If you are passionate about photography, then you probably know that you need a new place, subject or object to photograph from time to time. Traveling is an amazing opportunity to take breathtaking photographs. Unfortunately, most tourists don’t know how to benefit from the lightning, the people on the streets, and the beautiful landscapes.
In this article, we are going to show you how to avoid travel photography clichés. Of course, for this, you are going to need a good portable camera. If you want to choose the best one for you, you should check out a camera review website.
As a recommendation, you should go through a review of the Nikon Coolpix to see if it could be the right camera for you. It has great image quality and comes with 28x lenses. This offers you a focal range of 22.5-630mm. This camera is also a good choice for beginners because it is easy to use, and it has a basic menu. So, if you are looking for a good camera for getting started in travel photography, this device is a good option considering its many features and affordable price.
Now, let’s talk more about travel photography clichés. Even though you think that there are not many mistakes when it comes to travel photography, you are mistaken. First of all, there are a great number of travel photography clichés most tourists make. We are going to show some of the biggest clichés and how to avoid them. Also, we are going to give you some tips that are going to help you take the best picture on your next vacation.
Travel Photography – What to avoid
First of all, let’s start with some of the most common mistakes people make when taking photos while traveling. We recommend that you don’t go as a tourist if you want to take photos. When you are a simple tourist, you won’t have the time to take amazing photos. This is why you need to go as a travel photographer to have more time to focus on the photos.
Also, when you go as a travel photographer you are going to visit some of the most interesting monuments and museums, but you are going to focus more on the pictures and then on the pieces of art. This is why, when you want to take a vacation but also shoot some amazing photos, you need to plan ahead. Take 2 or 3 days for travel photography and spend the rest of the holiday as you wish. This way, you are going to have time for everything and you will avoid photography clichés.
Now, let’s look at some photography clichés. You probably know those pictures with people trying to stabilize the Pisa Tower. While these pictures might look funny, everybody does them. This is why these pictures are considered clichés. Also, you are going to capture a lot of people doing the same thing from different angles, which is going to ruin the picture even more.
When you are looking at this picture, probably a hundred other pictures like this one come to your mind. This is why you need to try and avoid this type of cliché. If another person takes the picture you want to take, think of a different way to shoot the picture.
The next cliché has a different tower, but the same story. Let’s talk about the Eiffel Tower. What a masterpiece! Despite this fact, most of the pictures taken at the Eiffel Tower are clichés. Also, because there are a lot of tourists, the picture is full of people and the tower doesn’t even stand out from the sea of people.
And please, don’t hold the Eiffel Tower. This is one of the most common clichés and the pictures don’t even focus on the tower, they focus on your hand. This is just one of the most common clichés when it comes to the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them. Try to avoid all of them by finding a time of day when the Tower can’t receive visitors.
Apparently, most of the travel photography clichés include people holding different art pieces. This cliché applies to the Statue of Liberty as well. Most people try to hold the Statue as if it is a torch. Also, they don’t use the right angles and the Statue is not the main focus of the picture. If you want to avoid this problem, don’t take pictures from the same angle as the rest of the tourists do.
Don’t take a picture inside one of the cabins of the London Eye. It is not going to look great and you are not going to capture anything but a group photo or a portrait. For a simple reminder, this photo is good enough, but if you want a great image take photos from the cabin or focus on details.
There are a lot of great ways to take amazing pictures but first, you need to know some of these clichés in order to know what to avoid.
Try not to imitate the gestures or the poses of the statues you want to shot. For instance, don’t try to imitate the pose of Christ the Redeemer. It is not ok from so many points of view. Also, this is not considered good travel photography and it is not even a funny one.
Don’t shoot pictures of your food or dessert with a famous masterpiece in the background. If you want to take pictures of your food, let the food on the table. For instance, eating gelato at Fontana di Trevi. We know that there are a lot of great gelato stores but you don’t have to block the view of the amazing piece of art with a good gelato. Take two separate pictures, one with the amazing gelato and another one with the fountain. This way, you avoid another cliché and you get to focus on the masterpiece.
Travel Photography – How to take amazing pictures
Once you’ve seen some of the most common travel photography clichés you should see how to avoid them. While it might be easy to say, it is hard to do. One of the main problems is the fact that there are a lot of tourists in these renowned places. This is why you might want to choose traveling when there are fewer tourists. Winter, for instance, is a great time to travel. Don’t go near Christmas or New Year’s Eve because a lot of people travel then.
Also, if you decide to travel during winter you will get amazing and original photos. Since there are not a lot of tourists, you can simply enjoy the monuments and the museums and make them the main focus of your picture. You also have enough time to find the right angle and to take a creative photo.
Another important thing is to find the right time of day. The light is an important part of taking the best travel photos. For instance, try to take pictures at sunrise or sunset when you are shooting monuments. When you want to shoot landscapes do it in the middle of the day because the light is going to create a nice shadow.
Try to explore less visited areas. While most people go to the main attraction, they fail to discover the real spirit of the city. This is why you need to go to smaller streets. Take the road less traveled to put it in other words. Here you can find amazing things like ancient buildings, interesting street names or local people.
Don’t forget about the locals. They are the ones who make the real spirit of the city. Instead of taking pictures of tourists, go to less commercial spots in the city and take pictures of the local people going to work, selling, or making different objects. This way, you can learn more about that town or even about the country.
Different angles and different lights can improve the quality and the originality of your pictures. Don’t just shoot a picture of the Colosseum from the front where all the tourists are. Another way you can shoot from different angles is to mount the camera on a drone. There’s no need to break the bank buying a new one, you can also rent a drone on the internet these days, and taking aerial pictures is not a cliché yet. This way, you get to photograph the whole subject.
On the other hand, you don’t have to focus only on the monument. Taking pictures of regular buildings and less traveled streets is going to look more original. Also, don’t forget about the landscapes. After all, there are the most beautiful and they are rarely a cliché.
If you want to take amazing pictures, you can learn different photography techniques. For instance, if you want to shoot a river or any type of water, you can use the misty water effect. With the help of this effect, you are going to capture the movement of the waves and create a breathtaking picture.
Before you start taking pictures, you should reserve some time to explore the city. This is going to help you see what needs to be photographed and at what time of day. Also, by exploring the city you will learn more about it and about the people who live there.
If you want to take travel photographs, you or the person you photograph doesn’t have to be the main focus of the picture. This is why you need to keep the main focus on the building, landscape, or monument.
If you want to avoid taking classic photos, you should focus on the details. For instance, very few people shoot pictures of the details of the Eiffel Tower or the Pisa Tower. Remember, you don’t have to capture the whole monument or museum. Try to capture small pieces of them and maybe create an original puzzle with these photos.
Also, remember that the time of day can change the aspect and the quality of the picture. For instance, there are a lot of buildings which look better during the night because they have amazing lights. On the other hand, there are some places which can only be captured in a picture during the day. If you want to shoot landscape pictures you will need to do it during the day if you want to have sharp colors. Once the sun fades, the color tends to be more pastel.
One thing you shouldn’t forget is to enjoy those moments, not only to take pictures of them. Even though you traveled as a photographer, this doesn’t mean that you can’t take a moment to enjoy a nice sunset or to look at pictures in a gallery.
These are just a few of the most common clichés you need to avoid next time you take travel photographs. We hope that these tips will help you capture amazing pictures. Keep in mind all of these things when you want to take travel photographs. See which works for you and experiment as much as you can with the light.
Make sure to explore the city before you start taking photos. This way you will have a wider view of the place and you will know when it is the right time to shoot a certain picture. Of course, don’t forget to have fun when you take these pictures. Enjoy the landscapes, read a book near the Eiffel Tower, and eat gelato at the Fontana di Trevi. Just don’t take the same picture of them like everyone else.