6 TIPS FOR TAKING FANTASTIC TRAVEL PHOTOS

6 TIPS FOR TAKING FANTASTIC TRAVEL PHOTOS

One thing I like to pride myself on when it comes to my blog is the photos I take for my travel posts. They say a picture is worth a thousand words and I love being able to look back on my adventures through my blog posts, as well as the photos, that show how much fun I’ve had.

When you come back from your adventures, the only things you are left with are your memories so the better your photographs are, the better your memories will be! Here are my top six tips for taking fantastic travel photos.

Equipment

You don’t need to invest in a really expensive DSLR (but if you do have a fancy camera, make sure you have gadget cover for loss or theft!) and other photography equipment to get great pictures.

It’s better to have a simple camera that you know how to use than one with lots of settings that you don’t quite understand. In fact, most smartphones have really great cameras on them and, if you know how to use them to your advantage, you should be able to get some great images! You don’t need a full-sized tripod, but it might be handy to invest in a smaller pocket-sized tripod; especially one that can be attached to different surfaces as this will allow you to use the timer and get full-length shots – even if you are on your own.

Ask for help

As with all things, it’s okay to ask for help! Whether you want someone else to take pictures of you, hold up their torch to create more light or just to give their opinion. In fact, if you really want to up your travel photography game, you could go on a photography tour. This is where a professional photographer gives you a tour of an area with the added bonus of pointing out the best places to photograph, and will help teach you new techniques.

This is something that is on offer in most tourist cities, as well as on specific experiences, such as safaris. It’s a great way for budding photographers to try out their skills and develop under the eye of a professional.

Do some research

Thanks to Instagram, it’s easy to find the best places to photograph in every destination. Whether you want to capture an area of natural beauty or get some quirky shots in front of some cool graffiti, doing a search online will show you the must-shoot places and give you some inspiration for how you might like to do it yourself.

Use the light

One of the most important aspects of photography is lighting. Natural sunlight is the best option, and as the sun is setting you can create stunning photographs in the ‘golden hour’. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take pictures in low light – there are options on your camera that will let more light in, or utilize artificial light where possible.

Play around with angles

Don’t just shoot what’s in front of you, try getting up higher, or crouching down lower to see it from a different angle. Rather than placing the subject in the middle of the picture, turn on the grids and use the ‘rule of thirds’, which is a photography term which means placing your subject in one-third of the frame. This will make your pictures more interesting and improve the balance of your composition.

Enjoy it!

Your photos should capture the moments you want to remember so they won’t always be perfect and that’s a lot of the charm! Sometimes the best pictures are a little blurry but show pure joy and happiness, so don’t be afraid to snap away sometimes without even thinking about composition and lighting and other technical things. After all, these are a record of your adventures so they don’t always have to be perfect.

The more pictures you take the better you will get at it and you will start to develop your own style. Don’t be afraid to get in front of the camera and enjoy yourself too! Do you have any tips for travel photos? Leave them in the comments!