Last Updated: 10/25/20 | October 25th, 2020
Today, professional photographer Laurence Norah of Finding the Universe, continues his five-part series on taking better travel photos. Photographs are important for the memories they represent so Laurence is here to help us take better pictures! Part two of the series is on how to get the perfect shot.
In my first post in this series, I talked about the key compositional rules that you can use to create better travel photos. If you’re new to this series, I recommend you start there.
Today I’ll be covering how to deal with challenging light and some introducing some advanced ideas for controlling your composition, including being selective with your focus and making objects seem closer together than they are.
Then I’m going to get into specific tips for common travel scenes to get you taking better photos faster.
I’ll begin, though, by talking about the most crucial element of photography — the light. The middle of a sunny day might seem perfect for photography. In truth, it’s the worst time to take pictures — the light is harsh, shadows are challenging, and your photos will not do your subjects justice.
The best times to shoot are closer to sunrise and sunset when the light is soft and warm. These times are known as “the golden hour.”
You can’t be everywhere at the right time for the perfect light, especially when traveling. Here’s how to get the best shot from a bad lighting situation.
12 Ways to Take Better Photos
1. Be Aware of the Sun
This is the most important tip of the lot. Ideally, you want the sun behind you so that your subject is fully lit. If the sun is behind your subject you’ll end up with a much darker, poorly lit image. While this can be done intentionally for effect, for most shots you’ll want the sun to properly light your subject. To do that, position yourself so you are between the sun and your subject, as I did in this shot from my journey around New Zealand:
2. Get Creative
Don’t just take the same shot every time. Mix it up and get creative. Instead of having the sun behind you, take advantage of the harsh light for a more interesting image. Try shooting into the sun to create silhouettes, or use a high aperture to create a starburst effect, like in this Napa Valley balloon photo:
3. Use the Weather
Think about how you can use the weather to your advantage. How can you embrace a grey sky or a rainy landscape to capture a unique photo? How can you snap a picture of a blue sky without it being boring? Be aware of the weather so you can adjust your style and subject accordingly.
For example, when the sun is behind clouds, the light is diffused. Clouds also add interest and scale to otherwise plain, boring skies, as in this shot of the Painted Desert in Australia:
4. Seek Shade
If you’re taking pictures of people, find somewhere shady. Here the light will be more even, with fewer harsh shadows on faces. You’ll get a much smoother and more balanced photo. Just make sure you are mindful of where your light is and how dark your subject will be.
Here’s an example from the middle of the day in Sri Lanka:
5. Master Depth of Field
Depth of field is all about controlling which parts of the shot are in focus. It’s one of the most important photography concepts you’ll need to know if you want to improve your travel photography and capture that perfect shot. Mastering depth of field will allow you to compose a variety of shots just by changing where your focus is. For example, check out this shot of a monkey:
As you can see, only the monkey is in focus. This is known as a “shallow” depth of field and is used to isolate subjects and make the shot about them.
A wide depth of field is for shooting landscapes and scenery. Here’s a shot from New Zealand where I used a wide depth of field to get much more of the scene in focus:
To manipulate depth of field on your camera you need to change the aperture — check your manual for how to do that. Typically it will be marked as “Av” or “A” on your mode dial.
Some smartphones allow you to manually set your aperture, either through the built-in camera app, or by downloading an advanced app from your device’s app store.
A wide-open aperture (f/4 and lower) produces a shallower depth of field (less of the shot will be in focus), and a smaller aperture (f/8 and higher) puts more of the scene in focus.
There are plenty of tutorials on the Internet about depth of field; take a look here for a more detailed explanation, and here for a depth of field simulator to get more of a handle on what it is.
6. Utilize Street Scenes
Street photography is about capturing moments — immersing yourself in environments and finding interesting stories.
Patience and politeness are key to successful street shots involving people — not everyone wants to have their photograph taken, and it may be illegal to do so without explicit permission. If no one wants their photo taken, try wider crowd shots, or focus in on market goods — colorful spice piles or unusual-looking goods are always interesting subjects.
Alternatively, shoot the streets themselves. Doorways or intriguing architecture are a nice starting point — take this street in Bologna, Italy, for example:
As for the settings, use a wider depth of field (smaller aperture) for general street scenes.
7. Learn to Photograph People
If you’re looking for portraits, your best bet is to make friends with people. Learn about them and their stories, then ask for that permission.
I prefer taking pictures of people I know, as I generally don’t have to worry about permission problems.
My favorite style of people photos is “candid,” unposed shots. This is the best way, in my opinion, of capturing the personality of people.
The key to the art of unobtrusive photography is persistence, patience, and keeping your eyes open to the photographic possibilities around you. Anticipating the moments that might be about to happen is key.
I’d advise a shallow depth of field (wide aperture) and fast shutter speeds for portraits and action shots of people.
8. Use Beaches
Beaches are one of my favorite spots to shoot sunsets — nothing quite beats the sun setting over the sea! The water and the wet sand make for great reflection opportunities.
Think carefully about your composition, and in particular the foreground and mid-ground of your shot, as I talked about in the composition post. Try different angles, and maybe get above your subject to present the beach in the context of its environment, like this shot of Hellfire Beach in Western Australia:
Outside of sunset, beaches can be very bright environments, so you may need to adjust your exposure to compensate. Most cameras and phones let you shift exposure left or right manually with a button that looks like +/-, or from inside the app.
If you are shooting friends and can’t find shade, consider setting your camera’s flash to “fill” setting to compensate. This uses the flash to light up the shadows caused by the sun, and can make portraits shot into the sun look more pleasing.
Finally, take care of your gear. Fine sand and salt water don’t agree with most camera equipment!
Here are some more beach photography tips to get you started.
9. Master Taking Pictures of Landscapes
There are two things that helped my landscape photography improve: a tripod and a polarizing filter (if you’re interested in my photography equipment, here’s a full list of my travel photography gear).
Controlling depth of field is a key part of landscape photography. Unfortunately, as you increase the aperture the shutter speed becomes slower — to the point where your hand movement can result in a blurry image. This is why you need a tripod.
Read more about how shutter speed, ISO (light sensitivity setting), and aperture are linked in this article on the exposure triangle.
A polarizing filter is fantastic for making blue skies and clouds pop, and for controlling reflections. It also reduces the amount of light entering the camera, so that tripod is even more helpful.
If the above two sound like too much effort, don’t worry. You can improve your landscape photography no end by thinking seriously about your composition. Leading lines, the rule of thirds, and finding a sense of scale by putting subjects in your foreground or mid-ground are key.
10. Learn How to Use Low light
So often we’re out with friends at night and want to capture those moments together, but we can’t seem to get anything other than a blurry mess.
This is because most cameras aren’t great when working with the amount of light that’s available at night —they use slow shutter speeds that turn movement into blurs.
More expensive equipment can make a real difference for low-light photography. All is not lost if your pockets aren’t deep enough, though. First, you can increase the ISO setting on your camera. While this will reduce the quality of your shots, they will look better than blurry photos.
Another idea is to find something to rest your camera on. If you don’t have a tripod, try and find an alternative — anything that is stationary and not prone to shake like your hand does. Then, use your camera’s timer function to take the shot. If you’re taking pictures of people, get them to stand as still as possible!
11. Get Action Shots
For better action photos, you have two options. One is to use a fast shutter speed to “freeze” the action — such as a shot of a hummingbird in flight, or a surfer on a wave.
The other option is to show the motion by using a longer shutter speed — the resulting blur will convey a sense of action to your viewer.
In this shot of a train, I manually set the shutter speed to 1/30th of a second, slow enough that the trees at the edge of the shot would seem to be rushing past as I leaned out of the window, yet fast enough that the train itself would remain sharp, even handheld. I think this worked pretty well!
12. Take Pictures of Waterfalls
Waterfalls are a fantastic photography subject. My favorite way to shoot them is with a slow shutter speed, creating a soft and fluffy effect. Shutter speeds of 1/15th of a second and slower give the best results — you’ll need to use a tripod or rest your camera on something to avoid blur from your hand movement.
Another good way to shoot waterfalls is from far away using a long lens, using compression to create a sense of drama around your subject. Or, go the other way, and shoot super-wide, taking in the full glory of the scene.
Finally, don’t forget to use the light. All that flowing water can cause beautiful rainbows, as seen in this shot of Vernal Falls in Yosemite:
I believe that taking better photos is a combination of three factors — being in the right place at the right time, knowing how your gear works, and knowing how to compose a great shot. Shutter speed and aperture are two key settings in the photographer’s toolbox, and you need to learn how to access and control those modes on your camera.
When you do, you will have much greater creative control over your photography.
Laurence started his journey in 2009 after quitting his corporate job. His blog, Finding the Universe, catalogs his experiences and is a wonderful resource for photography advice! You can also find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Travel Photography: Learn More Tips
For more helpful travel photography tips, be sure to check out the rest of Laurence’s travel photography series:
- Part 1 – How to Take Professional Travel Photos
- Part 2 – How to Shoot the Perfect Travel Photograph
- Part 3 – How to Buy the Best Camera Gear
- Part 4 – How to Take the Perfect Photo: Advanced Techniques
- Part 5 – 7 Editing Tips to Improve Your Travel Photographs
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks
Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
- Medjet (for additional repatriation coverage)
Need to book your trip?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. The are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip.
Sarah Farley
This really broke it down for me. Reading the camera manual was like reading jibberish. New website looks great too. Thanks Matt!
Portia
Love these tips! I learned how to create the smooth and soft water effect by trial and error awhile ago. Now I want to experiment and try to get more of those cool action shots. Thanks for sharing this post!
Duke Stewart
Laurence,
There’s seriously everything here! I personally struggle with night shots and appreciate you going into detail about them. I’m still a newbie so there’s much to learn, and I really enjoyed this post every step of the way.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing a few photographers for a local magazine and I feel like it’s a reflex to mention light first and foremost. It was probably one of the first things I’ve learned, but the detail you went into about it was amazing. Ironically, I was hanging out with a friend this past weekend and showing him around town.
He’s a good photographer and we spent a bit of time searching for the perfect golden hour spots in our town. He kept saying golden hour and I had no idea what he was talking about. Just wanted to mention that. 🙂
I know that it takes a long time of practice and work but your post really helped me in so many ways. Thanks so much for sharing this post with us. Take care Laurence!
Brijesh Kumar
This is really a useful information, i do travel and take lots of photographs but all are not perfect. I could understand through your blog that why they were not. Also the golden hour photography is useful. Thanks
Jenny Kim
I started off my photography with shooting weddings, and now I feel I want to transition more into travel. The only problem is that with photography you end up living the moment through the lens. So if I did go somewhere, and wanted to do travel photography, then I need to be in that photography mode. But when I go places with family, I’m more in the family mode. Coming back from a trip, I don’t end up with photos that I would consider gallery quality. I guess when I’m older, and have more free time I can focus on being a true travel photographer. Thanks for the tips.
Renuka
Great tips! I have been trying hard to improve my landscape photographs. Yes, I understand tripod makes a huge difference to the quality of your pictures. But, isn’t a bit cumbersome? I’d appreciate if you write a separate post on how to use a tripod on your travels. (Because I have a tripod, but I have barely used it…)
Lena
Wonderful tips! Thank you. ) Love that train shot!
As a photographer, I try to not stand in the way of life and just let the moment happen. Also I find that best photographs I’ve taken of places are at the “blue hour” – about an hour before sunrise and an hour or less after sunset (tripod would be useful). An as far as shooting people, here’s my quote on that –
“Photography, is not about finding perfection. To me, it’s about discovering the truth of every moment and then, diving right into it’s soul. Every person has a story and I consider myself very lucky when they share it with me, by looking into my camera…” ~ Elena Levon
Let There Always Be A Road…
Sam
Loving this series of photography! Any chance you can post what aperture/shutter settings you use for those shots?
Rocelle De Mesa
Thanks for the cool and very interesting blog :). It will surely help us in our photo taking, souvenir when we travel, and now amazing photographs that’ll be filled in our family’s travel album. I can now take photos in a Photographer’s way.. not in the right angle, not in the right spot, not in the right direction, but in the right moment in the right time. If I do these tips in my own.. I might become a photographer someday. Thank you very much dear Blogger @nomadicmatt for sharing these wonderful and awesome tips 🙂
Robert
Thank you for some very useful and practical tips on how to take better travel photos. I really appreciate the advice on pictures of people. I find that my best shots are of local people doing interesting things. It is very important to ask their permission first. I also like to show them the pictures I have taken of them afterwards. You could not do that 20 years ago with film cameras!
Sheetal
I am always excited about photography and all such stuff. We usually go for traveling. There I will keep in mind your tips.
Hannah
These are some awesome tips! I will certainly keep them in mind for future photographs. 🙂
kapadokya otel
I really need to learn how to take good photos. this article will help me
Swetha
Thank you for the tips. I am not an amatuer photographer but I do like to capture moments when I am visiting a place. You have beautifully laid out ways that can also be applied to iphone photography.
Richard Ambrose
Is it true though what science people say that the more pictures you take with your amateur or professional photography equipment the less you actually remember with your eyes and brains? I always wondered and I believe there is some truth in it, although great pictures are just so great, you just can’t help!
Tess
Great tips and examples! I consider myself a photographer but I always struggle with trying to stay in the moment, and trying not to look like a tourist when I’m traveling and I think that’s where I really need to improve as a photographer. Got any tips to make you feel more like a photographer and less like a tourist?
Andrew
Fabulous article – really the best I’ve ever read. Simple yet comprehensive.
Jocelyn
Great tips and totally understandable for those who are not ‘professional’ photographers! I just recently went on my first road trip with my dslr and LOVED the challenge of taking a picture that captured the true beauty of what I saw!
Thanks,
Jocelyn
Joyce Belfort
This is useful information! Darn, if only I read this earlier. I was stuck with 2 weeks of straight rain; sucked in almost all my photos. Great tip, I will try that out next time. Thanks.
Jessica Ray
Awesome tips and cases! I see myself as a picture taker yet I generally battle with attempting to stay in the occasion, and doing whatever it takes not to resemble a traveler when I’m voyaging and I believe that is the place I truly need to enhance as a picture taker. Got any tips to make you feel more like a picture taker and less like a visitor?
Farhan
Oh My God – This is super helpful. I love traveling and taking photos. So far it has been a simple point and shoot camera – but now I feel I am ready to graduate to a basic DSLR.
I stumbled across this article and at very right moment. Does give a good prospective about taking travel photos. My objective is to have supplemental income / covering partial travel expense via photography. Thanks again for great article
Annabel
Extraordinary tips! Little subtle elements can have all the effect in catching splendid photographs.
Rochelle Reigns
Love these tips! I figured out how to make the smooth and delicate water impact by experimentation for a short time prior. Presently I need to trial and attempt to get a greater amount of those cool activity shots. Much obliged for sharing this post!
John Manthew
Great article to read about photography skills and tricks to use during photography. I have been come across when i had joined a free photography course. Now i am reading more and more blogs to enhance my photography skills but i found your blog more interesting practical to learn about photography.
Caroll Coleman
Great tips… thanks for sharing and looking forward for more tips!!!!!
Kyle Henderson
Hey Matt,
for the street picture, how do you get the “airbrushed” texture to the color of the shot?
Laurence
Hey Kyle!
This was achieved through post-processing in Photomatix HDR software 🙂
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Laurence
Jeevan Patnaik
I have taken a offline copy of your post just to be on safe side if you ever decide to delete the post. It’s so sacred and very useful tips. I actually never had interest in learning photography techniques or using different type of instruments..all I ever wanted is to capture a moment in the best possible way I can with my phone camera, as I have believed that it needs really superb skills and lot of learning to take those beautiful photos. But your tips has lightened an interest in me for learning photography and buying the required equipment. Not that I am saying extraordinary photography is not hard and anyone can do, but I now believe that I can take a beautiful pic which is worth sharing or worth looking at, with decent colors and lighting and with clear details, if I follow all your tips and spend some money for the right gear. Thanks for that!!!