One of the best kinds of photography is travel photography. You never know where inspiration will hit you and in which place you’ll take a marvelous picture. But if you think that being in a beautiful spot is enough to take a nice photo, you’re not exactly right. Both proper planning and tools are essential to creating stand-out travel images, and here are some top tips for how to take stunning photos while traveling.
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Regardless of whether you are an amateur, have finished online photography classes or are a professional photographer, bear in mind that there are a couple of reasons why you’ll have to wake up early in order to capture lovely pictures. First of all, most tourists are less likely to come to different beautiful places early in the morning. Indeed, one of the biggest problems of every travel photographer are… people. They are everywhere. They don’t care that you are trying to take a beautiful picture.
It happens very often that on your arrival home, you’re excited to see the pictures on your laptop finally. Then, you get disappointed when you realize that the photo of a Gothic cathedral is spoiled by the figure of a man, eating his hot dog next to it. Sometimes, even Photoshop can’t help you fix this issue.
Secondly, light is one of the most important ingredients of a charming picture. In the morning, you can play with light a lot. All the objects will be fully illuminated and portrayed with full bright colors in the photos instead of being washed out by the harsh mid-day sun.
Pre-Trip Preparation
What many photographers do before their trips is searching the internet for the best photo spots in the place where they’re going. Nowadays, people also love sharing pictures on social media while traveling. You can get inspired by it, discover some places that other people visited and borrow some shot ideas.
Also, as it happens often, we want to take a very creative picture, but then realize that many people have already taken the same one. Searching the internet will prevent us from repetitiveness and let us have unique ideas.
Having a map, physical or a digital, with the best photo spots is a good solution for those who don’t want to waste their time and wander without knowing where to go. Prepare it a couple of days or even weeks before your adventure, and it might be very handy.
Don’t Forget About A Camera Strap
For some reason, many people don’t like using it. They find camera straps too annoying and unnecessary. While taking travel pictures, you must have it, even if you don’t find it comfortable. Dropping a device in a crowded place is very easy. There is no need to talk about why it’s important to have a strap while hiking in the places where the trail is not in the best condition. In any case, the strap will prevent your camera from falling and getting damaged. Don’t trust only your hands.
Get a Travel Tripod
There are many tripods which are light and portable. That’s exactly what you need on your next adventure. First of all, the quality of your pictures will be much higher. The images will be clearer and sharper. Once you see the difference, you won’t be able to live without a tripod.
Secondly, you can take fast motion movies which always look stunning. For instance, if you adore the sunset while being in the mountains, you can easily record a time lapse of it by having a tripod. You can also take videos of bustling cities, mesmerizing lakes and gorgeous fields. Everything is up to you; your imagination knows no limit.
Set Your Priorities
You should understand that you either travel for fun with friends and family or for photography. Combining the two will be extremely difficult. Taking a good picture can last hours, and the people you are traveling with might be annoyed by that. Your mood and the time dedicated to the photo will always influence its quality. Travel either with those who understand your hobby, or don’t take the equipment at all if the main purpose of the journey is only tourism.
Thieves Are Everywhere
Maybe it’s a bit off-topic, because the article is about the quality of pictures while traveling. But the photographs you take will not be so lovely if someone steals your camera, right?
First of all, if your device is very pricey, buy insurance. Also, remember to keep your gear in a safe, inaccessible place while not using it. If you go to a party or a beach, just leave it in the hotel safe.
Get Lost
It might sound weird, but sometimes getting lost helps us take the most beautiful pictures in life. Having a strict plan of where to shoot is cool, but very often, inspiration comes to us in the places no one would expect to have it.
You don’t know what can become the next subject for your marvelous picture: an old fruit market, the door of someone’s house, the sunshine, or what feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. Who knows? Therefore, from time to time not knowing where to go might be helpful too.
