Take Great Vacation Photos
Want to take better photos while on vacation? Here are a few helpful tips so you can use your digital camera to take the kinds of photos that truly reflect all of those great vacation experiences.
Make a plan before you go.
Before your trip, review travel guides and photos in books and magazines so you can make a list of some of the key shots you want to get. When you reach a location, scout the area to plan your approach before shooting.
Consider lighting.
The right lighting is crucial to creating stunning photos. For example, if you must have a photo of tall palms in Maui, shoot just before sunset or shortly after sunrise. The light during this time can lend everything a beautiful golden hue and recreate what would have been an ordinary picture of palm trees on the beach.
Choose uncluttered backgrounds.
Before you shoot, make sure there are no stray objects that might detract from your composition. Capturing buildings or other people in the distance is great as long as they don't take away from your composition. However, capturing a streetlight apparently sprouting from your husband's head is not so aesthetic. Keep a keen eye out for photo clutter.
Apply the Rule of Thirds.
It’s every snapshooter’s tendency to place their subject smack in the middle of the photograph. However, it is actually more aesthetically pleasing to place your subject off-center than mid-frame, which is a technique known as the rule of thirds. How it works: In your mind's eye, divide the picture area into vertical and horizontal thirds (like a tic-tac-toe grid). Then, place your subject on one of the four lines to create a more interesting picture.
Use people.
So you want to definitely get that snapshot of the Roman Coliseum? Who doesn't? Just remember, what looks dramatic in person sometimes doesn't turn out that way when transformed in the camera lens. One way around this is to add people into the shot to show scale. This technique works whether you're shooting a landscape or pictures of buildings, monuments—even mountains or the world's tallest Redwood.
Another reason to use people in your shots is that it gives your viewer a reason to care. Put yourself, a companion or family member into the scene. Not only will it give the shot scale, it will provide a reason for taking the shot -- other than a picture postcard (which you could have bought at the souvenir shop)! If you have no one to be in the picture, get a stand-in model... the tour guide, the bus driver, the waitress. Too many travel and vacation photos turn out boring when they are of uninhabited places.
Tell a story with your travel photos.
Eating, relaxing, unloading the car, asking for directions, leaning on street signs, and browsing roadside markets are part of any adventure. So shoot lots of pictures of casual moments to help shape your photos into a richly told story.
Whatever you do, document the session with multiple shots. If you're strolling along the harbor pier, don't just get a shot of the pier. That's boring. Tell the story of your stroll along the pier. I like to say: never take only one shot. Take at least five. The beauty of using a digital camera is that you can snap as many pictures as you like, and delete those you don't want to keep. No regrets and no wasted film. (Remember to pack an extra memory card).
Have a great time.
Believe me, you don't need a masters' degree in photography to take great vacation photos. Try to remember a few of these tips and integrate the photo-taking as part of your trip. You'll have more fun and your photos will give back later with enjoyable—and maybe even artistic--reminders of your journey.