Photo via A Beautiful Mess
This the season of summer vacations! As we welcome the beaches, mountains, and the ever-adored-by-parents theme parks (not!), snapping quality photos seems to sometimes get jumbled up in the beautiful chaos of it all. Try chasing a sugar-infused kid and make them look memorable – not so easy!
What vacations do you have up your sleeve this summer? How do you obtain gorgeous vacation photos on your agenda-ridden getaways? Here are my favorite tips on how to capture the brightest and clearest vacation photos for your next travel date
1. Check your settings
Capturing nice photos in direct sunlight can be super tricky, it is important to know your camera settings and make sure to adjust your ISO to 100, the white balance to auto, and use a higher focal length on your lens. For example, if your lens is 35mm-60mm, stay closer to 60mm.
2. Use the snow setting
Say what???? Haven’t we waited months for the opposite of snow? Well yes, but the “snow” setting on your camera is going to give you brighter photos all around! Because it’s designed to make those whites brighter, it’s naturally going to give your shot a great balance of light to achieve that pretty bright look (no snow required on your summer travels!).
Photo via Classy Girl Wears Pants
3. Find a shady spot
Because the summer sun can be a little harsh, finding a spot with nice shade will give your photo the brightness it’s aiming for on that beloved theme park trip. This gives the photos softness and always makes everyone a little cooler (and happier looking!).
4. The time of the day really matters
If you able to drag yourself out of bed on vacation, early mornings work the best for capturing great shots outdoors. It’s always best to shoot with the sun behind your subject, and use it as nature’s backlight. The good news is for you late risers that you can equally catch great lighting in the last few hours before sunset – just think about how you take photos at home and try to recreate the same times for great shots while traveling.
5. Flashes and Reflectors can be your best friend
So it’s not on your ideal packing list for your holiday in the sun, however if you want to capture a bright shot, fill flashes and reflectors work well to illuminate your subjects and make everything just a bit brighter, without going overboard of course. The fill flash is always going to keep your subject evenly lit and bring them into focus.
Photo via Hazel Cockane & The House that Lars Built
6. The beauty is not always in the eye of the beholder
When envisioning a shot, it’s super easy to imagine it through your own eyes and not the lens of a camera, however when traveling it’s important to make sure you don’t waste time on shots that do not look the best through your lens. Make sure it’s going to benefit your camera’s settings, and not take away from them when trying to capture that mountain landscape on your European backpacking trip.
Photo via Simple As That
7. Get close to your subjects
It’s easier to capture the lighting when you are closer to your subject, so remember to get close and cozy. It’s much better to be a little closer, rather than having your camera focused on something entirely different that you were just going to crop anyway!
Photo via Studio DIY & Mary Costa Photography
8. Take a second to breathe in deep and experience the moment
This may not be as relevant to the logistics of taking brighter and better travel photos, but I do believe it’s directly linked. Relax and take in the area. Observe the world around you and the glorious vacation you totally deserve! I personally feel this will give you more inspiration when capturing the memory-worthy moments and keep you searching for the beauty.
What tips do you have to share on how you take your brightest and clearest photos on your getaways?
Victoria Hudgins
About the author: Victoria Hudgins is author to asubtlerevelry.com and a firm believer that revelry should be experienced daily.