12 Easy Hacks for Beautiful and Memorable Travel Photos (guest post)

Guest post by Rebecca Van Ommen

Excited to travel around the world?

It’s always a thrilling prospect to get out of your own land and travel to a different place. You’ll experience different cultures, try new things, and meet locals and fellow tourists alike.

The best way to preserve your memories during your travels is through photographs. Whether you’re capturing beautiful beaches or busy cities, a camera helps you immortalize your memories and experiences in image form. Plus, the photos you take are souvenirs you can share with family and friends as.

Travel photography takes some commitment and skill. As you travel, you will improve your photography abilities to capture cities, cultures, and landscapes in brilliant detail. Here are some tips that can help you take better photos of your travels around the world:

1. Bring the right gear

Whether you are going to use a camera or a smartphone, the right gear makes travel photography more convenient for you. Make sure you pack only the essentials—batteries for your camera, external flashes, filters, lenses, a power bank for your phone, and your camera strap. 

2. Opt for DIY equipment

Several photographers use other gadgets to create effects on their shots—a macro lens for magnifying the subject, various filters for special effects, and tripods for taking panoramic photos, night shots, and the like. However, some of these gadgets are expensive, may not be used regularly, and take up a lot of space in your bag, so be mindful of overpacking your kit.

Instead of splurging on gadgets with limited use, opt for DIY alternatives to create these effects. For example, use stationary items like rocks, tables, and walls instead of a tripod. Monopods and guerilla tripods are also great substitutes since they’re cheaper than full tripods and more convenient to bring.

3. Pack smartly

Although it’s important to pack the essentials, don’t make the mistake of overpacking. Aside from adding weight to your luggage, there’s a chance that much of your gear will not be used, especially if you’re in the area for only a few days.

When you decide which equipment to bring, pack your kit or gear bag properly to protect your precious investments. If you don’t have a proper gear bag with compartments, an easy packing hack would be to place your lenses inside thick socks to cushion them.

4. Research on your travel location

It goes without saying that research is important, even when traveling. Create a “must shoot” list and look into public transportation, seasonal events, and local culture. By arming yourself with knowledge of your destination, you can make the most of your time and take excellent shots.

Researching also helps you determine which locations you want to take photos of and what kind of images you want to capture. Do you want to shoot the landscape or do you prefer to capture the locals? Your research will affect the gear you will take.

5. Take multiple shots of one location

The last thing you want is to take a photo only to find out—whether you’re editing on your laptop or enlisting the help of a photo editing company —that the image is blurred, not framed properly, or some other such problem.

To avoid this mistake, switch your camera or phone to burst mode. This mode is helpful when you are taking action shots or asking a strange to take your photo. Having continuous shots gives you more photos to choose from, and it helps you find the right shot with minimum effort.

6. Try different techniques

Most photos are taken from eye level, from an upright standing position. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, it is not the only way to take photos. Photography comes down to how you see the world, so if you want to take unique photos, try something different!

• Change your focus

Some excellent photos show a subject in focus with the rest of the background blurred, a technique called bokeh. Use this technique by using a fast lens and by focusing on unexpected points, such as a flower in front of a tower, for that hazy, out-of-focus background effect.

• Change your perspective

It’s a good idea to search online for photos of your must-shoot places. A quick Google search of, for example, the Eiffel Tower will show you the famous landmark shot in different angles. This helps you find inspiration and look for other ways to shoot your destination. You can take a shot from a lesser-seen angle, or you can zoom in to take a photo of the details. Another great idea is to take photos of landmarks from reflective surfaces such as puddles and mirrors.

9. Talk to the locals

This might sound obvious, but talking to the locals makes your travel easier. They can show you other areas of your destination that tourists might not consider exploring. Befriending the locals also comes in handy when you’re planning to take portraits. Make sure to ask them nicely before you take a photo, especially when asking them to pose for the camera. Saying hello to or simply smiling at your subject is a great way for you to put them at ease.

10. Take photos when the light is at its best

Light makes a photo look more interesting, but don’t be quick to turn on your flash. A flash may light up the subjects, but natural light provides the mood and texture that a flash simply won’t capture.

When playing with light in your travel photography, use the different times of day to your advantage. Shoot at every photographer’s favorite “Golden Hour,” shortly after sunrise or before sunset. These windows of time provide beautiful outdoor light and present perfect opportunities to take breathtaking photos. 

If you need to enhance the photo even with natural light, increase the ISO in your camera or adjust the brightness on your phone settings. Use your flash as a last resort. 

11. Take shots of yourself, too

Sometimes it’s more comfortable to be behind the camera, but don’t forget to step into your own pictures, too. Having a person in the shot brings a new perspective to the photos and gives the shot emotion and movement. Not to mention, images of you at your travel locale make for great souvenirs of your journey. 

You’re lucky if you have a travel companion or come across a photo-savvy stranger to take your photo. If you’re by yourself, this is where a tripod, or a more affordable or DIY alternative, can come in handy. 

12. Back up your photos regularly

The last thing you want is to take wonderful photos, only for your memory card to get damaged or, worse, for your camera or phone to get stolen. Regularly backing up your photos is the best way to make sure that your photos—and the memories that come with them—are safe. At the end of the day, when you return to your hotel, back up your files on the cloud and on an external hard drive or thumb drive. This also frees up your camera and phone storage, allowing you to take more photos the next day.

Traveling brings new friends and experiences, and photography helps us freeze them in memory. Of course, there’s something about a well-taken photo that evokes more special recollections over typical touristy shots. With these tips, you can step up your travel photography game and create new memories along the way.

What are your easy travel photo hacks?

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Rebecca Van Ommen is the Executive Creative Director of Paper Boat Creative, a creative agency that specializes in high-end photo retouching, photo editing, and more. She was one of the youngest Art Directors for Getty Images in London. Her work has been published through some of the world’s largest advertising agencies including Mother, AKQA and BBDO London. Rebecca loves to exercise in her spare time. She also enjoys bringing her daughter to photoshoots for inspiration