How to Take Awesome Travel Photos
Capturing memories is a great part about taking a trip with your family. You want to be able to look back on the happy moments and relive them over and over again. But if you’re not careful, your travel photos can end up being a hot mess. Here are three tips for taking awesome travel photos that you’ll be proud to show off or hang on your wall at home.
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We love looking at the awesome travel photos from our trips around the world. They help us to remember the amazing places we’ve been to and the incredible things we’ve seen. They also inspire us to get out there and explore more of the world. But why do we appreciate these photos so much? I think it’s because they evoke a strong sense of wanderlust in us. They make us long for the open road and new adventures. They remind us of how good it feels to be alive and to see new things.
With a focus on taking great travel photos, we also make sure that our kids extend their memories of our trips. Even when their memories get a bit blurry, we can flip through photos from one of our trips and talk about our experiences in exciting places like Cambodia, Jordan, Egypt, New Zealand and Norway. Often our kids remember them vividly when they see the pictures.
Read on for tips to ensure that you return home with a bunch of great vacation shots.
Here are our best tips for awesome travel photos
- Always bring your camera! You never know when a great photo opportunity arises. In many cases, you phone will also do.
We always bring a tough camera that can withstand rain or getting dropped. That way we don’t have to worry about taking the camera somewhere it could break, and it’s small enough to be easily carried. Our favorite is the Olympus Tough TG-6 waterproof camera which is made to be brought on almost any adventure. And you don’t have worry about the kids dropping it in a water puddle or at the beach when wanting to take a shot! - Find a good location.
A great travel photo doesn’t just happen anywhere – you need to find a good location that has good lighting and is interesting enough to hold attention. Take some time to walk around and explore before settling on a spot for your photo. - Get everyone on the same page.
Before you even start taking pictures, it’s important that everyone in the photo is on the same page (literally). What I mean by this is that everyone needs to be looking in the same direction and at approximately the same angle. When you’re taking a photo of your family, make sure to include everyone in the frame. It can be difficult to get everyone to look in the same direction at the same time, but it’s worth it to capture the whole group. If you have small children, you may need to get down on their level to get everyone in the photo. - Take advantage of natural light.
Whenever possible, try to take advantage of natural light. This means avoiding direct sunlight, which can create harsh shadows and squinty eyes. Also, you should avoid artificial light sources. Instead, look for areas that are shaded or illuminated by soft, indirect light. If you’re indoors, sit near a window so that natural light can stream in. Early morning or late afternoon light is typically best for travel photos. - Use a tripod (or improvise).
If you really want to step up your travel photography game, invest in a portable tripod so you can set up your camera and take hands-free photos. This is especially helpful if you would like to take a photo of everyone in your family without anyone else in it. A tripod will also keep the camera steady. This will help to avoid any blurriness in the photo. You can also use a timer on your camera – or even a remote release button – so that you can be in the photo as well. Of course, tripod are not always practical (especially when you’re lugging around small children), so get creative! See if there’s a ledge or flat surface where you can rest your camera before taking the photo. - Get close.
When taking photos of your family, don’t be afraid to get close. This will help to capture all the details and expressions on everyone’s faces. If you’re using a digital camera, you can always zoom in later if you want to crop out anything else in the background. - Resist the “Smile!” command.
If you want natural photos of your kids, it’s often better to not ask them to smile as their smiles can be quite strained or false. Just ask them to look. Or even just take your photo of them being occupied doing something – like petting and laughing at a street cat. This will make a great memory. - Be patient.
If you’re trying to take a photo of something specific, be patient and wait for the perfect moment. It’s often worth waiting for that one special shot rather than taking a bunch of photos that may not turn out as well. Unless, you are trying to take a photo of several kids – in which case it can be almost impossible to get them all looking at the same time. Here it’s better to just take a few shots and hope there some useful ones in between. - Ask for permission if taking close up photos of locals. It’s important to respect local customs and not take photos of those who do not like to be in one.
Do you want to learn more?
If you want to up your photography game further, we highly recommend to sign up for the online learning platform Skillshare which has lots of awesome and easily accessible courses on photography as well as many other creative subjects. There are also some good courses on how to process and edit your photos before you print them or use them to create a nice photo book of your trip using a high-quality printing company like Printique.
Final words
By following these simple tips, you’ll be well on your way to taking amazing travel photos that capture all the happy memories of your trip. So get out there and start snapping away!
