by Brad Mauer

Created on: April 16, 2009   Last Updated: April 17, 2009

Getting Better Vacation Photographs

The best way to start improving your vacation snapshots is do your research. Look in travel magazines and find photographs that are pleasing to your eye, this is not for copying just to give you an idea of what you like so you can add your own twist to it. Clip out photographs you enjoy and make a scrap book to study. This should be started immediately and continue to practice to improve for future vacations.

Now if you are going on vacation to a tourist location with monuments, of course you will want pictures of these. The key is to get the photograph no one else has gotten; make it unique - every one has the head on shot of Niagara Falls, but what can you do to put your own twist on it, different angles, or time of day? Try to get a feel for areas at different parts of the day with different lighting schemes. Capture the photographs no one else are going after, don't just stick to the monuments; there are plenty of interesting things in foreign areas. Add people to your photographs for a sense of depth, and size.

Remember to always leave anything out of a photo that takes away from the subject. If you have something in the frame and it makes your eye move to it instead of looking where it needs to, you have taken away the beauty of the photograph. Fill the frame you don't want this itsy bitsy thing in the center of the photograph and boring bland all around it that makes for a boring snapshot. Use the rule of thirds, split the frame up in third sections vertically and horizontally. now place your subject on any of these imaginary lines or at one of the points the lines intersect, not in the center of the frame. Try framing the picture with natural surroundings, are there some interesting plants or trees around your subject if so put them on the very edges of the frame to give natural framing to your subject. Pay attention to lighting this is key to photography, because essentially photography is painting with light so if you are just snapping away and not worrying about the light entering your frame you may ruin the shot.

Most importanly enjoy yourself. If you are not having fun, it will show through in your pictures. Try to capture the essence of the mood, essentialy these pictures are to remind you of a fun time in the past and to show family and friends the great experiance you had. Capture this fun to show them and yourself you may never get this experiance again.

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