Memories are among the greatest treasures we have, and with some essential tips for travel photos, you will have permanent reminders of some of the best experiences of your life. Ok, so a picture doesn’t have to be brilliant to cause you to reminisce, but you want to be able to take pride in your photos and for them to capture the best of everything you’ve seen and done. Here are the essential tips for travel photos.
1 Have a Strong Focal Point
Some of the worst travel photos in the world are those that do not try and capture just one aspect of a scene. One of the most important tips for travel photos is to make sure that your image has a focal point that is clear in the image. If you are taking a picture of a mountain, make sure that it’s the main focal point, rather than a wide image which contains lots of scenery. It honestly will make your photos a lot more aesthetically pleasing.
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2 Put the Subject in the Centre of the Frame
Although it can be difficult to do, try your hardest to make sure that the subject of your photograph is in the centre of the frame. Line up the vertical and horizontal positioning lines with your focal point; it’ll make for a much better image because it will look balanced and professionally taken. If the object is off-centre, not only will it look rushed and amateur, but the poor positioning will be everyone’s focus, rather than the content of the image.
3 Think about Light Direction
One of the pivotal tips for taking travel photos is to take care of how the light is shining in your photo. Sometimes it’s not possible to take a photo during the evening or mid-afternoon when the sun is low in the sky; if that’s the case, come back at another time or another day when the light provides the best illumination. There’s no point taking a sub-standard photo with a person’s face being covered by the shadow from their hat. Either sort out the lighting, or try again later.
4 Don’t Overshadow Your Focal Point
One of the common mistakes of travel photos is overshadowing the focal point with a bigger, brighter, more interesting feature. Take the time to look at the frame before you take the picture. Is there something brighter that will distract from the object of the photo? If there is, adjust your angle to remove that distracting element.
5 Be Close to the Object
Out of all of the tips for travel photos on this list, this is perhaps the easiest to rectify. Make sure that you are close enough to the object focused on in the photograph, and if you can’t get close enough physically, use the zoom on your camera. An overcrowded photo will only lead to the subject being too small to be visually effective; cut out the unnecessary scenery and focus on what the photo is supposed to be of.
6 Have the Correct Focus
This piece of advice for taking travel photos is less about the image itself, and more about how you have taken that image. If you are using an SLR camera, use the focus-lock ability on the camera by pressing the capture button slightly. An out-of-focus image will look very unappealing and demonstrate a lack of photographic skill. By adjusting the focus correctly, you will be able to take more interesting and complex photographs. Do a few trial runs at home with the focus before you go on a trip, so that you know exactly how your camera works.
7 Remove Red Eye
If you want to know how to take good travel photos, you will want to make sure that you keep any red eye to a minimum. Red eye is caused when the flash of your camera is too bright for someone’s eyes, and thus the result is a horrible red discolouring of the iris. Using natural light in your photographs will help to combat red eye, but if that is not possible then ask the person to not look directly into the lens.
With these tips for taking travel photos you can get great results with a flashy expensive camera or even the one on your phone. Once you’ve mastered the basics you can move on to creating travel photos that are works of art. Are you a happy snapper or do you like to work on your travel pics?
