Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Get Creative!
Enhance your travel photography skills with these 20 practical tips:
Some folks get souvenirs when they travel, but I prefer to collect intriguing images with my camera. Travel photography lets you preserve memories from a journey and provide new inspiration for others. Each destination has its own unique look, culture, history, people, feelings, landscapes, and stories.
Capturing these subjects through photos can convey the spirit of a place, giving others a glimpse of what it might be like to visit. I'm a professional travel photographer who licenses images to tourism boards, brands, and magazines. I didn't go to school for photography, yet here I am, making a living by taking beautiful travel photos.
You, too, can become a travel photographer, but remember: learning and practice are essential assets. Here are some beginner travel photography tips that will help improve your images during your next vacation.
1. Wake Up Early, Stay Out Late
The saying "early bird gets the worm" also applies to travel photography. Light is the most crucial ingredient for great images. Soft, warm morning light creates stunning photos. Waking up early means fewer tourists and other photographers to compete with.
Consider visiting famous landmarks like Chichen Itza or the Taj Mahal early in the morning for a less crowded, picturesque photo op. The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset, referred to as "golden hours," offer soft, warm tones and pleasant shadows. Avoid shooting photos during the brightest part of the day as it will be difficult to capture high-quality images.
2. Pre-Trip Location Scouting
Conduct research to find locations with the best photo opportunities in your travel destination. Guidebooks, internet articles, and blog posts, as well as reaching out to friends, photographers, and locals, can help you pinpoint potential photo spots.
Use Instagram, Pinterest, and Google Image Search to discover iconic locations, and utilize actual postcard racks to create a "shot list." Research the best time of day for specific locations, the difficulty of reaching vantage points, opening times for attractions, and how to avoid tourist traffic. Proper planning will boost your chances of taking excellent travel photos.
3. Ask For Permission From Locals
Photographing local people can be intimidating, but approaching people politely and with respect will often yield positive results. Learn basic phrases in the local language to ask for permission or indicate that you want to take their portrait.
Say hello, ask for directions, buy a souvenir, or compliment them on something before you ask for a photo. Get comfortable with this process, as it can help you make new friends and capture genuine, engaging portraits.
Remember, some people may say no, charge a fee, or require a monetary gift. Accept these situations graciously and move on to another subject. Be patient and persistent in your pursuit of the perfect photo.
4. Never Stop Learning
Invest in online photography classes or workshops, and regularly practice to improve your craft. Learning from other photographers is a valuable investment that will help you develop your skills.
Continuously challenge yourself to learn new techniques and photographic genres, such as landscapes, portraits, wildlife, or long-exposure photography. Embrace constructive criticism and use it to grow as a photographer.
5. Rule of Thirds in Photography
The rule of thirds is a basic and classic photography guideline that will help you create more balanced compositions. Imagine breaking an image down into thirds both horizontally and vertically to create different sections.
Position important elements of the photo within those sections to create a visually appealing frame for your image. Ensure that the horizon is straight, as this rule is often used to help with alignment and creating pleasing compositions.
6. Pack a Lightweight Travel Tripod
A lightweight travel tripod allows you to set up your camera and adjust settings with precision. This gives you the freedom to focus on the composition and details of your photo, instead of worrying about camera movement or hand shake.
Tripods are particularly useful for shooting long exposures, sunrises and sunsets, self-portraits, and low-light situations. They can also help with more advanced techniques such as focus stacking, HDR, or panoramas.
7. Experiment With Composition
Do not settle for a single composition. Instead, experiment with different angles, distances, and foreground, mid-ground, and background elements to create dynamic, engaging images. Sometimes taking multiple photos from various positions will help you capture the perfect shot.
Consider the use of focal compression to create depth and draw the viewer's eye into the photo. This technique involves using a zoom lens to compress the distance between objects, giving the impression that they are closer than they actually are.
8. Make Travel Photography a Priority
Set aside time for photography during your vacation. Trying to take quick snaps while rushing between locations will result in dull images. Careful planning and time commitment are necessary for great travel photography.
If your travel companions are not interested in photography, break off for a few hours to focus on taking your best shots. Early mornings and late afternoons are ideal times for photography, as these hours offer the best light. Exploring during these times will allow you to capture exceptional images and rejoin your group later.
9. Don't Underestimate the Human Element
Photographers will often place human subjects in their frames to create emotional connections for the viewer. Maintain anonymity by photographing the subject from behind or focusing on details such as their silhouette or hands.
Placing people in the background or foreground helps to give a better sense of scale, improve a photo's storytelling capability, and create more powerful images.
10. Patience Is Everything
Slow down and take the time to observe your surroundings when photographing. Wait for the perfect light, composition, and subject before taking your shot. Be patient as you work to create the perfect image.
Some photographers wait hours to ensure they capture the best possible shot, such as photographing the aurora borealis in Iceland. The more patience you have, the better your travel photography will turn out over time.
11. Protect Against Theft
Cameras and photography equipment can be expensive targets for theft while traveling. Buy camera insurance to minimize losses if your gear is stolen. Keep your equipment in a safe place and secure when not in use.
Register new gear with the manufacturer, copy down serial numbers, and save receipts to help speed up insurance claims. Include your name and camera serial number on image EXIF data to make stolen cameras easier to track online using StolenCameraFinder.com.
12. Shoot Travel Photos in Manual Mode
Modern cameras have automatic modes, but they cannot replace the control and creative freedom offered by manual mode. By taking charge of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, you can capture the perfect image based on your vision.
Manual mode allows for more precise control over exposure, depth of field, and motion blur. While this may take practice, exploring manual mode expands your potential to take amazing travel photos.
13. Always Bring a Camera
Carry your camera at all times to be ready for unexpected photo opportunities. You never know when a serendipitous moment will present itself, so keep your gear with you to capture these fleeting moments.
For example, on a hiking trip in Greenland, having my camera on hand helped me capture photos of reindeer, rabbits, arctic foxes, and musk oxen that I would have missed had I left my camera in my backpack.
14. Get Lost on Purpose
After photographing popular tourist destinations, seek out hidden gems by getting lost on purpose. Leave the beaten path and explore neighborhoods, alleyways, and hidden corners to capture images that others have not.
Sometimes the most striking shots come from unusual places, so don't shy away from wandering off the beaten trail to find them.
15. Backup Your Travel Photos
Backup your photos on a regular basis to protect against loss or theft. Save your photos to an external hard drive, cloud storage service, or a combination of the two. Make sure to have multiple copies of your photos to ensure that you never lose precious memories.
16. Get Better at Post-Processing
Editing photos using software is not cheating—it's a crucial step in the photography process. Use tools like Lightroom, Photoshop, or GIMP to adjust exposure, contrast, sharpening, and color for a more polished final image.
Learn how to edit your photos to enhance their impact and address common problems such as distracting elements, blown-out highlights, or lackluster colors.
17. Don't Obsess Over Equipment
It's easy to believe that expensive equipment equals great photos, but this is not always the case. Learning technique is more important than having the newest gear. You can take wonderful photos with a basic camera if you understand the principles of photography.
Invest time and money in learning the principles and techniques of travel photography instead of always upgrading your gear.
18. Look For Leading Lines
When composing a photo, consider using leading lines. These lines help guide the viewer's eye through the image, creating a sense of depth and interest. Examples of leading lines include roads, fences, and rivers.
19. Framing Your Photos
Always pay attention to how your subject fits within the frame. Leave enough space to breathe around the subject and ensure that foreground, middle, and background elements are accounted for. Straighten the horizon, make sure that subjects' feet are not cut off, and verify that nothing distracting is visible in the background.
20. Be Nice and Have Fun!
Photographing in crowded tourist locations can sometimes feel tense. Remember that we are all sharing these spaces, and be kind to other travelers and photographers. Practice patience, use common sense, and treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Whether you are chasing the perfect sunset or intercepting an elusive street performance, enjoying yourself is essential. Capture the beauty around you with a smile and an open heart!
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[2] The Art of Photography. (n.d.). How to create a sense of depth and leading lines. Retrieved May 21, 2023, from https://artofphotography.net/blog/leading-lines
[3] Weerawongcharoen, S. (2019, December 01). 10 Instant tips to improve your travel photography skills. Retrieved May 21, 2023, from https://www.shootflashzen.com/10-instant-tips-to-improve-your-travel-photography-skills/
[4] Kodak. (2020, December 01). How to edit your travel photos like a pro. Retrieved May 21, 2023, from https://www.kodakalaris.com/global/en/learn/photography/how-to-edit-your-travel-photos-like-a-pro/
Armed with these tips, you're well on your way to capturing stunning travel photos. Keep experimenting, learning, and enjoying the process! Now let's hit the road!
- Experiment with capturing various aspects of the destination's lifestyle, fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, to showcase the unique local culture.
- On your journey, take pictures of the people, cuisine, and fashion to create a rich and engaging travel experience, allowing others to virtually taste and feel the destination's essence.
