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It’s all too familiar: you turn a corner in a village in Peru or Portugal, see a local with a fascinating face and colorful, traditional clothing and think, “A fantastic portrait.” But, you don’t take the photo and go home with few "people pictures" from your trip.

Tip #1: The thing that prevents many travelers from approaching people is fear of rejection. There will always be a potential subject who doesn’t want bothered, but in my travels I’ve found people to be more cooperative if I tell the stranger why I want to take his picture. For instance, “I’m a student in a photo class, this is my assignment,” or, “My father’s family is from this region and I’m doing a slide show to share at our family reunion.” The mission specifics are not important, but the fact that you have one and are sharing it opens an element of trust. Also, explaining your mission in the native tongue helps enormously.

Tip #2: Take along your best people pictures to share. Most people can’t resist a really nice picture and if you have samples that show your past successes, you’re much closer to winning permission from your potential subject. The easiest way to do this is to carry a little book from a print-on-demand photo service like Shutterfly, Apple, Blurb or Picaboo. I usually carry a 20 page, 6”x8” softcover book that is inexpensive, easy to carry and works like a charm.

Tip #3: Once you win your subject’s confidence, keep it by photographing them in flattering light. Overcast conditions are ideal for great people pictures. If it’s sunny, try to maneuver your subject into the shade. If you must shoot in bright sunlight, turn your subject away from the sun and turn on your flash. That way, you’ll come back with a nicely lit portrait and not something that looks like a face on Mount Rushmore!

Join Bob Krist’s August 19th workshop to expand on these – and many more tips for capturing those magical moments away from home!

Peter Turnley, expert photojournalist and renowned photographer for many of the world’s most notable publications and influential people, offers you the unique opportunity to travel with him and 10-11 others. With autumn just a few weeks away and winter close behind, begin planning your end-of-year photo projects in India, Italy, Paris and/or Sicily!

October 14, find yourself in Mumbai, India’s most visually alluring city. Formerly known as Bombay, Mumbai is a rich canvas for photographers. You will experience a vast range of cultural, socio-economic and human extremes that are unlike any other city in the world.

Your time in Mumbai will coincide with the Navaratri celebrations, a series of Hindu festivals with traditional folk dancing. Navaratri offers you the chance to witness amazing moments to photograph in a city with an abundance of fascinating life scenes.

October 28, awaken in Venice for the photography experience of a lifetime. October is an ideal time to photograph Venice’s street and water life as the city returns to its authentic self without hordes of tourists, a time when the weather brings special lighting leading to stunning photographs.

Capture both the ordinary and extraordinary scenes of daily life as you create a breathtaking body of work. Bella Venezia, the perfect place for visual storytelling and illuminating those intimate moments of everyday life!

December 29, arrive in La Ville Lumiere to say, “Good-bye 2012. Welcome 2013!” Explore the rich humanistic traditions of street photography at a very special time of year in Paris, the City of Lights.

Photograph the rich daily life of Paris. Enjoy the work of many of the greatest photographers who have documented the Paris scene: Doisneau, Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, among others. Visit photography museum spaces, meet prominent members of the Paris photographic community and one of the greatest black and white printers.

March 27, 2013 enter the heart and soul of Sicily during Easter week. Explore this fascinating island in search of those special moments of passion, pain and joy that have accompanied the Sicilian Easter week for hundreds of years. This is not simply a photographic journey, but a once-in-a-lifetime human and culinary experience.

Home base is Palermo where you will gather each morning for presentations, photo critiques of daily work and discussions with Peter Turnley and a number of Italian photographers and experts of life in Sicily.

Regardless of the workshop you decide upon, Peter Turnley will help you revel in the joy and wonderment of observing and seeing as you travel across our majestic planet!

“We have photography classes in my high school. Mostly, you go out to shoot on your own on the weekend and then take your work to school. After being in Andy [Bloxham]’s class, I now know how to make the picture look good in the camera. I really like Andy; his work is really inspiring and has both a humorous and a conceptual side to it.

Next year I will take A.P. [Advanced Placement] 2D art. Almost everyone else will do drawing or painting while I do photography. I have a single body of work tied to a portfolio. With the photos from my class here last summer and this year, and the knowledge I’ve gained, it will really help me get into the college-credit class and be successful.

I came to Andy’s class last year. He was really helpful to each person’s individual needs, so I wanted to be with him again this year. My parents were skeptical about sending me from Texas to Maine, but after they learned how safe it is here, that we are not alone and get lots of help, they let me come. We looked at other programs but, for instance, other places don’t pick you up at the airport. Here, they don’t want you to be alone so they really help you. That’s why my parents let me come back this summer.

You have to be ready to try new things and be open to talking to new people. The counselors are awesome and it’s great because everyone is interested in the same things you are, it’s even easy to talk with the film kids, we all have things in common. I love it here; I would definitely encourage anyone to come here. It’s great to see so many people like you!”