Vacation Photography

Just because you shot your friend in black-and-white looking off into the distance contemplating his future as a hipster doesn't mean you took a great photo. And just because you spent four figures on a camera doesn't mean your photos will look professional! 

Shooting on vacation gives you an opportunity to learn to use the environment to your advantage.  Up high? Notice if the clouds form a line you can bisect with something interesting.  I found that when I was up a cliff or tall hill, it is easier to see where the base of the cloud formation in the atmosphere. While shooting the white fluffy figures from the ground is fun and can add a sense of drama if the day is overcast, playing with lines is pleasing to the eye.

Taking a wide photograph of a beautiful place gives you a high probability of it automatically coming out beautifully.  But as we have seen from the beach-centric blogs, playing with foreground and background  or focusing on a local doing something interesting will also make a beautiful photo.

Here are some great resources to help with your photography skills:

"20 Things I Learned About Photography"


"National Geographic Compositions Tips" by Mark Thiessen

And his "Action Photo Tips":





A book that I recommend is The Photographer's Eye by Michael Freeman. This man knows how to take beautifully composed photographs.  He emphasizes that you use this tool to tell a story.  This is why framing, capturing reflections and actions, and creating lines for a sense of direction is important. Here is a page from online preview:

This is from the section "Delay" in the "Intent" chapter. The book is not overly technical, but it does require a lot of patience and understanding of color, opportunities and angles to improve your photos. 

I am by all means no expert photographer, but I have become a better one.  A tip that I would give is to take more than one photo of your subject.

So what is my wishlisted cameras?

Affordable: Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W530.  I have an older Cybershot (the DSC-T50) and it still works, so from my experience Sony makes a reliable camera.

Expensive: Leica D-Lux 5. I love the photos that Joe of 00oo00 takes, and he uses a Leica.

Good luck and go somewhere interesting!

photo credits: amazon.com