Photography Tips: 10 top tips for travel photographers

Some great tips to think about when you go on your next vacation!

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Going 75mph

Have you ever been on a trip and driving down the highway when you see a great photo.  So you take the picture and it doesn’t look good.  Well, here are some tips to help you get better shots.

Tip #1  Don’t be in the drivers seat, be the passenger.

Tip #2 Use a fast shutter speed to avoid blur in your shot.

Tip#3  Don’t use a wide angle lens. Use a medium to long telephoto lens. This way you will be able to focus on objects in the distance and cut out the foreground.

Tip# 4 Watch for signs and objects that will take away from the pleasing look of your picture.

Here are a few examples of photos that I took on a recent journey.

Below are some photos that didn’t turn out so well.

I didn’t see the sign until it was too late.

I find the foreground in this photo distracting.

This is what happens when you use a shutter speed that is too low.  You should use as fast as a shutter speed as possible. On the photos that turned out good I used a shutter speed of 2000.

Next time you are on a road trip and not driving, look of interesting photos and use these tips so you can get some great shots.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Happy shooting!!!!

Always Carry A Camera!

Sometimes the best photographs come when you least expect them.  You might me out on a walk or driving a short distance in your car.  Maybe you are on vacation and left your camera in the hotel room while you are swimming in the pool.  The point of all of this is that there are great opportunities to get amazing shots and if you don’t have your camera with you the moment will be missed.  I have learned this the hard way.  I used to leave my camera at home while on business trips and short outings. Now I take it with me.  

When you have your camera with you, make sure it is ready. If you are driving through a big valley and an awesome sunset shows up and  you have your 300mm lens on you probably won’t get the shot.  You probably want your 28mm.  What I am saying is be ready for the situation you will be in. Think about where you are going before you get there and figure out which lenses you will need if there is a shot.  

You can also choose your camera settings in advance.  Say you are driving down a dirt road and you see a huge elk on the side of the road. you have your 300mm lens( a good choice in this case) in your camera but you have it set to f/22.  You might miss the shot. If you had it set to f/8 you have a better chance to make magic happen. So, set your f/stop or ISO to the proper setting that you might need.

The whole point of this is to be like boy scouts-Be Prepared!

I took this while out on a short drive last week!

Taken at the swimming pool while on a short vacation.

The gear you want to take while traveling…….

So, you have decided to take a vacation and are wondering what gear you will need to pack.  This is not an easy  task.   It really depends on where you are going and what you plan on photographing.  I have put together a list of items that you can start with.  Of course you will need to decide on your own what you will really need, but this should give you the general idea.

1. Camera
2. spare batteries
3. Charger
4. wide angle lens
5. medium range telephoto lens
6. long lens
7.  Lens cleaner and cloth
8.  filter set
9.  flash and sync cable
10. tripod
11.  and last, a durable camera bag to protect your equipment.

When packing your gear for traveling you also need to consider the weight of what you are taking.  If you are doing a lot of walking or hiking, you might want to slim down to cut some weight from what you will be carrying.  You might be going to a place where you can’t use flash, so forget the flash. If you won’t need a tripod don’t take it.  The downside is that you might end up needing something you decided not to take, so pack carefully.

Another thing you should always consider if possible is a second camera body.  If you are traveling to a foreign country this could be a problem though.  Sometimes customs will stop you and question you about a second camera body.  The reason being that some people try to sell their equipment while overseas without paying duty.  If this happens to you, be cooperative and patient.  Answer their questions. Remember, being mad is not going to help you at all.  A good idea is to get your equipment registered with customs. The best way to prevent this always check allowances beforehand.

Most important of all is to have fun and get some great photos. Just think, if you get some nice shots, you could sell them and maybe pay for your next vacation!

Let me know if you can think of something I have missed or should add to this list. Thanks for reading!!!

Travel Photography- Planning the Trip

Travel Photography can be a lot of fun.  You might be going on a quick vacation or you might be spending a few weeks in a foreign country.  Whatever you are doing, it is important to be prepared.  The first thing you will need to do is to make a list of all the photography gear you will need.  More than once I have skipped this step and forgot things.  The second thing you need to do is to research where you are going.   There are several ways to to this and with the internet you should have access to plenty of info.  Always check out http://www.earth.google.com .  You can find photos from other photographers there.  Another way to see photos of where you are going is to do a search on http://www.flickr.com .   You can look at other photos and find what time of day is best for your location.  This should be a starting point for your own pictures.  You should also do some research to find out what kind of events are happening while you are there. There might be a festival in a nearby town, or you might find a museum close to where you are staying.  You will want to find out what kind of weather to expect.  If it is going to be raining you might need to adjust your gear you are taking.  

Sometimes it is a good idea to work out a photo schedule. This way you can plan the trip ahead and get the great shots you have researched.  This is a little tougher if you have a family, but a great idea if you are traveling alone.  These are just a few tips on traveling but most of all, remember that this is a vacation and have fun photographing.

Below is a photograph of Zions National Park in Utah.