The Best Travel Photography Tips for Beginners

With new more affordable cameras coming out every year, the world has seen and tremendous increase in amateur photographers producing amazing images. But, how do they do that? Well, I’m going to share a secret with you. It’s quite easy. All you have to do is continue reading to find out the best travel photography tips for beginners. Ach, but don’t be fooled, I’m writing this from the point of view of a travel photographer, because that’s what I currently do. But these tips apply to any form of photography so go ahead, stay with us!
Anyhow, let’s get started with the 3 best travel photography tips for beginners, shall we?

1. The Gear

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need the newest, gnarliest, most expensive camera to get amazing shots. All you have to do is know your camera so well that you can get the best out of it. Whether it’s your phone, a snazzy point-and-shoot or a disposable one, know your tools and you’ll work wonders! If you don’t believe me, look at all those Instagram accounts (and other websites) featuring beautiful phone photography, like EyeEm.

But if you decide to go for a DSLR, go to a store next to you and try them, see which suits you. How they fit in your hand. It may seem silly but if you aren’t comfortable holding your camera, you’ll probably won’t. Also, if you can, get a tripod or monopod. You can get quite decent ones rather inexpensive and it will save you some headaches when, for example, trying to capture that beautiful sunset and you need a steady surface for the long exposure. I’ll tell you more about my gear and maybe settings next time if that’s something you’d like to know.

2. The Money Shot

BEFORE

Do your homework. Do some research before you head out to your desired location. Much like you’d do when organising a trip, you should check the internet, guide books, ask in forums and Facebook groups for tips on best locations. Search for the best times to shoot. Specially if you are photographing touristy places. You’ll want to know when will you have a chance at photobomber-free images (pro-tip: it usually requires waking up at ungodly hours of the morning/night, but I swear it’s all worth it!).

DURING

Once you’re at the location of your dreams, don’t just take a couple straight shots. Play around, go up, get down, come close, open up, play with angles, lights and shadows, just have fun! But please, please, please, be polite to other photographers that may be there too. Oh and one of the very best travel photography tips for beginners out there, don’t forget to shoot RAW if you can. It’ll be a bigger file but you’ll be glad you did when post-processing time comes.

AFTER

There is plenty of free and premium software out there for the post processing and retouching of your beautiful shots both on the go or in peace at your Desktop. From PicMonkey to Pixlr, Snapseed, VSCO, Lightroom and Photoshop, to name a few. Whichever you choose, play around until you find your style.
I love Lightroom, and I can use it both on my Desktop/Laptop and on my phone. As for my images, i adore color-rich images with loads of detail. To achieve that look, I lower the contrast, than kill the shadows and highlights slightly to bring back detail, then add a slight curve to bring selective contrast in, et voila!

3. Have Fun

And last but not least, the mother of all best travel photography tips for beginners. The mighty, they omnipresent, the glorious…HAVE FUN! Fun is a very important aspect of photography. Without emotions images are just plain. However, if you’re enjoying yourself, the image takes a different angle. If you’re having fun you’ll be more likely to experiment, play around, thus capturing unique moments from your exceptional point of view. And, is there anything better than that?

So with the above tips in mind, go explore, go follow Wanderwings on Instagram for regular stunning shots and a very nice community, tag on Instagram your photos with #wanderphotowings for features, and practice practice practice. Oh, and if you find yourself in Rotterdam (Netherlands), go check these Instagrammable spots!

Discussion point: What is the funniest/craziest thing you’ve ever done to get that perfect shot you wanted? Go! Let’s have a chat in the comments section.