me with work on 10 more books).

I think it may work out this time. We shall see. I don't really expect the actual city to look different from what I recall ^_^
Anyway, the fact that two of my three best friends live there is another bonus.
 
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