5 Easy Tips for Better Vacation Photos With Any Camera
I don’t know about you, but one of our favorite things to do as a family is travel. Of course, I must document our travels from start to finish. So for your next travels, I put together 5 tips for better vacation photos. I use these tips all the time with both my iPhone as well as my Sony Mirrorless A7iv.
Pay Attention to Light
The first tip I have for you is to pay attention to the light you are working with. When it comes to light you want to avoid harsh shadows, especially on your subjects’ faces. Shadows can be super distracting so try to keep them out of the background too.
Another way to pay attention to the light around you is to take advantage of shade on a sunny day. Look, when you are on vacation, you want to document the fun times but you may not want to take time to set up shots. But if you have the opportunity, take a photo of your kids in the shade vs the full harsh sun. You will find the light is softer and more flattering. In addition, the people in the photos will be squinting less.
The last note is to take advantage of sunrise and sunset whenever you have that option.
Get Closer
When I tell you to get closer, I’m telling you to fill the frame. If you are taking a photo of your kid on a horse at the dude ranch, zoom in if you have a telephoto lens or foot zoom if you are using your mobile. Get close enough so that it is clear what the subject of the photo is. You want your kid on the horse to take up most of the frame. It’s good to include a little bit of what is around because it helps tell the story. However, make the subject clear and pronounced.
Pay Attention to Background
Your photos will improve so much if you take a quick second to check the background before you click. Look for garbage cans, random people, cars, or anything that can be distracting. Also, check for buildings and trees that are positioned so that they look like they are coming out of your subject’s head. It can be as easy as rotating around your subject for a new angle, having the subject take a step to the left of right, or getting closer to crop the distract out.
Take Multiple Photos
Now I’m not talking about taking 8 of the exact same photo. Move around. Get low, shoot from above, move closer, or take a few steps to the left or right for variety. Play around with it and see what you like best. You may be surprised at what a difference even a slight change in angle can make. And you may be surprised and delighted with what you come up with.
Study Your Photos
It’s pretty common to go through your photos at the end of the day anyway. Take that time to take a good look at what you like and what doesn’t look so good. You will start to see patterns of successful photos. Learn what works and keep incorporating those things. Conversely, you may find that you forgot to check the background and now you have a photo of your kid in front of a dumpster petting a pony. Taking note of that will help you to remember to check the background next time around. Like in all areas of life, learn from your mistakes and your successes.
In conclusion, there are a handful of super easy things you can do to improve your vacation photos. We love our vacation memories so why not have stellar photos to remind us of those good times. For even better photos check out these composition tips.