{"id":705,"date":"2014-03-07T23:46:38","date_gmt":"2014-03-08T07:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.ansatejones.com\/?p=705"},"modified":"2014-03-07T23:46:38","modified_gmt":"2014-03-08T07:46:38","slug":"8-ways-to-make-your-travel-photos-not-suck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ansatejones.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/07\/8-ways-to-make-your-travel-photos-not-suck\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Ways to Make Your Travel Photos Not Suck"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I might get a lot of flack for this. But there’s a reason for the existence of that old trope of making guests sit through boring slides of your vacations. You’ve just been to a whole new world and you want to share your experiences with your friends and family, so why not make your photos reflect that sense of wonder and amazement? If these are memories you’re making, why not get them as perfect as possible? Here’s some tips on how to make people actually want to see your travel photos, and not just feel obligated to leave polite comments on Facebook.<\/address>\n

1. Go For a Non-busy Background<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

One thing you probably don’t want to end up in your vacation memories: random background creeper! (From\u00a0Awkward Family Photos<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

This counts for just about any photo but in travel pics a busy background can be an especial nightmare. Now, by ‘busy’ I don’t mean a crowded street market or a teeming school of fish. In those cases the business and confusion is what you want to capture. No, what I mean is taking a picture of your preteen daughter and accidentally including two giraffes mating in the background.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Aw, that’s adorable. You actually thought I was kidding. (From\u00a0Awkward Family Photos<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Or trying to create the feeling of a wild, romantic landscape… but you can totally see an icky trainyard behind the happy campers.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

And they were never seen again. (From\u00a0Awkward Family Photos<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Background is always important<\/a>, and can make or break a picture. It’s much better to pick a more neutral one that lets you focus on the subject, or to blur out the background with low aperture, a zoom lens, or simply getting closer to who or what you’re shooting.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A prime lens is perfect for blurring unwanted backgrounds because its f-stop is so low.<\/p><\/div>\n

2. Use Soft Side Lighting Where You Can<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

Not grumpy, just squinty! (From Dain Bread<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

When you’re taking pictures on the fly, sometimes it’s hard to remember the position of the sun or other light sources<\/a>. Our eyes can adjust to light much more effectively than a camera lens, meaning that taking pictures in full sunlight can result in washed out images. It gets worse when, as inevitably happens, you want to take your fellow travelers’ portraits. Squinting, shadows under the eyes, washed out skin… all of this happens when the lighting sucks and none of this is 100% fixable in Photoshop. It makes your subjects look like they’re having no fun– which surely they can’t be while staring into the sun waiting for you to get the perfect shot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

He was having a good time, really. I swear.<\/p><\/div>\n

Side lighting usually has the advantage of being softer, more diffuse, and extremely flattering to faces. Try to position your subjects so that the light hits them from the side or indirectly. You can also use shade.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

(L) Side lighting tends to bring out the most pleasing and dynamic angles in the human face, which is why it’s used so often for modeling. (R) If you’re looking for filtered light, position your subject under a tree. Just be careful the light and shadow isn’t too dappled!<\/p><\/div>\n

3. Choose Interesting Angles<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

(Photo by Bjarke Christensen R\u00f8jle)<\/p><\/div>\n

Travel photography is, at its heart, documentary. We take pictures to chronicle our trips and experiences. That’s why it’s so tempting to quickly snap a photo of everything that catches our interest without stopping to think whether it’ll actually make a good picture. We treat our cameras almost like scanners. I’ve even seen people taking pictures of commemorative plaques and signs: nothing more than text. There’s nothing wrong with this, but if you’re going to put this photo in your Flickr stream, why not make it look good? Think about what interests you in a particular subject and try to capture that in the picture.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A somewhat boring shot, but you can see that it’s one the other tourists seem to gravitate toward!<\/p><\/div>\n

Tons of skulls in a crypt? Try taking a picture from the end of a long row of them to give that feeling of infinity.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A more dynamic angle can add visual interest and create a different feel.<\/p><\/div>\n

Statue of an imposing figure? Why not take that picture from the base to make it look even taller and more imposing? Even pictures of signs or flat museum displays can benefit from a little dynamic angling.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The same museum display looks flat when photographed straight-on, but viewing it at an angle makes you appreciate its dimensionality and purpose.<\/p><\/div>\n

4. Encourage Candid Behavior or Unique Posing<\/span><\/h4>\n
\"\"<\/a>

This is what happens when you let strangers take your photo. (from Darren Alff<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the most common ‘boring travel photo’ tropes is seeing shot after shot of someone standing stock still near a statue, building, or sign with a cheesy smile on their face. After a while this not only gets repetitive but awkward since they’re always staring right into the camera and so obviously posed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I don’t care if you’re being eaten by a shark or not. You’re not spoiling THIS family photo, Timmy! (From Awkward Family Photos<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Why not try for a more natural shot? Try having your friends or family members interact with the environment in some way so that it doesn’t just look like a photo opportunity but an actual memory.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

This quickly became our quintessential ‘traveling through the UK’ image. We took a lot of trains, okay?<\/p><\/div>\n

Even if it’s silly, it’ll be something unique you’ll look back on and smile about. Although the whole ‘holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa’ gag may seem old, it’s still way better than just someone standing there blocking the scenery.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I still don’t get how this ended up on Awkward Family Photos<\/a>. It’s adorable and creative!<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I might get a lot of flack for this. But there’s a reason for the existence of that old trope of making guests sit through boring slides of your vacations. You’ve just been to a whole new world and you want to share your experiences with your friends and family, so why not make your photos reflect that sense of wonder and amazement? If these are memories you’re making, why not get them as perfect as possible? Here’s some tips on how to make people actually want to see your travel photos, and not just feel obligated to leave polite comments on Facebook.<\/address>\n

5. Focus On What Grabs You<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

What is this picture even OF? (From Len’s Travels<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Many amateur photographers make the mistake of taking too wide or general of a shot. As a result, the main point of focus, or the reason they took the picture in the first place, can be lost or obscured by too many other details in the photo competing for attention. Try getting closer to the subject, either physically or with a zoom lens, to capture the detail you’re interested in.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The lesson here? Get close to your subject, even if it means crossing the street or using a zoom lens. (L: From Len’s Travels<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Try framing the subject so that its color contrasts with its surroundings. For example, orange and blue is a combo you often get at sunset and can make for spectacular pictures of stone structures.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Contrasting color can both add interest and pull focus to a subject that might otherwise look drab (both from Len’s Travels<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

You can also fiddle with your camera settings to isolate your subject. Low apertures and selective focus will make the parts you’re not as interested in blurry while the point of interest is sharply defined. This is a technique often used in ‘street’ photography.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

I’m not sure why this sign makes me laugh so much. Probably because I’m always antisocial.<\/p><\/div>\n

6. Consider the Composition<\/h1>\n
\"\"<\/a>

What was it Rachel Carson said? First the fish and frogs… (From Wisconsin Travel Best Bets<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

This isn’t Photography 101, and nobody is going to grade you on whether or not you used the Rule of Thirds. But there is no denying that\u00a0good composition makes a far more interesting picture<\/a>. Remember that you’re telling a story! Sticking everything smack in the middle leaves the eye with nowhere else to go. Leaving too much empty space on one side, or not enough, can make your photos look unbalanced or cramped.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

If only a little more headroom had been given to the building in the back, I would have loved this photo… (From Len’s Travels<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

And thanks to optical illusion, not allowing enough depth of field can make objects appear to blend together in weird ways.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Horse Head and… Tree Trunk Head? Anyone wanna come forward and claim this one?<\/p><\/div>\n

I’ve seen a lot of travel photos that would be spectacular even with some simple cropping afterward.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Aw what a cute… Purell sanitizing station and half a little girl’s head. Seriously, CROP THOSE OUT! (From\u00a0Wisconsin Travel Best Bets<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

And another good reason to consider composition? If you ever want to get those pictures framed, chances are you’ll have to crop each photo to fit it correctly. Better to frame the shot so that you don’t lose anything important!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

A few illustrations of compositional rules of thumb: (L) The horizon sits about a third of the way up from the picture, the sheep are spaced out well, and the branches fill up the otherwise empty top half; (R) Leading lines guide you to the subject. Also note the horizon line and hand are 1\/3 of the way down and across the picture, respectively.<\/p><\/div>\n

7. File Quality Matters<\/h1>\n

Facebook is a horrible place to share photos. It compresses the files as you upload them, meaning you can never get the original back. A much better place to share your travel pics is a site like Flickr, which allows you to not only keep the original image quality but lets you dictate how others can use and download the photos.<\/p>\n

No matter where you upload, make sure of two things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You are using the highest quality with the least compression<\/li>\n
  2. Your file is supported by the site<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For example, TIF files are lossless compression, but not supported on Flickr. They’ll actually have the potential to look worse once you upload them.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>

    How a JPG is affected by quality and file size. The more compression, the lower the quality and clarity of the image. (From Active Technologies<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

    If you must use JPGs, save at maximum quality and make sure all your post processing is done first. Every time you alter a JPG after saving, you lose quality when you re-save.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a>

    Just… try not to save it more than ten times, yeah? (From f\/stop spot<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

    8. Be Selective<\/span><\/h4>\n
    \"What<\/a>

    What have you done. You have taken a picture of the Mona Lisa. Think about your life. Think about your choices. (From Sergey Meniailenko<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

    Nobody needs to see every picture you took on vacation. You can take as many as you like, but you have to keep in mind that for most photographers maybe one out of every three or four pictures is actually worth keeping. Seasoned ones learn how to pick the best images to show. Not only will this make you look better as a photographer, but it will cut down on the time it takes to get all the way through your latest photoset. I took about 400 pictures my first time in England. Asking someone to look at all of them would have been insane. If you don’t like the idea of going through your photos to pick out the good ones, how can you expect your friends and family to?<\/p>\n

    \"Ah,<\/a>

    Ah, thank goodness for digital. (From Matthias Hauser<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

    You also might want to be selective about what you shoot. Don’t get me wrong; it is your trip and you should take pictures of whatever interests you or that you want to remember. However, sometimes it gets ridiculous. People on vacation tend to go overboard with the documenting, even going so far as to take pictures of famous paintings! Or even worse… of photographs.<\/p>\n

    \"There<\/a>

    There are very few historical photographs you can’t find elsewhere, and of far higher quality. (From Len’s Travels<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

    Before you take that shot, just ask yourself: can I find a much better, near identical photograph on the web? Does anything about this shot make it unique and therefore memorable to me? If not, why waste the card space or film?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I might get a lot of flack for this. But there’s a reason for the existence of that old trope of making guests sit through boring slides of your vacations. You’ve just been to a whole new world and you want to share your experiences with your friends and family, so why not make your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,8],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n8 Ways to Make Your Travel Photos Not Suck - Hieratic<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/ansatejones.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/07\/8-ways-to-make-your-travel-photos-not-suck\/\" \/>\n<link rel=\"next\" href=\"http:\/\/ansatejones.com\/blog\/2014\/03\/07\/8-ways-to-make-your-travel-photos-not-suck\/2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"8 Ways to Make Your Travel Photos Not Suck - Hieratic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I might get a lot of flack for this. 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