10 Tips How To Take The Best Travel Photos

In this post, I’m going to share with you some tips to help you take great object or even landscape photos when traveling. All of these tips also work for getting any kind of single person, group, or family travel photos!

#1 know the weather

Depending on the setting you need, knowing the weather should be your number one priority. Weather can offer the best for your photo shooting, and yet it can still ruin everything. Do your research on the expected weather conditions of the places you plan to visit.

Almost all weather conditions are good for specific photo shooting. Whether rainy, cloudy, sunny, stormy with lightning, all you need is to be informed. It will even aid in the planning of your travel trip to specific places.

#2 use a tripod

A tripod can only take seconds to erect but will hold your camera in a steady position for as long as you wish. A steady camera is a key necessity for almost all kinds of photography. At night or cases of low light, the camera is set to night settings.

You have a lot of control over the photo and composition, you don’t need to involve any outside people, and you can achieve really good results. You also can take better photos in more challenging circumstances like low light situations!

#3 always remember rule of thirds

You’ve obviously seen in many of the digital cameras lines running vertically and horizontal on the display screen. They are the guidelines to be used according to the rule of thirds. The rule suggests that the subject should be aligned with the guidelines in such a way to ensure proper proportions.

The main reason for this is to discourage the positioning of the subject at the center of the photo. It also helps avoid the appearance that the picture is divided into equal halves by the horizon. The whole idea helps frame the image in a way that appeals to the eye.

#4 try to capture more natural and candid poses

Holidays are meant to be fun, so don’t forget to show a bit of fun in your photos! Awkwardly posed photos don’t look as great, so if you can capture some moments of the two of you having a bit of fun, that is definitely going to be a better photo!

#5 wake up early, stay out late

Nothing inspires a beautiful morning than the glimmering rays of the rising sun. Nothing is even better than the relaxing evening sunset. Great photography is a result of a good texture of light, only evident in the mornings and evenings. Perhaps you will need to sacrifice your overtime sleep if you need something substantial. Furthermore, the luring scene of the sunrise or sunset could create the perfect natural background for your picture.

Wake up early, stay out late and take photography to the next level!

#6 talk to locals

“If you want to come home with a truly memorable photo, treat it like a piece of art and take your time,” – Elisabeth Brentano

When you’re not rushed, you have time to think and try new things with your photography. You can still shoot the same spots as everyone else, but try to put your own creative spin on it, whether you’re shooting or editing. The searching for a unique foreground element, like flowers or rocks, will add impressive depth to your photo. Moreover, don’t be afraid to do a bit of research or ask around with the locals about amazing sunrise and sunset spots. Your efforts will almost always be rewarded.

#7 shoot in manual mode

Manual mode shooting is preferred for a couple of reasons. With the auto settings, the camera tends to decide everything for you, the exposure, light, shutter speed, the aperture, and even the ISO. Wonderful, right? But if you’ve been keen enough, you should have realized that at times the quality of such photos doesn’t reflect the real setting.

For example, in low light situations, the camera tends to increase the amount of light. And this is where you print a photo of individuals with red eyes, glowing skin or even closed eyes. You would have carefully moderated this manually. So, it is worth learning to use the camera manually rather than depending upon it to lead the way.

#8 get a different angle

Think outside the box. This is difficult for anybody — it’s difficult for working travel photographers to keep pushing the envelope, but some simple ways to do that is that if you find yourself standing, knees locked, arms out, elbows at 90 degrees, stoop down, get on your belly, turn your camera up to the sky, look left, look right, look behind you, get something different. Walk away from the crowd a little bit. Sure, there’s a reason why everyone is standing in a certain spot, it’s probably a beautiful view, but I bet if you walked 100 feet left or right you could find something different.

#9 photographing people

This can be tricky, as some people and some cultures are resistant to having their photos taken. Again, do your research before arriving in the country, familiarizing yourself with their customs.

Before photographing someone, I always ask for permission first.

Greet them with a smile and try to strike up a conversation (if you speak the same language). This opens them up to being photographed. Politely ask if you can take their photo, or hold up your camera and point to them if you don’t speak their language. Sometimes, they will say no. Don’t take it personally, just say thank you and move on. The more you do this, the easier it gets, and being “rejected” is not so bad.

#10 don’t forget to live in the moment

I know that this is a post about photography, but when you are traveling, do not get hung up in photographing every moment of the day. Sometimes, you just have to put down your camera and enjoy the moment.