This blog post was updated on October 10, 2018.
“Take a picture, it’ll last longer!” Oh how true this phrase is, especially when traveling. Photography is one of the best ways to document your travels (and makes a great compliment to travel journaling ). Not only do photographs help you remember what you saw and did during your fantastic voyage, they remind you of how you felt. Here are some tips for capturing images on your next trip:
• Get the right equipment: While a disposable camera may have worked fine for your junior high school trip to Washington, D.C., it’s time to invest in a “grown-up” camera.
There are a variety of excellent point and shoot digital cameras on the market for under $200. If you want to step it up and really hone your amateur photography skills, check out some of the great digital SLRs on the market (make sure to get the filter you’ll need for shooting outdoors). Depending on what and where you will be photographing, you may want to consider picking up a portable tripod.
• Take a variety of photos: Photograph sights, monuments, people, textures, happenings, food…anything you want to remember. Even the most everyday scene or occurrence can make an excellent photograph (and an excellent memory).
• Take too many photos: If you’re debating on whether or not to take yet another picture of the fresh vegetables at the open-air market in Aix-en-Provence, just do it. There are so many factors when it comes to photography (light, angle, perspective, etc.) that, especially when you’re starting out as an amateur photographer, it’s important to play around a lot and take lots of pictures. You never know which one will be “the one.”
• Hand over the camera: Make sure that you hand off your camera to someone else a few times during your trip. Why? Because you need pictures of yourself while traveling as well. All too often, one person becomes “the photographer” in a family or travel group and ends up having no pictures of him or herself taking in the sights. Don’t let this be you!
• Display them: When you get home, have your photos printed on photo paper and frame them or have them stretched on canvas (I’ve had several of mine printed up at www.canvaspop.com and they look great) and hang them on your wall as constant reminders of your grand adventure.
Flickr: tadashiokoshi
Leave a Comment