For many of us, travel is an essential part of living. Whether you are traveling for leisure or business, it’s always nice to be able to document your adventures in photos. But how do you make sure that the pictures turn out well? Read this blog post and find out five tips on how to take gorgeous travel photos!
1) Frame your shot
If you are traveling in a group, it is easy to get distracted and forget about taking pictures at all! Fortunately, there’s an app for that (literally!). GroupShot is great because it allows you to take several photos consecutively with everyone smiling. Then, it automatically creates one picture out of every photo where everyone looks their best! This way, no one gets left out or cut off from the final picture-perfect for family vacations and business trips alike. For solo travelers who don’t want to bother others while snapping travel photos, there are plenty of editing tools to help.
If your phone doesn’t have these apps, don’t worry – there are plenty of ways to edit photos on your computer as well. You can try using Adobe Photoshop or Gimp if you feel comfortable working with more advanced editing tools. If not, sites like PicMonkey offer simpler options for those who want to brighten pictures up a bit without much fuss.
2) Go wide
Cities like New York and San Francisco are known for their iconic skyline views, but there’s more to these places than just the buildings! When you travel somewhere new, don’t forget about what is on the ground level as well. Instead of taking pictures with your back against a building or standing in front of an award-winning monument, try moving closer to take wider shots that will show off some architectural details while also giving viewers an idea of how big these landmarks are compared to people around them. A picture can say a thousand words, after all! By limiting yourself from getting too close to avoid tourists in your way, you may miss out on some great photo opportunities – so get creative with where you stand before hitting “capture.”
This tip works especially well when you want to snap a photo of your food! Rather than taking pictures from above, get down at eye level and go wide to focus on what’s in front of you rather than distracting items behind it. The result should be an appetizing shot that will make any viewer hungry for whatever dish you enjoy!
3) Change up your angles
If you are taking pictures in a group, it’s easy to get stuck in the habit of always having everyone standing upright with arms around one another while smiling for photos – but why not try something different? Changing up your pose can make all the difference when trying to capture memories that will last forever. Standing on stairs or crouching down low can help add variety and interest into what could otherwise be yet another picture taken at face level! Speaking of which…
Whenever possible, find unique vantage points where you’re higher than others so that people look smaller than they are (or vice versa). This works especially well if there is an uneven number between yourself and other travelers because then no one looks short compared to anyone else!
4) Get candid
Sometimes the best pictures are when you aren’t even expecting it! Instead of always trying to have everyone in line or ready for a picture, pull out your phone quickly and take some quick snaps while people go about their day. The chances are that no one will mind if you snap a couple of photos without warning because they’ll just be caught up in what is happening around them – plus, sometimes the spontaneous ones turn out surprisingly well too! Even better, try looking for backgrounds where key landmarks make interesting backdrops instead of focusing on posing with each other all at once. You can capture moments like these through either selfie mode or by asking others to take them from afar – but don’t worry if someone needs help taking your photo since there’s an app for that too!
5) Try out different angles
When taking photos, it’s easy to get into the habit of always standing in one spot and snapping pictures from that same perspective – but this can make for some boring-looking shots! Try moving around a little bit instead so that your subject isn’t framed the same each time you take another picture. Experiment with lower angles where people are photographed from below or higher ones, making them look larger than usual by positioning themselves above someone else (as long as there is no danger involved). Another good rule to follow is what I call “the line-up”: have everyone stand shoulder to shoulder while looking at whoever takes the photo next to last, then snap when ready!
By changing up how you position yourself when photographing others, you can give your viewers more idea about where you are and what is happening in the scene – even if it’s just for personal memories.
Hopefully, these five tips helped you get started with taking better travel photos. If you want to take your photography game up a notch, we recommend reading our blog post on using light in photography the right way. Happy travels!