From angles to colours — improve your camera skills with great tips for taking holiday snaps
WE’RE all going stir-crazy at the moment but it is a good time to take stock – and maybe learn a few tricks to improve your photography for post-isolation trips.
Whether you are planning a hike in the Lake District or heading to the Med, professional travel photographer Robert Birkby has a few tips to take your holiday snaps to the next level . . .
Time and weather
ON sunny days, the best photos are taken an hour either side of sunrise or sunset.
The warm, soft light at these times will transform your pictures, and those who can haul themselves out of bed early will get the best results.
At dawn, there are fewer people, the wildlife is active and early-morning mist may add atmosphere.
Dusk and twilight are good times too, especially in towns – the mix of ambient and artificial light works well, but you may need a tripod or wall to hold the camera steady.
Don’t be put off shooting in poor weather.
Driving rain isn’t much fun, but showers interspersed with sun often yield dramatic light and interesting cloud formations.
Fog can invite atmospheric shots in forests or cities.
Overcast conditions make for boring landscapes, but offer good opportunity to shoot portraits or details of nature or architecture that do not work in strong sunlight.
Colour
ALWAYS be on the lookout for beautiful colours.
These may be bold, clashing hues such as those seen in architecture overseas, spectacular autumn leaves, or summer flowers.
Maybe colourful vegetation could frame your photograph.
Local markets are a good place to find colour with fruit, fish and spices beautifully presented for sale that can all make vibrant subjects.
Angle
PEOPLE tend to stand up and take photographs of things straight in from of them, but altering your height or angle can make a dramatic difference to the impact of a picture.
Try crouching down low among flowers to make them more dominant in the scene, or looking straight down at pebbles on a beach, or upward at tree branches.
People
SNAPPING local people going about their daily business, perhaps wearing traditional clothes, adds a nice touch to travel images.
Before shooting portraits, though, do ask permission.
If language is a barrier, a smile and pointing to the camera usually does the trick.
Don’t be afraid to include people in your landscapes.
Against mountain scenery, in particular, people add scale to really increase the wow factor.
To make the effect even more dramatic, stand farther away from the person and zoom in a little if your camera allows.
This compresses the mountains and everything looks more impressive.
Composition
NOVICE snappers tend to put the horizon in the centre of the image, but instead try to bias the horizon nearer to the top or bottom of the frame.
And remember, not all photographs need to include sky at all.
Wide-angle shots usually benefit from some foreground interest in the form of rocks or plants, to add depth.
Alternatively a path or road will lead the viewer into the scene. Similarly, your subjects don’t have to be central in the shot.
If the scene has several subjects, does it feel balanced? Or is everything crammed into one side?
Remember, you can later crop the photo square, on your phone or computer, if it helps.
MOST READ IN TRAVEL
Look for simple scenes which are free of clutter. Sometimes less is more and the eye appreciates a little space to wander around the photograph.
Rather than mindlessly snapping away, think carefully about the composition.
If it doesn’t look interesting on the screen, it won’t look any better on your wall, so don’t take the shot.
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