Do You Want To Take Amazing Travel Photos?
Although I’ve always had an interest in photography, I unfortunately lacked the ability to take great photos. I made the decision to change that. I read and watched as many tutorials on photography as I could. I’ve found some simple tips that can make anyone’s photos more interesting and beautiful!! While I may still be an amateur, these tips, as well as a little trial and error, have helped me take some amazing travel photos. I’m sure they’ll help you too!
1. Rule of Thirds. I’ve spent many years getting the subject of my photo in the middle of the frame only to find out that ‘off center’ is where it’s at.. imagine my surprise! Every tutorial or article on photography I’ve seen talks about the Rule of Thirds. To put it simply, imagine a tic-tac-toe board over your picture. The most important focal points should be along the lines created, or at the four points of intersection. Another great ‘thirds’ technique is positioning your pictures with 3 equal sized sections of various interest. My more creative pics have an element of thirds.
Venice, Italy
Sienna, Italy
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
North Topsail Beach, North Carolina
2. Framing. Look for a way to frame your pictures with trees, walls or any natural element. The grass reeds positioned around the sunset help to make this a much more interesting picture than just the sunset alone.
Fort Pond, Montauk, NY
Sausilito, California
3. Be conscious of what’s in your frame. Sounds simple but I can’t tell you how many times I realized after the fact that it would have been a great shot, but something was in the background I hadn’t noticed before. There’s usually another way to position yourself to get your subject without the ‘ugly’ hovering in the background of your photo. Sometimes editing can save the shot, but that’s not always possible.
4. Take your time. If you really want to get a good shot you may have to play around with some different angles. Keep snapping, but do it with intent! In this day of digital photography, you can delete the ones you don’t want later. Give yourself some different vantage points to choose from. You’ll also find that some photos are worth waiting for the right moment as well.
5. Point of View. Do you want all your photos being taken from eye level? What if you took the photo from high above, crouched down, further away, close-up, or from an interesting vantage point?
Greve in Chianti, Italy
6. Depth. You might bring some interest to your shot by creating depth. A multi-layered background can really make the subject ‘pop’. Or catching a bit of something in the foreground, with your focal point in the background of the picture.
Greenport, NY
San Gimignano, Italy
St. Jean Cap Ferrat, France
7. Leading Lines toward your subject is another tip that can make your photo take on a new light. Whether a straight road, a curving river, a log, etc. You can also use the foreground of your photo to ‘point’ to the subject.
Robert Moses Bridge, Long Island, NY
Sonoran Desert, Arizona
8. Symmetry. There will be some situations, especially in landscape photography where the rules of thirds may not work and you may be more interested in symmetry. Having both sides of the photo match. It’s always better to have a ‘little’ something break up the symmetry to make the photo more interesting. The gentleman in the doorway in the first picture, as well as the alternating hills in the Tuscan fog photo.
Caretaker, Mario, at Castello del Trebbio
Fog, Tuscany
9. Edit and Crop! There are so many programs available now to edit your photos such as picasa, photoshop, pixlr, or adobe lightroom. Find one you like and use it. This will definitely take your photos to the next level. A little straightening, light, and cropping kept this photo from the deleted pile!
Riverhead, NY
10. Relax and do what makes you happy. Once you have these tips in mind, you’ll find yourself doing some automatically while others you may not care for at all. Best thing to do is to enjoy yourself and see which tips work best for you! The one below doesn’t really fit the rules but it’s pretty!!
If you are even slightly serious about photography, you may want to invest in a good camera. After much deliberation and reading tons of reviews, I decided to purchase the Canon T5i. This is a great entry level DSLR camera with a ‘creative auto’ setting that does all the work for you until you can perfect some creative techniques of your own! While a bit more than my point and click cameras of the past, the Canon package came with an additional lens as well as some other accessories. What an incredible difference the camera makes!
One of the reasons I had put off purchasing a better camera is because I didn’t want to drag it around on vacation. There are many pocketbooks made specifically with a compartment for your camera and room for your other ‘stuff’ like this messenger bag from Kelly Moore.
If you enjoy travel photography and would like to get some inspiration for your own photos, I’ve found a great site at http://www.trover.com/ . You can set up an account and add you own photos. Explore the world through others travelers favorite pics! View my trover profile at www.trover.com/u/a4startraveler.
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