Five Ways To Take Better Travel Photos

[Kan Win]

From The Age

Most travellers fancy themselves as photographers. It doesn't matter if you carry around a simple point-and-shoot, or stuff your daypack with wide-angle lenses the size of bazookas, pretty much all travellers like to take the odd snap to show off to their friends back home.

Trouble is, most of them aren't much good (the pics that is, not your friends). Like anything, taking great photos requires some serious expertise, and, while I've basically made a career of feigning knowledge of things I have no idea about, I decided I couldn't fake this one. Instead, I've enlisted the help of Richard I'Anson, professional photographer and author of Lonely Planet's Guide to Travel Photography.

Here are his five ways to take better photos <snip>

http://blogs.theage.com.au/travel/archives...vel_photos.html

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Please read the comments in the link as well

What are your thoughts about this artical

Sawadee

[The Vulcan]

"fill the frame", "rule of thirds", "use a tripod", long lenses for wildlife - Jeeze!

Bloody obvious if you ask me and nothing there that we haven't discussed a zillion times on this forum.

[Nordlys]

agreed.... too common sense and novice tip (though I have to admit I learned "rule of thirds" from Vulcan).

[The Vulcan]

For me I always take the first shot I saw - after all that's what caught my eye.

Then I walk around and look at other possible angles.

Then I shoot varying the DOF

Finally I move in for close up detail (where relevant)

But when I'm on safari none of this applies - I just use a long lens and get the hel_l out

[phetaroi]

Yes, for us who are "into" photography, the advice seemed pretty pedestrian. But having suffered through many people's horrible travel photos, I'd say it's good advice for the average guy.

I'm not a big fan of the "rule of thirds". I think it's because I'm a "rules" type of person who finally learned -- when hanging pictures -- that everything doesn't need to be balanced and predictable. TO me, a better "rule" is simply to really think about what you're trying to feature and then decided how to compose the photo to feature that.

[phuketrichard]

seems like a 1st week in Photogrpahy 101.

Don' just walk around BUT stoop down and also look for a high vantage point. Thinks look quite diferent from diferent heights.

Edited February 28, 2010 by phuketrichard

[The Vulcan]

seems like a 1st week in Photogrpahy 101.

Don' just walk around BUT stoop down and also look for a high vantage point. Thinks look quite diferent from diferent heights.

Very valid. I remember reading some time back that something like 60%+ of the worlds images were shot from a height of 5'4" (average eye height standing upright)

Getting a bit old now to bend and stoop so I guess I'll be joining the masses

Edited February 28, 2010 by The Vulcan