The A to Z of Travel Photography
Whether you’re off to an exotic destination or visiting a new place closer to home, our guide will set you on the right track for brilliant pictures.
A is for Aperture
Aperture Priority is the king of exposure modes for travel shots. It’s a semi-automatic mode where you choose the aperture value to control how deep the zone of sharp focus is within the shot, and the camera sets the shutter speed to give a good exposure.
Large apertures like f/2.8 or f/4 will give a shallow zone of sharpness around the point of focus, whereas small apertures like f/16 or f/22 will give a deep band of sharp focus that extends right through the frame. By setting A or Av on your main mode dial, you’ll enable Aperture Priority mode, and will be all set to control the depth of field in your shots.
The beauty of Aperture Priority is that the exposure settings will always allow you to take a well-exposed shot. In bright conditions, you’ll be able to use large or small apertures at will; but take care when light levels are dim, as smaller apertures require longer shutter speeds to capture a well-exposed scene. This means you’ll need extra support to stop your camera from moving, such as a solid object to rest it on – or, even better, a tripod.
B is for Backpack
Carrying your photo kit and any other essentials you need through the day is an art in itself. A backpack spreads the weight over both shoulders to make heavier loads more comfortable, and it allows you to organize your photo and non-photo gear into different compartments so everything is easy to find. Many backpacks are designed to stay within cabin baggage dimensions, so you can keep your essentials with you.
While packing, assume your hold baggage could get lost, and carry the stuff you really need in your backpack. That’s your camera kit, travel docs, toiletries, spare underwear and a waterproof jacket. You can survive on that for a week!
The colour wheel is well-known to designers, but is seldom something photographers consider. But the knowledge of which colours oppose each other is of tremendous value when composing images, as it tells you which hues will provide maximum contrast in colour terms. In essence, there are three primary colours (red, green and blue) and three secondary colours (cyan, magenta and yellow) that do not contain a primary colour in their make-up. Red and cyan are complementary colours as they oppose each other; the same goes for green/ magenta and blue/yellow. By looking out for scenes that contain these colour combinations, you’ll achieve maximum colour contrast in the image, and can achieve striking shots that will impress your viewer.
D is for Details Faced with a destination you’ve never visited before, it’s all too easy to start snapping away like a tourist, recording the well-known landmarks in an unconsidered way. This is a natural reaction when you’re faced with a new set of visual stimuli, but often leads to predictable eye-level snaps of sights that have been shot many thousands of times before. To break out of ‘tourist’ mode, you need to think like a photographer, and consider what you want your pictures to ‘say’. Look for approaches and angles that reveal local customs and flavours, and that take your shots away from the ‘autopilot’ shots everyone else captures. Look for details of everyday life that reveal how the locals interact with their environment. There are always new ways to shoot famous places, and by seeking them out, you’ll be thinking visually rather than responding to the same immediate thrills as everyone else.
Sylvia Kania / Shutterstock
e is for Extension lead With cameras, smartphones, laptops and tablets, modern life for today’s photographer is entangled in a sea of chargers – and with different socket types throughout the world, you can spend a small fortune on mains adapters. To save on costs, cut down on fiddly gadgets and keep life simple, buy a good-quality world adapter that’ll convert anything to anything, and take a humble four-gang extension lead. When you get to your destination, stick the adapter on the four-gang plug, and you’ll have four sockets at your disposal, all of which will fit your gear. If you’re staying in a hotel where you place your card key in a slot to power the room, use any old card of the same size and shape to keep the mains on. That way, you can still charge things up when you leave the room.
A is for Aperture
Aperture Priority is the king of exposure modes for travel shots. It’s a semi-automatic mode where you choose the aperture value to control how deep the zone of sharp focus is within the shot, and the camera sets the shutter speed to give a good exposure.
Large apertures like f/2.8 or f/4 will give a shallow zone of sharpness around the point of focus, whereas small apertures like f/16 or f/22 will give a deep band of sharp focus that extends right through the frame. By setting A or Av on your main mode dial, you’ll enable Aperture Priority mode, and will be all set to control the depth of field in your shots.
The beauty of Aperture Priority is that the exposure settings will always allow you to take a well-exposed shot. In bright conditions, you’ll be able to use large or small apertures at will; but take care when light levels are dim, as smaller apertures require longer shutter speeds to capture a well-exposed scene. This means you’ll need extra support to stop your camera from moving, such as a solid object to rest it on – or, even better, a tripod.
B is for Backpack
Carrying your photo kit and any other essentials you need through the day is an art in itself. A backpack spreads the weight over both shoulders to make heavier loads more comfortable, and it allows you to organize your photo and non-photo gear into different compartments so everything is easy to find. Many backpacks are designed to stay within cabin baggage dimensions, so you can keep your essentials with you.
While packing, assume your hold baggage could get lost, and carry the stuff you really need in your backpack. That’s your camera kit, travel docs, toiletries, spare underwear and a waterproof jacket. You can survive on that for a week!
The colour wheel is well-known to designers, but is seldom something photographers consider. But the knowledge of which colours oppose each other is of tremendous value when composing images, as it tells you which hues will provide maximum contrast in colour terms. In essence, there are three primary colours (red, green and blue) and three secondary colours (cyan, magenta and yellow) that do not contain a primary colour in their make-up. Red and cyan are complementary colours as they oppose each other; the same goes for green/ magenta and blue/yellow. By looking out for scenes that contain these colour combinations, you’ll achieve maximum colour contrast in the image, and can achieve striking shots that will impress your viewer.
D is for Details Faced with a destination you’ve never visited before, it’s all too easy to start snapping away like a tourist, recording the well-known landmarks in an unconsidered way. This is a natural reaction when you’re faced with a new set of visual stimuli, but often leads to predictable eye-level snaps of sights that have been shot many thousands of times before. To break out of ‘tourist’ mode, you need to think like a photographer, and consider what you want your pictures to ‘say’. Look for approaches and angles that reveal local customs and flavours, and that take your shots away from the ‘autopilot’ shots everyone else captures. Look for details of everyday life that reveal how the locals interact with their environment. There are always new ways to shoot famous places, and by seeking them out, you’ll be thinking visually rather than responding to the same immediate thrills as everyone else.
Sylvia Kania / Shutterstock
e is for Extension lead With cameras, smartphones, laptops and tablets, modern life for today’s photographer is entangled in a sea of chargers – and with different socket types throughout the world, you can spend a small fortune on mains adapters. To save on costs, cut down on fiddly gadgets and keep life simple, buy a good-quality world adapter that’ll convert anything to anything, and take a humble four-gang extension lead. When you get to your destination, stick the adapter on the four-gang plug, and you’ll have four sockets at your disposal, all of which will fit your gear. If you’re staying in a hotel where you place your card key in a slot to power the room, use any old card of the same size and shape to keep the mains on. That way, you can still charge things up when you leave the room.
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