Travel Photography Tips – Expert Digital Camera Advice

July 8, 2009

Travel photography is a very broad field of Photography that encompasses image capturing of landscape views, people, cultures, rites and rituals as seen through the lens of a photographer. Different from routine pictures, travel photographs are an amalgamation of a natural shot taken with careful planning.

Weather it’s your last year’s vacation trip in Hawaii, a couple on honeymoon or a wild life fan in the jungles of Africa; every pictures has a story to tell and how interesting is your story is totally dependent on how you have captured it.

Giving tips to shoot a picture is just like teaching a child how to walk; one can only guide a photographer, but the first step has to be taken by you no matter you fall after the first attempt. Following are some tips that will always help you photograph your trips:

PACK YOUR BAG!

The worst nightmare for any photographer on a trip would be disability to shoot due to power failure or failure to open the files due to unavailability of the right software. So before resuming your journey, make sure that you are all equipped.

It is advised that you take a laptop with you on the tour which can load the image processing programs like Photoshop and/or Aperture/Lightroom with the latest RAW Plug-in or application updates so that the files can be opened when needed. Take an AC Power Strip so that your lap top and camera battery both can be charged easily.

Take the camera manual with you; you never know when you would need it in a foreign country. Also take a Polarizing Filter with you, especially in winter vacation trips because a polarizing filter helps in reducing the reflection of flash light that may result in an over blown picture as happens in rainy or foggy weather.

Similarly, the same filter enables the user to shoot under water scenery while standing outside since it reduces the reflection of light by water surface to the degree that it appears to be transparent. And if you want to shoot vast green fields or valleys, use the polarizing filter when the sun is to your right or left but its not helpful if the sunlight falls directly from behind or from the front.

The filter may alter the amount of polarized light that passes through it which at times is quiet beneficial since it enhances the colour of dark coloured objects and likewise makes white coloured objects appear more white. This is useful when capturing scenes with a blue cloudy sky.

HIRE A GUIDE

This whole earth is equally magnificent and picturesque; it’s only a matter of finding the right place. When traveling abroad, do hire a native or guide who can show you the sites that are both physically and historically important. When capturing monuments and land marks, you should be aware of the fact that they are not mere buildings, but they have a history to tell. Such sites are usually so maintained and facilitated by the state that tourists coming to visit can take snaps both for leisure and for records. An authentic picture will automatically look appeal to the viewer; it does not have to be exceptionally beautiful to be a part of your album.

SHOOTING UNDER WATER

Surfing, swimming or just chilling at the beach is so much fun but the joy ends when you realize that the best under water shots are all ruined by the light limitations. Always remember that water is a different medium than air and so natural light and visibility is also limited under water.

First of all, choose a water proof camera specifically one with rubber padding. Also evaluate the site; it should be safe for you to shoot under water without risking your life. For proper illumination camera sets are equipped with Strobes of different types. Main Strobe cast the outer rim of the light cone on the scenery and provides greater illumination.

This is ideal for Deep Ocean filming. Fill Strobe gives feathered light and just provides enough illumination to make the subject visible. This is useful in capturing the beautiful bright colored sea plants over the dark blue background. Whereas the Contrast Strobe will help you adjust the contrast and texture of the sea life around you.

It is also important that you have developed diving skills and having a buoyancy control so that you remain completely still under water while capturing a picture. Water tends to suck up the light so shoot as close as from a distance of 24 inches in water but make sure that your subject is not a shark! Moreover, shoot upwards, likewise your subject will look large and clear in the vast blue water body.

THE ISO SETTING

Traveling is not limited to a particular time and so is the case with photography. But the issue of proper lighting may leave you with no option other than to wait for the right time. However, with a little effort and smartness you can take photos even at night. In very low light conditions, when our eyes are adjusted naturally to an ISO setting of 800, Mid- range DSLRs can provide a high ISO of up to 1600 and some high end DSLRs have upto 6400 so that you can shoot even at night time and still get the best results.

PANORAMIC EFFECT

When traveling by road or by train, there are times when you just cant resist taking shots of the beautiful scenes you come across. While in motion, photography can be a real challenge. For such shots, adjust the f-stop and the shutter speed for an appropriate exposure time.

A shutter speed of 1/8th of a second will be the best. Use the accessory or the built-in flash in the TTL (fully automatic exposure) mode and while taking the picture, move your camera slowly from right to left or vice versa as you release the shutter button. This will give good panoramic effect.

WIDE ANGLE ZOOM LENS

As a general rule, use a wide angled zooming lens if you plan to take snaps of landscapes and wild life since they will allow you to capture objects that are at a distance and will enable you to take broader views with less blurring.

Having read and observed all these basic rules, one must keep in mind that traveling is supposed to be fun and therefore, the snaps you take should be able to do justice with the real experience you had. So, don’t just take pictures, try to create them with pleasure and excitement.

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