Photography is such an astounding invention; it changed how we perceive things completely, allowing us to forever cherish a certain moment in time. As lovely as that sounds, the line between having this one moment captured forever and looking back on it fondly and not being able to do so properly is pretty thin! If you aren’t a skilled photographer, how will you be able to capture something good? Thankfully, nowadays there are so many ways and options to learn this craft, starting with the fact of how accessible it is to everyone! So here are all the things to consider when making a timeless travel photo!
Be Inspired
Before you can do anything, you need to have a passion and a purpose behind it, and in this case, you’ll need both if you want to successfully capture something! But being creative doesn’t come so easily, especially when taking pictures – it’s almost as anything goes. You can just point a camera to a random thing and take a picture. But that won’t make it great, regardless of how high quality it may be. What makes a photo great is a story, the concept, and the context itself that the photo represents. Even if it’s a photo of a tree or a rock, you can still find an interesting angle that tells a certain story, something that will speak on its own rather than just snapping at random! No art is inherently accidental!
Know the Basics First
So you have an idea, that’s great – but you’ll need a little knowledge to truly make the photo pop! Starting from being familiar with the basic things, especially being familiar with your chosen camera – the more comfortable you get, the quicker you’ll be while taking pictures. Also, there are courses to improve your photography skills if you truly want to get good at photography. There is only so much you can learn on your own, but taking classes can truly help with opening yourself up and trying different techniques, as well as cementing the already learned knowledge! You don’t have to have the most expensive professional camera out there. What’s important is that you are willing to learn new things, have great ideas and a vision, the rest will come along on its own!
Practice… A Lot!
There is a reason why people keep repeating the sentence practice makes perfect – and for a good reason! Photography is just one of those skills you acquire by being consistent, that way you can get used to the action, your eyes will learn to look through the camera lens and capture the best photos! It’s all about learning how to observe and just being used to taking lots of pictures regularly. Don’t be reserved, take pictures of everything while on your trip – at least a few photos will turn out nice!
Think About the Details
When you find yourself in a foreign land, there are just so many things going on. You want to grasp it all in one single shot! But it’s important to know what makes a photo look good at the end of the day. Know that there are some things you should prioritize more than others, don’t just take snaps of random things – especially if you are taking a portrait of someone, try to see if the background is suitable and not too distracting. The key is to keep a balance between snapping a boring picture and snapping an overly cluttered one – so make sure you think about this when taking pictures on your vacation!
Have a Photo Bucket-List
Once you arrive at your desired location, you’ll want to take pictures of everything – and that’s a great thing, but if you are running low on time you might want to prioritize. If you are going to a famous place, it’s good to make a list of all the important and recognizable landmarks and take pictures there – and everything else is a bonus! This way you’ll avoid forgetting major Instagram-worthy spots, and you’ll also have incredible memories to look back on in the years to come! Know your priorities, especially if you are traveling with family members or loved ones, you want to take amazing pictures all together but not make it boring a regular group photo!
Experiment
Taking portraits and pictures of landmarks or nature is fine and all, but if you truly want to make some unforgettable pictures you might want to loosen up a bit! At the end of the day, what makes a photo great is the context, and more random photos and spur of the moment are always more impactful than planned ones. So if the time allows you, go explore the city or the countryside of your traveling destination, immerse yourself in culture, and take pictures where you are allowed. Be random and don’t think much about the structure or anything, just go with the flow, and you’ll end up with some outstanding timeless pictures!
Don’t Take It Too Seriously
Don’t stress yourself too much. There is no such thing as a perfect photo, at least there shouldn’t be! If you are worrying way too much about the quality of your photos to the point where it becomes more important than your vacation – stop doing that! As mentioned, it’s better to be relaxed and random about photography than have an exact plan for it. Nowadays influencers take way too much time to plan and edit their traveling photos to literal perfection – but there is no reason why you should do the same! You want to look at your photos with fond memories, how you enjoyed your trip and took beautiful pictures!
Photography isn’t something you can learn overnight, it’s a process, but at least you’ll have pictures to remember an important moment with. This is a useful skill that will certainly come in handy, especially if you are traveling, so don’t shy away from enhancing your photography skills a bit more! Snap-on the daily, and see how better you become each time and don’t forget to have fun with it! It’s all about remembering the good times and focusing on the current moment
