It’s extremely rare to travel without some sort of camera and while this is hardly a new concept, the ease in which to take high quality photos we now live with is something that only improves with time. Whether it’s your camera, tablet, music player or yes, even your stand alone camera, you really don’t have an excuse for not capturing the moment for yourself and having some fun at the same time.
With this in mind, sometimes it’s difficult to know how to take the perfect picture to encapsulate your experience. There are so many things to see, angles to shoot from, lighting to worry about and details to fuss over to ensure you pictures are your own that it can be a bit overwhelming. Thankfully though, there are some excellent guides out there, from the 15 Minute Photography Tutorial to just about any bloggers site – like this one!
Take a look below at some of the things to keep in mind when travelling and trying to take those breathtaking shots.
Lighting is Everything
If you can’t see what it is you’re shooting, you won’t have a picture! This is why photography is so difficult at night and why the flash is both a blessing and a curse in terms of capturing the moment. Some places you go to will have a very narrow window of prime picture taking, either due to the lighting conditions that day, very high cliffs or the position of the sun. There are some things you simply can’t change but do the best to at least make sure you get a clear shot; thanks to the photo editing software out there, as long as you get decent lighting and exposure, you can add in almost anything else later.
Perspective Matters
Anyone can take a picture of the Eiffel Tower or Houses of Parliament from straight on, so why not mess with convention and shoot from the opposite side or down below? It’s the difference between having your own personal shot or just another stock photo that you could’ve grabbed online.
Don’t Forget the People!
Some travellers are so focused on taking pictures of the places and things that they forget to capture shots of the people they bump into that made their trip memorable. Maybe it’s that store clerk in Nikko that was unbelievably helpful or the farmer on the side of the road in Caboolture that showed you the way back to the path – these pictures make for great stories and unlike the landmarks, they are all about a snapshot in time. Just be sure to ask permission first!