10 Tips for Taking Great Vacation Photos

If you haven’t guessed already, I love vacation photos.  Over the years, we have gone quite a few places, and even though it seems excessive while I am snapping the pictures, the whole family loves to look back at them all.  I love having little reminders of the places and faces.

Taking great photos is definitely an acquired skill {a great camera doesn’t hurt either}.  I have learned a few tricks over the years that have really added to the overall quality and enjoyment of my pictures—mostly the hard way.

Here’s my top 10 tips for taking great vacation photos:

1. Before you take the shot, make sure the picture will tell the story of your trip.  This will help ensure you don’t take 400 pictures of one site, when you really only need 5.  {Okay, okay, I admit, I am still learning the finery of this one!}

2. Embrace technology and use your view finder.  It is basically showing you the picture you are about to take.  Look to see if you are cutting someone’s head off {I’ve never done this.  Ha.}  or if everything is centered the way you want it.

3.Fill up the photo.  A friend of mine who scrapbooks always says she “crops the crap”.  She cuts out the sky if there is too much in any photo and just gets down to the meat of what she’s trying to take.  I took this advice and decided to not take pictures of anything other than what I really want to remember.  So, if there is too much sky or people are too far away, I try to remember to zoom, etc. and “crop the crap” out of my pictures.

4. Turn the camera.  I used to always forget that horizontal wasn’t the only way I could take a picture.  In an effort to adhere to tip #3, I try to remember to fill the photo, and if that means going vertical, I do.

5. Remember the people.  I know you go on vacation to see the sites, but really, you go to create memories with whoever you are traveling with.  Remember to take pictures of the people, in front of the sites or not.  Some of my favorite shots are the really random ones. For instance, in this photo the guy on the right forgot is his black running shorts. So what did he do? He ran in his underwear. 😉

6.Remember to pass the camera off. For awhile, it seemed that I didn’t actually attend any family vacations, family events, or birthday parties. I had to remember to pass the camera off to the HH every once in awhile to document my presence.

7. Don’t be worried about posing everyone perfectly in front of some monument.  The candid shots are the best anyway.  This is just another one of those areas in life where it is best to “go organic”.

8. If you have little ones and your camera allows, set your action shots to take several consecutive pictures with one press of the button. Kids faces change so quickly and with several shots, you are bound to find one perfect picture for keeps. {You know, the one that captures their “for real” smiles.

9. Think outside the box.  If you have an amazing meal at a famous restaurant, make sure to snap a picture.  Snap pictures of the trees, if you are moved by the basic scenery.  I am so used pine trees here in Washington that wide open fields or the fall leaves in the East always seem like they need documenting.

10. I recommend bringing an extra battery, and depending on the camera, an extra memory card.  That way, you never get caught without picture-taking abilities.  You can charge them in the hotel at night, but that won’t give you back your kid’s first ride on Splash Mountain {Because you know that’s when your camera will decide it’s out of juice.}

How about YOU, have you learned any picture-taking tricks that I must know?

~Mavis

If you are looking for an awesome camera, I use the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. Check the reviews {They are awesome!}