Then again, if you are a freelance or full-time staff photographer working for a newspaper or a news agency, the photo editor requires your pictures to include people most of the time. The human element, the photo editors will argue, adds life to the pictures; otherwise, they will be boring. More about this point on the next page. On the other hand, magazines that specialize in travel or special interest topics may not be keen to have you shoot lots of pictures containing human elements in them. What? Travel magazines don't want scenes with people in them? That doesn't make sense, does it? Not every picture. Some travel scenes are best photographed without any people in them whereas others will do better with some human elements, especially of places of interest to readers who are potential tourists to the destinations highlighted, like a museum, morning market or gallery. I have on this page eight photos of four different subjects, with each showing two styles - one with the inclusion of people and the other without. Study them and then ask yourself whether the photos will look better with or without the people. And why? Sunway Pyramid's exterior facade Visitors walking past the facade     A pre-war building People walking near a pre-war building For the second batch of the group (below), do you think the photo of the elephant sculpture will look better without any people in the shot or whether the inclusion of the two passersby makes a difference, especially in revealing the actual size of the statue? Or at the pizza advertisement adorning the bus? Does it look better without the people or does the inclusion of the crowd reveal the location of the bus in a busy street? Passers by walking past a giant sculpture The giant sculpture photographed alone     Pizza advertisement at a bus A crowd walking past the bus Whatever the answers to your questions will be for the above shots, the next time you are out there shooting, just remember whether the scene you have in mind will work better with the inclusion or exclusion of people. As mentioned in the previous page, the choice of whether people should be included in the pictures is subjective - some like it and others don't. In certain cases, this could mean the difference between a successful sale or rejection by the photo editor or publication concerned if you are a freelancer. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 .