5 tips to turn your holiday photos into great travel photos

Monday 13 June 2022, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 7,128 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

The holidays are just around the corner. Whether you are going on a photo trip or taking a proper holiday, you will want some photos of it.

For a photo trip, it goes without saying that you will be taking photos, but on holiday you want to capture precious memories. With a few simple tips, you can quickly create more than just a simple snapshot.

On a photo trip, you are really setting out to take photos. You take cameras, lenses, a tripod, and possibly many more things. Photography is at the heart of it. After all, that is why you are travelling.

A camera bag full of photographic equipment, specially for the photo trip. You do not want to take this on holiday. Or do you?
A holiday is very different. You go away to enjoy yourself and relax. You go with your loved ones, and photography may not be the most important thing. That is what a photo trip is for, after all. Still, I think it is important to record your holiday.

You want your holiday photos to be good, not just random snapshots. Good exposure, an appealing crop and composition, and a creative approach. After all, you are a photographer, and that does not stop when you are on holiday.

Taking wonderfully creative photos in beautiful places. What could be better? It also creates precious memories that you will enjoy looking back on for years to come.
I have a few tips for you that can help you turn your holiday photos into good travel photos. The condition is that taking photos must not be the main focus. Your fellow holidaymakers should not have to 'suffer' for it.

1. Pay attention to your settings

Good exposure and composition are important. Take care of that, but do not make it too difficult for yourself. Setting up the camera should really take no time, while everything still needs to be correct.

For example, choose aperture priority. Let the camera do the setting for you, so you do not have to keep turning buttons and dials.

Shoot in raw, as this allows you to avoid strong contrasts. Lift the shadows if there are deep shadows, and your holiday photo will look better straight away. It would be a shame if you could not see the children sitting there.
Also shoot in raw, as this gives you more room to work with. Remember that raw does not have to take much time afterwards. The camera settings are simply taken over by the software. With the press of a button, you can create a jpeg. If your photo is not quite right, you can still make some adjustments.

2. Take the right things, and certainly not everything

Do you have lots of photography gear? Then certainly do not take it all with you. Often, a camera with a single lens is enough. An all-round zoom lens, for example. In any case, make sure you are not walking around with a large rucksack full of equipment.

Do not take too much with you. I have a small daypack here with a jacket, a packed lunch, water, a snack and a small travel tripod in case we want to take a photo together. Can you see my camera hanging from the strap? I am not taking anything else.
A compact camera is of course another option if you do not want to take a large system camera, mirrorless or DSLR, with you. If you do not have a compact, a (good)_smartphone is also a possibility.

Good photos are determined only partly by the equipment, and 90 per cent by the photographer.

3. Be creative

Do not let yourself be restricted by all kinds of rules and things you are supposed to follow. Do something crazy, with that unusual viewpoint, those funny faces, or by shooting from the hip.

Let the others take a photo sometimes too. That way, you will also appear in the holiday photos. It proves that you were really there.

Taking ordinary photos is easy... and boring. Make something fun out of it, and it does not matter if it has already been done a thousand times.
Of course, it is good to follow composition guidelines to some extent, but it is certainly not compulsory. Do pay attention to your position and framing. One step to the left or right can already make a big difference.

4. Do not make taking photos an obligation

The worst thing you can do on holiday is make photography compulsory. Making your family stand there for that shot and taking photos, or at that viewpoint. It can be done differently.

Also make sure you do not isolate yourself by spending a long time with your camera. Take a photo, and then move on. Unless you are all enjoying a view or a moment of rest. Then you can perhaps take a little more time.

There is no problem with taking a photo together, and it is fun too. But do not make it an obligation, keep it enjoyable.
A holiday is for enjoying yourselves together. That means something different to everyone, but make sure photography blends seamlessly and unnoticed into your holiday. That way, it is never a problem when the camera comes along again.

5. Create a holiday album

Back from holiday? Then create a holiday album. You could do it together. The photos from your camera, including the snapshots taken by the other people on holiday, for example with a smartphone.

Tell the story of your holiday in a beautiful photo album. That way, you will look back at the photos much more quickly.
Choose the best images and create an album. That way, you can enjoy that fantastic holiday for many years to come.

Do you have any tips for coming home with beautiful and valuable holiday photos, without your holiday turning into a photo trip? Share them below this post.

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