Capturing the aesthetics of a place isn’t an easy job. A good photo helps you to relive a memory time and time again. It’s a souvenir. In a narrow sense, when a traveler captures the aesthetics of the place he/she visits, it is travel photography. But in a broad sense, travel photography is a wing of photography which encompasses the documentation of a place’s history, culture, heritage, people, and landscapes.
Travel photography isn’t a very difficult job if you can harness some tips and tricks. You’ll find useful tips for travel photography here to help you improve your tour photos and make your itineraries come to life.
1. Know the place
The most important thing to do is to know the place. Knowing its heritage, culture, people, and other relevant information will help you hone your craft.
As a tour guide, you’re uniquely qualified for this! You already know what you plan to photograph. Envision some frames and establish some goals for your photography. The best way to do this is to look into other people’s craft and try to copy what you’d like to portray in your own style.
2. Know your device
Good photography depends more on the photographer than camera functions. Suppose you have a camera with great lenses and a wide range of features, but you don’t know how to use those features. If this is the case, then the camera is of no use to you. Know its features and functions to make the best use out of it. Knowing the ISO, shutter speed, white balance, frame rate, etc.helps in taking an impactful picture. Whatever device you choose for photography, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know how it works. Make sure you know your tools well.
3. Be patient
Perfect photos come after much patience and dedication. If you are shooting at a famous location, then you must deal with a crowd. Wait until the group passes by. Wait for the perfect light. Wait for the perfect frame. It’s worth it.
Take multiple shots to get the best picture and then edit the photos with patience.
4. Capture raw photos
For a better quality picture, take your photos without using any filters or effects. This allows you to capture every subtle detail of the frame, which helps with the exposure and editing. Capturing photos with filters or effects will make editing more difficult. You can add a filter, but you can’t take it off.
5. Edit photos
Editing lifts the photo to another level. You may not get the exact light, exposure, or color balance that you wanted as you were taking the photo, but you can sometimes get them through editing. You can seek help from experts like professional photoshop services(opens in a new tab) or can do it on your own, but don’t forget to edit your photos before sharing them on a public platform. Present your blemish-free photos as a souvenir for your customers, or on your website to help sell your tours.
6. Try different perspectives
Every picture tells a different story, and employing various perspectives helps in creating a unique story in each shot. So instead of locking yourself to a particular type of picture, set yourself free to explore new angles. Try shooting from the left or the right, use the rule of thirds, try both up-close and distance shots for impactful photos.
7. Consider natural lighting
The right frame and right light exposure help to up your photography game, and there is no better light than the sunlight. But here is the thing, while some times are ideal for capturing a stunning photo, not all times of day are favorable for photos.
The early morning’s “warm light”, just after the sunrise, is ideal for taking pictures, especially landscapes. Midday isn’t favorable for photos at all as it leaves shadows and harsh white light on photos. Another great time to shoot your photo is at “golden hour”. Golden hour is a photography term to describe the period just before sunset. This particular time is the best for impactful photography.
So, try to capture photos just after sunrise and less than an hour before sunset. Maintaining this schedule can be hard while you are working, so you may need to spend one of your days off getting these perfect photos. Try to reach the destination at least half an hour earlier and set your camera for the ideal time.
8. Use a polarizing filter
A polarizer is a camera extension which is essential for outdoor photography. It deepens the intensity of the frame by intensifying the blue sky and eliminating glare. A polarizer is like sunglasses for your camera. When the camera has it on, the camera creates vivid photos.
Try a polarizer in your next outdoor shoot to up your game, but don’t use a polarizer indoors.
9. Carry a tripod
A tripod is a three-legged stand which helps to hold a camera. Using a tripod, you can capture photos from any perspective possible. You can even get the perfect selfie or group shot by placing the camera on a tripod.
10. Narrate a story through the photo
Every object has a story of its own, so does a photo. Try to illustrate your vision behind the photo. Try to deliver a message through your picture to connect your viewers. It’ll inspire you to take photos more purposely.
Conclusion
All of the tips mentioned above will help you to rock your next photos but, as you know, photography isn’t an easy job. Photography is an art, and art needs extra dedication. To make your photography journey more impactful make sure you take proper care of your camera and related devices (e.g. extra flash, tripod, etc.), take multiple fully-charged batteries, stay safe, and be patient. Enjoy your time taking pictures. It’ll show in the final product.
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