January 08, 2018 3 min read

Taking photos while traveling is a rewarding experience. As a self-taught travel photographer, I know it can be quite difficult to capture incredible shots. You know, the ones that make your jaw drop or gasp in amazement.
While the process and learning are constantly evolving, there are some skills that every photographer should master.

Related Article: 7 Ideas for Creative Travel Photos

While iPhone can produce amazing shots, but I prefer to carry a DSLRs around. If you’re traveling with expensive equipment, carry thePacsafe Camsafe V17 Anti-Theft Camera Backpack to keep your investments safe and sound. Nothing’s worse than damaged equipment while on the road.
So how do we compose a great travel photo to “get the shot?” Here are some of my favorite shots and how to get them.

Photo credit: @thetravelhuman


Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Reflections
This is the one technique that I constantly overlooked. I didn’t realize how amazing these images are until a trip to Romania where I joined a photo walk tour with other photographers and noticed them stopping at random puddles. It was then I noticed how common reflections were and how taking advantage of them yielded extremelyappealing travel photos.
Start by placing the reflection in the center of the frame and experiment from there. Whatever you do, don’t touch the water!  

Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Point of View
Nothing draws the viewer to an image quite like Point of View (POV) photography. POV photos can be as easy as adding a hand or foot in the image.  
In this case below, I found a ledge along this river and assumed an interesting crunch position (aka my work out for the day) while shooting blindly from the abdomen.  It took a while to capture a level shot but it was worth the effort.

Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Forced Perspective
The technique here is to eliminate depth and force two objects to appear smaller or larger than they actually are.  This can easily be done by placing two objects at distance and creating an interaction between those two. This is definitely a fun technique to use and does make for somecreative instagrammable moments. The only caveat here is you’ll likely need a partner to capture this type of shot if you’re in it!

Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Lines and Depth
Creating depth in a 2D imagery is a skill in itself, try leveraging the lines in your environment to add depth to photos and drawlines to lead the eyes to objects of interest! Good news is that lines are everywhere and you just have to align them in a way that creates distance.

Photo Credit: @thetravelhuman


Your Environment
Keep your eyes open to random objects that could work as your next improv travel photo shoot. In this case, we found a couch set on the banks of a lake in Iceland.
So what do you think? Do you think you can master these concepts to get the shot? A bit of practice and you’ll be capturing great travel photos in no time!
 
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By Garrett Galvan
The owner behind @thetravelhuman, Garett Galvan is a self-taught travel photographer who loves backpacking, fitness and capturing beautiful pictures from all around the world.Click here to see more of his amazing shots.



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