3 Easy Tips for Better Travel Photos

Don’t put your friends to sleep with your travel pictures!

Now don’t stress. Whether it’s touring in the silence of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, falling into the glory of nature at Victoria Falls in Zambia, or laying into a sushi bar in Tokyo, these three easy tips will help you come out with magazine-quality travel photos.

 

 

 

TakeOff
Photo by Joseph Lin

 

1.       Light the right time

Morning and evening are when the drama comes out. With the sun at an angle, deep shadows will highlight both the angels and the demons at the Vatican. This is called the “Golden Hour” and it’s also the best for capturing people’s faces. The soft golden light will make even the most rugged back-packer look like a 10.

WaimeaRockJump
Photo by Greg Wiens

 

2.       Don’t cut off the edges

Nothing makes me want to lay someone out like being interrupted mid-sentence. Or cutting me off in the middle of my favourite TV show. So why do that to the splendid Windsor Castle? The magic of Mona Lisa is in her smile, but does it matter if you can’t see her eyes?

Capturing the tiny details of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous work is all well-and-good, but it stops your friends and family from seeing the big picture – the magnificent work of art. Try to capture all four corners of your subjects within the frame of the photo. I don’t want to see four-fifths of the Taj Mahal, I want to see all of it.

 

AWonderOfNature
Photo by Aris Chen

 

3.       Capture the faces and reactions

Whether laughing  over chilled, fresh coconuts with friends in steaming Thailand, or the cool moment of awe at first seeing a whale off the coast of Newfoundland, you CAN capture those magic moments for the rest of your life through good travel photography.

Focus on the faces of the people around you as they travel. What makes them smile? What makes them frown? Capture those moments on camera.

There’s nothing out there like the face of a cheering fan as their favourite team wins the Super Bowl, or Stanley Cup, or the satisfied smile of a child about to eat Venecian gelato.

Photo by Mark Cruz
Photo by Mark Cruz

 

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