Six Ways to Improve your Travel Photos

The number one comment I have been getting on pictures I share of our trip is how amazing our photos are. Read this guide to find out how you can take your travel pictures to the next level.

Getting amazing travel photos, especially of your whole family doesn't have to be an impossible task. You don't need fancy equipment to get better photos, the majority of our travel pictures were taken on our phone. Shane has the Samsung S22 Ultra and I have the Google Pixel 6Pro. These are both newer phones, known for high quality photos, but getting a better phone doesn't automatically mean better photos. There are a few simple ways to instantly up your photo game without putting in extra money or a lot of effort. This simple steps can help you take better photos, and set up a shot for a stranger to take your photo!

*If you don't want to read this whole guide then skip to the end as there is one tip that will hep you above all else.

Set up a good composition:

Blue is a great colour to wear against a green landscape.

Composition is key to creating a visually appealing and impactful photo. The easiest way to get better composition in your photos is to follow the rule of thirds. For this, you'll want to imagine breaking the photo into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Many cameras and phones have a 3x3 grid you can turn on instead of imagining it. These lines will demonstrate where your eyes will naturally be drawn to so that you can have your subject in the best spot.

Another important aspect of setting up a good composition is to think about the use of colour. Should you wear a blue dress for a photo shoot on the beach? How about green to a field? The answer I would give is no. It's important to know how colours can compliment and contrast each other to make your photos pop. This doesn't always mean that you just need to wear the brightest colour to stand out, you want the colours to fit well together.

Take photos at the best time:

Consider the lighting conditions when capturing your travel photos, the best times will be Golden or Blue Hour. The Golden Hour is the 15-45 minute window on either side of the sunset or sunrise, and the Blue Hour is just after that where the sunlight can have more of a blue hue. For us, this meant we did a lot of sunrise tours. The benefits not just being the lighting, but having the place to ourselves and less distractions in the photo's.

This shot was taken during the Blue Hour in Singapore, also notice how his red shirt really pops against the greenery?

Edit your photos:

Post-processing is an essential part of the photography workflow and much more user friendly than before. You can use software like Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed, or Photoshop to enhance your images quickly and for free right on your phone. Most of these apps will have an auto-edit button which is a great place to start until you're more confident in the settings. If you're willing to invest some money into getting better photos, you can pay for Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop, and many travel bloggers sell presets you can use to get their style of editing on your photos.

Does this photo tell a story to you?

Get familiar with your gear:

While high-end equipment is not necessary, knowing what your camera is capable of can be really helpful. When I first bought the Pixel 6 Pro, I spent a few evenings googling the capabilities of the camera and playing around with the settings.

Tell a story with your photos:

Travel photography goes beyond just capturing a beautiful landscape. You want to capture details, people, architecture, local customs, and textures that will contribute to the narrative of a place. Don't be scared to come up with a little scenario in your head and see if it can convey in the way you pose and appear in the photo.

Be a copycat!

I am not joking here, if you want to up your photo game, find photos you like and copy them. If you are going to the Taj Mahal then google it or search on Instagram and screenshot some pictures you like. Find where they were taken and copy them! This is an easy way for you to get a stranger to take the photo you want. There's no language barrier or trying to explain angles.

If you decide to copycat any of my photos, please tag me on Instagram @blondadventurer.