New to life behind the lens and want to make sure you’re capturing your adventures as creatively as possible? Learning to take a good picture is all about trial and error and depending on the complexity of your camera can often be a time consuming progress. Cut the corners with our travel photography tips for beginners and you’ll be upping your photography game in no time…
It’s all about perspective
Try taking photos from different perspectives. Don’t always do what is expected. For example, when wanting to take a photo of something outside a window, instead of opening the window to get a clear view, try taking the photo from inside. Try immersing yourself in the country’s way of life instead of doing the expected touristy activities to achieve some unique photos and a great experience.
Lighting is key
Sometimes all a picture needs is good lighting. If you walk across something you want to take a photo of and you know it’ll still be there (for example, a building), try visiting it at different times of the day to see what lighting looks best. Lighting can change the whole look of a photo.
AV Mode ON
Stick your camera on Av mode if your camera has that function. This way you can easily change the most important settings like ISO, exposure and aperture. A higher ISO, larger aperture (lower in number) will make your shutter speed faster and the exposure controls how light or dark your photo will turn out.
Get to know your shutter speed
If you are trying to take photos whilst moving or in low light situations, make sure your shutter speed is fast enough so the picture isn’t one big blur. If you are taking a photo where you can balance your camera on a stable surface, try making your shutter speed slower for a nice effect. This looks particularly cool when used on lakes as it smoothes out the surface of the water.
Post Produce
Don’t forget to edit. Try messing around with “curves” in Photoshop or downloading a preset from the internet. Even underexposed or overexposed photos can be fixed by simply changing the brightness of a photo. Want to keep it simple? Snapseed, VSCO Cam and Afterlight all produce the most amazing Instagram worthy snaps.
