How do you take better holiday images? More than the camera it is the technique that you use plus the effort that goes into the planning stage is what crystalizes into good photos. In this article, we are going to learn a few simple techniques (apart from a few pointers on the right equipment) that can literally transform your holiday photos.
Use a Wide Zoom Lens
I don’t know about you, but I always find the wide zoom lens to be so much more convenient to shoot with when I am traveling. The first reason is this lens is quick, often with an aperture of f/2.8 or bigger.
The second reason is even though I am shooting at extremely slow shutter speed, I can still get away with a blur-free image. That is if I remember to use a shutter speed at least one over the focal length.
As you can imagine a wide-angle lens like the 16-35mm gives me the freedom to use a Shutter Speed of at least 1/16 sec to capture a sharp photo. With a wide-open aperture like f/2.8 I can easily shoot at 1/1000 a majority of the times when I am outdoors.
Plus, if I were to use image stabilization, when I have the option to use, I can produce a much sharper and well-exposed image even in extremely low light conditions by dragging the shutter.
The other important reason is affordable wide zoom lenses are, typically, in the range of 16-35mm and 14-24mm. These lenses can capture a wider chunk of the place that I am in. That is essentially all about capturing the essence of a place and the key to make better holiday images.
Of course, if you can splurge you can get even wider lenses. Such as the ultra-wide 10-24mm or the 10-18mm. But with these lenses, there is a high risk of getting what is known as the fish-eye perspective. I am not too fond of these. And I am sure you don’t like it either. Unless, of course, you have some very specific composition in your mind.
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Blur the Background
Though I would rarely use a wide zoom lens at its widest aperture when shooting street photos or photos of the place that I am traveling, it is a creative discretion that I reserve for moments that actually deserve such a treatment. I.e., shooting with a wide-open aperture. i.e., a sun-kissed portrait image or an image where I want to isolate the subject from anything around. Typically these moments would be portraits because travel photos sans a sense of the place feel odd.
The Iconic Travel Shoe Shot
Then again one shot that I cannot seem to get enough of are the iconic travel shoes shot. Especially, when they are shot in the background of something that is extremely well known or iconic.
Choose the Right Light to Shoot in
Holiday schedules can be hectic and you often have to comply with your travel organizer / company you are traveling with. Unless of course you are the D-I-Y type, your schedules are set by someone else. Yet, you can insist that you need to be at certain places at certain times of the day so that you can catch the best light to shoot with.
Plan Your Shots Before you Arrive at a Destination
That brings us to the next point and it is about planning your travels in a way so that you are at the right place at the right time of the day. More specifically, being able to capture the right light. With tight schedules it is always kind of difficult to do that but a meticulous study and careful planning can see you arrive at a majority of your destinations at the right time of the day. For that you will need the help of special photographer’s apps. These include Photographer’s Ephemeris, Photo Pills, Light Pollution Map and Cascable 3 to name a few.
Plan for Eventualities
Finally, we arrive at the last point of discussion. As has been stressed above, it is rare to be able to arrive at all your destinations at the right time. So, plan for the eventualities as well. I remember having arrived at Agra (home of the iconic Taj Mahal) at afternoon. Pretty bad light to shoot anything really. Unfortunately, we were checking out the next day and that meant I had to make do with whatever I could in one afternoon. So made sure to wait until the later afternoon to capture the iconic monument at the golden hour.