When we asked for feedback on the blog we got a lot of comments that we showcase great photos, and one reader even asked if we could share tips on how to take better travel photos. At first we thought "we can't do that, we're not photographers". Then we thought again and realised that we've probably learnt a lot over the years and might still have some tips to share.
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ShareSo here are our personal tips, based entirely on our own personal experience. There will be no advice on shutter speeds and settings, but some thoughts and ideas on how you can easily get better looking photos with better and more fun subjects. Feel free to share your best tips!
Table of contents
1. Get a good camera
A good camera is far from everything, but it helps. Today's mobile phone cameras are relatively good and many of our tips can be applied to a mobile phone camera. If you want to take really good pictures, and have a few more options, it's worth investing in a system camera.
2. Go close
Don't be afraid to get close! Sometimes a sky, a beach or a crowd of people is an important part of the composition, and these areas should of course take up space in the picture. Other times, the focus is on a person, an animal or a gadget, and in these cases you often gain by getting closer and avoiding a lot of "unnecessary" surroundings around the subject. Sometimes you can even cut a piece of the person's face to really get into the picture.
3. make sure there are things happening in the image
Many photos can be technically excellent, but still become boring. This is easy to happen, for example, when photographing landscapes and nature. Often this is because it is not hands something in the image. Always look for something that makes the image exciting. Sometimes it can be something quite small, like a flower in the foreground that has lost a few leaves or a bird looking out over the sea.
Other times it can be fun to take pictures where lots of things are happening at once: trams opening their doors to new passengers, mops trying to get between stationary cars and people carrying shopping bags. Another thing to keep in mind is that pictures are often more interesting when the subject is not right in the centre, but slightly to the right or left of the frame.
4. Keep track of the background
Often you have a main subject for the photo, but it's also important to know what's in the background. Sometimes you want the background to be as clean as possible. Other times, it can be fun with life and movement, and sometimes you manage to include an extra fun detail. Above all, it can be good to make sure that people in the background don't lose a head or just show their nose in the picture.
5. capturing everyday life and mishaps
When you're travelling, you want to take pictures of the beautiful beach, the sunset and the charming boats in the harbour, which is great! But it can also be fun to document the more mundane, or the things that don't go as planned. Don't forget to take photos when you have to spend the night at an airport because of delays, when the kids are playing cards in the hotel room, or when your car breaks down and you have to wait for a tow truck.
6. Join in yourself - sometimes
Is it fun to just take selfies while travelling? No, of course not. But it can also be boring and impersonal if you never see the "main characters" in pictures. Don't just take photos in front of the Eiffel Tower and the pyramids, but take photos of each other when you're travelling. do something. Occasionally, it may be worth using the selfie stick or asking someone else to take a picture of you together.
7. Avoid the 'classics' - be creative instead
The first time someone wrote "he trembles like an aspen leaf" it was creative and neat. Every time someone repeats it, it's a boring and poor imitation. It's exactly the same with photos! Feet in the sunbed in front of the sea may have been fun once, but not anymore. It just feels like you've seen the picture before.
The worst thing right now is what's on so many travel blogs, namely girls from behind in hats dreamily looking out over a beach/forest/city. This was certainly creative and innovative once upon a time, but now it's just ... tiring. The tip is to come up with anything, as long as you don't do exactly the same as everyone else.
8. When shooting views - include a foreground
You've probably been there. You go up to a vantage point, get a great view and take lots of photos, which are then ... super boring. Views are beautiful in real life, but are often flat, boring and uninteresting in photos. Try to include something in the foreground, such as a tree branch or a cat, to add depth and dimension to the image.
9. try a different angle
A different angle can sometimes do wonders for a photo. Many times it can be effective to put the camera at the same height as the subject, i.e. to take a picture of the flower from the front instead of from above. It may also be worth trying to photograph your subject from the side, at an angle, or focusing on some small detail in the big picture.
10. Avoid lightning - even in the dark
Flash photography often produces a "cold" light and it is easy for people to get red eyes. Our tip is to take photos without a flash, even in the evening when it's a bit dark. A good camera will be able to capture the available light and the images will have much warmer and more beautiful colours.
The challenge is to avoid blurring, which is easy to do. You have to hold the camera really still, or use a tripod, and take lots of pictures. If someone or something moves in any of the pictures, it will be blurred, so it's good to have a lot of pictures to choose from.
11. Photographing food with a macro lens
We think food is an important part of travelling, so we like to document some of the dishes we eat. However, a boring steak and chips is pretty boring to look at, no matter how good the photo is.
One tip is to only take photos of food that stands out in some way - by being exotic, differently composed or perhaps extra nicely presented. We've also noticed that our food photos look best when Peter uses his macro lens.
12. Edit quickly and easily
Editing the images slightly can improve the quality a lot, but you don't need expensive software or advanced skills. We edit in the programmes that are included in the basic version of the computer.
I (having a PC) open my pictures with "Microsoft Office". There you can reduce or increase brightness, reduce or increase contrast and reduce or increase saturation. That goes a long way!
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Ditte says:
Thanks for the good and useful tips. And yes, it is good to have a good camera and maybe sometimes more than one because they can have such different characteristics. Zooming with a mobile phone can be tricky because the optical zoom is not enough. But it's handy because your mobile phone is usually with you.
A system camera is great and now they are also available in smaller formats and are not so heavy to carry. Development is progressing rapidly.
19 December 2016 - 6:37
Henny says:
Thanks for the great tips and for the presentation of the new 360. I was very curious about it and searched for more facts online. But I couldn't find any price information. Do you want to reveal what you paid?
19 December 2016 - 7:16
Solan says:
Yes, excellent tips. Freedoms Photo School is perhaps another branch that can grow on the blog. It is important to see the picture before you snap it and you can do that. So yes, you are "real" photographers... 🙂.
19 December 2016 - 7:21
admin says:
Ditte, I agree that zooming with a mobile phone camera is less effective, and it's also difficult to take photos in the dark with a mobile phone camera. Of course, different cameras have different functions. We sometimes choose mine and sometimes Peter's depending on the situation.
Henny, glad you were curious! 🙂 Nikon's Key Mission 360 costs 4900 SEK. Then there is also a similar camera from Samsung (Gear 360) which costs SEK 3500.
Solan, oh thank you for the nice praise! 🙂 Yes, it's all about seeing the picture before snapping. You simply get better with practice - and by looking at other people's photos!
19 December 2016 - 7:24
Lennart says:
As an amateur, I make do with my mobile phone.
19 December 2016 - 7:35
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Great useful tips. We are a bit of photo nerds ourselves when we are travelling and in addition to the system camera and phone, we always carry a small pocket camera. We have a Canon PowerShot G7 X that we are incredibly fond of.
Then it's just that practice makes perfect. Sometimes you almost have to take out the shame pill when you look at your older photos.
Another tip is to do something with your photos. You make good use of yours on the blog. We like to make slide shows in the ProShow Gold programme where you can mix still images (which you can pan for more life) and small film clips. Then we put on music (preferably purchased in the destinations) and then you can just sit back on the TV couch and reminisce, or share memories with your travelling companions. Photo books are also an option for those of us who don't blog. After all, it's not as much fun to sit in front of the computer and look through 1000s of pictures...
19 December 2016 - 7:54
LinizTravel says:
What great tips!!!! Thanks! hugs
19 December 2016 - 8:04
admin says:
Lennart, system cameras are definitely for amateurs too, I think, but of course it is a choice based on interest and priorities. A mobile phone camera works great many times, even if the zoom is worse and it is more difficult to take pictures in the dark.
Britt-Marie, practice makes perfect. We really recognise that old pictures are bad compared to how we take pictures today...! Good reflection also about what to use the pictures for! As I said, we have the blog, Before we had a digital photo frame so that the pictures were spinning around in the kitchen. Films and photo books are also good ideas!
Liniztravel, glad you enjoyed them!
19 December 2016 - 8:33
Marina says:
Many good tips there. I have a "real" Nikon that always follows me on trips, otherwise I have used a small Canon "in pocket format" but now it is often only the mobile phone that applies "in everyday life". I have very few (almost none at all) pictures with famous faces on the blog and it was such an idea I got from the beginning and so it has remained. But I really like taking photos and there have been a number of photo books over the years and that's where all the "famous people" are 😉.
19 December 2016 - 9:17
nils-åke says:
A bit like I think
If you have a moving subject, follow the camera as you shoot. Sharp subject blurred background.
If you can turn the flash up or sideways so it reflects off another surface, that's great.
Use a tripod and self-timer
Use a telephoto lens to get close. The portrait goes close with the camera.
A Large aperture creates a Short depth of field Blurred background
A Small aperture creates a Long depth of field, the background sharp
On the camera a Low number gives a Large aperture
On the camera a High number gives a Small aperture
19 December 2016 - 9:58
Goatfish says:
Thanks for the great tips, and you're both really talented and resourceful photographers! 😀
I already follow some of your tips, and that is to make the image lively with people/animals and to sometimes have something in the foreground. And to take wild chances sometimes. And without flash.
There are several cameras on the shelf collecting dust, because I have become lazy and only use my mobile phone 😀.
19 December 2016 - 10:51
Fantasy dining says:
Great tips that you actually understand too 😉.
19 December 2016 - 11:14
Berit 'desires' says:
Yes, very good tips! I recognise some of them - which I also use! Since I started my blog, I just get more and more interested in photography! The sad thing for me is that one.com converts the images to be much worse than the original when I post them???
So I have to TRY to get really good original photos before I post them on my blog..... Frustrating and very annoying! I have pointed this out several times, they say they are aware of it, but have no intention of changing this??? So I must continue to change super good original photos so that they are suitable for posting on my blog - Absolutely sick and means a lot of extra work! ?
19 December 2016 - 11:29
Mr Lars Permelin says:
Thanks for the great tips. I also like to shoot with a system camera. It's not like shooting with a phone, it's just an image that works in certain situations.
19 December 2016 - 11:57
admin says:
Marina, what you post online and what you don't is of course up to you (and in cases where you post close-ups of others, it is often advisable to ask first).
Nils-Åke, so many good and wise tips! And a little more technical than what we know 😉.
Geddfish, taking chances can be a great idea sometimes 😉 The mobile phone can work many times and is of course easy to carry. But for example in the dark and if you want to zoom, it will not be the same with a mobile phone camera ...
Fantasy Dining, how great! We don't know much technically about the camera, so the tips we can give are probably quite practical and "easy to understand" 😉.
Berit, but how strange (and sad!) that one.com makes the images worse...!!!! We also have one.com as a web host, but we have downloaded WordPress on the site - maybe it will be different? In any case, we haven't noticed anything... How do they make the images worse? Do you mean that you have to reduce their pixel size or do you mean something else?
Lars, when you get used to the system camera, the mobile phone camera feels a bit inadequate, but in some situations it can work very well.
19 December 2016 - 15:58
BP says:
That post contained probably the best photo tips I've ever read. Not a single technical explanation in sight. Thank you for that. The depth of field stuff is a total waste as far as I'm concerned, as I barely understand all those terms, let alone can/will apply them, because then the subject has probably disappeared long ago.
Totally agree with you on everything and actually try to live as you teach:-)
I very rarely take pictures with my mobile phone, but I don't have a system camera either, but a relatively new Sony pocket camera that I use "automatically". Then my little Sonny is so smart that he also automatically sets himself to "macro" if I get close to a subject. A foolproof little camera that I always have with me.
The very idea of carrying a system camera is something I don't like. But if I had a blog like yours, I would probably change my mind of course. In my everyday blog, the image quality is not the main thing, which is probably lucky;)
19 December 2016 - 16:51
Veiken says:
Great! THANK YOU! It is important to think a little. Tips from other bloggers are great! I will read through the points a number of times and learn some things! Photo hug
19 December 2016 - 17:05
Berit 'desires' says:
Yes - it must be because you use WordPress - absolutely!
..... that's like the ONLY advice the technicians give me when I've pointed out how bad the photos are - that I'll have to switch to WordPress instead!
When I pick up a photo and look at it in its original format, it's super sharp, BUT if I then post it as it is - the blog suddenly becomes blurred, poor contrast, more blurry!
Then I have to go back and change all the photos (pixels, contrast, sharpness, light,) Yes, basically EVERYTHING I have to deteriorate - in Photoshop!
I have to change the images in PS, so that I think they are WORSE when I see the end result of my changes. They have to be made TOO sharp, TOO much contrast, etc.
- just to make them look like the original photos when they are posted on the blog!
One.com themselves have realised this when I sent them examples, but they will not change their old system yet!
Personally, I think this happens because their system automatically converts the images incorrectly, making them ugly!!!
I have many times regretted my choice of One.com as blog host and blog tool! But unfortunately, I do not dare to change to WordPress at the moment - because I am afraid that all my 1000s of posts/replies/comments will disappear - because there is no guarantee that the links etc end up in the same "places" as before!
Sorry for my long comment!
19 December 2016 - 17:57
admin says:
BP, how happy I am when you write like that! I'm really bad at technical camera skills myself ... That's why I first thought that I might not be the right person to write a post like this, but then I realised that we've actually learned a lot over the years about how to think to get better and more fun pictures. Your pocket camera sounds handy, and I can understand that it is practical to carry around! Certainly much better quality pictures than a mobile phone camera!
Veiken, glad you liked our tips! Of course you can learn from each other and share different tips and ideas!
Berit, but oh how hard it sounds!!! NOT fun to put in a lot of work on that ...! Completely incomprehensible that it should be so! Sad that they do not want to do anything about it ... We have one.com only as a web host and then it works well. Then you simply download WordPress on your one.com site. It used to be complicated, but today it's just one click. Spontaneously, I would think it would be better for you to switch to WordPress, but at the same time I understand your concerns. I myself do not know at all how to do when moving over. So it would be if the support team helps then? But you can never be sure that there are no small errors ...
19 December 2016 - 18:35
Mr Steve says:
I have a small Canon that I can manoeuvre with one hand. It has its limitations, of course, but I am happy to be able to take pictures at all.
If I want to see beautiful and professional pictures, I can easily "look in" on you.
19 December 2016 - 18:59
Catherine says:
So, great tips, I say, as a photographer anyway. Simple and concrete things most people can take to you. Going in close needs to be practised 🙂
19 December 2016 - 19:12
Johan Persson says:
Thanks for very good tips :)
19 December 2016 - 19:20
Matts Torebring says:
All the right tips. I can use my mobile phone camera on occasion. But I don't like it. I don't have Photoshop, instead I have Lightroom. It works well, but I miss making montages of pictures sometimes.
I ask Birgitta to take cards when we drive. I usually say to her, "you just take a card". I want to build a story with a photo. I was in a photography club for a couple of years. It was mostly mutual admiration, and nobody wanted to share. I got bored!
19 December 2016 - 19:45
gun says:
Thanks for the great tips you share with us. Will bring out Nikon a little more than what is done right now. Have mostly used the mobile phone.
Merry Christmas.
gun
19 December 2016 - 20:03
s p i n d e l t j e j e n says:
Great tips 🙂 It's not all about having the right ISO, light sensitivity or light compensation 🙂 The subject is actually the most important! 🙂
19 December 2016 - 22:17
Marianne - Glimpses of the world says:
Many nice tips, and nice pictures that illustrate what you mean 🙂 The choice of subject is just as important as the settings on the camera - it doesn't help much to set it up correctly if you choose a messy subject with a wire, half a head and a crooked horizon in the picture.
19 December 2016 - 22:45
admin says:
Steve, it's perfect that you've found a camera that can be operated with one hand. I can imagine that it is convenient that it is not too big then!
Katarina, how happy I am that you like our tips! I understand that there are a lot of technical things that you can get good at too, but someone else can give you tips on that 😉.
Johan, glad you like our tips!
Matts, mutual admiration can be a rather tiresome phenomenon... And not sharing, I don't believe in that! I understand that you got bored.
Gun, why not? Wishing you a nice Christmas too!
The spider girl, at least that's a big part of it, and thinking about the subject gets you pretty far, even if you don't know all the technicalities.
Marianne, of course it is! The best is of course if you are good both at the technical side and at finding the right motif 😉.
19 December 2016 - 22:50
Beppan says:
Good advice for photo enthusiasts! It takes a lot to get good pictures. The camera is part of it. I have sometimes been told that I take good pictures because my camera is good. Hmm........
20 December 2016 - 9:45
Lots of other stuff and some concrete says:
Great photo tips! Thank you!
Greetings Agneta
20 December 2016 - 21:43
åsa in åsele says:
Thanks for the great tips 🙂 I will definitely take it to heart and think about it.
21 December 2016 - 7:38
admin says:
Beppan, the idea that you take good pictures because the camera is good is pretty boring. Of course it helps to have a good camera, but if you don't know how to capture the subject, you won't get good pictures no matter how good the camera is ...
Agneta, glad you appreciated the tips!
21 December 2016 - 7:39
Anki says:
Thank you for a lot of great tips! Nice to avoid technical details because I do not understand them well. I have a fairly simple camera with a fixed lens - not so heavy to carry around and that's good 🙂.
21 December 2016 - 9:22
Me and my fleas says:
Thanks for all the great tips! Going on our first long trip with children in just over a month and there will probably be a lot of pictures. Have not photographed so much in recent years so feel a little rusty, good with some tips. And yes, those feet in the sand, they're really tired of 🙂 .
26 December 2016 - 21:17
Amanda Jona [SPONTANEOUS] says:
Oh what a lovely post, great tips! 😀
20 April 2017 - 7:20