Easy Tips to Camera Phone Travel Photos You Will Like

With your camera phone you can take travel photos that will last.

by Pu on July 3, 2012

It’s true, most travelers these days will go nowhere without a camera. Many of them choose their camera phone as their primary camera because it’s easier to bring with them at all times. One condition that travelers usually consider when picking their next destination, consciously or unconsciously, is that it promises to be a photogenically rewarding subject. A photo is evidence you have somehow “made yours” what you saw, thus a photo you take is a strong assessment of places you visit. If photography is such an important affair, better be sure it’s going to be worth it.

Easy Tips to Camera Phone Travel Photography

Here are some tips that can help you to take better photos during your next trip—they will work with most destinations, really. Note that this is not intended as a technical travel photography guide: it’s just common sense, something we all need when we travel, but we often forget, that is.

1. Getting a tripod

If you don’t own one, you don’t know yet how much a single accessory can be crucial in more than one instance. Here are a few of the reasons that should make you consider getting a tripod:

  • A tripod can help you to take a good photo when it’s dark and handholding the camera could cause blurry shots.
  • A tripod will force you to slow down and take your time to plan your shooting. Taking your time means you will probably have to work on framing and composition a little, and this will with no doubt make your photos more interesting.
  • Last but not least, a tripod will come in handy when you actually need to be in front of the camera.

You don’t have to buy a top of the line, expensive tripod, especially if you want to use it with a lightweight camera phone. A cheaper one is good enough to take a few nice travel snapshots and you can always upgrade later, if you feel like it. Anyway, you can go for something classic or you can try fancy models like the Gorillapod. Mind that in some countries winds can be merciless, so just make sure that the one you get can properly support your camera and won’t tip over. Also, try and make sure you will be able to carry the tripod around: if it weighs too much, you will end leaving it behind.

2. Asking a local

Don’t take for granted that what you read in your travel guide is all there is to know about the place you’re visiting. There are many nice spots and things to do that your guide is probably ignoring altogether. Locals know it better: ask them what are the places you shouldn’t miss, where and when interesting events are taking place during your stay. Whether the people you ask to are your hosts or random folks you meet in the street, more often than not they will be glad to help.

Easy Tips to Camera Phone Travel Photography

3. Choosing the right time

A frequent problem for those who want to take good photos of places they visit is crowds. Taking a beautiful picture of a moody landscape while trying to avoid all those heads and flashy jackets that keep on getting in the frame can be frustrating. This happens because most people decide to visit the same attraction at the same time. That spot that was so crowded just a couple of hours ago might be quite lonely by now: have you checked? Have you tried going when the weather is so-so and others are staying indoors, sipping their tea? Another reason some travel photos don’t turn out that great is that the traveler doesn’t spend enough time surveying the surroundings, light and weather conditions included. For example, when the light is harsh around midday on impossibly bright days, you cannot expect to take a picture full of atmosphere—and you cannot expect to look very attractive in it either. Yes, post processing can help and it’s fairly easy to save a photo that doesn’t look right; with all the apps there are it’s not that hard to make any image look acceptable — or even stunning in some cases. Over-processing images however is not everyone’s cup of tea and it doesn’t suit any single photo you take. Perhaps sometimes it’s better to keep things simple. What are the best hours of the day for taking pictures then? Well, it depends on the time of the year and on the exact location. Usually, very early in the morning or before sunset are believed to be the best. Knowing about sunrise and sunset times, but also about tides and other weather conditions, can make a huge difference. However, if you try to take your photos at the wrong time all year round, even when visiting the most photogenic location you might still be disappointed.

To help you picking the best time to shoot your travel photos, there are some tricks, like asking local people (see tip #2) or relying on other resources, like weather forecasts and astronomical tables.

I tried this TPE – The Photographer Ephemeris application that was designed especially for photographers. Overall, I think it’s quite easy and to the point. The desktop version is free. iPhone and Android apps (both paid) are also available. For predicting tides, you can check sites like Tides Forecast. You should also visit the official site for the local meteorological office of the country you’re visiting.

4. Looking at things from a different perspective

You know what’s boring about pictures of famous landmarks? That we have seen them gazillions of times already, so there is nothing new and surprising about them. All tourists take the same shot of the same thing from the same angle and this makes their photos so… well, touristy. Even if you want just a less than pretentious visual souvenir of your trip, when you visit a famous location that has been photographed many times already, you can still add your own touch if you try looking at it from unusual points of view. Try getting down on your knees and then look up; find a unique vantage point and look down; explore also the other side of that monument… You get my point. Sometimes to make a picture exciting is that easy.

5. Putting down the camera

Yes, that’s right. To take good photos of about anything you sometimes just have to actually look at what’s around it—and what’s around you. If you either just follow the flow, only caring about taking photos beause you have to, or if you only look at the world through your camera phone’s screen, you will probably end not enjoying your trip as much as you could. Moreover, you will miss many interesting details that you would have loved to capture. To sum it up, train the eye before the finger.

Finally, do not listen to what people think is the right way to take a good photo. The photo you are bringing back home after your trip is over belongs to you, not to them; it’s your interpretation and your vision that really matters.

Do you have photos of your travels of that you want to share? Send them to us or join our Flickr group!

RILA July 4, 2012 at 12:01 am

A tweetable quote; this: “The photo you are bringing back home after your trip is over belongs to you, not to them; it’s your interpretation and your vision that really matters.”

Alysia July 4, 2012 at 5:51 pm

Some of these tips are definitely worth remembering. I especially like the last one. Indeed, we spend too much time looking at the world thru our phone’s screen 😀

Koby Rennie July 12, 2012 at 11:34 am

Nice tips…..
I liked 4 th point “Looking at things from a different perspective”

Tim Gheen July 17, 2012 at 5:18 pm

Great tips! Timing and tripods are especially important.

There is a great Kickstarter project going on now called eyeCLICK and I’m looking forward to using these tips alongside mine when it comes this fall.

Check it out here – bit.ly/eyeClickKS

Whitney Nieto April 19, 2013 at 10:02 pm

These are awesome tips, and very helpful! Choosing the right time to take a photo is key, usually before and after sunrise and sunset. Using different distances can help too, and I’m not just talking about using the zoom option. Get up close and personal to the object you’re shooting, if possible!

If you use your iPhone to take pictures, try using attachable lenses, like the iZZi Orbit. It’s a phone case and 4 different lenses in one, great for the photographer on the go.

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