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Top Travel Photography Tips from Travel Bloggers
Photos make amazing souvenirs of your world travels! Looking at photos will transport you back to the destination for years to come. Whether you are taking photos with your camera or phone, here are top travel photography tips from travel bloggers to ensure Instagram-worthy photos.
Read: Beginning Travel Photography for Everyone
Rule of Thirds
The “Rule of Thirds” is one of the first things you learn in painting classes and it can be applied to painting with light as well. It is a simple tip that will enhance your travel photography so much more.
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is this – image drawing lines down into thirds both horizontally and vertically so that you have 9 parts. The lines would intersect at four points. Instead of placing your subject in the center, now place your point of interest (or focus) on one of these intersections. So instead of placing the flower in the center, it is off to the side in the frame.
If you place points of interest in the intersections, the photo seems more balanced and the viewer’s eye travels to this point first naturally and goes on to other areas of the photo. They linger a little longer on the photo. You can easily turn the grid lines on, on your Phone or Camera (using the setting) which will make it easy to see the lines and compose the shot.
Priya of Outside Suburbia
Low-angle Shot
Shooting from below or getting down low can totally transform how a photograph can turn out. Many people just point and shoot from their own height but changing the angle from which you capture your picture can totally change the result. This can be applied to all aspects of travel photography and works well if you are traveling with young kids.
While on a recent trip to Dublin with kids I wanted to capture my son beside the Spire, a pin-like monument standing 120 meters in height. I could never have achieved a good picture had I not gotten down low and taken my shot from below. The result makes it seem as if the Spire keeps going into the clouds.
I’ve used this technique in other instances when a building or landmark is quite tall, and I don’t have enough room to move back to get it all in the shot. By getting down low you can fit more into the picture. You can also capture more of the sky, like in my picture, which can provide some interesting background to some photos. So next time, get down low and see the difference it can make compared to a picture taken from a normal height.
Cath of Passports and Adventures
Don’t Cut Off the Sky
One of the most common travel photography mistakes is to cut off the top of the photo, especially the sky when taking portraits and landscape photos. Although you definitely want to focus on the people or the building near you, it’s often better to find a different angle that will allow a little bit of sky in the photo. The sky allows you to get a sense of how small or big something is. There’s something about the shifting clouds or a perfectly blue sky that adds an air of mystery to your photo to make it more interesting and contextual.
Although a zoomed-in photo can be great, it’s sometimes better to take a few steps back (if possible) to get a little more in the frame. You’ll be surprised how much better the photo looks with more sky to contrast with the landscape. Similarly, if you’re taking photos of a building with a cross (or star) on the top of the building, you’ll really see a difference in how the photo looks if you manage to include the star with a little sky behind it!
Even if you’re not a professional photographer, you might be surprised by how great your photos look if you (or the subject of your portrait) simply take a few steps back. When taking photos of others, I often tell them to run backward until I tell them to stop, so that the framing is just right. Sometimes, I’m the one who needs to move backward. From there, you’ll want to consider tilting the camera a little upwards.
This photo of the Royal Academy of London benefits from a little extra sky as it allows more light in the photo, which was taken on a cloudy day when it was hard to get a good photo due to the dark clouds. Instead, the clouds contrast beautifully with the small amount of light that comes through in the distance.
Karen of Local Holland
Arrive Early
Whenever I want to visit and photograph a place of natural beauty, I try to be there as early as possible in the morning. For popular places, this has the nice side effect that you can beat the crowds who like to sleep in and all arrive at the same time, sometime before noon. But that is not the only advantage. The first light in the morning is the perfect setting for natural sceneries. Especially around lakes and forests, you often get a magical-looking morning mist that is hanging over the scene with the rising sun in the background. Absolutely stunning. Make sure to bring a tripod if you head out early in the morning. Depending on the intensity of the sunlight, you may need a steady camera and adjust the shutter speed accordingly.
In the photograph above, we took a boat ride on Lac Rwihinda on our trip to Burundi. We got up at 5 in the morning to reach the lake by foot at 6am. The views and the silence over the lake were absolutely worth the effort. I must have taken a thousand photos on that boat ride.
Mike of 197TravelStamps
Shoot Both Portrait and Landscape Orientations
My main travel photography is to take pictures of things in both portrait orientation (longer north to south) and landscape orientation (longer west to east). You never know when, where, or how you’ll enjoy your travel photos once they’re taken, and you never know which shot you’ll like better later on. Perhaps you’ll use them in a future scrapbook or a slideshow, or maybe you’ll write a book about them. Having options makes them easier to use. As a bonus, this keeps you from having to crop a photo to make it fit the other orientation.
In case you needed another reason, changing orientations is a really easy way to practice composition. There’s no need to change lenses or the lighting since turning the camera forces you to re-evaluate what part of the subject is the most important.
Chris of Worthy Go
Focus on the Eyes When Taking Photos Without a Macro Lens
Taking pictures of insects and butterflies is never easy as they rarely stay still for very long and can often be camouflaged. Many photographers will tell you that a macro lens is essential to take good close-up images as it captures the detail better. While I do not disagree with this, macro lenses are expensive and are only cost-effective if you’re going to do a lot of close focus work. There are also times when you’re just out and about with your camera, and there isn’t time to change the lens.
How do you get a good image without a macro lens? My main tip here is to focus on the eyes. By capturing the eyes, it will give your image a new dimension and add more of an emotional angle to your picture. Having the eyes focused also provides more depth to the image. Furthermore, it will allow your viewer’s attention to be drawn into your photo in a more compelling way.
To get the best shots of insects, try to take photographs early in the morning or late in the day as they’re less active. Insects are best shot on a warm evening or in the morning especially if there is a heavy dew. Get as close as your focus will allow you and use a shallow depth of field to get a great shot.
Fiona of Passport and Piano
Jumping Photos
Looking for a photo of you on your travels that’s a bit more interesting than a selfie? These days jumping shots are really popular, but they can be hard to get right, so here’s how to do it.
The first thing you’ll need is a friend to help, so for this, let’s assume you have one, and that you are taking the photo of your friend jumping in the air in front of an amazing landscape or landmark.
Frame the landscape nice and wide, and then get your friend to stand a few meters away from you so they’re in the middle of the picture with a bit of space above their head to jump into. If possible, get them to stand on a rock or a higher surface and kick their heels up behind them (but only if they can jump safely!).
You’ll need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action, so set your camera to sports mode. Now crouch, sit or lie down – getting low will make it look like they’re jumping higher. Give them a 3-2-1-jump! And on ‘1’ press and hold the shutter. Sports mode will allow you to fire off a burst of pictures, and afterward, you can pick the perfect part of the jump and delete the rest. For more travel photography advice check out Bella’s Top Wildlife Photography Tips.
Bella of Passport and Pixels
Do Not Crop Off Body Parts
One of the easiest mistakes to avoid in travel photography is to make sure to not cut off people’s body parts in a photo by accident (either during photo taking or post-editing), says Serena from Serena’s Lenses. This may sound overly simple or even funny but it’s a frequent mistake made by people.
Oftentimes when a person is the center of the object the photographer mainly focuses on the person’s face. While this is good practice to make sure the person is the center of focus, the photographer is often ignoring the bigger picture and can accidentally crop some of the body parts.
A good practice is to focus on the overall photo before pressing that shutter to ensure no body parts are unintentionally cropped off and this could either be a toe, the feet, half of a hand, etc. Even if the intention is to not have a full-body shot, consider where you crop the image so it doesn’t look awkward. In general, cropping between the joints (knee, elbow, hip, and ankle) looks better than cropping at the joints.
Serena of Serena’s Lenses
Using a Tripod and Your Phone
Framing a shot, once you get the basics down, isn’t too hard! However, what happens when you’re out at some amazing place, want a photo of yourself, and there’s nobody around? How do you frame a shot you can really see? As long as you have a travel tripod, a camera with WiFi capabilities, and a phone, you’re all good!
Download the app that matches your camera so you can remotely access your camera. This way, you see your shot on your phone, walk out to where you want to take a picture of yourself, and click the shutter button using your phone. It’s pretty genius!
If you don’t have WiFi on your camera, you can use an intervalometer as a remote, however, you’ll have to take a few more shots to get it right since you can’t see yourself on screen. The remote will work as your shutter button, though!
Nina of Where in the World is Nina
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