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10 Ways to Improve Your Travel Photographs

The month of May is officially ‘Photography Month’ so for each #PrePartureThursday in May, we are going to focus on travel photography. This 5-part series will include:

If you are a photography enthusiast hit subscribe’ because each week you’ll receive an inspiring and useful travel article straight to your mailbox. Share your favourite travel photographs with us on Instagram, @PreParture_inc simply use #PrePartureMay.

travel photography

To get you started, here are 10 Simple Tips for taking better travel photographs:

Travel Photography requires PRACTICE

If you want to be an athlete you need to train, train, train. If you want to be a great writer, they say write 1,000 words every day. The same can be said for travel photography. Take at least one photo every day!  This will help you enormously, especially with your stance, camera grip and opening your eyes to what is around you.

If you’re not sure what to capture on film, take our 30 Day Travel Photography Challenge.

Don’t Hit Delete

Taking bad photos is all part of the journey to becoming a better travel photographer. Admire the poor images and try and find something you like about it. If you repeatedly have a problem, you can usually find the answer on YouTube.

Hold Your Camera Correctly, For You!

Contrary to popular belief there is no right or wrong way to hold a camera. Its all about your personal comfort. If you are uncomfortable then the stability of the camera probably won’t be great. So, try out a variety of ways to hold your camera for portrait and horizontal images, to see what suits you. Check out this video from Irene Rudnyk, ‘I’ve been holding my Camera Wrong?’ She discusses the major differences of holding a camera.

Be Happy With Your Equipment

Unless you are advancing on the career path of professional travel photography, stick with the camera you have and learn all about it. You can get better megapixels and lenses, but the basics of exposure and capturing a great shot, remain the same.

Upgrading your camera can be an unnecessary expenditure, so instead consider investing in your talent with a little education and enrol on a photography course.

Experiment

The most common angle is eye view, but this isn’t always the best. Change your perspective and try out different angles to capture the same object or subject. Think about getting a higher standing position, maybe from a roof top or on a bench or consider kneeling and sitting down.

Decide what you want to achieve from the image. If you want a sense of equality then eye to eye may be the best option, especially if your capturing a person. For an overwhelming and powerful vibe get as low as possible and look straight up at the subject/object.  Alternatively, when you point the camera downwards, towards a subject/object they appear small and fragile.

Seek Inspiration

Consider following travel photographers on social media for inspiration or a Facebook group for budding travel photographers. Being part of community as you learn and enhance your photography skills can make the whole experience more fun.

Tell a Story With Your Camera

When you have gotten to grips with basic photography, stop thinking about single shots and try to tell a story with your photographs. For example, think about how you can represent your travel adventure or share a secret story about the city you are visiting.

Don’t Use the Built-in Flash

Become BFF’s with natural light, as everything is better in natural light than with the flash of a DSLR camera or a smartphone. Discover the best time of day for natural light, move your subject to better lighting, if possible, or use a longer exposure setting.

Read the Instructions Manual

Every camera comes with an instructions manual to help you understand your manual camera settings. Read and learn this if you truly want to make the camera work for you. YouTube is also a good place to discover more about your camera.

Don’t Leave Your Home/Hotel/Air BnB/Campsite Without Your Camera

How can you improve your travel photography, if you don’t even have your camera with you? Don’t go anywhere without it. Who knows when inspiration may strike?!

If you want to make some money from your travel photography, check out How to Become a Professional Travel Photographer‘.

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