11 Noteworthy Tips for Taking Great Travel Photos
By: The Nixplay Team
Travelling creates some of the best memories you’ll have, and most of us want to capture those with photos. And after the vacations have passed, displaying them will let you enjoy them for years to come.
One of the best ways to display travel photos is in a digital frame, since you can show pictures of your entire trip, instead of just a single moment.
To help you create stunning photos to fill your frames, here are our top travel photography tips:
1. Think outside the landmark
While a family portrait in front of the Eiffel tower is immediately recognizable, it isn’t the most exciting photography. Look for interesting poses and aim for more candid shots for images that others may have not seen before.
2. Focus on food
If video killed the radio star, then Instagram killed food photography. To help your photos stand out, don’t just snap shots of your food—look for interesting angles, include restaurant signage and try to get more of the restaurant into the shot for depth.
3. Opt for a theme
One of the best travel photography ideas is to pick a theme each day, to help you develop a narrative for your photos. Picking a theme each day will help you develop a narrative for your photos. This will help you organize the images into albums or digital frames.
4. Have one great lens
The typical image of a photographer consists of multiple cameras and lenses, but heavy equipment isn’t realistic when it comes to enjoying your trip. So, unless you’re on assignment from National Geographic, instead of carrying all of your gear at once, carry just one great lens. If fitting gear into your fanny pack isn’t possible, then think about getting a small, high-quality lens for your iPhone, like a telephoto lens.
5. Get closer
Before taking a photo, ask yourself—could I get closer? A famous photographer, Robert Capa, said, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough,” and in many instances his advice holds true. Getting closer to your subject will give your photos more emotional depth.
6. Always think: Light
Many amateur photographers are too busy being concerned about the view and what’s in the picture to think about light. Light, however, makes a photo. For example, have your subject turn their face into the sun for the best light. Also, at sunset, a lot of architecture can become especially stunning.
7. Frame (and Fill) your Frame
Ensure that your subject fills the majority of the frame. You’ll want the focal point to ideally be in the right or left quadrants, as opposed to smack dab in the middle of the viewfinder. Consider everything that’s in your viewfinder before snapping–it will all show up in the final product.
8. Be You
Your pictures should represent you and your personality. Don’t be afraid to be funny, dark, or express whatever you’re feeling. Putting this into your photos will turn them from snapshots into windows into you.
Don’t Forget to Display
Capturing memories only works if you look at them again. Consider putting your travel images in a digital frame, or better yet, a Wifi Cloud frame. It will remind you of those times and motivate you to make more of them.
Bea is Nixplay’s Social Media Manager. She enjoys drinking coffee, reading about wars, and writing stories. Send her a message at beatrice.bisais@nixplay.com.