5 Tips for Taking Great Travel Photos

I have been an avid amateur photographer since I was about 10-years-old and when I travel I'm usually snapping away by the time I'm a mile from home — but on some trips I can't be bothered with my camera when all I want to do is enjoy the experience. Whatever your level of motivation, here are a few tips for taking memorable photos while you're away — and possibly enjoying your trip even more while you're at it.

Always be ready: Perhaps easier said that done, but having your camera nearby at all times and keeping an eye out for incredible photo opportunities is one of the best ways to guarantee you'll come home with a slew of great shots.

Explore and experiment: Just because you're at a popular tourist destination that has been immortalized in millions of photographs, doesn't mean you can't take a picture that shows your own unique perspective. Try different angles and vantage points, take advantage of the light — even if that means coming back at another time of day, find a way to see a familiar subject in an unfamiliar way. You may be surprised how much more you enjoy the experience of seeing itself.

Forget your fancy camera: Lugging around a large camera can sometimes seriously prohibit the fun of travel so bring a cheap disposable, a lo-fi camera like a Lomo, Holga or Polaroid, or use your phone's camera. You might not always get the expected result, but sometimes the quirks of less sophisticated equipment can make a truly beautiful image.

Capture the details: The pleasure of travel and exploring new places is often in the tiny details, which are also sometimes the easiest to overlook. Photographs of the food you ate, the light on your pillow in the morning, the inspiring shop displays, or an unfamiliar flower are probably some of the ones you will treasure looking at the most later on.

Don't be shy: Don't let a great image pass you by because you were afraid to ask permission to photograph friends, strangers or get better access to your subject. You might be denied, but at least you gave it a try.

Images: 1-2, Jeff Dungfelder; 3-4, Sarah Rainwater; 5, Laura Della Vedova

Comments (11)

The only suggestion I don't agree with is forget your fancy camera. I guess it depends on what you actually mean by this. Certainly you don't mean not to take it along on the trip. I take two cameras and occasionally after lugging my DSLR around with multiple lenses etc. I will opt to leave it in our hotel for a night and take my tiny point and shoot so that I don't violate tip #1 to always be ready. That way I can at least snap some shots if I really feel the need and can still rest my over-burdened shoulder from lugging the camera bag all day.

@dmstudio

Yes! By all means keep your fancy camera by your side if you are up for it, only leave it behind and take an inexpensive substitute when the situation (or your mood) warrants.

Sarah

Even though photography is a large portion of my own multi-medium art, I actually often only travel with my little Canon Elph. Half of getting a good picture is having a camera with you, and when you're trying not to check a bag and such - size matters.

Even better:
Bring your friend who has the fancy camera along on the trip - and point out the things he needs to take a pic of for you...
...then when he downloads them to Facebook/Snapfish, etc - buy him a beer.

totally agree with bepsf. i take the little point and shoot camera, and my partner takes the bulky fancy camera. that way he can do his artistic shots, and i can take the spontaneous ones. at the end of the trip we have a good collection of photos to choose from.

Same here aussiegirl! My bf is all about his fancy camera and never uses are smaller point and shoot (even though he claims it as his). I'm the one who always uses the small one, and i love having a collecting of our different pictures!

I'd like to see more useful tips. I hardly think that reminding us to bring a camera qualifies. ;)

My tips would be:

1. Whatever camera you bring, know how to work it.

2. Bring a mini tripod or Gorilla thingee. Some kind of stability because it's always those twilight moments where things start to get exciting.

3. Observe irony, text/translations, repetitive shapes or colors, and weird juxtapositions. Take pictures of it.

4. Put a scene within a scene (take pictures through doorways, windows, or in a reflection)

5. Take pictures in bad weather. That dark sky just before the thunderstorm is no time to put your camera away for "safety".

My #1 pet peeve is when people take about 1 second to pull out their camera, push the button, and put it away. My advice would be:
1) take a few seconds to frame the picture in your head, what is it that catches your eye
2) stand still, and hold the camera still
3) then, finally, press the shutter button

Also, even if you have a cheap camera or a cell phone camera, you can get pretty amazing pictures if you know how to trick the light meter into giving you what you want. You just have to play around with pointing up into the light source, or pointing away from a light source, etc..

I think I like darcitananda tips better than the articles...:)

I am on board with ghunt.

Get to know your camera before you go on a trip.

Some people don't take advantage of the flex of digital photography. No need for film and its secondary expense of developing it. Take scads of pictures. With ghunt's three tips in mind.

The simpler the camera the better. Unless you're in the business of creating stock photography, there are tons of photos of almost every corner on the planet in the internet, and most are probably better than any you'd take yourself. Plus, how many of the Eiffel Tower do you really need?

Take photos for unique perspectives of landmarks, street scenes, etc. This will allow you to enjoy the scene and not have to worry about setting up shots, exposures, etc...unless that happens to be your thing.