Female Portraits: Travel And Women Photography With Rule Of Thirds

Women portrait photography, while doing travel photography is abundant in Southeast Asia. Once the photographer leaves the busy tourist destinations, locals become a lot more friendly and some rapport can be established even when presented with a language barrier.

Black and white versions of the images below are overlaid with the Rule Of Thirds grid. Not all compositions are perfect but I decided to include them as well to show that ignoring these rules of photography is OK. Also presented are example photographs when ignoring Rule Of Thirds was a mistake, resulting in less balanced images.

These compositions can be dramatically improved upon with cropping but I decided to show uncropped images as I created them in camera.

Street portrait photography of Vietnamese woman in traditional conical hat

Special street portrait photography moments can be found all the time in Southeast Asia. Vietnam in particular has one of the nicest and most welcoming people. Just imagine the reverse for a second: you lived your entire life in the west and one day a Vietnamese tourist shows up in your neighborhood – in traditional clothes and without being able to communicate – stands 10 feet away from you and starts taking your picture.

Perhaps the secret lies with the mentality of the peoples of Buddhist countries, but natural portraits like the Vietnamese woman in traditional conical hat are quite common from Southeast Asia.

Rule Of Thirds grid over Vietnamese woman in conical hat photograph

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can immediately see that the woman’s face is too centered. Perhaps using a 3:4 or 1:1 aspect ratio would provide a more balanced composition but this classic 3:2 aspect ratio does not favor centered portraits in landscape format.

Cultural portrait photography of young flower Hmong woman in Vietnam

There are a few typical emotions that cultural portrait photography subjects express at the sight of a stranger pointing a large camera at them. Intimidating may be the appropriate term to describe how this young flower Hmong woman in Vietnam looked at me.

Rule Of Thirds grid over young flower Hmong woman picture

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the off center placement of the subject resulted in her right eye being at a key location according to The Golden Ratio. This off center composition was actually a must if the knot of her head handkerchief were to be shown.

Travel portrait photography of young flower Hmong woman on rice terrace

As opposed to placing the portrait photography subject against the sky to avoid any distractions in the backgrounds, here the backdrop is included on purpose, to convey a more complete story about the life of the subject.
Using a long enough focal length and the wide enough aperture was important to blur the background so the main subject would stand out.

Rule Of Thirds grid over young flower Hmong woman on rice terrace photo

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that even thought the portrait aspect from the previous photo was switched to landscape, the right eye of the Hmong woman is still in the cross-hair of the grid. So it happens that the distant blurred figure of another Hmong woman – working on the rice terrace – is also alongside a grid line. This composition definitely is according to The Golden Ratio.

Sunny street portrait photography of Vietnamese woman in white hat

Especially off the beaten path, a street photographer will attract constant attention in Southeast Asia. This can be sometimes burdensome but also a way to come across willing participants volunteering to have their photos taken. One such occasion was this moment during a hot, sunny day in the suburbs of Saigon, Vietnam.

Rule Of Thirds grid over Vietnamese woman in white hat picture

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the subject’s left eye is right in the cross-hair of the grid which is almost a guarantee that the composition will be created according to The Golden Ratio. Once again the background traffic is blurred by using a telephoto lens and a wide aperture.

Travel portrait photography of flower Hmong hill tribe woman in Vietnam

Often times the process of taking a picture with a modern DSLR is fascinating enough to put the portrait photography subject into a momentary trance, which can yield a natural portrait – like in the case of this flower Hmong hill tribe woman in Vietnam. Subsequent clicking of the shutter often break this period of daydreaming so often times only the first few frames are keepers.

Rule Of Thirds grid over flower Hmong hill tribe woman photo

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the face of the flower Hmong woman is too centered. None of her major facial features – where the viewer’s eyes would want to explore – are in the crosshairs or alongside grid lines. With that said this image for me is not a throwaway photo.
The dynamic diagonal lines created by the design of the traditional Hmong clothes somehow offset the static, centered placement of her face.

Portrait photography of Cambodian woman in poverty in Kampong Cham

Photographing women in poverty can take its emotional toll on a well fed travel photographer. I try to present people from poor neighborhoods not necessary as victims and I try not to photograph them in an exploitative, obvious manner. When respect and not petty is shown (toward the sitter) during the brief photography session, the images usually will keep containing the intended dignity.

Rule Of Thirds grid over Cambodian woman in poverty in Kampong Cham photograph

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the Cambodian woman’s left eye is almost in the cross hair of the grid (not exactly but it is close enough for me). The bottom grid line draws a horizontal separator from shoulder to shoulder and the right vertical grid line creates separation between her shoulder from the background.

The bamboo and wood construction of her modest house provides further geometrical structure to the composition. All these strong horizontal and vertical lines are offset by the diagonal lines created by her clothes as it wraps around her neck.

Cultural portrait photography of flower Hmong woman under black umbrella

Photographing the camera shy flower Hmong people presents its own challenges. One solution is to use a telephoto lens at traditional Hmong markets where people are distracted by shopping and the colorful, busy surroundings. This in turn will present more challenges to the travel photographer, when it comes to creating a simple enough composition which is not cluttered with unnecessary, distracting details.

Rule Of Thirds grid over flower Hmong woman under black umbrella picture

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, it seems that the main subject’s face is too close to the left edge of the frame. But with all other shapes and elements in the composition there is a flow and the Rule Of Thirds can be bent if not ignored in this case.

I remember that I was intrigued by the “sea of umbrellas” but I could only do my best with what was presented: a scene totally out of my control.

Street portrait photography of flower Hmong minority woman in her doorway

A street portrait that was taken against all odds, due to the camera shy attitude of the flower Hmong peoples. But when I got the non-verbal OK from this woman, I knew I only had a few seconds to take a natural portrait. Trying to give directions or to show any hesitation can immediately install insecurity so quick action is key.

Rule Of Thirds grid over flower Hmong minority woman in her doorway

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the right eye of the Hmong woman is almost in the cross-hair of the grid – and it is close enough for me to give this composition a passing grade. There are several other lines in the background, one of which – unintentionally – mimic the right vertical grid line.

Faces of Cambodia: female portrait photography tips

A typical “Faces of Cambodia” style impromptu street portrait. Due to the curiosity and kindness of the people of Southeast Asia, there are dozens if not hundreds of chances to snap basic portrait photos like this. What works here: soft, diffused light in open shade, colorful clothes, confident eye-contact.

Rule Of Thirds grid over typical street portrait composition

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, it seems like the Cambodian woman’s head should have been placed higher in the composition but after removing the grid, the arrangement stands on its own. Moral of the story: the Rule Of Thirds is a guide and not a dictator.

Cultural portrait photography of young Vietnamese Hmong girl in red hat

Cultural portrait photography can easily turn in to travel paparazzi photography at locations – like the land of the flower Hmong – where locals are too cameras shy. This environment will produce not as polished compositions as a formal setup would provide. But sometimes the colors or the subject matter is so engaging that the usual strict, perfectionist photo approval process needs to be loosened a bit.

Although far from a perfect photograph and composition, I really like the vibrant colors and the serene moment surrounding this young Vietnamese Hmong girl.

Rule Of Thirds grid over young Vietnamese Hmong woman in red hat photo

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the young Hmong girl’s hat and lips are in the cross-hairs of the grid. Her hat and lips being red, ensures that those details are one of the first that the viewer’s eyes will focus on.

Another compositional detail – not Rule Of Thirds related – is that the circular design on the blue umbrella behind the girl draws several curving lines which very effectively lead the eyes towards the face of the girl.

Candid portrait photography of flower Hmong woman at Sunday market

If the lighting is right, and the background is properly blurred without large distracting bright spots, candid portrait photography can results in successful images, like this photo of a flower Hmong woman at Sunday market.

Rule Of Thirds grid over flower Hmong woman at Sunday market picture

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the flower Hmong woman’s eyes and ear are alongside the top horizontal grid line, it was not practical to place her eye right into the cross-hair. nevertheless the composition is balanced in my opinion – and even if only loosely – it is according to The Golden Ratio.

Travel portrait photography of Cambodian woman under durian fruit tree

A fun composition in an otherwise very poor neighborhood where people live on less than one dollar s day. I wish I would have included more of the low hanging durian fruit but I needed to make some compositional choices.
I do like the soft, diffused light though, which is perfect for outdoor, travel portrait photography.

Rule Of Thirds grid over Cambodian woman and durian fruit tree

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that the composition is loosely in accordance to The Golden Ratio. Not every photo, especially during travel photography – when split second decisions need to me made – will achieve “Rule Of Thirds perfection”.

Street portrait photography of Vietnamese woman in typical composition

Another typical street portrait that the travel photographer can come by quite often – especially in less touristy areas, where people are more appreciative and more willing to be photographed.
The cloudy sky provided the perfect soft portrait photography lighting. The clothes of the Vietnamese woman and the door painted blue added a nice paste color scheme to the image.

Rule Of Thirds grid over Vietnamese woman in typical composition photograph

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can see that id I cut the subject mid chest, her head would have been higher and in a better place according to the grid. Nevertheless it is a “good enough match” and I find the photo well composed anyways.

Street portrait photography of smiling Cambodian woman in red shirt

Nice skin color and bright red shirt shine through in this casual street portrait because of the soft diffused light. While the travel photographer is often under the hot midday sun, as long as the subject is in the shade, photography can continue and produce nice images.

Rule Of Thirds grid over smiling Cambodian woman in red shirt photo

Overlaying the Rule Of Thirds grid, we can already see that the face of this smiling Cambodian woman is too centered, therefore the composition is not according to The Golden Ratio. If the photo would be used as a square crop, it would regain its balance.