Traveling and photography are two closely related hobbies. They complement each other like rain to river and vice versa! If you’re already an enthusiastic traveler but a rookie in the field of digital photography this article is just the one you need to go through at this moment. I’ll be brushing you up with ways to be more stable, ready, comfortable and tuned up to your camera while traveling with these easy travel photography tips.
<00> Choosing the right camera has a significant role on your travel photography. If you’re yet to buy your first point and shoot (P&S) camera and contemplating on purchasing one then better give a read through my article on How to choose your first P&S camera. Why I’m telling you to take the extra labor is- 30% of travelers I come across in my trips struggle badly with their gears and 90% of them carry a DSLR. They’re either not accustomed to carry a weight around their neck or too indifferent to change settings/lens as per the requirement of the scene, thus missing good photographic opportunities! Here, the term ‘right camera’ doesn’t point to the camera best suitable for your destination and subject. It simple means a camera that suits your hand-eye-mind coordination the best. Am I making sense to you?
<01> Never risk taking your newly purchased camera unless it’s your one and only photographic gear. Either spend a week before the trip with your new photographic gadget or show some faith on your old camera for one last time. In my last trekking expedition I met an engineer who had turned up with an ‘out of the box’ camera and faced difficulty in finding proper options/settings/functions throughout the trek. Can you really enjoy traveling with half occupied mind?
<02> Inquire from locals about the time of the day when the crowd around a tourist attraction is minimum and target the place with your camera at those heavenly hours. You’ll have more angles and spaces to try your photography. Naturally your composition will be more subject-oriented and free from distractions. You’ll be free to try this only if you’re not in a package tour, otherwise trust on your luck.
<03> For sunrise and sunset shots try to find some steady support like wall, rock, wooden structure etc and then compose your frame keeping the camera over it ensuring that it’s stable enough not to topple down your gear with the knock of moderate wind. After you’re satisfied with the composition abandon the urge of pressing the shutter and let the ‘self timer’ mode do some work. All these efforts will give you crispier images in low light conditions and your friends may pamper with silly questions like “Are you using a DSLR man?”
<04> When you’re inside a moving vehicle avoid temptation of popping your camera out of the window and take shots, primary reason being your safety and not to ignore the harm dust particles can inflict to your camera lens/sensor! If at all you’ve to capture, do it from the level of the window or occupy the co-driver’s seat and exploit the wide windshield view.
<05> Look for ways to conserve your physical energy plus mental zeal for photography. Usually in a trip we end up exhausting ourselves by unplanned activities resulting from hyper-excitatory state of mind or while trying to curtail the budget. Sometimes we hike too fast, eat too much or travel a lot in a single day. We may forget to judge whether it’s value for money in an impulse to save money and opt for inferior transport or lodging. Later we end up like consumed batteries. In such circumstances we lose our enthusiasm for photography and even if we click there’ll be dozen of factors to deteriorate the image quality- shaky hands, loss of patience, creative apathy etc to name a few. Wise planning of itinerary is a huge deciding factor for this, so, better be insightful!
<00> Choosing the right camera has a significant role on your travel photography. If you’re yet to buy your first point and shoot (P&S) camera and contemplating on purchasing one then better give a read through my article on How to choose your first P&S camera. Why I’m telling you to take the extra labor is- 30% of travelers I come across in my trips struggle badly with their gears and 90% of them carry a DSLR. They’re either not accustomed to carry a weight around their neck or too indifferent to change settings/lens as per the requirement of the scene, thus missing good photographic opportunities! Here, the term ‘right camera’ doesn’t point to the camera best suitable for your destination and subject. It simple means a camera that suits your hand-eye-mind coordination the best. Am I making sense to you?
<01> Never risk taking your newly purchased camera unless it’s your one and only photographic gear. Either spend a week before the trip with your new photographic gadget or show some faith on your old camera for one last time. In my last trekking expedition I met an engineer who had turned up with an ‘out of the box’ camera and faced difficulty in finding proper options/settings/functions throughout the trek. Can you really enjoy traveling with half occupied mind?
<02> Inquire from locals about the time of the day when the crowd around a tourist attraction is minimum and target the place with your camera at those heavenly hours. You’ll have more angles and spaces to try your photography. Naturally your composition will be more subject-oriented and free from distractions. You’ll be free to try this only if you’re not in a package tour, otherwise trust on your luck.
<03> For sunrise and sunset shots try to find some steady support like wall, rock, wooden structure etc and then compose your frame keeping the camera over it ensuring that it’s stable enough not to topple down your gear with the knock of moderate wind. After you’re satisfied with the composition abandon the urge of pressing the shutter and let the ‘self timer’ mode do some work. All these efforts will give you crispier images in low light conditions and your friends may pamper with silly questions like “Are you using a DSLR man?”
<04> When you’re inside a moving vehicle avoid temptation of popping your camera out of the window and take shots, primary reason being your safety and not to ignore the harm dust particles can inflict to your camera lens/sensor! If at all you’ve to capture, do it from the level of the window or occupy the co-driver’s seat and exploit the wide windshield view.
<05> Look for ways to conserve your physical energy plus mental zeal for photography. Usually in a trip we end up exhausting ourselves by unplanned activities resulting from hyper-excitatory state of mind or while trying to curtail the budget. Sometimes we hike too fast, eat too much or travel a lot in a single day. We may forget to judge whether it’s value for money in an impulse to save money and opt for inferior transport or lodging. Later we end up like consumed batteries. In such circumstances we lose our enthusiasm for photography and even if we click there’ll be dozen of factors to deteriorate the image quality- shaky hands, loss of patience, creative apathy etc to name a few. Wise planning of itinerary is a huge deciding factor for this, so, better be insightful!
