How to Take Great Vacation Pics

It’s happened to us all, you’ve just taken what should be an amazing picture, but the image on your camera’s screen doesn’t match your expectations. How can you turn picture-perfect scenes into photographs that do them justice? Follow these easy tips and you’ll be taking vacation pictures you’ll cherish forever.

It’s All About the Light – Here’s a fundamental truth about photography: natural light is always better. As George Eastman, the founder of Kodak, said: “Light makes photography…Know it for all your worth and you will know photography.” Get up early to catch the golden hour, when the sun’s soft rays are at their most flattering, or go for a walk in the late afternoon when the landscape is bathed in a warm glow—you’ll be amazed by the pictures you come home with.

Change Your Perspective – Stop shooting every picture from eye level. This is so important, it’s worth repeating: stop shooting every picture from eye level. Crouch down and shoot up, stand on a wall and shoot down. Move your body and play with perspective. You’ll find this is the best way to create fresh frame-worthy compositions.

Don’t Forget the Details – Details are important, particularly for travel photography. The bright pink gelato at that wonderful gelateria in Rome, the intricately designed wrought-iron railings of your hotel in New Orleans, these are the details that make travel so enjoyable. Pay attention to what draws your eye, take a moment to think about composition, then take a picture that will remind you of your journey for years to come.

Learn to Edit – Although no photo-editing software can make a bad picture good, even the most basic programs can make a good picture great. Learn how to make basic edits such as crops and color enhancements — increasing the exposure and contrast even slightly can make a huge difference — and you’ll find just a few clicks can transform your images into great works of art.

Get Organized – The great benefit of cellphones and digital cameras is that you can take hundreds of photos in a single day – even a single hour. But that can be a huge drawback if you are so overwhelmed by the sheer number of pictures you’ve taken, you never do anything with them. Take a few minutes each evening to delete the out-of-focus and uninteresting, then have the rest printed in a gorgeous photobook dedicated to your trip.