10 Useful travel photography tips

When you travel you want to capture some special moments by making amazing pictures. It is a great way to look back on a trip, but also to show the people at home the places you visited and the people you met. A good picture can show way more emotion than a crappy one. With these 10 useful photography tips, you can become a better photographer during your next trip. Enjoy reading!

Remember to always experience the moment fully by yourself rather than only through your lens. 

#1 Prepare yourself about the destination

It is very useful to get to know some things about your destination. First of all, you need to understand the culture, history and architecture of a country, in order to pass on the right message on each picture. Maybe there are special traditions or ceremonies going on? Sure, you want to capture those with your camera.

Also read about the photographing rules of your destination. Are you allowed to make photos in public areas or in their national museum? Furthermore, make sure you know how to ask locals to make a picture of them and also how to thank them.

#2 Prepare your camera for the destination

Make sure you know how to use your camera. Attend a workshop and learn all the special features of your camera. Pictures will look so much better if you know how to change for instance the white balance or to use the ‘night portrait’ or ‘Close-up’ modes.

#3 Photograph without a goal

Sometimes you have those specific photographing goals to capture for instance an amazing sunrise or a local tradition, but most of the time, good pictures are made in unexpected situations. Just go for a walk in the town, in a park or visit that little good looking church. You never know what beautiful things you will discover.

#4 Avoid crowded places

If you decide to photograph some typical touristic sights, make sure you go in the early morning or late afternoon. During the day, you have to share the sight with plenty of other tourists and they can influence the light, background and lots of other things for your picture.

#5 Choose a good post

Sometimes a picture can look totally different if you take it while sitting on the ground rather than standing on your legs. You can also try to place the subject on the side of a picture, this can make a huge difference. Try to play a little bit with the subject, but make sure it is always photographed straight. Also make sure the entire subject is visible on the picture. Nobody likes a face without a mouth, an elephant without legs or a sunset without a sun.

#6 Use editing programs

With the right editing program, you can improve a picture in a very easy and quick way. Use programs like ‘Lightroom’, ‘Photoshop’ or ‘Picasa’ to add more light to your pictures or change the contrast. Now they will look even more awesome!

#7 Use the light of the sun

The natural sun light is the best light you can wish for your picture. Do not photograph straight into the sun, but use the sun as an extra sight light for a good light balance. The sun will always look better than your flash.

#8 Pack a lightweight travel tripod

Bring a lightweight travel tripod with you. A tripod allows you to set your camera position and keep it there. With the camera fixed, you can then take your time arranging the perfect composition. A tripod also gives you the ability to shoot much slower shutter speeds (waterfalls, low-light, stars, etc) without worrying about hand-held camera shake.

#9 Use tricks to show depth

It can be hard to show depths in pictures. A good solution for this issue, is to place something on the foreground of your subject. For instance, use some branches of the tree to create depth.

#10 Do only bring the necessary stuff with you

Do not bring too many lenses with you. Choose the lenses you use the most. No one enjoys travelling with a lot of stuff. Also bring a travel-plug with you, so you can charge your camera wherever you are and bring enough memory cards.

---

I hope these tips were useful to you. If you have any other photographing tips you would like to share with me, please tell me in the comment section. Thanks!

Author: Daphne

Pin this post!