7 Travel Photography Tips

Are you looking with envy through the vacation images of your friends and ask yourself why your last holiday photographs don’t stand a chance? Or are you a fan of the trendy Instagram travel photographers who seem to turn any location in a dream place? Then I want to present some of the secrets that will help you to create better travel pictures. You don’t need more expensive equipment or a destination that is more exclusive, by following some of the tips, you will already improve your photographs a lot. Avoid Harsh Light There is a saying in Germany, that between 11 am and 3 pm the photographer takes a break. Well, it does sound better because it originally rhymes, but the content is still true. In harsh mid-day light, any place will look more unpleasant and less favorable. The rough light casts a shadow that is very harsh and highlights every unattractive spot. If you want to take portraits during the mid-day sun, look out for some partly-shaded places. Same goes for landscape or urban pictures. At the morning or evening, they look much better than during noon. The shadows are longer and you have more options to use the sun. For example, you can place your subject directly in front of the sun and create silhouettes, or HDR images through stacking of multiple photographs. The color temperature is also a lot more pleasant and not a very bright white, but more in the orange range. A Lighter Camera If you believe that expensive gear makes a huge difference you have been misled by the industry, that tries to sell their newest cameras. The technology is already so far advanced that it doesn’t make a big difference if you use the newest generation of DSLRs. In fact, for travel photography, I wouldn’t recommend big heavyweight DSLRs anymore. Their image quality is great, but if you out and try to capture the streets of your vacation destination these cameras can become very uncomfortable very quickly. Modern mirrorless cameras or even point-and-shoot cameras deliver great quality as well but are a lot lighter and more flexible. Your holidays shouldn’t be about carrying as much gear as a professional photographer, but more about enjoying the free-time itself. Don’t be afraid to try out some lighter and smaller gear. You will realize that travel photography can much more fun, when you don’t have to carry a big bag of equipment anymore, but are able to store your camera in your pocket. The newest smartphones are also able to display great image quality. Especially when you aren’t interested in printing the images on a large scale, there won’t be any noticeable distinctions. In the end, it is better to have an image from your smartphone, than having none, because you doubt its quality.rnNew Perspectives Are you looking forward to photographing the big cathedral everyone is talking about? Did you do your research beforehand to find the best location to get the best view? So did everyone else and while there might be a good reason why the most popular places are also ideal to get a good point of view, it might be favorable for you to search for new perspectives. Taking a picture that can be already seen on thousands of catalogues, calendars or websites isn’t really enjoyable for me. This is not the essence of photography?—?to re-create what others have already shown to be working. Part of the fun is to get creative myself and showing my unique point-of-view. If you want to create memorable images, I would advise you to search for different locations that aren’t mentioned in guides or magazines. Instead, explore the city or location yourself and ask locals if they have an inside tip for a good photo spot. After viewing the result, you will appreciate all the work that went into that single image. Even if the image might not be perfect, you will have great stories to tell, how you got that photograph. Travel photography is not always about the final results, but also about the experience. An imperfect photograph that was fun to create will have a more positive impact than standing in a line of a landmark, just to get the same image everyone else has already. Get Closer Robert Capa’s quote “If your pictures aren’t good enough?—?you aren’t close enough” is aimed at documentary photographers. Although you are doing travel photography, which?—?depending on your destination?—?is more a mixture of architecture, landscape and street photography, this quote can be universally applied. The characteristic a lot of “amateur” travel photos lack is a clear focus and even if it is clearly visible what the photographer wanted to show, mostly there are a lot of other different distractions on the image. If your goal is to capture that little ice cream parlor that you found in a small alley, then fill the frame with that beautiful shop. Don’t also include the newest shoe shop nearby, fully concentrate on what you want to show. Photographs that try to show too much aren’t showing anything at all in the end. Be confident that what you want to show is already interesting enough to look at. Also, you shouldn’t be too lazy to take a few steps forward. Although you might find it a hassle to change positions for every picture you are taking, this is a tip that can make a big difference. The Human Element Thomas Leuthard: Architecture, landscapes, and landmarks can be interesting to look at. They probably played a big role to chose this destination over others. Of course, a majority of your travel pictures will revolve around these topics.rnBut have you flicked through your last album and have gotten the feeling that it seems somewhat dead and lacks live? This is at least a feeling I get, when I see all the images of buildings, landscapes or locations when there aren’t any people visible. To make your images lively, you can include people in your architecture images as well. This doesn’t mean that you have to have someone pose in front of it for you, but that other pedestrian can be added to the photograph to raise your photo from the dead. The person doesn’t have to be fully visible as well, a silhouette can be enough to make the image already more interesting. In addition, portraits of locals can be a great chance to have a quick chat and learn more about local culture. Resulting in a great image and memory. Don’t be afraid to simply ask for a portrait. Basics of Composition You don’t need to finish a university course about the theories of visual aesthetics to understand why certain pictures work, while others don’t, even though the subject is merely the same. The understanding of basic composition can raise the quality of your images a lot and doesn’t take much research. Therefore I want to present the three most basic rules and how you can apply them. 1 Rule of Thirds The Rule of Thirds is the most popular rule and if you are interested in photography in general, you probably have heard of it before. But what does it actually mean? There is a natural preference for proportions in an image where you can divide it by thirds from left to right and top to bottom. Wherever the lines cross each other, you should place your subject. Modern cameras can overlay such a grid in your viewfinder to make it easier to understand where your main subject should be placed. You don’t have to apply the rule too strictly. As a rule of thumb, I would advise you to simply don’t put your main subject in the middle of your image as this looks boring most of the time. 2 Background A lot of photographers focus only on what they in front of the image. I understand that it is important for you to get everything in focus and that there isn’t anything distracting the foreground. The same attention to detail should be applied to the background. Although you might believe that the background is the least important of your image, it has a huge influence on the visual aesthetics of your photograph. If you are taking a portrait, keep in mind that there isn’t anything distracting behind your subject, like a branch coming out of your friend’s head or something similar. Rather place them in front of quit backgrounds. 3 Layers To take the concept of the background & foreground further, there are some easy tricks to create a three-dimensional appeal of your photograph. Photographs are only a two-dimensional representation of our reality and therefore the viewer has often problems to understand the dimensions of the image. The building might have looked a lot more impressive and bigger when you stood there yourself than it does in your image now. The sea and its wave might have been also a lot more intimidating when you created the picture yourself. To create a realistic view of the scene, try tornTo create a realistic view of the scene, try to fill the foreground, middle ground, and background with interesting details, instead of only having a single subject in the middle.rnFor your landscape images, this could mean to place a rock or something similar in the foreground of your photograph. Post Processing All the tips before are fine and already help to create better photographs. But the truth is, that no image that you see in magazines or your favorite Instagram feeds is straight out of the camera. They all have been processed and the RAW-image that you have taken is only the basis for further adjustment. A little increase in contrast, clarity and sharpness can change the appeal of your photo dramatically. If you are not interested in learning the post-processing yourself, there also great presets available that will do the work for you. A subscription for Lightroom & Photoshop only costs 10$ a month and presets are available from VSCO.rnOther free presets are from Silver Efex where you can emulate analog b&w or color film. Hopefully, these tips will help you to visualize your perception of your vacation more easily. The most important thing when it comes to travel photography should still be to enjoy the holidays and gather as many great memories as possible while saving some of them with your camera.