10 Travel Photography Tips

It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that photography and traveling are two of my favorite things. Since I’ve had a chance to play tourist in my own area, as well as take several trips already this year, I have had plenty of chances to remind myself of my un-written rules about travel photography.

10 Tips for Capturing Great Travel Photos

1. Carry your camera with you whenever you go out. Remember – sometimes it’s ok to be a cellphonographer, too. Cell phone photos can be a great supplement to the rest of your vacation photos, and often provide a fun and unique view of the trip.
2. Include people in your photos. Landscapes, buildings, and monuments are wonderful, but don’t forget to add your fellow travellers in at least some of the shots. People shots will enhance your memories and add personality to the photos.

 

 

3. Carry plenty of extra (charged) batteries. Remember that you will probably be taking many more pictures on the road than you would at home, so be prepared with back up batteries. When you get back to the hotel (or home base) every night, make sure to fully charge them for the next day’s events.
4. Have extra memory cards on hand. This tip is especially important if you won’t be near a computer to upload photos each day. It’s worth it to buy an extra card or two so that you don’t run the risk of missing out on photos due to a full memory card.
5. Try different perspectives – include a variety of horizontal and vertical shots. Focus on the unexpected. Sometimes what seem like the most ordinary scenes will tell more about your trip than the standard tourist shots.
6. Turn off the flash. Many locations (especially museums) don’t allow flash, so it’s good to be prepared and know how to handle low light photography.
7. Be your own tripod. Whether you’re dealing with low light situations or shots utilizing a long zoom, be sure to brace your camera to avoid camera shake.  (this is another case where those indoor photography tips can come in handy).
8. Hand your camera to someone else every once in a while. Have you ever returned from a trip only to discover that YOU were not in any of the photos? Yeah, that happens to me all the time…
9. If there’s ever a question about whether you should take a shot or not, always err on the “take it” side. Don’t hesitate. Digital photos are free, and it’s better to have a bunch of silly shots than to miss capturing an adventure altogether.
10. Take a ton of pictures. You can always go back later and delete the bad shots, but you can rarely go back and get a shot you missed because you hesitated.

Summer is on it’s way, and with the season comes many opportunities to go on vacation or take short day trips around town. Use these tips to make the most of your vacation photos. Once you’re home, how wonderful would it be to make a DVD of your travel photos and videos with YesVideo?

What are your favorite things to photograph when you are traveling?

Disclosure: I am a YesVideo ambassador and receive compensation for my time and involvement with them. All photo tips and opinions are my own.

Note: I am now selling a handful of my photos on Picha, and you can actually purchase each of these photos along with others (new photos added daily) for as little as a dollar. I’d love for you to check them out!

© 2012, Lolli. All rights reserved.

About Lolli

Lolli has written 2183 posts on this blog.

I became a mom in 1996, and in 2005 I had my fifth. Yes, 5 kids. In 2007, this blog was born (my 6th baby that will never grow up) and I've been sharing recipes, photography tricks, parenting tips, and everything in between. You can also find me writing at Home Made Simple, Famous Footwear blog and P&G Everyday. *Add my posts to your Google Reader today!*

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