Tips on taking
travel photos
like a pro

Photographing people

Know the wisdom of these photo tips: Tell a story. Have a sense of place. Know when to take full body and close-up shots. Focus on the eyes. Rotate the camera.

Composing your shots

Keep these photo tips in mind: Fill the frame, eliminate visual distractions before you click, see what the camera sees and not what you visualize, attempt to keep lines horizontally and vertically oriented, and don't always center your subject.

Photo flash

Be aware of fluorescent light discolorization, the dire effect of flash on batteries, the issues of photographing in museums, and how compact and SLR camera flash differ.

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Without flash

Practice taking flashless pictures indoors. For instance, try it when your subject is looking out a  window during the day. You may be surprised with the artistic results.

Other photo situations

Learn the photo tips on how to deal with problems that occur in the rain, on an airplane, through a glass pane, at sports events, and at night. Animals and close-ups also pose difficulties.

Plus more photo tips ...

See my complete list of my photo-taking tip pages in the left column and near the bottom of these page. Their clickable.

Photo tips on buying
camera equipment

Camera features

Don't be fixated with megapixels. Once a camera reaches 6 megapixels, the following factors are more critical to most camera buyers: component quality, LCD size & quality, scene modes, shutter lag, and image stabilization.

Batteries

Most camera owners are unaware that idle batteries discharge, that they can leak if they are stored too long in a camera, or that overcharging a battery or recharging it when its not fully discharged can decrease its effective lifespan.

Memory

It's more vulnerable than you may think. For example, you take a risk if you share your memory card or stick with a friend.

Lenses

Invest the time to become familiar with zoom vs. fixed-length, zoom configurations, and when to use certain lenses.

And don't forget
this important photo tip

People

Composing

Flash

Using no flash

Landscapes

Other situations

After your trip

SLR or compact?

Lens

Battery

Features

Tripod

Other accessories