Travel photography tips: How to capture the best photos with your phone camera
No trip is complete without good pictures. But, the hassle of carrying a bulky camera wherever you go sounds daunting, especially nowadays when the market is flooded with smartphones boasting of high-quality cameras. One of the best things about having your smartphone as a camera is that it’s very lightweight, portable, and can take photos that rival your DSLR.
However, to capture the best photos with your phone, you’ll need to thoroughly know your phone’s technology, some basics of photography, and a few tips for taking your travel photography to the next level.
Below, we look at some of the basics of photography and a few tips for getting those drool-worthy shots during your travels.
a pier
Basics of Photography
From taking perfect shots to getting a perfect composition, basic photography skills are much needed. Ideally, taking online travel photography courses is the best way to up your photography skills.
For a quick overview of the basics of photography, here are a few things you’ll need to know.
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Composition
To make your travel pictures stand out, you need to ensure that your subject is well-positioned in the frame and whatever emotion or feeling you want to portray is being captured appropriately.
To start with, follow the rule of thirds to get a good composition. You can also try other composition techniques, like lines and space, to make your photos stand out.
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Rule of Thirds: This is the most basic composition rule for photography. Here, the frame is divided into thirds by a grid–horizontally and vertically.
When using the rule of thirds, start by turning on the grid in your camera settings. Now, position your subject on the intersections of the grid to set a good composition.
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Lines: Taking an image of a line, be it a road or trees, draws the eyes in and out of the photos, make them seem dynamic and alive. This composition can be used for architectural photos, like ornate staircases or capturing the pebbled pathways of quaint European towns.
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Space: Using negative space around your subject works well for images with beautiful landscaped backgrounds. This is one of the best ways to compose pictures with beautiful natural backgrounds, like the sea.
Having a subject in these images makes them more personalized and alive as the focus remains on the subject.
To ensure that your composition is correct, get the right angle for taking the shot. Instead of moving your subject, it’s better to change your positions to see where you can get a good angle. Finally, ensure that the photo is straight and turn off your HRD function if you’re not an adept photographer.
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Lighting
The best time to take landscape photos is during the golden hours–the hour before sunrise and sunset. Taking photos during this time can give you great results, especially since the lighting is soft, giving a beautiful glow to the subject being shot.
While taking portraits in natural lighting, place your subject at a ¾ angle from the window to get the perfect natural lighting. This way, there will be no sharp shadows on your photos.
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Capturing the Moment
While taking a photo, you want to capture a moment that tells a story. Try to capture an emotion or feeling that you want to freeze in time.
An image should be able to reflect an experience. This makes the pictures come alive and makes them very personal.
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Using Wide Angle Shot
While travelling to natural landscapes, you’d want to capture the beautiful scenery around but there’s only so much you can cover using your mobile phone. However, you can use an add-on lens to your phone that can double the field of view than your normal phone.
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Take RAW travel photos
Many smartphones today come with the option of shooting RAW photos. One of the key advantages of shooting a RAW image is that they’re not processed and can be better edited, allowing you to add more color and detail to the images.
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Editing Travel Photos
Finally, for the finishing touches, touch up your images on simple-to-use free photo editing apps. While editing your photo, ensure that the color balance is correct. Do this by adjusting the temperature and the tint of the photo. As a tip, it should have a perfect white balance.
in Venice
Tips for Taking Picture Perfect Travel Photos
Once you’ve got your basics right, it’s time to start clicking those frame-worthy pictures on your smart phones.
To freeze your favorite travel moments in time, here are a few useful tips for taking travel photos.
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Pre-plan Your Locations
While travelling, you may not always know the best places to shoot. That’s why it’s a good idea to search for locations before you head out.
To find popular photo-worthy destinations, check out Instagram hashtags or Google maps.
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Capture the Essence of the Place
Every place has its own character that’s often reflected in its architecture, streets, culture, people. Capture the essence of a place by taking candid shots in busy streets, local markets, or take photos of historical monuments.
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Take Photos of Locals
One of the best ways to add emotion and life to your images is by taking candid shots of people. While travelling to another country or region, observe the locals and their cultural nuances, and find a moment to capture an emotion or feeling that really speaks to you.
Conclusion
One of the best ways to up your travel photography game is to learn how to take amazing pictures on a smartphone. Fortunately, there are a number of online courses available that teach travel photography.
You can take your travel pictures to the next level by capturing the mood and emotion of the moment. While travelling, try to capture the essence of the place and its people, their cultural nuances, local customs, and architecture. Make sure that your pictures tell a story so that you can re-live your travel experiences even years later.
