Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/320

I am working on a story that requires me to go to a few states and capture some of the cultures in those communities.

This week I am in Hyannis, Massachusetts. I cannot think of Hyannis without thinking about the Kennedy family. It is also a beach town and this is the closest I could find to bring me to what I think about when I think of this community.

I tried to capture the beach in a way that said Cape Cod. Some of the lighthouses in this area are in private communities guarded by gates. I didn’t want to go all over the coast when the size I needed to concentrate on was Hyannis.

Just turning around is the ocean, but this could have been anywhere on the east coast. I was missing something that made me think of Hyannis in Cape Cod.

I am capturing not just moments but symbolism, and I needed a building that was classic to the architecture of Cape Cod.

This is a typical home in Hyannis. What I mean are the color of the house and the cedar siding.

I went to Main Street and captured some shops along the street. While this isn’t the peak of the summer when the place would be packed, I think I was catching some of the community.

While in Lansing, Michigan, I went to the local GM plant and shot this through the chain link fence on a bridge. I used my cell phone because my camera lenses were too big and captured the border. The lens on the Samsung 7S Edge was small enough to fit in the fence’s opening.

Some photos are not as dramatic but help establish what a community is about. Many people are employed here from the district.

The other thing about Lansing is it is the state capital of Michigan. I worked at getting a decent photo of the state capital to help talk about the community.

Sometimes detailed shots like this lamp around the capital can be beneficial in a package to tell a story.

All of these stills are part of a larger story where I will use motion and interviews to put the story together. My goal with the photos is to have some b-roll that I can use just like Ken Burns does in his films. I often find panning across a still image is much smoother than video sometimes can be, and I can get many more shots in than the time it takes to get a 20-second motion clip.

Here are some travel tips that I am using for each of my trips.

• Google the City and look under images for your search
  • Make a list of possible locations
  • Research was to take some of those photos may be 
• Schedule my interview early with the subject so I have time to go out and capture some of the images of the things the issue talks about in their comments.
• Talk to people from the area
• Talk to the front desk people at the hotel for their input. Sometimes they can give you unique insights.

Now many times the city skyline is quite famous. This is a photo you need if the community is known for its unique skyline. Here is a post I did about the St. Louis Skyline.

Sometimes like with the famous skyline of Seattle, you get what I call a WOW photo. The key is to try and find a way to surprise your audience.

Sometimes it just gets close to an icon like the Auburn War Eagle.