Do you love to travel?  Of course and when you do, I bet you have at lease one camera with you, whether it’s a smart phone, a high-end DSLR or mirrorless camera with at least one lens or something in-between.  You bring your camera so that you can capture the memories of the places you visited and experiences you had.  And with a little bit of advanced preparation and thought, you can bring back pictures that are even more memorable and that enable you to relive some of those fond moments.

Where are many tips that can be given about travel photography.  Here are five that I think you will find very useful.

1. Be Prepared

Advanced preparation can dramatically enrich your travel experience,  And this can lead to more meaningful photographs because you have a better idea of what you will encounter and what to look for.

Often a big trip is a powerful excuse to convince your partner you need a new camera.   But don’t make the mistake of dashing out a week before you depart to buy it.  Rather, purchase it at least a month in advance, preferably two, so you have time to become familiar with it.  Learn its features and how to use them to improve the quality of your pictures.  Practice so that they start to become second nature.  Even if you already have a camera you’re familiar with, purchasing a new one, even one of the same brand, is often different enough that the things you normally do with your old camera have changed in the new one. You don’t want to be fumbling around with camera settings as a fleeting moment passes you by.

Another good thing to do before you leave is to read up on the areas you’ll be visiting.  Get a sense of the history and culture.  Become familiar with the architecture.  Look at photographs.  Discover events that may be going on while you’re there.  The more you know about your destination the more you will see and experience.

By all means, take selfies in your favorite places but don’t stop there.  Take city tours to get an overview of a city but then go off the beaten tourist path to see the people as they really live.  Eat in restaurants that cater to locals.  Maps can be a great help in preparing for a more wanderlust adventure.

Another good idea is to keep a travel journal.  Jot down the places you visit, dates and times and the impressions you have. This can be a big help when you’er going through your photographs after you return home.

Continue reading “5 Tips to Bring Home Great Travel Memories”

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