5 Tips for Shooting While Traveling
Whether your favorite kind of trip is a weekend getaway close to home, a road trip to visit family, or a big adventure abroad, chances are you'll want to bring your camera along for the adventure. We’re sharing 5 photography tips to make the most of your time away, and how to capture photo memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime.
Tip 1: Get up early
While traditionally most people think of vacations as a chance to sleep in, we’re encouraging you to get up early and shoot. The struggle of climbing out of your sleeping bag, or making the trek to the beach to catch sunrise may seem daunting- but we promise, it will always be worth it. Capturing those golden hour glows early in the morning will take your breath away. Try to scout locations before, research, and find the best spots to catch the view from where you are travelling to. Bring a tripod in case it’s a little dark when you arrive (or if your into long exposures). You won’t regret this wake-up and go routine.
Tip 2: Find scale in the environment around you
Scale is a really important way to allow your audience to identify with an image, and using scale well allows the viewer to envision being in that captured moment. To communicate scale, include a subject to show perspective to the photograph. For example, if your shooting a really wide landscape shot, stick a person in it to show how grand it truly is. If your travelling around, patience is key in photography and wait for someone with a cool outfit to turn their back and snap away! You can use the same technique with a car, plant or other subject you choose to capture.
Tip 3: Capture details
We know, your standing in front of the Eiffel Tower and you need that iconic shot. But sometimes, you can find something more beautifully unexpected by taking a look at the details. A flower in the grass with the Eiffel Tower behind it, a bike leaned up against a tree. When photographing a destination, look at the textures, colors, and details that encompasses that landscape. You’ll come home with an array of smaller memories that bring you closer to that moment.
On Shutterstock Custom assignments we sometimes deploy briefs that are based on archival images that you’ve shot, which could mean that pink wall you thought you wouldn’t have use for might be exactly what we’re looking for!
Tip 4: Always have your camera
When you’re traveling, you should always have your camera. We know there are tempting moments to leave it at home, and travel lightly, but having your camera will allow you to capture those unexpected moments you might have otherwise missed. The candid moments you don’t expect to photograph might turn out to be your favourite ones, so always keep your camera on you and ready to shoot. Alternatively, if you have a really heavy set-up, consider investing in a smaller travel camera to make sure you never miss those moments.
Tip 5: And on a note of candids, capture how you feel.
It’s easy to get swept away with the scenery of where you travel to, but don’t forget what matters most- the experience that you are sharing with loved ones and friends. Capture the authentic, fun moments that might not be the most “photographable” but are true representations of how travelling makes you feel. The moments of dirty boots after a long and epic hike, a friends group photo at a tiny cafe on a side road somewhere, or a selfie of you and a strange animal that wandered by. Those are the ones you’ll remember most.
Traveling is such an incredible experience that you can share with friends and family around the world, all thanks to the little camera you bring along for the ride. Whether your planned trips are short or long, capture those memories that you’ll hold close for years to come.
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