Basics of Taking Better Travel Photos

THE BASICS OF BETTER TRAVEL PHOTOS

Mary Fiore

Photographer and PainterFundamentals of Design Instructor

Fioreart.com

WanderplexWanderplex.com

Cruising and Photography Contributor

This version is intended as a follow up to the live presentation and does not include the voice

narration.

Included are introductions to the following topics which are covered in more depth in these additional presentations:

Getting the Most out of Your Camera

Composing Better Travel Photos

Capturing a Travel Destination

Managing & Sharing Your Travel Photos

Photo Editing: Where the Magic Happens

Tips for Successful Travel Photography

- Determine what you want to shoot

- Create an opportunity

- Be ready

- Be mindful of light and composition

- Work the subject

- Organize, retrieve, edit and share your photos

What do you want to capture?

- Don’t just point at whatever you see

- What impresses you about a location?

- Which subjects are you drawn to?

- Do you like to photograph people, churches, landscapes, beaches, etc.?

Get Out There and Engage

I would not have been able to capture this aerial view of the beach from the hills of Mt. Marangui, New Zealand if I had not been prepared to take the path and climb to the top.

Look Around the Bend

Biking on Bora Bora An Alley in France

Talk to Strangers

Willingness to engage people can open doors and lead to photo opportunities.

Photographing Strangers

Ask permission if are working in close or singling someone out.

Being engaging and respectful can lead to good photo opportunities

Getting Around

Ship’s tours

On foot

Public transportation

Private cab

Rental car

Bike

Cab drivers can offer escorted tours of areas not accessible to tourists.

In the hills of DominicaBiking around Bora Bora brought me to a breadfruit tree.

Buy from street and market vendors. Then ask permission to photograph.

Be Ready

Have your camera out or within quick reach for spontaneous shots

Shots like this last for seconds only

Be Prepared

Bring with you:

- Camera with memory card and charged battery

- ID, money, batteries - Ship’s newsletter with contact information,

location and time of departure. - Plastic bag - Easily accessible camera case or backpack - Wear comfortable clothing and shoes.

Know Your Equipment

• Dare to go beyond point and shoot

• Use your camera’s features to improve on automatic settings

• Understand how your camera processes light

• Practice ahead of time in special lighting or focus situations

Camera Modes and Scenes

Portrait: blurs the background

Landscape: keeps everything in focus

Close up: better focus up close

Sports: freezes action

Camera phone modes and scenes

Work the Scene

Moai, carved by the Rapa Nui on Easter Island

Don’t settle for you first shot; go for 5-50. Make sure you have many to choose from.

Walk around the subject. Try different viewpoints and angles.

Get distance shots and close ups Try morning and late afternoon.

Include people for scale

Traveling with Family and Friends

Try to strike a balance between a picture of them and a picture of the place.

Capture them doing something that tells about the place.

Avoid the traditional stand in a line with a landscape in the background approach.

Try for informal photographs of groups centered on activities.

Composition

We get a sense of how massive and ancient the Roman Coliseum is in the context of Modern Rome. The light post frames the left side.

Placed in the center, the Coliseum appears grand and strong.

This would be a stronger photo if the sphinx and the couple were both facing into rather than out of the photo.Walking around to the right would have accomplished this

This has a better background and placement of the ship.

The ship is sailing out of the photo.

Why Some Photos Look Great

- Uneven number of subjects

- They are looking into the photo

- Non distracting background

Let the viewer’s eyes travel to the subject. Include someone in the context of the travel

destination.

A different angle and enhanced color allows the viewer to travel to the subject and appreciate the color and texture.

Rule of Thirds

Mentally draw two horizontal and vertical lines. Place your subject at an intersection.

The subject is looking into the photo

The background adds texture, is non distracting and creates a sense of place

Photo Editing

- Walk around the subject - Try different backgrounds - Even, non distracting

backgrounds work well

- Try for even lighting in the foreground and soft, even lighting in the background

This composition has good movement and flow. The trees and sky help create the atmosphere.

The line of the roof leads the viewer from right to left diagonally then down to the menu which is not legible.

The menu does not add to the composition so it is eliminated.

The viewer’s eyes travel across and down and then leaves the photo along with the seated figure’s gaze.

Now the lines lead diagonally across from right to left, down then across the bottom to the figure.

She brings us back into the photo with her body position.

The viewers stays in the photo longer.

Try different zoom settings. Frame the photo with its surroundings

A little cropping improves this photo

Consider what impresses you about a location and photograph it.

Barcelona’s legal graffiti walls

It’s art and architecture

It’s accessible public markets

Straighten Buildings

This can be easily done in photo editing software

Working with Your Flash

Cropping and use of flash can have a dramatic effect

Back Lighting

1. Point your camera so that the strong light is not in the viewfinder.

2. Hold the shutter button half way down to meter the light.

3. Recompose and continue pressing the shutter all the way down to take the picture and lock in the exposure.

Cropping created a better placement for the girl in purple and put emphasis on the ring of classmates.

Bracketing creates 3 versions: slightly over exposed, averaged and under exposed versions.

Working with Light

This allows you to choose the best exposure in difficult light situations.

It provides options for combining foregrounds and backgrounds in photo editing software.

Underexposed tree Overexposed background

Layer the two photos using photo editing software. Delete the underexposed tree revealing the well exposed tree below.

Combining Photos

After a Day in the Field

Get Ready for Another Day of Travel Photography

Clean equipment

Charge batteries

Transfer files

Erase memory card

Organize files

What are you going to do with all those photos?

Transatlantic Tampa to London 5/2014

Ireland Cork Dublin

Belgium Zeebrugge Brussel

Europe

Ireland Cork Dublin

Belgium Zeebrugge Brussels Bruges

Cruise

•Rename•Organize •Use alternative file formats

•Share via web and print

Cruise Continent, country, city

Composing Better Travel Photos

Capturing a Travel Destination

Getting the Most Out of Your Camera

Managing & Sharing Your Travel Photos

Photo Editing: Where the Magic Happens

See additional follow up presentations on:

Regardless of your device

Light Focus Composition Retrieval

Important Factors of Good Photography

References

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/travel-photography-tips/#page=3