19 Practical Travel Photography Tips for Better Travel Photos

Here are some tips to help you take better travel photography photos.

These tips are just a few things you can do to nip up your photography.

The intention is to make it easier, quicker and more fun to produce better pictures.

But if you’re starting and looking for travel photography tips for beginners, I’m sure you’ll find something useful!

And don’t forget to check out our three steps to better travel photos.

19 Useful Travel Photography Tips to Take Better Photos

If you improve your photography skills through these travel photography tips, I’m confident it will change how you see the world when you travel because you will look for better angles and more interesting details.

It will make you notice the small things and improve your attention to detail.

It certainly did for me.

I now see the finer details everywhere I travel, which has helped build my appreciation for the world around me.

So, without further ado, here are my travel photography tips to help you take amazing photos!

1 | Keep Your Camera Out

This is why this is number one of my travel photography tips – when you are travelling, you can’t take any pictures when your camera is in your bag.

Mine is usually away only when I’m passing through Customs!

You never know what you are going to see!

It also gives me a little extra space for other stuff in my bag.

2 | Understand How Your Camera Works

Number two of my travel photography tips is understanding how your camera works.

Once you understand how your camera works, you know how to achieve your desired goals.

Do you want a shallow depth of field, or do you want to freeze the action?

Understanding how your camera works doesn’t mean shooting in manual mode.

It means understanding that focal length, distance to subject and aperture affect depth of field or that ISO is the sensor’s sensitivity to light.

It also creates noisy pictures the higher you go, and shutter speeds can be used to freeze action or create movements, such as light trails of vehicles or dancing street performers.

When you understand the relationship between these, you can achieve your goal through judgment, not luck.

3 | Shoot an Auto Mode

This sounds contradictory to the above, but hear me out.

We pay a lot of money for cameras and equipment.

Your camera is full of technology, so let it do the work; after all, you’ve paid for it.

Shooting in manual mode because you think it makes you a better photographer is, in my opinion, madness.

There is a place for manual, but it’s not in my everyday travel world.

Combining auto modes with mirrorless technology makes photography effortless.

Understand how your camera works and how each mode operates, such as that aperture priority lets you pick the aperture.

It will determine the shutter speed (and ISO, if you have auto ISO set). Let the camera do the work for you, not vice versa.

4 | Travel Light

I learned this on my very first foreign solo weekend break in Paris.

I took a complete DSLR kit.

Coupled with Converse All-Stars and walking miles and miles every day, I can tell you that was a wrong decision!

My feet have never been in such pain.

The kit alone weighed almost 1/6th of me!

When you travel, take what you know you need, not what you think you need.

Over the years, I have become very efficient in what I carry when I travel, and now gravel mostly with minimalist travel photography gear.

I used to think I was better looking at it than looking for it, but that never served me well because I had to carry everything myself, which isn’t always fun.

I’m small and don’t like heavy stuff.

So, I figured out what I used the most and ditched what I didn’t use as much.

Take the leap—you won’t regret it.

I’ve seen photographers with kits full of batteries, memory cards, filters, and lenses.

Do they think they are going to use all this stuff?

I rarely take a battery charger because my Fujifilm X-T5 plugs into the same charger as my phone and laptop.

I don’t carry spare cards or batteries either.

The battery lasts forever, and I have two cards in the camera, and that’s it.

When was the last time one failed?

I’ve never had a card fail me in ten years.

That’s not to say it won’t happen one day, but based on my experience, I am willing to take the risk.

Now that we’ve covered some basics, we can focus on the travel photography tips that will make your pictures more interesting.

5 | Do Your Research

This will help you maximise your time by allowing you to know where you want to go and what you want to shoot while you travel.

We all know of ‘tourist hotspots’; the same goes for photogenic places.

Search Google or Instagram, and you’ll see patterns emerging on what’s worth photographing wherever you travel.

I do this before and during travel – you never know what you’ll find.

Don’t just rely on this research, though.

Stick to number 10 of my travel photography tips to find those hidden gems.

6 | Learn Some Compositional Techniques

Next up on our travel photography tips list is composition.

So, what is composition?

When related to photography, it means “…arrangement of parts of a picture.”

You need to learn the absolute number 1 rule to fill the frame.

This is probably the most common problem I see.

What are you trying to photograph, and is the other stuff in the frame relevant?

Sometimes, negative space is valuable and aids composition, but it’s usually because the photographer doesn’t know what to do with the subject or what should be in the frame.

There is a ton of information on the internet about compositional techniques, and we’ve compiled a list of the ten best photography composition techniques to help get you started.

In the meantime, here’s a list of some basic techniques to get you started or improve your composition for your travel pictures, with some examples below:

• Rule of thirds
• Leading lines
• Symmetry
• Frame in a Frame
• Pattern
• Texture

7 | The Three C’s

Further to the point above, does it have contrast, is it cute, or is it colourful?

OK, I’ve made this one up, but it’s a surefire winner to get a good picture!

Hit one of these three in your travel pictures, and you win.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be an animal to be cute. It could be a pretty little village or shop front.

Look for colour and contrast, too – we are naturally interested in them, and they help capture our attention.

Contrast also helps us distinguish subjects from one another, so use them to your advantage.

Contrast doesn’t have to be the difference between highlights and shadows.

It can be the contrast of an old building next to a modern one or an old car next to a new car, called ‘juxtaposition’.

8 | Stick Something in the Foreground

#8 of my travel photography tips is my go-to method for adding more interest and depth to my pictures.

Using the correct aperture can help the foreground enhance your photographs.

Consider foreground, middle ground and background every time you take a picture.

Is the foreground interesting, and is the background distracting?

Once you learn to use your camera, you can use its functions to help you.

For example, you could shoot at a wide aperture to help you turn the background blurry to remove tourists or the same aperture to make a bush blurry in the foreground.

Using this technique can help to focus the viewer on your subject.

9 | The Golden and Blue Hours

Consider shooting during the golden and blue hours to enhance your travel photography.

Of course, they aren’t an hour each; they are just given these names.

The golden hour is the time before sunset and after sunrise, when the sun is up, hence golden.

The blue hour is the bit after sunset or before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon.

Golden hour can lead to some gorgeous warm tones, but I prefer the blue hour.

The tones are often a little more unusual, with rich blues, purples and even some pinks and magentas in the sky.

The light is often softer and easier to deal with than that of the sun, which still blasts rays out before it disappears.

Have a play, and don’t forget to wait for a little bit…you never know what you will get.

This one time, at band camp… in Santorini, we watched the sunset at undoubtedly one of the world’s most magical sunset spots.

But that wasn’t the best bit.

The best bit came when the blue hour was in full swing.

The light softened, the colours came alive, and everyone else had disappeared!

10 | Look for the Light

It’s not always possible to shoot when the light is at its best, and we’re often told to avoid the midday sun because it’s direct and harsh.

But if this is your only option, it’s not the end of the world.

You just have to look for the right light.

Direct light that’s been reflected will often provide some soft light.

Even dappled light coming through the trees can provide some nice light.

You just need to learn to look for it.

Look at the shot below.

It was taken in the City of London, where I saw the pool of light there for the taking.

It was reflected into the streets between the towering skyscrapers on a bright, sunny day.

The light didn’t last long but lent itself to a nice shot.

11 | Walk as Much as Possible

You can’t absorb a place on public transport like you can on foot.

Getting around on foot will also help you to get off the beaten track.

And don’t worry about getting a little lost-wander and see what you find.

You might be surprised by some things you find along the way.

I suspect most people have access to Google Maps or Apple Maps, so if you’re concerned you might lose your mobile signal, get lost, or incur expensive roaming charges, consider downloading the area you’re travelling to your device while you’ve got access to WiFi.

You can find out how to do that with Google Maps HERE.

12 | Work Around Your Subject

Find interesting things or places to photograph while you travel, such as a local market—it is full of interesting things.

Once you’ve found something interesting, don’t just take one picture; take a few.

Look for different angles, viewpoints, perspectives, and finer details.

You can tell your story by working around a subject and using different shot sizes.

By this, I don’t mean the actual size of the picture.

In simple terms, I mean shots to establish a scene (establishing shot), followed by medium and close-up shots, where you dig into those finer details.

For more information on shot sizes, click HERE.

The link discusses shot sizes in video production, but the principles can be applied to travel photography.

Take a cafe, for example.

You might want to show the facade to establish where you are.

From there, you might want to show the interior because it’s full of character and gives more information about the cafe than the exterior.

Finally, you might want to photograph your coffee and cake because they look delicious—and that’s what you were there for!

In three shots, you have told a story about a cool corner cafe with a quirky interior that serves the most awesome Victoria sponge cake on the planet.

Get the picture?

Pun intended!

13 | Consider It Record Keeping

One of the best bits about my job is that I get to record where I’ve been, what I’ve done, what I’ve seen and met, and some historic moments along the way.

Treat your travel photography as a form of record-keeping.

What do you want to remember from your trip?

Do you want to remember that delicious cake and coffee you devoured at the town square cafe? Well, photograph it!

Don’t let the keyboard warriors of the internet tell you not to photograph your food.

It’s your journey, not theirs.

This will also help you pay attention to detail.

And what about when you can look back on your travels and see how things have changed, developed, or even sparked a memory you have forgotten?

But…

14 | Know Your Story

Are you taking pictures for your benefit or to share?

What story are you trying to tell with your photos?

Photograph intentionally, not just for the sake of it.

Are you trying to record where you’ve been and what you’ve done, or are you trying to show how amazing a place is and why your friends should visit?

Consider why you are taking pictures while you travel, what you are taking pictures of and where the images will go.

15 | Be Confident

Number 14 of my travel photography tips is to be confident.

Early in my photographic career, I learned that people generally like to engage with a photographer.

The camera is often common ground and an icebreaker to talk about.

Even if you don’t speak the same language, everyone knows what a camera is, what it does and what you want to achieve with a few finger points and gestures.

But have the confidence and respect to approach people and ask them to take their picture – they might even want a copy!

16 | Have a Point of Interest or Add a Human

Don’t just shoot a landscape or a location; look to add something to it to add some extra interest.

Maybe that’s someone standing at the end of a cliff or a house in some trees.

It will add some interest, scale or perhaps context to another landscape.

17 | Revisit the Same Locations

Before I get into this one, I’m going to caveat it!

I realise you might not have a considerable amount of time in a location, but hear me out on why you should use this travel photography tip to get the most out of your photography while you’re on your travels and why a little bit of dedication might lead to better travel photos.

When I worked in London, I shot a project cleverly named ‘Monopoly Project’ (ha!), where I went to photograph every space on the Monopoly board.

From that 12-month project, I learned that I had to visit the same places repeatedly, for numerous reasons, to get what I wanted.

Sometimes, I couldn’t see the shot, there wasn’t anything interesting going on, there was too much going on, or the conditions weren’t right.

I visited one location five times before I got what I wanted, and it was a fleeting moment that came and went in a flash.

So, if you haven’t found what you want, revisit the location, and you may see something new.

If you’re in a city, the best time to get out with your camera and explore the quiet, peaceful streets is before the shops open.

You’ll have the streets to yourself and see a side of the city you might not see.

18 | Learn to Edit

Whether you travel with a laptop or phone, learn to edit the pictures you’ve taken to improve your travel photography.

Most of the time, pictures need minor enhancement to make them pop and bring out the best.

You can take a good picture ‘straight out of the camera’, AND it can be even better if you know how to enhance it.

I’m not talking about sky replacement or photoshopping things in and out—I’m talking about some simple tools to bring your travel pictures to life, like minor colour adjustments, contrast, or even a bit of sharpening.

Suppose you don’t want to lug a laptop when you travel but have a decent smartphone and a camera with Wi-Fi.

In that case, you have some pretty powerful apps, like Photoshop Express or even Instagram’s editing tools.

You can adjust all sorts of things, from cropping to image rotation, to colour adjustment and sharpening, and many other things to stylise your shots.

These apps even have presets that do the work if you don’t fancy doing it yourself.

Much like the technology in your camera, use this technology to your benefit.

19 | Think FLECS

We’re almost at the end of our travel photography tips, so here’s one to summarise things and something you should remember every time you press that shutter release button!

If you haven’t guessed, it’s an acronym for Focus, Lighting, Exposure, Composition and Story.

Is it in focus?

Is the lighting complimentary to the shot?

Is it exposed correctly?

Is it well-composed?

Does it tell the story you are trying to convey?

Couple this acronym with a few other travel photography tips above, and you won’t go far wrong!

20 | Have Fun

If you’ve reached this point, thank you for sticking with me.

Last but certainly not least is to have fun.

If photography isn’t fun, you won’t want to do it.

Travel photography should be fun, not a chore. It should be a way for you to express yourself, explore, and see and connect with the world around you (most of those are reasons why we travel, too, right?!).

You can make travel photography fun in all sorts of ways.

That might be by choosing the subjects you photograph, setting yourself a challenge (like only using your mobile phone or sticking to one lens), practising a new skill or technique you have learned, or even playing around in Photoshop to see what magic you can drum up in the digital art world.

You may also take pleasure in photography by simply snapping away at anything and everything while you travel—the choice is yours!

If you want to keep up with our travels, please subscribe to our mailing list. We won’t spam you; we’ll only contact you with exciting news and new stuff! Enter your email in the box below and hit subscribe!