Do you want to improve your travel photos? My best travel photography tips will be shared here, based on my experience as a travel and landscape photographer.
According to most photographers, Travelling is the best way to take photos. You can explore your trip more and save lasting memories. Travel photography brings me a lot of joy, especially when I share it on social media. This article will cover all the things you need to know about improving your travel photography.
The best camera to have is the one that you carry with you. If you’re using a smartphone or mirrorless camera, many of these tips still apply.
These are my top travel photography tips and tricks for beginners:
1. Shoot Sunrise & Sunset
Sunrise and sunset are the most ideal times to take pictures. The site will have more dynamic lighting when it is rising or setting. The best part is that if you get up early enough to catch the sunrise, locations that are usually crowded with tourists will not be as crowded.
Searching for Sunrise Photography Tips?
You’ll want to be out for sunset since it’s difficult to get up early every morning to catch the sunrise. The “Golden Hour”, the hour before sunset, and “Blue Hour”, the hour following sunset, are called. Photographing at these times will produce beautiful colours and shadows.
2. Do your research before you arrive
To take great travel pictures, you need to photograph great locations. It is important to research locations before you travel. Google is my go-to tool for finding locations to photograph when I travel. You can find some good places to begin by searching for “Location photo spots” on Google. On my blog, I list my favourite Washington DC Photo Spots. Many other photographers also do the same. Google Image Search can be used to find the best angles for different times of the day. For example, you could look up “San Francisco Sunrise” and see what other photographers have captured.
Most areas have parks, waterfalls and monuments that are worth photographing. When researching an area, you can search for these things on Google Maps.
Travel guidebooks also have some great ideas. I like to look at postcards in gift shops and see what common themes are being used.
Instagram and Pinterest can also be used to find locations. You can also see what local photographers are photographing in the area that you plan to visit. On Instagram, you can also see the most popular posts using the hashtags of the area.
Google Maps has a similar feature. When I arrive, I can see the locations visually on a map. It’s more passive since I can search for locations from any platform.
Once I arrive at a destination, I check the weather. Then, I go through my locations. Using this information, I can determine which locations are the best for sunsets or sunrises based on their direction.
3. Travel Light
Travelling light may seem counterintuitive, but it will allow you to explore more. You could, for example, try going a whole day without your bag of gear and just carrying your camera. You will be forced to become more creative if you are limited to only one lens.
4. Add a Human Touch
I tend to overlook this tip, but it adds so much life to your pictures. Add a human element to your photos. It can be a silhouette or a distant person. This allows your viewers to imagine that they’re there.
Don’t forget to use a tripod and a timer if you don’t know what to photograph. Even subtle ways, like gently pushing back the brush in the background, can be used to include your hand. It’s also a good way to remember your trip.
5. Find leading lines
You can add a leading edge to your photographs in many ways. This can be a fence or a fence. These visual cues are what will attract the viewer’s eye. It is a basic tip that every photographer should be aware of for their compositions.
6. Rule of Thirds
The rule of thirds is a classic composition tip. To do this, divide your photo into thirds. Then, place points of interest along the lines. You could, for example, place your subject on the left or the right instead of in the centre of the picture.
Many cameras have the option to display a grid to view the rule of thirds. Mirrorless cameras even allow you to see grids when shooting through the electronic viewfinder.
You can also crop after the fact. Cropping is a great way to apply the rule of thirds. Most editing software adds a grid as you crop. Remember that this is only one photography rule, and you can ignore it at times.
7. Bring a tripod
Use a tripod and a low ISO to take the best photos. You can also take pictures at night or when the light is low. The result will be sharper images with less grain. If you own a tripod, you can also use the self-timer to take pictures of yourself or your family.
My favourite travel tripods are the Peak Design Travel Tripod and the Manfrotto Befree Tripod. These two tripods are compact and can support a lot of weight. Size and weight can have a big impact on whether you use a tripod. Amazon has other tripods priced around $50.
8. Try Different Angles
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different angles. You can get new perspectives by getting low to the floor or holding your camera up high. You can also experiment with compression if you own multiple lenses.
Also, I recommend experimenting with the foreground. Foreground elements can include leaves, glass or reflective surfaces. Add foreground items to your photos to create depth, particularly if you are using a low-stop.
9. Be Patient
Don’t take your picture, and then move on. Patience can bring you different photographic opportunities. It is important to be patient, especially if you are shooting at sunrise or sundown. The light can change quickly.
You can also experiment with different angles and settings by spending more time in a particular location. This exploration has led to some of my best images rather than the original shot that I had planned.
At popular tourist attractions, it is important to be patient. It’s important to be patient. People will pass by and affect your picture, but you need to wait until the right time. As the light fades, most people will leave, too. This allows you to capture clear images of popular locations.
When someone gets in my way, I will also wait. I’ve seen photographers push people away, but it is our job to wait until the perfect shot.
10. Learn Your Camera Settings
You will not be able to control your final picture if you shoot on automatic.
It’s important to understand how shutter speed, ISO, and aperture affect the final image. You should also shoot in RAW rather than JPEG, as you’ll have more editing options when you do.
Shooting photos at night?
When travelling, I usually shoot in aperture-priority mode to control the aperture and affect the final picture. When using a tripod, I use aperture priority, with ISO 100 and F/8 manually set. I also enable a two-second timer so that the camera does not vibrate when you press the shutter. This allows the camera to determine the shutter speed and produce a noiseless, sharp image.
Manual mode gives you full creative control of your images. However, it requires you to know the fundamentals of photography, such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and white balance.
Understanding how the camera settings affect the images can help you control the amount of noise in your photos, the depth of field, and the shutter speed.
11. Get Better at Editing Your Photos
New photographers often overlook editing, but it’s crucial to creating great photographs. Post-processing allows you to change colours and lighting and crop your images.
Lightroom is my favourite editing software. You can bundle it with Photoshop at $9.99/month. Lightroom offers a free phone version, but if you want to make the most of it, the paid plan is the best option. After you subscribe to Lightroom, you can edit your photos on either your phone or computer.
You can find many editing tutorials online (see my video photography tutorial playlist). In just 20 minutes, you can master the basics of Lightroom to begin processing your images. Lightroom’s automatic functionality is surprisingly good at capturing details.
12. Gear is not everything
Your camera gear may be the cause of all your problems. On YouTube, you’ll find many videos by professional photographers telling you why the next best camera is necessary. If you have a camera that you are comfortable using, you should master it. You can capture your trip with an iPhone even if you only have a basic camera.
I am no exception. Most photographers are always looking for the latest and greatest equipment. You can spend your money on travel and use your time to shoot! You will be more successful and enjoy your photography if you invest in both.
Learn how to bracket your images to give them a greater dynamic range when editing. Photographers often dismiss HDR as being cheesy, but with modern HDR images, you can improve the quality of your pictures using gear that you already own.
But don’t misunderstand me; upgrading your equipment is not a problem. Be aware of the cycle that you might be in, especially after you have recognized the limitations of your gear.
13. Explore New Camera Accessories
It may seem counterintuitive to my last tip, but it is important to be aware of new camera equipment and accessories. I believe in using what you already have until it’s no longer working and you need to upgrade. A few filters in your camera bag will not take up much space or cost you much, but they can make a huge difference to the quality of your photos. An ND filter allows you to lower your f-stops on a sunny day to increase the depth of field in your photos. You can experiment with a variety of filters, such as mist filters and polarized or ND filters. A 10-stop ND is one of my favourite techniques to get smooth clouds.
14. Back up Your Pictures
Nothing is worse than losing original photos when travelling. If your memory card is lost or stolen, you can’t get back the memories. Backblaze is a good cloud-based backup solution, but finding fast internet can be difficult while on the road.
You should keep your photos on a separate hard drive while you are travelling. The Samsung T7 SSD is one of my favourite portable drives. It comes in different capacities and is fast enough to edit RAW files. The Samsung T5 or X5 are both great options, but they are priced differently.
Also, store your edited pictures in the cloud. iCloud Photos and Google Photos are great options for storing processed photos. In my workflow, I export all of my images into a Dropbox folder to ensure that they are all backed up.
15. Explore!
When taking photos of travel, it is important to explore.
Travel and landscape photography are part of exploration. They allow photographers to capture breathtaking landscapes and unique journeys. Exploring will enable photographers to express their creativity, improve their vision, and discover new perspectives.
If you are always eager to discover new places, you will improve your photography and become more familiar with your destination. Remember always to be polite and friendly with locals and fellow travellers.
Travel Photography Frequently Answered Questions
These are some of the most common questions that I get asked about travel photography.
What is travel photography, and what are the benefits?
Travel photography involves taking pictures while travelling to different places around the globe. A camera is used to capture and communicate an area’s beauty, culture, and unique experiences. You can do this with a variety of styles, including landscape, wildlife, and street photography.
Photographers who travel aim to tell stories through their images. They showcase landscapes, people and architecture, as well as the moments that make a destination unique. Travel photos allow viewers to experience travel vicariously through their images.
What gear do I need for travel photography?
What type of photography is best for you depends entirely on your goals. For general travel photography, a mirrorless camera equipped with a zoom (24-70mm), tripod and extra memory cards and batteries should suffice. If you’re interested in photographing landscapes and wildlife, you may need a wide-angle lens, a zoom lens (24-70mm), a tripod, and a polarizing lens. Don’t forget a camera case to protect your gear. It’s also important to know how you pack your camera bag. If you don’t have it organized, you could waste time on your trip looking for things.
How can I prepare myself for a trip to take photos?
Plan your trip and do some research (I have written several travel guides) so that you can know when and where to go for the most photogenic opportunities. Check the forecast before packing. You can save yourself a lot of hassles by downloading maps in advance, especially if you are going somewhere where the reception is poor. You can download maps to use offline with apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps. When planning a road trip, make sure you think about what you will need in your vehicle. I would recommend bringing a spare battery and other emergency supplies, such as a tyre pump for the car. Don’t forget any travel documents such as visas or passports.
How can I improve my travel photography?
Try to capture the place you’re visiting from unusual angles. There are many things to consider when taking pictures, such as composition and exposure. Be sure to pay attention to small details such as locals, architecture or street art. Ask locals for their recommendations on the best places to take photos.
When travelling, is it okay to photograph people?
It depends on culture and situation. It’s rude and disrespectful in some countries to take pictures of someone without their consent. Ask for permission to take someone’s picture. Be mindful of privacy and dignity when photographing people. It’s legal in the United States to take pictures of anything you want if it’s on public property.
How can I protect photos when travelling?
Back up your photos regularly, whether you use cloud storage, a laptop, an external hard drive, or both. Avoid exposing your memory cards to extreme temperatures and moisture. Use a password to secure your drives against theft or loss.
Can I sell my photos of travel?
You can sell your photos of travel to magazines, stock photography sites, and travel companies. You must ensure that you have the right to use your pictures and that they meet the standards and requirements set by the buyer. Be prepared to negotiate and sign a contract.
Avoid these common travel photography mistakes!
Some of the most common mistakes are overediting, over-relying on post-processing, not doing research beforehand, and not paying enough attention to details. Avoid overdone and touristy images in favour of creative, genuine photos.
How can I earn money from my travel photographs?
You can offer your photography services to travel agencies or tourists in addition to selling your photos. You can teach photography workshops and sell prints. You can showcase your work by creating a blog for photography or a social media platform.
