This is a partnered post.
If you’re planning the vacation of a lifetime, you’ll want to get some great pictures to remember the trip by and share with friends. If you want to up your photography game and start taking better pictures, then check out these three tips for taking awesome vacation photos!
Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight, England
Tip #1: Choose your gear
Back in the day, taking snapshots of your vacation meant you had to pack a 35mm camera in your suitcase – and you also had to try to remember to take those rolls of film out before putting your bag through the x-ray machine at the airport! But photography in 2018 is a whole other ballgame. Smartphones make it effortless to snap photos without bringing any gear at all, and most phone cameras take decent quality photos – so should you even bother to bring a separate digital camera with you when traveling? The answer depends completely on the type of trip you’re going on.
If you’re heading on a backpacking trip or just need to pack light in general, then you’ll probably want to ditch the camera and stick with just your phone. A DSLR takes up extra space in your carry-on baggage, so if you’re looking to pack efficiently, using your phone to take all your photos is the way to go. You also have to think about the type of activities you’ll be doing: If you’re going to be spending a lot of time hiking or doing other outdoorsy activities, you’re not going to want to lug around a big camera with you.
On the other hand, if you have the space to pack extra equipment, really enjoy photography as a pet hobby or are going somewhere visually spectacular, that changes everything! For example, you might be going on a cruise where you can stow your camera in your room and grab it for specific photo-ops, like whale watching; or maybe you’re taking a road trip to the Grand Canyon and have plenty of room to carry your camera in the trunk of your car. Take a few minutes to think about where you’re going and what you’ll be doing, and pack accordingly!
Tip #2: Learn the basics
All the gear in the world isn’t going to help you if you don’t know how to use it! In order to make the most of your DSLR camera, you’ll need to dive in and learn what its various settings do. I recommend hitting up YouTube and doing a search for beginner’s tutorials on your specific camera model – this will help you find demonstrations of how your camera works and explanations of common terms. Even if you’re just sticking to a smartphone for your vacation pics, a greater understanding of photography composition will help you improve those snapshots.
Tip #3: Stay in the moment
Photographing your trip allows you to preserve memories forever. But don’t forget to actually experience the moment while you’re there! It’s easy to get so absorbed in your phone that you miss life happening right in front of you. So by all means, snap some Instagram-worthy shots of your fab holiday – then put the phone back in your pocket and actually enjoy the vacation while you’re on it!