How To Take Better Travel
Photographs
By: Karen Joslin
Most travelers like to bring home pictures to
remember their trip. If you're looking for a way to
turn so-so snapshots to fabulous photos, take a
moment to review these tips.
 Before
You Leave
Make sure you're familiar with how your camera
works. If you haven't read the manual, do it. You
may find that your camera has capabilities you
didn't know about, or you may find answers to
questions that have been bothering you.
If you have enough gear to warrant a camera bag, try
to find one that doesn't scream, "I'm a camera bag.
Steal me!" You may want to consider a backpack-like
style because they're easy to carry around all day,
leave your hands free, and appear relatively
inconspicuous.
When you pack for your trip, bring your manual,
extra camera batteries or a battery charger, and
digital storage cards or film for your camera. If
you plan on taking lots of digital photos and you
have a laptop, it may be a wise idea to bring it so
you can download your images and reuse your cards.
For air travel, pack your camera in a carry-on bag,
especially if you're fortunate enough to own
sophisticated equipment. Even locked, checked
luggage can be broken into, and if your equipment is
stolen, most airlines will not reimburse you. Avoid
putting your camera in a jacket pocket, too, since
it's easy to leave a jacket on the plane or in the
airport. Before you exit the plane, double-check to
make sure you have all your things.
Camera Settings
Your camera's automatic settings control the f-stop
and shutter speed for you. The f-stop determines how
blurry the background looks. The smaller the number
(like 5.6), the more the background blurs. The
larger the number (like 16), the sharper everything
in the picture is. Neither one is inherently better
than the other; it all depends on what you're
photographing and what effect you want.
Shutter speed refers to how quickly the camera's
shutter opens and closes. The higher the shutter
speed, the faster it takes the picture. To freeze
action, you need to shoot at a minimum of 125. Below
60, you need a tripod to keep the image sharp
because your hand will move enough to affect the
picture.
Point-and-shoot cameras may not allow you to adjust
both settings yourself. However, understanding your
camera's automatic settings can help you control how
your photos look. For instance, portrait settings
are designed to keep the main subject sharp and blur
the background, while landscape settings keep
everything sharp. Shoot a variety of subjects on
each of your camera's settings to see what they do
and what you like.
Some cameras have semi-automatic settings which
allow you to set either the f-stop or the shutter
speed yourself, while the camera sets the other one.
These are often ideal: you still have a good amount
of control over how your image looks, but you don't
have to worry about meter-reading or quickly
changing light conditions.
If you can change your camera's settings, you should
know about ISO speeds. They control how much light
your camera or film needs to take an image. Low
numbers like 100 work in bright daylight, while
higher numbers like 400 are for cloudy days or
possibly indoors. The lower the ISO number, the more
detail your photos will have, so set it at the
lowest number you can.
 Composition
and Subject Matter
The number one thing you can do to improve your
photography is good composition. Camera manuals used
to say that you should place your subject in the
middle. This was because viewfinders showed more
than would end up in your picture, but it usually
looks boring.
Instead, imagine three equally-spaced lines running
across your image both horizontally and vertically.
The places where the lines meet are the strongest
areas to place your subject. You don't need to draw
lines on your viewfinder to do this, however, just
practice putting your subjects off-center. Try
taking a few shots from different angles. After a
while you'll get the hang of it.
It's a good idea to shoot slightly more than you
want in the picture, because when you get prints,
your images may end up getting cropped to fit the
print sizes. If you have photo editing software, you
can crop it yourself to the right size so that it
looks best. Don't go over board with the extra
space, though, because printing a small portion of a
larger image will result in poor quality.
Landscapes help capture the feeling of a place, but
too often they fall flat. Having something in the
foreground will jazz up your landscapes. A lone
fisherman on the lake in front of majestic mountains
not only adds interest to the shot, it shows just
how huge the mountains actually are. Leading lines
are good in any image, and even more so in
landscapes. What are they? Things like roads,
fences, or a line of trees which begin in the
foreground and lead the viewer's eye to the
background.
Of course, when you're traveling you also want to
see people in the locations. There's nothing wrong
with photographing your companions by a famous
landmark, but remember to use creative composition.
Another great way to break out of the "people
standing in a line in front of a monument" snapshot
is by taking candid pictures. You'll also get more
genuine expressions that way.
Generally, the more your subject fills the frame,
the better. That's especially true for people and
animals. You probably don't care about your
companion's vacation wardrobe; what's important is
their face. If your camera doesn't have a zoom lens,
you'll be more limited in how tight a shot you can
get. Pay attention to what's going on in the
background. You don't want a stop sign sticking out
of someone's head.
Photographing local people can help tell a story
about the place you're visiting, especially if
you're in an exotic destination. However, many
people find it rude to be photographed without
permission. If you know that's the case or if
someone looks upset about you pointing your camera
at them, ask if it's okay to take their picture. A
little flattery may be helpful, and some may even
ask for money. Don't push it if they say no.
Remember, interesting photo opportunities are
everywhere. A bustling market, a cityscape, details
of an object or building, a roadside food shack, or
a lizard sunning himself can all make great shots.
And while everyone prefers to remember their travels
as pleasant experiences, few places are completely
idyllic. You may encounter poverty, industrial
areas, or locations damaged by natural disasters,
war, or terrorism on your trip. Although such
subjects aren't the cheeriest, they can yield
powerful images that make a statement.
With a little practice, your own photos may look
just as good as the postcards.
About the Author
Karen Joslin writes for
Anguilla-Guide.info,
Bermuda-Guide.info, and other Segisys travel Web
sites.
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