When you’re going on a holiday, chances are you want to document your experiences in some way, and that often involves a camera. Whether you use an SLR camera with zoom lens, a point-and-shoot digital camera or even want to document your trip with a camera phone, you can follow these tips for making the most of your photography while traveling.
What to bring
The first rule of thumb is: only bring what you need. The last thing you want on your travels is to be weighed down by way too much equipment. If you use an SLR camera, figure out which lenses you want to use beforehand, rather than bringing them all. Don’t forget any chargers or adapters you might need (and keep in mind the voltage and outlets of the countries you’ll be visiting). Bring a laptop so you’ll have a way to offload your photos and make more space on your memory card.
Shoot candidly
While many of us love to take posed pics with our friends on our travels, the truly glorious shots come when they’re taken more candidly. Take the picture when your subject is unaware that you’re taking it, and you’ll capture their beautiful, natural energy.
Photographing nature
Nature is an excellent subject for travel photography, so make sure you visit some places with gorgeous scenery! If you’re lucky enough to be photographing animals on your travels, make sure and stay patient. You might have to wait awhile to get that perfect shot, but when you finally do it will be totally worth the wait. Check out Dreamstime for examples of some awesome animal and nature shots.
Hunt down interesting subjects
Don’t just take photos of scenery at a distance… find the truly interesting subjects that will tell the story of your travels. Find an outdoor market and photograph the foods and spices close-up. Or take candid photos of local people going about their daily lives. Use a large aperture for close up photos to really highlight the subject and blur the background. Coming home with truly interesting and unique photos will be a great way to go back over your travels later.
Get creative
Get out of the rut of always placing your subject in the center of the frame. Use the rule of thirds to create a more interesting composition. Or you can try framing your subject in interesting ways. Play with the white balance and exposures to create different effects. It’s all about having fun and creating something beautiful along your travels that you can share with people when you get home. Photography really tells a story, so infuse your photographs with your mood and personality!
Follow these simple tips to make sure that you make it home with some memorable photos. Remember to take your camera absolutely everywhere you go, you never know when you will get to snap that picture perfect shot. Sometimes what we see is difficult to put into words, so let your photos do the talking.