Travel Photography Tips - How to Take Great Pictures

Mar
09
2010

Travel Photography Tips - How to Take Great Pictures

Taking great pictures of your vacation can be easy if you have a few basic photography skills. In this article, you will find seven travel photography tips that will help you take some fantastic travel pictures that you'll enjoy for years to come.

Add Drama to Your Pictures
You can add interest and visual appeal to your pictures by adding some drama to your pictures. One way to add drama is to show scale. You can show scale in your pictures by having a person stand next to something enormous like the World's Largest Redwood so you can see the full impact of the image.

Clean up the Clutter
When you're seeing exciting new things, it's easy to ignore the background. But before you hit the shutter release button, look at what you're really photographing. In some cases, moving a few feet could eliminate unwanted clutter like power lines, billboards, or people walking through your picture.

Take Pictures of the Locals
No matter where you are traveling in the world, learn how to say some basic things like “May I please take your picture?” in the local language. Offer to send those you photograph a copy so make sure to have a small notebook or pencil to jot down names, addresses or emails.

Unique and Candid Photos
Candid pictures are great when traveling but don't forget to take the occasional portrait of the the family in front of a special landmark or beautiful scenery. Use the self-timer or remote shutter on the camera so you can hop into the picture too.

Aside from the mandatory photos, shoot what interests you, not what you think should interest you because it's on postcards in all the stores. You can always pick up some postcards to add to your vacation souvenirs. Unique subjects make great travel pictures so look out for these opportunities.

Every Picture Tells a Story
You may want to tell your vacation story by using your photographs from the time you departed to your return home so make sure to capture these moments too. Include special vacation highlights like a fun activity you did, new friends you made or the place you stayed. Once you get home and look at all of the pictures, select those pictures that best reflect your trip and display them in a cool photo frame on the wall.

Get the Kids in on the Act
If you are traveling with children, give each child a camera (use disposables for the young ones) and encourage them to take pictures too.

And when you get home, you'll be sure to have a great selection of pictures to put in a wooden collage picture frame and hang on the wall. Make sure to take notes while on your trip, so you'll have everything you need to write photo captions after you get home. And if you really want to have fun with your pictures, use a shadow box picture frame and frame all of your vacation keepsakes all in one frame.

Camera Logistics
If you're going to be near or in the ocean, bring one-time use or waterproof camera.The salt water and sand from the beach can seriously damage or ruin your camera so be extra careful no matter what type of camera you're using.

Remember that even for the most experienced pros, not every picture will be a keeper, so bring extra memory cards unless you have a way to upload your photos while your away.
And don't forget to prepare your camera for the next day by recharging the batteries and replacing the memory card. This way in the morning, you'll be ready to go!

As you can see, taking great travel and vacation pictures can be a lot of fun and relatively easy just by following these seven tips. And, by the time you return home you will have a lot of fantastic pictures to share with your friends and family.