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5 tips to improve your travel photos

11/2/2012

24 Comments

 
Picture
Shoot during the golden hours
     When you photograph during the hour following sunrise and the hour prior to sunset, you have a much softer and more beautiful light to work with. A forgiving light, that brings landscapes to life. Instead of having to work around the light, you’re able to have the light work for you.

Remove obstructions
     Removing obstructions can be one of the major catalysts that take your photography from being simply amateur to strikingly professional. By removing the power lines, unnecessary people, cars and houses, you can control the naturalism, power and legitimacy of the scene.

Don’t be lazy
     If photographers only shot from the safety of their cars, there would never be any exceptionally unique photographs. Take a shot and work with it, don’t settle for the quick snap. Play with it - by simply changing your exposure, you can make a photograph more interesting, powerful and moody. Don’t be afraid to hike to different vantage points. Chances are that you will be able to improve your final shots exponentially just by changing your position.

Draw the viewer’s eye
     Draw the viewer’s eye into your work, make them focus on what you want them to see. By using focus, depth and composition, your photography can bring the scene alive for the viewer. Put the foreground versus the background to use, it can intensify the effect, power and evocation of your work. The eye naturally focuses first on the brightest, free-flowing and most in-focus areas in a photograph. You can alter these aspects in post-production if need-be, by implementing certain constructive techniques with Adobe Photoshop’s burn, dodge, sponge and blur tools - among countless others.

Don’t be a photographer
     Be a storyteller. Great photographers transcended from being basic picture takers to great storytellers. Take a look at all of the greats, like Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson or Jim Brandenburg - they were storytellers first, photographers second. With each photo opportunity, pause and analyze the scene and let your creativity take over. You can sculpt the viewer’s perceptions and how the story has an effect on their reactions, feelings and connections.
(Photo by Christian Mueller-Planitz)
24 Comments
Pat Hatt link
11/2/2012 05:44:30 am

Some great tips indeed, the ct came to your feed. Have to agree with the lazy one, many do that a ton.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:22:34 pm

Thank you. I hope that you find these tips useful in your life. :) I am glad I had the opportunity to share them.

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Sarah
11/2/2012 05:51:36 am

Useful tips

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:23:30 pm

:) I am glad to hear that you thought the tips were useful. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

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memographer link
11/3/2012 07:57:50 am

Good points. The last one is the most important, imo.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:24:19 pm

Yes, the last tip is a very important tip. I do agree with you on that.

Reply
Ryan @Treksplorer link
11/4/2012 12:30:35 am

Great tips, Brandon! I think that the majority of budding travel photographers could vastly improve their skills instantly by paying special attention to your first three tips. Shooting in midday is usually just horrible (unfortunately also often unavoidable if you are traveling on a tight schedule). Overexposure because of overly intense sunlight can ruin even the most properly composed shot. If you must shoot at midday, filters (natural density and polarized, for instance) can do a wonderful job of playing down the effect of bright light if used correctly. I've noticed that even adjusting the exposure compensation downwards seems to give greater saturation to colours washed out by the sun. Thanks for sharing, Brandon!

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:25:33 pm

You are most welcome. I am glad to hear that you have found these tips helpful.

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Travis link
11/5/2012 02:53:37 am

Really great tips...I always find patience is a key. It's amazing how many arms and tops of heads pop into your shot just a millisecond before you hit that trigger. Just today we stood for almost 20 minutes to get a good shot of something we liked in the Vatican before we could get one without people in it.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:28:18 pm

Thank you. Yes, patience is key. This is something that I struggled with at the beginning of my journeys. :)

Reply
Ashley Hufford link
11/25/2012 09:59:23 am

Love this!!! Great tips. I am always looking for ways to make my photos better.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:29:11 pm

You are most welcome. Thank you for taking the time to comment such kind words.

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Richard West
12/6/2012 06:20:46 am

Brandan, great site. Thanks

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:30:51 pm

You are most welcome. I hope that you find these tips useful in your photography endeavors.

Reply
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com link
8/1/2013 05:00:42 pm

I'm eternally thankful to digicams for letting me take photos after photos to get the shot I like! I'm still a long way to getting good travel photos though. Sigh

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:31:47 pm

Thank you so much or your words of encouragement. It really means a lot to me.

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Dean Barnes link
8/5/2013 03:56:41 pm

Great bits of advice! I'm very VERY amateur in my photography, but i'm definitely going to be putting these tips to good use.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:33:00 pm

:) I do hope that you can put some of these tips in place. They will help you dramatically enhance your skills. I am glad that I had the opportunity to share them with you.

Reply
Leslee Haralson link
8/13/2013 01:38:49 pm

Thanks for the tips, I will try them out and hope the beauty I see more perfectly matches the photograph I take.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:33:53 pm

How have your photographs turned out since putting some of these tips in place? Did they help? :)

Reply
erbina link
8/24/2013 02:02:22 am

Hi, it`s a great article and I`ll try to do it tomorrow ... thanks for sharing. gbu

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:34:32 pm

How did your photo's turn out?

Reply
MyExpressBus.com link
11/21/2013 12:53:28 pm

Out of the 5 tips you mentioned, for a traveller, it is most important to plan the itinerary to visit sights during the golden hours maximize the chances of getting the perfect shot.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
2/9/2014 10:35:25 pm

Yes! Planning your itinerary is very, very important. It is a step that shouldn't be forgotten.

Reply



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