Traveling requires funding and a lot of planning, which is why every traveler is blessed with the opportunity to explore the world one place at a time. Taking photos is a must-do for every traveler, and if you want to share your experiences with everyone, you'd better take a lot of them.
Photos are a visual way to tell stories of the moment you step out of your comfort zone and decide to see what the rest of the world can offer. In fact, travel photography is much better at telling stories than telling the story yourself. Pictures stimulate the mind and imagination better than spoken words (a picture is worth a thousand words, right?). That's why it's important that you take better travel photos.
To share your stories interestingly and effectively with other people, you have to be precise and avoid taking photos solely for the sake of remembrance. If you're planning to create travel photo books that can last a lifetime, here are some ways to make sure your travel stories get through your photos:
1. Envision Your Story
Before you start taking photos, think of a theme that will suit the culture of the place you're going to visit. From there, list iconic places any tourist shouldn't miss: historical buildings, iconic landmarks, must-try exotic local cuisines, and many more.
Planning can clear your head from having too many ideas and getting overwhelmed. It can help you in organizing and making your travel photography smooth sailing without going away from your desired theme.
2. Get Posey
Of course, you're essentially a tourist and you're entitled to act like one. It's okay to pose with a subject or set up a tripod and snap a photo with a breathtaking view as your background. It's part of your travels and should always highlight every story because you're finally visiting a place you previously see only through its photos on the internet.
It will show how much happiness traveling can bring you and eventually, encourage your viewers to take a leap of faith and discover the world with their very own eyes.
3. Go Candid
Candid photos are honest photos of subjects who don't normally smile, pose, or project for the camera. Undirected photos show activities and reveal the underlying stories of every subject, which gives the viewer the gist of the way of life in that certain place.
What's great about photos is that they unravel the true emotions of a person, especially if they're taken candidly. The next time you travel, make sure to take photos of people doing their daily routine.
While this is perfect for portrait photography, you can also capture the story of a place by snapping iconic monuments or the unique views that only the place or country can offer.
4. Capture Every Detail
Every single detail is important and necessary when telling a story. Even the simplest things like riding trains and buying tickets play a big role in your travel narrative. Make sure to cover everything from the moment you step outside of your house until to your flight home.
5. Accept Technical Imperfections
Yes, the spontaneous taking of photos can result in overexposed and blurry pictures. But that's okay! Don't delete them because certain precious moments happen rarely, and you might not take a photo of them again. Besides, you can always enhance low-quality photos using a photo editing software.
You can also try shooting in black and white, as it helps develop your photographic eye for good lighting and composition as well as highlights your subject's emotions without the distraction of colors. Also, black-and-white photos look timeless and classic!
You don't have to always abide by travel photography rules and compositions. As long as it's your own style, do it!
Telling the story of your trips through photos is not hard if you just know exactly what message you want to convey to your audience. With a clear mind and organized way of taking photographs, you'll definitely have no problem in sharing your experiences with people.
About aweekatthebeach
Travel Blog sharing tips and stories from around the world.
