10 Essential Travel Photo Tips

20/06/2016

Travel photography is probably the side of photography that I excel at. As someone who loves to go across the world and bring my camera with me, I have found a lot of tips to help you get around the world and take the best photos possible. There are so many essential tips that I could share about photography, especially travel photography, but I’ve pulled together the 10 essential travel photo tips that I think will benefit everyone the most! If you’re looking to take the best photos of Big Ben while sitting on a double-decker bus or shoot a beautiful expanding landscape shot, this post is for you!

1. Wake up early if you can or stay up late

Waking up early in the morning can bring some beautiful shots. I’ve got some amazing trips planned for the next year and at least once per trip, I’m planning on waking myself up early. Personally, I’m not an early riser. There’s nothing I hate more than waking up early. If you’re a night owl like me, then staying up late can bring beautiful sunset shots or cool night shots as well. Both are really cool, but you have to be willing to either rise before the sun or stay up with the night owls.

2. A Waterproof Backpack or bag cover can save your and your gear

I recently purchased a camera backpack for my trip to Europe and it came with an ESSENTIAL: a waterproof cover. I’ve learned the hard way that rain can come out of nowhere and even if I personally am soaked, I would rather my bag and gear be perfectly fine even if my clothing and shoes are completely drenched!

3. Bring multiple lenses if possible

I always travel with at least 2 lenses: 1 fixed lens and another with a wider focal lens. My favourites are a 50mm lens and a 75-300mm lens when I shoot. Even though I may have to pack and carry bigger bags with me, it’s well worth it because I get to take a wide variety of shots wherever I go.

4. Bring a tripod, you never know when you’ll need it

As someone who does video and photo, tripods are essentials. I slip a tripod onto the side of my backpack and lug it with me wherever I go because I don’t know what I would do without it. I’ll shoot a Youtube video or two on the go in my hotel room when I find the time or the weather works in my favor. When I travel alone, tripods can help me get the best shot possible while I’m actually in the photo.

5. Test different angles

Up, down, left, right, floor, birds eye, fish eye, everything. When taking travel photos, it is really important to get different angles of one thing. I love to have options when I edit my photos even of the same subject. Try different angles, you never know what you’ll end up loving!

6. Get lost and shoot what you see

This isn’t just a travel photo tip, but it is also a travel tip. Get lost. Find the beautiful, unknown shot that no one else knows of because you got lost.

7. Look into individual soft coverings if possible

For me, I know I don’t want to use a camera bag when I’m out and about. I feel like it makes me stand out amongst the crowds when walking around and I prefer to travel lowkey. I use neoprene cases for my camera body and the lenses and they are relatively cheap in reality!

8. Get the brightest colors possible

I know that I am one for upping the highlights on my photos, but at the same time, I really love taking colorful photos. Playing around with the settings and editing in the post-photography phase can help get the brightest colors possible and create some beautiful memories to last a lifetime.

9. Extra batteries and external hard drives are your new best friends

2-3 weeks before you head off on your next trip, buy another battery or two. I’ve been out and about in the city and had the constant vlogging drain my battery, only to have another 6 hours running around the city. External hard drives are great. I bought a 1TB storage disk for my trip and it has been essential in making sure that my laptop functions properly.

10. Play around with settings before you leave

Sometimes photo moments only come up once in a lifetime, or once a trip rather. Playing around with the settings before a trip can help you capture that once in a lifetime moment instead of fumbling around with the settings as it passes you by.