Easy travel photography tips for better travel photography
Table of Contents
From photography beginners to those who just want to improve vacation photos. Everyone can use these helpful travel photography tips.
Travel Photography is the magic combination of capturing memories, amazing destinations and people.
After taking an epic adventure, all those travel photos become even more valuable to us than they were during the journey. Glancing back at a photograph can take you straight back to a situation or place.
Getting home and realizing that you didn’t capture those wanderlust moments just right can be devastating.
Luckily with a few basic travel photography tips, anyone can take amazing travel photos, no matter what camera you use.
Travel Tips
Firstly, a few basic travel tips for packing a travel camera.
Pack Light
Like all the packing hacks tell you…travel light! This goes with camera equipment too.
Think about the situations you will come across and the kind of images you want to take. Are you going to be exploring cities or hiking through waterfalls?
If you are going on adventures where your camera is likely to get damaged or is too chunky to carry, pack an adventure camera like a Go Pro or Sony Action Camera. Or even a tough Point and Shoot.
If you want to capture beautiful landscapes then a DSLR camera with a tripod and wide lens is best.
Going on safari? Then grab a zoom lens.
One of my favorite lens to travel with is a 24-70mm as it is so versatile. It won’t be perfect for every shot but if you can only take one lens it can cover most situations.
The point is though that you don’t need to take ALL your camera gear. If you are unsure if you will use a piece of equipment… don’t pack it.
Have A Way To Back Your Images
Memory cards fail, hard drives get dropped. Make sure you have at least 2 different ways to back up your images. You may want to use cloud storage and a hard drive.
Invest In A Good Camera Bag
Make sure you take a good camera bag. Even if you only have a small camera. It is the best way to make sure you don’t lose your camera.
If you have a big, flashy camera it can also be safer hidden in a bag for some places.
Find The Best Camera Bag For You
Best Camera For Travel Photography
Probably one of the most asked questions!
It can be daunting when looking at a camera for travel photography. Not only are there so many brands and makes to choose from but then there are the prices.
The best news is that you can take amazing travel photos with any camera…even a camera phone.
If you really want to be serious about your photography though, you will want to invest in a DSLR. This will let you get more creative and be in control of the images you make.
I am not going to even attempt to tell you whether you should buy a Sony, Canon or another brand of DSLR. The truth is there is no best travel camera.
A good camera for travel is one that suits your travel style and is comfortable. I would suggest heading to your nearest camera store and trying out a few cameras. See how they feel in your hand and how you like them.
As someone who has had many issues with luggage weight, I would also suggest taking a look at the mirrorless DSLR’s. They are so much lighter and make the best dslr camera for travel! I know personal friends who love their Sony and Olympus mirrorless cameras.
I asked a bunch of my favorite Family travelers what cameras they loved for Family Travel photography. Come see what they think are the best cameras for family vacations.
Travel Photography Equipment
We have already mentioned some of the best lens for travel photography, camera bag, and tripod but there is some other camera gear you may want to consider.
- Filters
. At the very least make sure you have UV filters on your expensive lens to protect them from getting scratched. You could also look at Polarizing and ND graduated filters too.
- A Spare Battery. There is nothing worse than finding your camera is out of battery near the end of a big day exploring. Buy a spare battery and make sure it is always charged.
- Spare Memory Cards. Cards get lost, they malfunction…and they get full. Carry a spare, or two.
Travel Photography
Okay, so you are all set up and ready to go. How to do you take those amazing travel pictures?
Let’s start on the things you need to do before you even set off on your trip.
How To Take Better Photographs
It can be easy to get caught up with the technical side of photography but remember it’s about enjoying the moment and capturing it.
Experiment and have fun!
You can always take a quick look at an image, decide if it worked or not. Delete, and move on.
Learn and create.
Know Your Camera
Get to know your camera really well.
Figure out what all those buttons are for. Play with the menu and settings. Try it out in different situations so you know how it works under all conditions. Play with low light settings, different modes and all you can.
If all this becomes instinctual then you will not be concentration on the mechanics while you are trying to capture a moment on your travels.
Shutter Speed
Cameras usually have up to 30 seconds for long exposures ( you may want this for sunset, low light or creative painting with light shots). You would only use these settings in low light situations and if you have a tripod.
With quicker times like 1/250 ( which means 1/250th of a second) you are reducing the amount of time you leave the camera ‘open’ to let in light. These are the ones you will use during daylight hours.
Fast shutter speeds freeze time. Making it great for capturing wildlife, people and other things you don’t want to blur.
If you have your camera in Aperture Priority mode the camera will automatically set this for you.
Aperture
Aperture is how much light you are letting into the camera.
It can seem a little complicated at first as the f-stop numbers used for aperture go down as the more light is let in. For example, f4 is a larger aperture letting in more light while f22 is a lower aperture and less light!
As well as letting in light to the camera the aperture sets the focus for your photograph. The lower the f-stop number the less of the image is in focus ( or lower the depth of field ).
So, for example, if you are taking a photograph of a beautiful Tuscany landscape, you will want as much in focus as possible. This means you will have a higher f-stop of about f11.
If you are taking travel portraiture or wanting to focus on some local crafts you will want a smaller depth of field with f4- f2.8 depending on your camera lens.
F9 is usually a good spot for an average shot with most of the scene in focus.
It’s important to remember that in manual mode the shutter and the aperture need to be worked out together as the effect the light and expose of the image. It can seem very complicated at first which is why I love the Aperture Priority mode I mentioned earlier.
If you love all the technical side of cameras then this post about Aperture and shutter speed is great.
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION TIPS
Learn a few simple photography hacks before you travel.
Remember these are just guidelines and rules are always made for breaking sometimes!
How To Take Better Photographs While Traveling
Find out the best travel photography tips for when you are on the road.
Research a Location
Find the best spots to take images, explore for new and different viewpoints.
The easiest way to do this is to look online. You can Google a destination and check out website images, search on social media like Instagram or Pinterest.
My favorite way is to ask a local! They often know some local secret and hidden spots.
Check The Weather Forecast
There’s no point waking up at 5 am to catch an amazing sunrise if it is raining cats and dogs. The night before you are planning to visit a destination just check what the weather is like for the next day as well as sunset and sunrise times.
If you are in a coastal area it may be worth checking the tide times too.
There are some great apps for working out where sunrise and sunset will be as well as when.
What Is The Best Time To Take Photos?
This one is a little tricky while traveling. Unfortunately, the most popular time for you to be exploring a new destination is often when the light is at it’s worst for photography.
Midday light tends to be very harsh. It can take the bright colors out of an image and the lack of shadows and texture makes your photographs look dull and boring.
The best light for taking photos is around sunset and sunrise.
Also known as the Golden hour and Blue hour. This is around an hour or so either side of when the sun comes up and down.
The light is much softer and makes landscapes and scenes look beautiful with lots of detail. The added perk of getting up early or staying around later is that you will also see fewer other travelers.
A great suggestion would be to take your landscape and scenic images during these hours and capture interesting street photography during the harsher light.
How To Make A Photograph
Before you point your camera to take a photograph, ask yourself some questions.
- What’s the first thing you notice about the scene?
- What do you find interesting?
- Do you have a story you want to share in the photograph?
- How are you feeling right now?
- How would you like to feel looking back on this photograph in the future?
Permissions
While taking travel photographs it is very important to be respectful and legal.
Ask before you take a photograph of a person. Check you are able to take a picture of certain areas that have political or religious significance.
If there are signs saying no entry…don’t take the photo!
I have been to some amazing sites in this world and seen the destruction caused by people jumping fences or off paths to take photographs. If somewhere is so beautiful you want to photograph it, leave it the same way for the next person to enjoy.
Move
Don’t just stand and take a shot. Bend down, reach up, turn around. Always look for a different way to see a place and you will be rewarded with amazing travel photographs.
More Ideas To Improve Your Travel Photography
Photography is a practice. Even the best travel photographers, are constantly learning and trying to improve their skills.
Here are some ways you can improve your photography skills and take better travel images:
- Follow your favorite travel photography blog. Really study their photographs and work out how they got certain effects and perspectives. Then have a go yourself.
- Sign up for travel photography workshops. Not only will you learn new skills but you may even make some like-minded friends.
- Follow travel Instagram. Find the best travel Instagrams and get inspired!
- Book photography travel tours. There are some amazing tours out there like these with National Geographic. You can find smaller and cheaper companies in all parts of the world.
Lastly, remember to put the camera away sometimes.
Travel is all about experiences. Take the time to savor them and really enjoy them. Don’t get too caught up in capturing a scene that you forget to experience it.
Love these photography tips and want more? Check out these great posts:
- Camera Settings and more to help you take amazing sunrise photos.
- How to take better photographs at the beach
