Summer, the time for travel is finally here. With the popularity of social sharing sites like Instagram or Facebook, you will definitely want to capture memories of your trip to share with family and friends. And you don’t need to be a professional photographer, or spend hundreds of dollars on a high-quality camera to take great photos. Because with a smartphone in hand, everything is more than enough.
There are countless tips on photography on the internet. However, let’s choose the most suitable ones to apply to a summer trip.
The basic principles
First, get to know your smartphone and all the features it offers. Chances are you’ll find tools that will help you create stunning images you haven’t tried before, especially with filters.
Read up on basics like the rule of thirds—the most famous rule of photographic composition—or negative space and positive space. In photography, negative space is the area around the subject, while the subject of the photo is called the positive space. Negative space is often an open sky, water, beach, grass, or any uncluttered part of the photo that creates a simple background. Also, remember to avoid using flash and zoom lenses.
Next, always keep your lens clean. Most people carry their phones in their pockets or purses when they’re not using them. This can cause the lens to get dirty, which can lead to blurry photos. So before taking a photo, wipe the lens to remove any dust or dirt that can distort your photos.
Finally, remember to turn your phone horizontally. Most of the time, we hold our phones vertically. When it comes time to take a photo, remember to flip it horizontally. This works well for both portrait and landscape shots.
Don't stand still, be creative and try shooting the same thing from different angles
This allows you to discover completely new aspects of the same subject. Shooting from multiple angles is not only effective in avoiding harsh lighting, but is also important for creating varied and creative images. However, be careful when climbing high places.
You can shoot by bending over or crouching down, or even lying on your back and having your subject stand over you. You can shoot off-camera to get some interesting “unusual” angles. Think of a beach volleyball game and think of the number of great scenes and situations you can capture by moving around and adding more angles.
Avoid reflected light
One of the difficulties of taking photos at the beach is that the sand and water reflect the sunlight. This often causes your camera or phone to overexpose, making the subject darker. Because of these bright reflections, the device can misread and underexpose the photo, resulting in a foreground image that is too dark. In this situation, it is best to change your angle, move around, and try to find a place with as little sunlight reflected as possible.
Cloudy days? Perfect for taking pictures!
Overcast days are great for photography. Clouds can dim the harsh, direct sunlight like a filter. They also reduce the high contrast and shadows that often appear on bright sunny days, creating a soft, even light that is great for portraits. Cloudy days also create a more even, diffused light that is great for all subjects. So, if you see cloudy skies, don’t be afraid to get together and take a photo.
Experience in finding beautiful moments
While it may be easy to ask your subject to pose, candid photos allow you to capture the emotion and essence of the moment most effectively. And they're also more fun to look back on.
Certain activities can add authenticity to a photo, including children interacting with animals or nature, or couples showing affection – holding hands, hugging, or sharing a loving look. And when you capture someone expressing genuine happiness or laughter, it's almost always a great shot.
One of the best ways to get a candid shot is to take multiple photos. The best photos are when people have their eyes open and their smiles are genuine. You may have to step back a bit and put on your photographer hat to capture one of these moments, but it will be worth it.
Golden hour
There's a term in photography and film called the golden hour, or sometimes the "magic hour." This is the time after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is low and seems to bathe everything in a golden light. It's also when the light creates interesting shadows.
If you want to take special photos, like family photos, try to schedule your shoot during these times. Just remember to check your location's sunrise and sunset times beforehand and plan accordingly.
Try to think outside the box
Try out different ideas and thoughts. You can take pictures of subjects that don’t follow the general rules. By taking pictures with your smartphone, you can also be part of the frame. For example, on the beach, you can show your feet, part of your hand when you hold the other person’s hand.
Standing in front of something large, you can use flowers or bushes as foreground, adding color to the object behind.
Sometimes your subject will look much better when reflected in water. If you want to photograph a subject that everyone else will photograph, you can create a unique photo by looking for its reflection in water, especially when the water is still. For example, on a summer evening, you can find many places near docks with city lights reflected in the water. The best time to shoot is right after sunset.
Selective focus
Many smartphone camera systems these days include a depth sensor. This little addition records data as you take a photo and allows you to change the focus even after the photo has been taken. When you do this, you’re playing with something called depth of field. It’s a great way to draw attention to foreground or background elements, so your photo can tell a story.
Some modern smartphones support choosing the focus of a photo after it has been taken. Instead of messing around with advanced camera settings like shutter speed and aperture, if your camera has depth of field data, you can select your main subject and choose to blur the background behind them.
Take photos of food in restaurants
Travel is all about food, and what better way to share your local dishes with friends on social media than to share them with your friends. But the problem is that restaurants are often dark, and most smartphone cameras don’t perform their best in low light.
Luckily, there is a great solution to this problem. Use a flashlight app on a friend or family member's phone, have them shine a light on the plate while you take the photo, and you'll get a better picture.
Lines, repeating patterns and symmetry
When lines occur in nature, remember to take advantage of the opportunity. In the photo below, the lines naturally draw your eye into the frame and toward the house. Always look for lines that appear in nature such as paths, doorways, cliffs, tall grass, trees, bridges, etc. Typically, lines start at the bottom of the frame and move up toward the subject. Photos using this perspective create a sense of movement or infinity.
Look around you and you’ll see patterns that repeat over and over again. Lines, geometric shapes, forms, even colors – all of these can be captured beautifully and harmoniously. It could be a mug, a row of tables and chairs, cupcakes on a tray, a car in a parking lot. Sometimes a shot of the floor can make a striking image. Sometimes it’s easy to find patterns that repeat over and over again in nature, or in a city.
Symmetry is also a good idea to draw the viewer’s eye, thanks to the simplicity of the composition. In urban and natural environments, there are thousands of opportunities to find symmetry in seemingly simple scenes. You can also create your own setting by moving certain objects or by placing your subject right in the middle of the photo. When you go outside, look overhead for symmetry in skyscrapers.
But above all, don't lose sight of your main goal on vacation - to have fun, relax, and live in the moment (not with your smartphone) this summer!
