I just finish processing the pictures from
our Bahamas vacation week, so, I thought I would share some tips for taking great vacation photos, and enjoy yourself while you'r at it.
Do some homework
It’s nice to get inspire by pictures of the place
you are about to visiting. The Internet (Google) offers a great way to do research. Search for
both information and pictures of the place you're going. Good research not only
helps you save precious time on your trip, but you can also get inspired with amazing
photos. I do my research on Flickr.com, which is
an amazing community of people who love photography. I often find lots of
inspiration there.
Choose the right time
As a die-hard
photographer I have always wanted to capture every single moment of life with
my camera. The result was always just more photos of my trip and a very annoyed
husband, grumping every time I asked him to pose. Now that I have a baby, the
task is even harder, so my advice is, instead of continuously shooting
throughout the day, pick three or four times for posed family photos in front
of land marks or casually snap candid’s here and there, this way you are not
constantly asking people to smile. Know
when to put away you camera and just enjoy the day.
Distract method
Some of my best pictures of family have been when they are
completely unaware that I’m taking their picture, and usually this happens if
they have really nice drinks or foods in front of them. At dinner time I would be
the first one digging in, but the opportunity to take great pictures as your
family gets their yummy desserts is priceless. So my cheesecake can wait two
minutes.
Pack the right gear
On this trip to
the Bahamas, I
brought minimal gear with me, since I knew that I would be trekking around a
lot with diaper bags, my bags and in wet sandy beaches, a very unfriendly
location for big cameras. I brought my:
- Canon 40D with the lens 50mm
f/1.4 and 24-105 f/4, 430EX flash, a Canon point & shoot: The big DSLR
camera I would take to the beach, since this is where I wanted really
great pictures, and I would also use it on any really special occasions,
like our last family dinner at the cruise
- iPhone 4. was used for the
silly candid moments where I could not get to my dslr fast
enough. But to be honest, I would have used my iphone way more if it
wasn’t for the fact that I was afraid to turn it on while abroad. Roaming
charges scare me :P.
Tip: Carry a
couple of one-gallon Ziploc bags. They are waterproof and dustproof and can be
used to protect lenses and film. A bag can also be fashioned into a tent cover
for your camera so you can shoot in the rain.
To be or not to be, in
the picture that is
As the self assigned official photographer of all my family
trips, way too often, I find myself not being in the pictures. Keep in mind,
photos are memories, and if you are not in them, it’s almost like you were not
there. So one tip, is to give a stranger your camera :s, well easier set then
done, if you have a DSLR like me, most people get intimidated by it, just make
sure you set everything for them, focus, exposure and lock the focus for them,
then tell them to just point and click the button. Another option is to set up
your camera, on your camera bag, bundle up your jacket into a pillow or any flat surface
you can find and use the timer. Most timers give you 2 sec or 10 sec till they
shoot the picture, so know where you will be standing for the picture, click
and RUN FOREST RUN!
Warning: Hand holding a DSLR
is not recommended unless you’ve got some serious guns to support it.
Pay attention to detail
Is Always great when you capture some details about the place you where visiting, since this will help tell the story of the things you saw and where surrounded by.
I hope these tips help you not only get better pictures, but also enjoy yourself while taking them.
All the best,
- Mariana
