Traveling is an eye-opening experience that allows us to visit beautiful places, try exotic foods, meet new people, learn about foreign cultures, and make unforgettable memories. But how do we ensure those memories and experiences stay with us forever? By taking photos while we travel!
In the past, you needed a dedicated camera to take good travel photos, but not anymore. Thanks to the rise of smartphones with built-in high-resolution cameras, anyone can take great photos nowadays. That said, we still recommend investing in a DSLR or mirrorless camera for traveling if you are serious about photography and want to grow as a photographer.
In this article, we’ll share five travel photography tips for beginners designed to improve your skills and help you make the most of your photos. We’ll cover various topics, including planning and packing for a trip, the best camera settings for travel photography, how to get sharp images, and more.
OK, what are we waiting for? It’s time to dive in and discover how to start taking better travel photos today!
Check out the video above by Andrew Lanxon Photography to learn how a professional travel photographer takes his best photos when on vacation.
Table of Contents
- Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Make a Plan Before You Travel
- Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Don’t Overpack
- Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Have Your Camera With You at All Times
- Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Shoot RAW Photos
- Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Bring a Tripod Alternative to Help With Sharp Photos
Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Make a Plan Before You Travel
Photo by Opat Suvi via Shutterstock
Researching and planning before travelling will not only make your vacation smoother and more enjoyable, but it will also help you take better pictures. Find the best photo destinations where you are going, and include them on your travel itinerary. If you want to go a step further, you can create a detailed shot list of all the photos you want to capture.
Other ways to plan for a photography trip are preparing the right photography gear, getting accustomed to your camera before you go, and staying up to date with local weather forecasts.
Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Don’t Overpack
Photo by BublikHaus via Shutterstock
Photographers love gear, and while having lots of photography equipment at home is convenient, it’s completely the opposite when traveling. Lugging around a heavy suitcase is a giant burden and an easy way to make yourself miserable while on the road. That’s why we recommend practicing minimalism and only packing the true essentials for your next trip.
That means your travel camera, one or two lenses (max), a lightweight tripod alternative, and spare batteries/memory cards. Depending on the type of images you enjoy shooting, you might also want to throw in a small camera cleaning kit and some lens filters. The less you have, and the easier it is to carry, the more likely you are to take photos.
Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Have Your Camera With You at All Times
Photo by StratfordProductions via Shutterstock
That leads us to our next travel photography tip for beginners—always carry your camera, no matter what. You never know when something unexpected will happen, and you want to be prepared to capture it on camera when it does. Even if you are only popping out to grab a quick morning coffee, think twice before heading out without your camera.
Following this rule is easier than ever in the current age of smartphone photography. Better yet, you can instantly share photos from phones with loved ones back home or upload them to social media.
Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Shoot RAW Photos
Photo by weerasak saeku via Shutterstock
Another one of our top travel photography tips for beginners is to take RAW images instead of JPEGs. RAW photos store much more information in them than JPEGs, which gives you more control when it comes to editing them. Editing is an easy way to enhance the quality of your photos, as long as you don’t overedit.
When shooting in RAW, we recommend investing in memory cards with more storage and an external hard drive since the files take up more space. Other important camera settings for travel photography to monitor include the shooting mode, autofocus mode, drive mode, and exposure settings.
Travel Photography Tips for Beginners: Bring a Tripod Alternative to Help With Sharp Photos
Photo by Sarath maroli via Shutterstock
One of the keys to getting the best images is stabilizing your camera. When travelling, having a tripod – the traditional means of camera stabilization – isn’t always practical. So, many travellers turn to simply holding their cameras in their hand while they shoot, like the gentleman in the image above.
Though this may generate acceptable results in most situations, why leave things to chance? The slight movements that occur while hand-holding your camera can cause otherwise fantastic photos to be slightly blurry. So, to address this problem, bring a tripod alternative to help you achieve maximum sharpness.
I’ve used the Octopad for years and years now, and a simpler and more effective tripod alternative you won’t find. Its small form factor allows you to throw it in a camera bag or satchel without being weighed down by a bulky or heavy tripod. Yet, despite its small size, it offers all the stability you need to keep your camera on the straight and narrow while the shutter is open.
In fact, the non-slip bottom of Octopad is ideal for positioning it on virtually any surface – including those that are sloped, slippery, or wet. And don’t worry about getting Octopad dirty or wet, either. Its durable build allows it to be used and abused without suffering malfunctions. Like I said, I’ve had my Octopad for years, and it’s still going strong!
Octopad Isn’t Just for Camreas
Better still, Octopad is a great help for other creative pursuits. For example, I often use my time traveling to film footage for my YouTube videos. Octopad is perfect for supporting external mics, B-roll cameras, or lighting for my videos. With a couple of these bad boys in my bag, I can generate high-value video footage on the go. Nice!
Now, gear is not the end-all, be-all for great travel photos. However, having gear that facilitates your process certainly helps. So, as you travel more and take more photos and videos, be sure to invest in quality gear that makes your job easier, that way you have more time to explore!
Just so you know, some of the cool stuff we mention comes with affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission if you buy (no extra charge to you!). Plus, we occasionally feature sponsored content, but rest assured, we only shout out products we genuinely stand behind.
Hero Photo by Jaromir Chalabala via Shutterstock
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