10 Simple Tips for Taking Better Travel Photos
Seek out the sun, turn off the flash, try landscape mode and other easy ways to get some great shots
When I have a big digital camera dangling from my shoulder, people with smartphones often decide I should be the one to take a photo of them at some scenic location. I glance at the sun's position, size up surrounding objects, tell people to move one way or the other, then take a few snaps and hand the phone back. Invariably, they say, "Wow, that's great!"
I didn't do anything magical as a professional photographer to get that great image. I just employed a few easy tricks to take better travel photos. You can, too, whether you snap away on your vacations with a smartphone or carry a digital camera.
Use the tips below for more memorable and flattering photos when you travel — and your friends will soon tell you, too, "Wow, that's a great shot!"
Look for the sun. Placing the sun behind a subject means your subject will likely be bathed in shadow, turning into a dark silhouette. For a subject that is properly exposed, aim for the sun or other light source to be in front of the subject to illuminate it, or, if that's not possible, then at least put the light to one side or the other.
Avoid placing your subject in the shadows if everything else is brightly lit.
Even out the light. Avoid placing your subject in the shadows if everything else is brightly lit. And certainly don't put a subject half in shadow and half in light. Most cameras can't even out the difference in exposure so you will end up with either a dark subject or an overly bright background.
Keep your subject intact. Before you hit the shutter button, take one last look at all parts of your subject. Make sure toes, hands, elbows and all other parts are in the photo and not cut off. There's nothing worse than a footless mother or a beautiful sculpture with its arm cut off.
Patrol the edges. Every professional does what's called "edge patrol." That means you let your eye scan around the edge of your composition before you snap the photo. That way you can move one way or the other if you have a tree protruding randomly into the frame, a sign half in and half out, or another passerby's pack intruding on your photo.
Take your photo, then look for another. We all do it: Turn a corner and exclaim, that's so beautiful, lift the camera and snap. Go ahead and snap it if you want, but don't stop there. Sometimes the best composition or view may be a little higher, farther down or around a corner. Scan around for a shot that may be even more impressive.
Forget getting centered. Photographers use something called the rule of thirds. Imagine two lines dividing the frame from top to bottom and another two from left to right — making it look like a tic-tac-toe board with the screen divided into thirds. Most images are more powerful if your subject is at or near one of the points where the lines cross, rather than dead center. Some cameras and smartphones even have gridlines you can turn on to help you place your subject in the right place.
Turn off your flash. Please. In most cases, especially outdoors, it does no good whatsoever and may even over-illuminate an area. Indoors or at special events it can be very annoying to other visitors and photographers, perhaps even ruining somebody else's photo. If you need a flash for a specific photo, then turn it back on — but just for that one photo.
Try landscape mode. Because we mostly access our phones vertically for general use, I find most people just hold up a smartphone for a photo the same way. But if you are looking to take home a memory of a grand landscape or a view of a sprawling city plaza, you likely want more than just a lot of street and a sky in it. Turn the phone horizontally, and you will be surprised how much more impressive the photo can be.
Watch out for hat brims and sunglasses. Even if you pay attention to the first tip about placing the light in front of your subject, a hat can ruin the best effort. You will end up with a dark shadow across a person's eyes and face when it is their smile or cheery eyes you want to immortalize in a photo. Same with sunglasses. You can't always ask somebody to take off the hat or sunglasses, but I find just asking them to tip a hat back can really help get the light on their face. And if you can get your subject to remove his or her sunglasses, you will capture their eyes. And eyes are, as they say, windows into the soul.
Keep the horizon high or low. Slicing a photo smack down the middle with the horizon line isn't a pleasant composition. Analyze what you want to highlight. Is it a great sky? Then raise the camera to cut out more land. Is it beautiful rolling hills? Then lower the camera to pare back how much sky you will capture.
Remember, though, that rules are made to be broken. So, once you know how to get the light and subject in what is considered the right place, you may find yourself playing around with more abstract views that break the rules. That's OK, too, and can make for some striking images. Just do it on purpose.
