Travel and photography go hand-in-hand. It’s wonderful to capture the beautiful scenery and those special moments on your trip. Those photographs are great to look back on and even frame to use as wall art in your home. But sometimes, getting those great shots can be challenging, especially when you’re just starting out.
Do you ever come across travel accounts on Instagram and wonder, “how can I get my photos to look that good?” Do you ever return home from a trip and feel like the pictures you took don’t do the place justice? Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to be a professional photographer to get amazing photos. With a decent camera (or smartphone), some creativity, and patience, you can become pretty skilled at taking nice photos.
Keep reading for my 10 best tips for getting beautiful travel photos.
1. Try different angles and textures
Don’t be afraid to experiment with varying textures and angles. Get down low or up high to get a different perspective of your subject. This will make your photo look more intriguing and unconventional. Also, keep an eye out for contrasting colors and elements that will draw the viewer in. Markets, cities, and waterfronts are a good place to start.
2. Get better bokeh
With ‘portrait mode’ now standard on many smartphones, it’s getting easier to achieve that beautiful bokeh look. (Note: bokeh is the blurry background effect that you see behind your subject, also known as ‘shallow depth of field’) To get better bokeh, focus on your subject by touching your screen to sharpen it, and then snapping your shot. When using a digital camera, hold the shutter button down halfway to focus, and then press down all the way to capture your shot. Make sure that your subject is clear and in focus, especially if you’re shooting in lower light (sunset, evening time).
3. Don’t rely on filters
To improve your photography skills, practice adjusting the exposure and other settings manually. If editing using a smartphone, play around with the exposure, highlights, shadows, contrast, saturation, and other settings before automatically defaulting to a filter. This is one of my best tips! I don’t usually like to use filters, so I edit most of my pictures manually. You may be surprised by how much better your photos will turn out.
4. Compose your shot correctly
Use leading lines and pieces of the existing landscape to draw the viewer’s eye to your subject. Good examples of leading lines are roads, highways, buildings, trees, and many others. Additionally, try different ways of framing your shot. In the second photo, notice how I moved back more to get the sides of the cave in the shot. This gives the viewer the feeling that they’re standing in the cave and looking out into the horizon. If I had moved forward, or cropped the edges out, I’m sure this photo wouldn’t have had the same effect. On another note, if your intention is to use symmetry, be sure to adjust your photo using the ‘Straighten’ tool so that everything is lined up correctly.
5. Rule of thirds
Another way to get better composition is to use the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is one of the most commonly used composition techniques in photography. The off-center appearance is meant to make the photo look more unique and interesting. To use this technique, imagine your image is broken into thirds, horizontally and vertically, to create 9 equal parts. The lines on this grid give you places to put points of interest when framing your shot. You can use the rule of thirds for portraits, buildings, landscapes, and so much more.
6. Take advantage of natural lighting
Good lighting makes all the difference! My next tip is to use natural lighting as much as possible. I would estimate that about 90% of my photos were taken in natural light because it’s truly the best filter. Natural light can be used on portraits and landscapes as well (think meadows, beaches, farms, etc). Also, be sure to research sunrise and sunset times in the location you’re visiting, to beat the crowds and get the best lighting.
7. Get closer
Next, don’t be afraid to move. You can get better travel photos by simply moving yourself closer to your subject. The more detail you can capture, the better. Sometimes I notice that I could’ve gotten a better shot had I simply moved around a bit or included something interesting in the background. Moving around will also prevent you from relying on the zoom, which can sometimes compromise the quality of the image.
8. Steady your shot
Have you ever looked at a photo you took and just wished it wasn’t so blurry? Yup, me too and it’s the worst. To avoid that, keep your phone nice and steady to avoid that dreaded blur. You can lean against a wall, or place your phone on a steady surface to make your image as sharp as possible. You can also invest in a portable smartphone tripod to take along with you. If you’re working in low light, increase the ISO on your camera to make the photo less blurry.
9. Tell a story
Street photography is a captivating way to tell stories about the places you’ve visited. Try to capture movement as much as possible (cars, people, objects, busy streets) to make the image come alive. When you look back on your photos, you’ll feel like you’re reliving those special moments from your trip. Works like a charm!
10. Experiment with new techniques
The great thing about photography, is that you can create anything you want. If you’re used to editing your photos in color, try editing in black and white. This works especially well on portraits and street photography. There are so many techniques and photography styles out there, so be bold in your creative exploration.
Which tips on this list do you use often? What other tips help you get great photos? Let’s talk in the comments!
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