In this article we are sharing our best tips to help you take great travel photos.
These are our tips based on our photography style and preferences and to be considered useful for people starting out with photography.
1. Light
Light is probably the one fundamental factors that will determine the outcome of a great photo. The light around the time when the sunrises and sets is the ideal time for you to shoot. This doesn’t mean you always have to shoot the sunset or sunrise event itself, but rather using the light that the sun provides around this time. Using the soft light even when the sun has gone down already does wonders for colours and textures.
Try to avoid shooting in the harsh daylight as you will have less flattering shadows and overexposed highlights, especially on water and vegetation. This normally renders a photo busy with many shadows and a lower quality image.
Try this:
Go to one of your favourite outdoor locations and try take the same photo three times, one at midday, one while the sun is setting and one at twilight. The difference will be quite impressive!
2. Simplicity
When we speak about simplicity, this might be a personal preference but an interesting topic none the less when it comes to photography. When we take photos we try and use as few elements as possible to create an interesting story, yet a simplistic layout. Some things that sometimes complicate a photo may be things like bushes in the background or trees in the distance. Things that help simplify are bodies of water and using the sky in an interesting ways.
Try this:
Take the same photo with 3 elements in addition to the subject, then add another element and then another element. This will help you understand how simple or busy you like your photos.
3. Depth
Depth is an important factor of taking an interesting photo as it involves using the foreground the middle ground and the background. The foreground is something generally connected to the subject of the photo which helps tell the story of what is happening in the immediate scene. An example could be a basket of flowers if you're in a garden or a coffee cup and coffee table when sitting in a coffee shop. What's important to note is to use the shapes of the foreground objects to frame the subject in the photo. The foreground can also be blurred out depending on what aperture you use and whether or not it is an important part of the image. The middle ground is generally where the subject sits and where the focus of the photo is locked onto. The background can be anything you want it to be obviously, but it is once again important just like the foreground to frame the subject and create a bit of movement in order for the eye to reach the subject.
Try this:
When you want to take your next photo, try find an object to put in the foreground and play with the focus. Take one photo with the focus on the foreground object and one photo with the focus on your subject in the middle ground.
4. Point of interest
An example of a point of interest could be something as obvious as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. We try and stay away from these types of popular points of interests as they have become a little bit cheesy and overused. Having said that, there is always a way to make an overused image interesting again through your own personal style and creativity. A great example for us was Machu Picchu. Having seen one million photos of this incredible place it was difficult to immagine how to create anything new and fresh and this idea of being banal was quite daunting. Once there we still took the classic Machu Picchu shot, which worked pretty well, but we also took a different shot with a more unique perspective of the peak. The second shot not only is our favourite from that morning but also performed much better on Instagram.
Try this:
Visit the most famous spot in your hometown or in the place you are traveling. Instead of framing the entire place or building in your photo, shoot only a detail of it.
5. Scene
A scene is something that happens while you're out and about, be it in a market or a square or in front of a church. It could be a disagreement between a fruit vendor and one of his clients. Or a grandmother giving her newlywed grandson a kiss in front of the beautiful church in which he just got married in. The point of the scene is to take a moment you experience in whatever country you are in and tell the story effortlessly and without words to whoever is looking at the photo.
Try this:
Have a walk around your city or in a local market and try capture a spontaneous moment between two people.
We hope this tips were useful, interesting and practical enough for you to have fun trying them out on your next photography adventure.
If you have any question please do write us wither here or on Instagram @travel_leap.
Ciao!
JP
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