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5 Ways To Improve A Travel Photo At Any Location

Any outdoor photographer will tell you that a successful photo will often require more than just turning up to a location that you have researched, setting up a camera and taking some photos. If you really want to capture great travel photos – whether that is to sell or to hang on a wall, then you need to actively think of ways to give your photo that little bit extra. So here are a few tips to help you improve your travel photos whatever location you are at.

Don’t take any photos

You are probably thinking that I have lost my mind so let me elaborate… Often one of the biggest mistakes that I see people make in my photography workshops is rushing to take photos when we get to a location. If you ever watch tourists when they arrive at say a landmark, they do exactly the same thing. They take a few quick photos and move on. So, my first advice to anyone wanting to improve their photos at any location is to just pause for a few minutes and look around.

Granted that there might be occasions that there is a fleeting moment or a beautiful light that won’t be around for long. In these situations snap away. But when you have finished don’t move on. Go back to the beginning and look. If you get into the habit of getting to a location and just waiting for the right moments, you will find that you are far more likely to capture great photos. Spend the time to visualise the shot in your mind and work out your settings. You may just find that you are surprised by the results you end up with.

Look for people

When I look at my travel photos, by far and away my most popular and best-selling shots have people in them. This is something that is often backed up by photo editors that I work with. They regularly tell me that the types of shots they are looking for are the “untouristy” photos. It is really difficult in this age of digital photography to capture anything unique enough that doesn’t look like a tourist photo.

Including people in your shots can really help do this as it’ll be very rare to have the same type of travel shot with the same person in. So naturally by including a person you are making that photo unique. But including a person in your composition doesn’t just mean head and shoulder portraits. It could be a slow exposure by someone walking across your shot. Or it could be someone in the distance. Next time you are at a location try to think of ways of including someone in your photo.

Look beyond “eye-level”

Every photographer is guilty of taking photos primarily at eye level. It’s the natural thing to do and I myself am probably as guilty of doing this more than I should. But if you can learn to take photos beyond this view you will be astonished by some of the results that you’ll get. All digital cameras these days have LCD screens with “live-view” mode. Some also have tilt screens that make it so much easier to take shots at different heights.

So, instead of just taking photos at eye level, set yourself a target of taking a high shot where you hold your camera above your head as high as you can and take a photo. Then do the same as low as you can close to the ground where it will automatically create a foreground in your shot. These types of angles are rarely seen and if you execute them well can look fantastic and very unique.

Go slower

Another really great way to take your photos to another level is to experiment with your shutter speed. Slower shutter speeds are only possible by using a tripod, but often what they offer is the ability to add movement to your photos. This can add things like light trails from cars, blurred movement of people, clouds, water or even structure like Ferris wheels. This movement can add colour but also it will make a photo feel much more dynamic and alive.

Another benefit of using slow exposure is that you can often make an image cleaner by blurring some of the people or cars in the shot. This is one of the main reasons that often landscape photographers use this method of photography to smooth out water in coastal scenes. The same can be done in places like cities where the long exposure can mean some people and cars don’t appear in the image.

Wait for the “bad” weather

Is there such a thing as bad weather for photography? Whilst conditions might not be ideal, I believe you can take photos anytime. You may just have to work harder to find interesting subjects and compositions to make up for the lack of good light. But often weather conditions such as storms, fog and mist can really help enhance a photo to something extraordinary. So, a great habit to get into as to be ready to go and shoot somewhere when these conditions arise. For obvious reasons, this is much easier to do in places that are near you. But if you do happen to be away and these kinds of weather condition occur, don’t despair, grab your camera and head outside.

For example, if there has been recent rainfall, look for reflections on the ground and water droplets on windows that can add a really great story to an image.

Capturing great travel photos requires some luck but also hard work. The research and planning prior to visiting anywhere are essential. But nothing beats getting somewhere in good time and spending a bit of time exploring and composing shots in your head. But even then be willing to try new things, whether it be interesting angles, techniques or exposures. You might just be surprised by the results.

7 Reasons Why You Should Pursue Photography As Your New Hobby

Everyone needs a hobby. All work and no play can drive us insane. Your brain needs alternate activities to distract it from the harsher responsibilities of life. Just like sleeping resets your neural pathways and refreshes you, hobbies can take your mind off your troubles and larger responsibilities. Then, when it’s time to go back to those responsibilities, you’re ready to tackle anything thrown your way with renewed vigour.

The hobbies that help with this mental rejuvenation the most are ones that have both cognitive and physical aspects. Photography does this in spades; from setting up your shot to exploring new locations to capture with your lens, photography can be a fantastic way to not only unwind but also fulfil you in a way that few other things can.

Photography is a great pursuit for people with different levels of interest. Novices who just want to start learning or need a casual distraction on weekends will have no trouble at all getting into it. Experts are always finding new techniques or challenges to engage them. It’s rare that a hobby can be both entry-level and professional in difficulty. However, even with just a basic grasp of the fundamentals, beginners can quickly develop their skillset.

If you fall into this curious category of general interest about photography, but maybe either don’t know where to start or are intimidated about how to begin, then here are 7 reasons why you should pursue photography as your new hobby.

Memories

Remember that one cute picture of you as a baby? Of course, but only because someone had the foresight to immortalize that moment in time forever. Since you were a baby, you had not yet developed long-term memories, and therefore that adorable moment of you smashing cake in your face or whatever was happening would be nothing but a family story for you. Because someone snapped a pic at that moment, you and everyone else can enjoy and reminisce about that particular memory. Photography helps us to reinforce our memories by providing a physical snapshot of a key moment. Learning photography is a great way to forever enhance your memory, whether through creating a photo album or selecting your moments.

It’s fun

It might seem obvious, but a hobby should be fun. Photography can be a very versatile hobby with either a set of rules and guidelines to strive toward or a lot of people like to just keep it casual. Some people enjoy the challenge of getting that one specific shot just right; the sense of accomplishment is relishing. Others like to stroll through a park and just click off a few frames about whatever happens to be around. Whatever your level of interest, photography can be both fun and rewarding in very different ways.

Be creative

Just like photography can run on both ends of a spectrum of capability, so can your level of creativity. For those that want a creative challenge, photography can offer some very intriguing scenarios. Getting the light and composition just right for a portrait, or discovering a unique angle that delightfully captures the spirit of a scene, can satiate your creative prerequisite. Photography can provide a creative outlet to rip you out of your doldrums. Imagine sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week, staring at the same stark walls day in and day out. Now imagine looking down on an entire city from an overlook at dawn just as the sea of fog recedes. Which would you rather capture?

Meet new people

Believe it or not, even the most introverted person can suddenly become outgoing once they have a camera in their hands. When you’re looking through a viewfinder, all of a sudden the world looks a little different to you and it affects the way you interact with other people. From behind the camera lens, you can see people in a different light, taking a picture of a side of their personality that isn’t always so evident. Photography allows you to get engaged with new and interesting people, whether it’s to take their portrait or to just photograph a fun scene. Even complete and total strangers that would otherwise tell you to get out of their way might act differently when a camera is pointed at them. Photography can break down the barriers we construct around our personalities, not just for the subject, but for the person behind the camera as well.

Discover your style

Would you say that you have a certain aesthetic? You might be surprised at how your preferred photos turn out. When you start taking pictures, you might begin with simple angles and basic focus techniques. But over time, you start to see how lighting and composition affect the look and feel of a photo. You might even develop specific preferences and before you know it, a signature style so that people will know without even asking which photos are the ones that you took.

It’s great exercise

Photography is a fantastic way to move your feet and put some miles behind you. Get your blood pumping by finding the right scene to take a photo of, or getting a few choice shots while you stroll through the park on your lunch hour. Photography is an exceptional method of getting up and out of your chair to move around a little, instead of sitting still all the time.

Explore new places

Literally, you can reach new heights with photography. It’s a hobby that encourages you to explore new and exciting venues, like the peak of a mountain or the corners of an abandoned factory. New settings that you would otherwise never bother to explore will yield amazing backdrops for your photographic endeavours. Take the plunge and photograph the ocean floor. Discover the intimate details of a model railroad. Wherever the place is that you choose to explore, make sure to bring your camera with you!

It’s easy to see why so many people these days have got the photography “bug”. So if you are looking for a new hobby this year, look no further than photography.

Images Not Sharp? You Could Be Making One Of These Mistakes

Capturing sharp images is one of the critical elements of photography. It is also often one of the areas that beginner photographers struggle with the most. It can be incredibly frustrating and somewhat disheartening when you think you have captured a great shot only to realise upon closer inspection that it isn’t sharp. Like most elements of photography with practice and experience, you’ll be able to pick up the knowledge and skills necessary to be able to capture sharp photos. But to help you on your journey, here are 4 mistakes that you could be making that have a detrimental effect on your photos.

Holding the camera incorrectly

This is one of the most common mistakes that I see photographers of all levels make. Like anything in life, you should aim to get the very basics right first. So you should pay close attention to the way that you are standing and holding the camera. Start by ensuring that your legs are shoulder-width apart with one slightly further forward than the other. Ideally, you should be standing at a slight angle so that your weight is distributed evenly. Next comes your arm position. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides rather than out to the sides. This will make things much easier on your shoulders and give your arms more stability.

Lastly, make sure you are holding the camera properly. I often see people holding the camera but then trying to zoom or focus with their other hand from the top of the lens. This means that one hand is holding of the weight of a camera. Instead, cradle the lens from underneath using your other hand. By adopting these tips you will hold the camera far more steady and will be less likely to suffer from camera shake.

Using a wide aperture all the time

Just because your lens is capable of allowing you to shoot at f/1.4 doesn’t mean that you should all the time. The big problem when using extremely wide apertures is that often it has a detrimental effect on your images (the same as shooting with very small apertures). Shooting at something like f/1.4 could result in edges appearing softer which in turn means less sharpness. So why are lenses capable of this you may ask? Because in some situations you have no other choice but to have a wide aperture to allow enough light to come into the camera so that you can shoot handheld.

The other big challenge when shooting with an extremely wide aperture is to make sure that you focus correctly on the right element that you want sharp. Because your plain of focus will be so shallow, only a very small part of the image will be in focus. So missing that mark will mean that your image will look blurred. So try to avoid using lenses at their extreme apertures unless you really have to.

Your shutter speed is too slow

You might already realise that unless you have statue-like hands, then you simply would not be able to hold a camera steady at slow shutter speeds. But how slow is that? Well, firstly that depends on you, the person holding the camera. One person might be able to hold a camera steady at 1/80 sec whereas for someone else that might result in camera shake. Then there is also your focal length to factor in. There is a longstanding rule called the “reciprocal rule” which simply means that you match your minimum shutter speed to the focal length you are shooting at. So for example, if you are shooting with a 100mm lens then your shutter speed should be 1/100 sec. For 200mm lens 1/200 sec and so on. This is not set in stone and these days lenses have much better image stabilization which can mean you can reduce your shutter speed. But it is a handy formula to use to ensure your shutter speed will not be too slow.

Letting the camera set your ISO

There’s no denying that modern cameras are incredibly advanced. But they are still no match for human intuition and are ultimately governed by predetermined rules and formulas. Unfortunately, sometimes this can lead to wrong decisions when it comes to settings. One of the biggest culprits of soft photos is too much noise which is often due to high ISO settings. For example, if you have set your camera to Auto ISO you may find that the camera will suddenly whack up your ISO so that you can achieve your shutter speed or aperture. Whilst on the surface this might seem like the right thing to do, by actually selecting the settings yourself you may find that you can underexpose your image a little instead of raising your ISO so high. You can then fix this in post-production and end up with a far sharper image than if you had used a very high ISO. Needless to say that you should always keep your ISO as low as possible.

This might all seem like too much to remember or implement, but with practice and experience, you will naturally improve. But remember to also check your mistakes and work out where you went wrong. Was it because you ISO was too high? Or maybe you focused on the wrong thing. By examining your photos and working out where you went wrong you are far more likely to avoid making the same mistakes again. Always remember that you learn more from your failed photos than your successful ones. Use the tips above and you should see an improvement in the sharpness of your photos.