Travel Photography Tips
I’ve taken thousands and thousands of photos. I’ve carried my 2 cameras and 3 lenses to heights of 18,000 ft. It has been with me every step of the way to over 31 countries. I feel like at this point I’m qualified to give out a little photography advice! I do a lot of candid people photography as well as some landscape photography. Both have its challenges when you are on the road and at the mercy of Mother Nature, geography, and human nature. I’m sure that as a traveler, you want to capture what you’re seeing and experiencing, so here are a few tips to get the exceptional shots you want on your next trip.
Nice! Except for power line in the upper right!
Nice! Except for power line in the upper right!
Scan
Before you click the shutter button, take one last look around your frame; especially the corners. Look for pesky power lines and other distractions. There’s nothing worse than trying to get a great shot of the simplicity of village life in remote areas and there are power lines running through your shot! If power lines are in your frame, then go to another vantage point (squat down or stand on something) so you can get a nice clean shot. Right before I shoot I move my eye around the perimeter of my frame to make sure it’s clear – then take the shot.
Wide
Capture your surroundings with a wider angle
I know everyone likes to have these super zoom cameras, but the more powerful photos are the ones where you can see the people relate to their environment. Your photography will improve by widening your view. Not only will you get the environment around a person, but by using a wider angle and not relying on the crutch of a zoom lens, it will force you to get up closer to your subject. This means that you’ll interact more with your subject and that ALWAYS makes a better picture. Don’t simply zoom in and ‘steal’ pictures, they are never as good. If you use an SLR, use a wide angle lens for a day and see how your photography improves!
Memory
If you are using an SLR camera make sure you get to know your main controls by feel BEFORE the trip. While you have the camera up to your eye looking thru the view finder, make sure you can find and switch the ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and focal points by feel (without removing the camera from your face to look for the buttons!). Practice these things before you leave on your trip. Set up a shot and see if you can change all of these things quickly by feel. It may be tough at first, but with practice, you’ll get to know the locations of these buttons and wheels just as you know your shutter button and zoom. Knowing these features will help you to react quickly to the ever changing situations around you.
Crouch
Get to their level
If you don’t want to stand out as you are taking photos, then try to blend into the crowd more. I do this by crouching down/squatting and taking photos from a lower viewpoint. This way I don’t stand out as much (I normally travel in Asia where I seem to tower over everyone!). If you are photographing children, then crouching is a must to get to their level and interact more with them. It helps put them at ease. Plus crouching has added benefits – it normally offers a more unique perspective.
Wait
When you see someone doing something you want to capture, how do you go about asking permission to take their photo and not have them stop what they were doing and pose/grin into the camera? You wait. And wait. It’s inevitable if you ask someone to take their picture while they are playing an intense game of cards, they will all stop and look at the camera and smile; not quite the shot you were looking for. However take that shot of their cheesy grins and then show it to them…they will all laugh and smile be satisfied. Then they’ll go back to their game of cards. That’s when you can now wait around and get the real shots you want. Your newness will wear off and they will forget you are there and go about their intense game. Now you can start clicking.
Me up to catch the morning sunlight
These are just a few tips that you can digest for your next trip. But the best advice I can give you is to PRACTICE!
Do you have a travel photography tip to share? Speak up and help others improve their shots!
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One thing I’d add is to look at the photos you shoot with an analytical eye. Everyone will take bad photos. It is unavoidable. Try to figure out why a photo sucks and why other photos are good.
Look at other people’s photos the same way. Try to figure out how they got a particular shot.
I began to notice similar circumstances with my good photos and my bad ones now just avoid the things which made many of the bad photos.
You have to be your own worst critic.
Thanks for the tip Gary! I totally agree – you have to put have an editing eye to your own shots. One way I try to achieve this is to join photography groups/clubs where critique is a big part of it. I was in a great photography club in Saigon that was super about reserving a part of our meetings for critiques of each other’s work. I learned a ton from that group. There are also online versions of this where you can submit your photos that you think are great (a google search on photo critique) – and have others provide feedback…must have tough skin.
Great tips, thanks Sherry!
You need so much confidence to take good photos I think, particularly when you want to truly capture the environment – I always feel so conspicuous with my big camera, even when it has a small lens on it, because people are so used to seeing tiny point and shoots these days. I definitely want to try and take more people shots on my next trip, and these suggestions are really helpful.
One question – what’s in your kit bag? Any tips on equipment? I’m always looking to refine my gear.
Megan – sometimes shooting people can be rather intimidating; especially when you can’t communicate with them in their language. All I can say is try and make it a cultural exchange experience. Show them their photos, take a photo with them, make it fun; it will lighten thing up a bit and you’ll have more of a connection with them. I give my little point and shoot to some kids and let them take photos of us (if I sorta know them of course!).
As for what’s in my bag:
3 lenses (wide, telephoto, and everyday portrait type)
CODA filters (neutral density filters of different colors, polaroid filter) and filter holders (wide angle and regular)
extra batteries
extra memory cards (I like to take many small cards in case I lose one of the camera gets stolen – I don’t loose everything on one card)
Camera manual (you never know when you need it!)
4 in one card reader (for uploading my images to laptop at night)
POint and shoot camera
I honestly try to carry very little when I’m traveling; hence no tripod. I have very simple gear!
Lovely post, Sherry. Some time this weekend I’ll be seeing how accurately I can change my settings without stopping to look at them!
Purists may hate this but I’d also mention photo editing software. You don’t even need to get into the technical detail – sometimes a good crop is all it takes to get rid of a distraction and create a better photo.
Totally agree! I have been trying to learn more and more about editing this year – but it can really help, but it takes so much time when going thru hundreds of shots! I guess I have to improve on taking fewer shots!
Good tips, Sherry. I would add getting to know the aperture and shutter speed settings for typical conditions. Landscape that needs long focal length in bright sun – F16 or smaller with a speed of 1/125 or faster. When to stop down, when to open up, etc. When setting exposures becomes automatic, you start taking really good photos, because the camera is part of you rather than just a piece of equipment.
excellent advice Barbara – will give that a try!
I’m very much from the point & shoot school & take everything on auto, having never quite understood the finer points of apperture & shutter speed.
Nevertheless i think you can still get some great shots, sometimes more by luck than judgement.
My tips are;
Take loads of shots of the same thing – I will sometimes take 5-10 shots of a similar scene, especially groups of people when one person will innevitably be looking the wrong way. Then edit them down later.
I use Flickr & Picasa for editing which can make a longer shot a close up as long as you shoot in high res.
The obvious one that all photographers know is to shoot early & late in the day when the light is more forgiving.
Also the one I’ve learned by bitter experience is always take the shot when you first see it, never assume that you will get back to it – plans change, so does the weather, shoot it NOW
I like the tip on waiting. I’m terrible at asking people for pictures and when I do I usually walk away with the cheesy grins. One of my goals this year is to take more pictures, something I don’t do enough of, and leave my comfort zone.
“Crouch” is a great tip, Sherry. I do this often and it totally changes the composition of a photo.
My tip is to use the bracketing feature (even on point and shoots). You’ll have an under-exposed, medium-exposed and over-exposed shot of the same scene. But then again, I like choices
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Agree with all tips except “wide”. I think that’s personal preference. After all, photography is art and different people like different things. Personally I prefer a tight crop and seeing the detail. Wide angles quickly lose my interest as I can’t see what’s really happening, and there’s often too much to look at.
Of course, a wise angle image can make a great wall hanging because you want to discover something new about the picture every day.
Thanks for your thoughts Stephen! Glad you visited my site!
True – it can be a personal preference. I used to shoot people only one way – up close and tight – but I felt a bit re-energized when started shooting wider. One good thing though is that even if you do use a wider angle lens to shoot people, you can still get close up…simply by walking up closer. Keeping a wider lens on my SLR instead of my telephoto made me get over my fear of walking up and getting close to people to shoot them.
Great tips! I also like analyzing landscapes and other scenes to find a sense of geometry that will make for a good shot. I’m taking an SLR class next weekend, so am excited to learn more about taking quality photos! Your advice is a good start!
Some great tips. Digital cameras have changed so many things – almost limitless shots can be taken and you get instant feedback via the little screen on the back – much different to film – when you had the excitement of seeing all your photos on your return home returning from the photo developing shop. Some truly practical tips above – I like the one about crouching to change the perspective. I’d add an obvious favourite – practice and practice some more. Take photos around home and your own town and then take some more at another time and compare the differences. Too many people I see seem to be learning to use their camera (often a new one for a special trip) when on their trip of a lifetime.
Great advice Mark – when I got my first SLR I took it to Brazil the next week…boy – that was a learning experience! It forces you to learn quickly – but not the recommended way to go about it! akin to jumping in the pool when you don’t know how to swim!
These are all really great tips! I especially like how you elaborated in the “comments” about how to create a cultural exchange through the act of taking pictures.
Thanks!