Travel Photography Tips For Capturing Your Adventures – Internet Parrot

Travel photography requires appropriate use of photography gear. Selecting the best camera for yourself will depend variously upon your budget, expertise, and the nature of photography you are planning to employ. First-time travelers can comfortably opt for a compact digital device or a mirrorless system with interchangeable lenses which are lightweight and highly portable that suit best for travel requirements. While the more advanced photographers would wish to purchase DSLR cameras for its better image quality and performance.

Aside from your camera, you will also have to think about your choice of lenses. A versatile zoom lens might work well for travel photography since it allows you to photograph a wide range of subjects without having to change your lenses often. For landscapes and buildings, a wide-angle lens is a recommended option, while a telephoto lens for photographing distant subjects, for example, animals or landmarks.

When most people want to make an interesting travel photo, they want to take a picture that will show off the composition. Some of the most important composition rules are based upon the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds claims that when you look through your viewfinder, you imagine your image divided into nine equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines, and with your main subject or points of interest along the lines or at their intersections.

Another should be regarding the use of leading lines. Leading lines are those lines that make up an image, and draw them and their eye to the main subject, the focal point of the image. This could be a road or path or way; it could be a fence or a tree branch or a piece of fabric.

You can also work with framing. You can frame your subject with something in the foreground to add depth and context to your composition. Examples include doorways, windows and natural arches.

Light is important in all photography, including traveling photography. Most of the time in the outdoors (and when you’re a street shooter in the city), natural sunlight would be the best bet. Arrive at the golden hours (one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset when the light is soft and warm) to shoot if possible. If you’re trying to shoot during harsh midday sun, a reflector and/or diffuser can be employed to soften the light and lessen harsh shadows.

Reflectors reflect light on the subject, while diffusers scatter it more for soft and even illumination. For an indoor or dim setting, using a tripod to steady your camera and avoid camera shake can often be a good idea. You can also crank up your ISO setting to make the camera more sensitive to light, but you run the risk of introducing noise into the photo.

Perhaps the most enriched part of travel photography is people and culture. However, asking for permission is always a must, even when the subjects are not in a public place. Sensitivity is necessary when taking shots of people. Beware of cultural sensitivities.

If possible, become part of the community, observe local culture and traditions, be sensitive and discreet, not intrusive or provoking. A photographer is always shooting and always looking.

Candid shots can also capture the feel of a place: look for people at work in their everyday life (a street vendor in the marketplace, children at play in the street, a group of women at leisure), and capture those moments. This can often be far more compelling than local posed portraits.

Landscape photography is one of the most popular subjects for travel to shoot. In general, it is easy enough to understand the appeal. The world consists of a wonderful mixture of topographic features – huge mountains, expansive deserts or beautiful beaches. Composition, light and perspective are paramount in creating amazing landscape shots.

A good composition involves the rule of thirds to place key elements on a third (or fifth) of an imaginary grid, leading lines that draw the eye to another part of an image, and framing elements that create a window framing the view. It’s also good to include a point of interest conspicuously signaling the viewer something noteworthy to attend to. Likewise, many landscape photos benefit from an interesting light source.

If you’re shooting at any time other than the golden hours, lighting can dramatically alter the mood in your photograph, and the atmosphere of your scene. If you can, obtain your sun from either side, as it will cast long, directional shadows that will lead the viewer into your composition. You can create greater drama by shooting during the golden hours when the light is tinted with soft, warm light.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to alter the angle from which you’re looking. Landscapes photographed from the photographer’s eye level aren’t very exciting. A low-angle view can give your image a sense of importance by highlighting foreground interest, or you can raise your camera up to capture the grand vista.

Editing is an inseparable part of photographic work, and although it can never turn a bad photo into a good one, properly wiping up and polishing can bring out the best of your photos. There is a whole range of software programs available for editing your photos, from basic apps on your smartphone to high-end professional software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. When editing your photos, start from the basic adjustments such as exposure, contrast and color balance.

Afterwards you can begin learning more intricate skills such as cropping, sharpening and retouching. When practicing post-production, you must find the right balance between editing your photos to bring out their best, and maintaining a sense of naturalism. Avoid over-editing your photos because this can lead to their unnatural transformation.