6 Tips To Making Vacation Photos Memorable And Enjoyable
Summer is quickly approaching. Many of you are in the planning stages of your family vacation. If you are reading this, chances are you want to make some great photos of your travel adventures. Here are six tips that will make your vacation photos more memorable and your job as an official family photographer more enjoyable.
While visiting foreign ports as a young Navy Photographer, I would venture out with two camera bodies, five lenses, 20 rolls of film, and a flash. Returning after sunset, I would spend most of the night processing film and then start all over again the next morning. Most of my photos were mediocre at best, I was exhausted, had shoulder and back pain, and I really didn’t get to enjoy the local culture.
Fast forward 10 years. Now in charge of the ship’s photo lab, I assigned younger photographers the responsibility of documenting the port visit. Rather than my normal 30 pounds of camera gear, I would grab my little point-and-shoot camera. Shoving it and five rolls of film into a small fanny pack, I would head out to enjoy the local sights and sounds. Much to my surprise, my photography improved.
Over the course of six months at sea visiting many ports, my new insight about photography was confirmed time and again. I formulated some theories about documenting port visits, somewhat akin to the family vacation. Modernized for the digital realm, I will share my discoveries with you.
Limit your photo gear
Trust me, carrying around every piece of photo equipment that you own is only going to give you a very sore shoulder, a bad back, and make your life miserable. For the family vacation, limit what you bring.
As the family photographer, you really only need one camera body, a nice all-in-one travel zoom, and a decent tripod. Some might argue the importance of the tripod with the ISO capabilities of today.
I can understand having a spare body and lens. Things happen. Equipment fails. But leave the spare safely hidden away in your car. Limiting your equipment to the bare essentials lightens your load, makes your vacation more enjoyable and lessens your chance of being targeted by thieves.
Oh, and dump the stock camera strap that came with your camera. The one that says NIKON or CANON. Buy a plain, good-quality strap that does not draw attention to your camera.
Consider using a point-in-shoot camera or switching to a mirrorless system
Point-in-shoot cameras today are very capable of making high-quality photos. Even most cell phone cameras today can produce wonderful images.
Many photographers feel that in order to make great photos, they need the biggest, most expensive gear, and lots of it. That’s just not the case. Why would you want to lug around 20 pounds of gear, when a four-ounce camera will meet or exceed your needs?
I recently discovered mirrorless camera systems. These cameras are cheaper, smaller, and lighter than equivalent DSLR systems, and are very capable of producing professional quality images. Because they are small and similar in appearance to a point-in-shoot, they do not draw attention and are not targeted by thieves as much.
I am so impressed with mirrorless systems, that I have decided to switch over all of my equipment in the next couple of years. More on that in a future article.
Leave your flash at home
I don’t carry a flash with me anymore. With the great ISO range offered by most sensors today, a flash is typically not needed.
Activating the auto ISO feature on your camera allows you to produce some really nice available light photos. They are more natural-looking, can give your photos some ambiance, and there is no risk of getting the dreaded red-eye.
In lower light situations, it may be necessary to put your camera on a tripod or steady it some other way. That’s perfectly alright. In some circumstances, you may have to use a slower shutter speed that will allow blur from people or objects moving. That’s alright too. It tells a story.
I’m not saying that all blurry photos tell a story, but blur can be used effectively in telling a story. Experiment with slow shutter speeds and blur. Then, when in low-light situations, you will know how to deal with it.
Avoid the same photos you see in every travel guide
Exactly how many photos of the Grand Canyon, El Capitan, or Disney Land’s Magic Castle do we need?
I personally avoid the cliché photos like the plague. I don’t want the same photo a million other people have taken and seen in every travel guide. Nor do I want to fight with every other photographer in an attempt to get the same photo.
If you want your photos to stand out, then be different. Find some unique angles. Do closeups. Find something interesting to put in your foreground…like your family. Just don’t be a photographic lemming.
Include your family in your photos
Including your family in the family vacation photos sounds simple enough. Yet, many photographers consider this taboo. They want to create the epic landscapes seen in all of the travel brochures. The family is just an annoyance that gets in the way of their creativity.
Humans, by their nature, want to connect with other humans. Having your family in your photos can be a very creative way to draw the viewer into your photos. And let’s face it, if you are documenting the family vacation, you really should include your family in the photos.
When making photos, try to avoid the photos of everyone lining up in front of Yosemite’s entrance sign. Oh, go ahead and take a photo or two of that, but concentrate more on telling a story with your photos. Your daughter sniffing a flower. Your son climbing on something that he probably shouldn’t be climbing on. Your spouse making lunch.
While on vacation, document your family doing normal family things in really cool places, like Yosemite. Watch for those silly moments too. Kids making faces. Wind blowing over tents. Marshmallows burning out of control. Anything out of the ordinary.
Don’t forget about other travelers and the locals you meet along the way. Photographing others in their natural environment and interacting with your family is all part of telling the story.
Stop trying so hard
When it comes to documenting the family vacation, try relaxing and having some fun. That is what you are out there for to begin with. You are not there shooting an article for National Geographic.
Stop taking your photography so seriously. Take a photo or two and then put the camera down. Enjoy your time with your family and the location you have chosen for your vacation. I promise that your photos will be better if you just relax a little.
Do you have any additional vacation photo tips to share with us? Would you like to share your family photos with the rest of us? Leave a comment below with any tips or a link to your vacation photos.