5 tips to help you take amazing photos

Who doesn’t want to have incredible photos to show their friends and family after a trip? Taking beautiful pictures during your travels is the perfect way to show to others the amazing things you did and the places you saw.

But it is more than that. Travel photos help bring back memories of an incredible trip long after it’s over. By looking at one single picture, memories start to flow and that feeling of happiness overwhelms you. So, if you can, why not take the best travel photos possible?

The great thing about photography today is that you don’t need to be a trained professional or have the most expensive gear to do a good job. While having a professional camera does help, it isn’t necessary and it is possible to even take beautiful travel photos on your smartphone!

Taking a stunning photograph while you’re travelling is more about the composition of the shot than it is about the camera, and if you use these 5 simple tips below you’re sure to get some great images!

Shoot at Sunrise or Sunset

Getting the right lighting takes an average photo to a spectacular one. Landscape photographers almost always shoot at these times of the day as the light is less harsh. You often get a glow from the sun and if you’re lucky, the sky will put on a show of oranges and pinks that will make any photograph that much better!

Use Scale to show Size

When you are taking a photograph of an amazing place you may just want to try and use an object to show the scale. For example, a mountain that is huge and magnificent in person may not appear that way through the lens. The trick is to take a photo with a person or object in the frame to allow for the size comparison to be shown in the final image.

Research

If you are not a professional photographer then you may have a hard time finding the best angles to take photos from – that’s where the internet comes in handy! If you know you are travelling to an iconic place and you want to take some incredible pictures then doing a quick Google search or a scroll on Instagram will give you plenty of ideas of the types of images you want to capture.

For example, Machu Picchu is a famous location that is photographed thousands of times every single day. Some people take fantastic photos and some don’t. If you look at all of the best photos they are often taken from the same angle or lookout. Once you have determined this spot you can take this photo for yourself!

Mimicking a very good photograph is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, professional photographers do this all the time. Learn from the photographs you like and then put your own little twist on them.

Find Reflections

When composing a photograph there are a couple things you can look for to make the perfect picture. One of them is reflections. A good reflection adds symmetry to your photo making it much more pleasing to the eye. If there is a calm lake nearby then using its reflection is a great way to take an average image to an extraordinary one. Even small bodies of water can create large and amazing reflections when taken at the right angle.

Make use of Leading Lines

The use of leading lines is also very important when composing your photograph. Leading lines are essentially some sort of pathway in the foreground of the photograph which points to the main focal point of the photograph. This can be in the form of a road, footprints or even trees. Leading lines help the viewer know exactly where to direct their attention.

An Extra Tip about Editing

Photographers often spend more time editing their photos than actually taking them. Professional editing software is out there and available for anyone to purchase and use, but the problem is that it can take years to learn how to use the software properly. And, if you aren’t shooting using a professional camera then you won’t be able to take full advantage of the software anyways.

Luckily there are simple editing programs out there that are perfect for doing a quick edit on your laptop or even phone. Adobe has an editing app for your phone that is user-friendly and cheap. Making small edits such as brightening a photo or cropping can make a huge difference in your end result.

The truth is, photography isn’t always easy. Even the most famous photographers are learning new techniques every day to improve their own skills. However, by using some of the tips above you’ll find your photographs will jump to a whole other level and you’ll have some great pictures to look back on as memories!

We offer some amazing tours that give budding photographers the perfect opportunity to take great photographs. Some of these tours are…

South America Sojourn for landscapes; Costa Rica, Cuba & Mexico for wildlife and people; Galapagos for wildlife; Patagonia Highlights for landscapes.