My family laughs at me because wherever I travel, I must take my camera. I don’t care if I’m heading across the street or across the Atlantic, my camera must be in hand at all times. And that’s okay, they can laugh all they want, because when they look the fabulous travel photo books I put together, they realize photo addicts aren’t such a bad thing, right?
So maybe you’re laughing too, or maybe you’re worried that photo addicts are the only people who can create decent travel photo books. Set your mind at rest. You don’t have to be a photo maniac to get a decent set of travel shots. Just keep this short list in mind, and you’ll get the photos you want.
Five travel shots you don’t want to miss
1) Surrounding area – capture the big pictures, the landscapes, the sunsets, the rolling hills, the vistas. This gives you a nice overview of where you were
2) Candids – posed photos are fine, but they don’t capture the moment to moment experiences you encounter. So catch your fellow travelers in action
3) Close-ups – get in there and take super close-ups of all the little details you encounter – a flower, an architectural detail, a piece of pottery, a sign
4) Be in the pictures – this is SO easy to forget! Make sure you let go of that camera and get someone else to take your snapshot for a change
5) Portraits – get group shots of you and your fellow travelers! An easy way to do this is scope out another tourist and ask if they can take your picture. As a courtesy it’s always nice to return the favor, too
If you need some inspiration to get you started, check out a few of my favorite travel photo books. They all have a nice balance of scenic shots, close ups, candids, and portraits. Plus photos of the camera boss!
Santa Fe
Iceland: the land of fire and ice
Yosemite (Summer)
Do you have any travel photo advice you’d like to share? Post your favorite tip by commenting on this article.
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July 26th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Great advice!! I got caught up in the perfect photo while traveling thing and it wore me out!! Now I stick with the ‘snapshot’ ideas, I love the people shots and all the fun stuff. I will have to add this list to my camera bag for my next outing
Thanks!! Great article!
July 26th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
This is great advice Rachel! Sometimes the kids start to get mad at me when i ask them to ‘pose’ for me, so i try to catch them when they don’t think I’m snapping! I am a lover of sunsets and I go out every night we are at the lakes to catch the sunset. Its kind of relaxing and fun to watch. I am finding it harder for me to be in pictures – if i go in the water then i can’t take pictures so I’ll have to assign someone to do that for me.
And yes my family also laughs at me for bringing my camera eveywhere!
These are great tips which i may print off.
July 26th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
You have given us some wonderful information and I love all your ideas. I usually try to get posed shots in a low lit house, like Mom Birthday party! So many inside shots do not come out with low light. I like getting shots when they are not looking, they are always the best. Thank you for this article.
August 1st, 2010 at 5:54 am
Wow — are those first photos by you? If so, welcome to the world of great photographers.
If not, you still did a great job in putting this helpful information together.
August 3rd, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Great blog, and advice! Love the Pics!
August 3rd, 2010 at 5:11 pm
Rachel I am exactly like you, camera goes everywhere and I am beside myself if I forget. Thanks for the travel advise and I really do most of them now. I also take photos of my hotel room before anyone can lay on the bed or place their bags down. They call my crazy but I am compelled to do it. Will check out your photobooks now!
August 7th, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Great points Rachel! I am glad you brought up the point of including yourself and the people you are traveling in these photographs. So many times, I have viewed some incredible photographs of the special destination but did know who traveled there because there was not a single picture of a human! Let the viewer know who was there and whom they met along the way and your collection of travel photos will mean so much more!
August 15th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Your tips are great. So many things to know and to learn about taking photos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge about photographs.
August 1st, 2011 at 11:15 am
Rachel, what a wonderful blog! Awesome suggestions…Especially #4 – I often forget that! #3 also is a great tip often ignored by many – but capturing those seemingly unimportant details (like what food you had, or what trinket you bought), makes all the difference between remembering a place, and remembering how you felt about a place. Great great article! And BTW, that second photo is spectacular!!!