10 Travel Photography Tips

How would you feel if a complete stranger approached you at work, snapped a picture, then walked away without explanation? You are essentially doing the same thing when you photograph a tuk-tuk driver, market vendor, or any other local without first asking permission.

While locals in tourist areas may have grown accustomed to being photographed, remember that you are a visitor: always ask first!

Tip: After receiving permission and taking your photograph of someone, offer to show it -- or even email it -- to them if possible.

• Learn more about responsible travel in Asia.

The difference between a professional photo and an amateur one is often just a little forethought. Rather than snapping away, think for a brief moment about what you hope to portray in your photo.

Before taking your photo, first try answering these questions in your mind:

• What is the primary theme or subject?
• What mood am I hoping to create?
• Does the background contribute to or take away from the subject matter?
• Where is the light coming from?
• What would make my photo different from all others?

By approaching every photo with a simple objective, you'll inevitably end up with better photos!

Whether shooting a landmark or a person, the primary mistake that all newbie photographers make is to put their subject directly in the center of the frame.

Instead, imagine that your viewfinder is divided from top to bottom into thirds. Rather than position your subject in the center, place it offset by 1/3rd to either the left or right. While most people default to placing subjects on the first 1/3rd line -- because we naturally scan text and photos from left to right -- doing the opposite can create a dramatic effect.

Who says that beach landscape has to be split equally between water, sand, or sky? If the sky is more colorful and interesting than the sea, shift the rule of thirds so that the sky gets a lion's share of the photo. If the sky is overcast or gray, show less of it.

Tip: The rule of thirds applies both vertically and horizontally. Imagine a grid in your viewfinder; try to place subjects at the intersection of two lines.

• Learn more about the rule of thirds.

“Capture the eyes, capture the spirit...” is an old adage for wildlife photographers; the same rule applies to human subjects. If you choose to photograph your subject looking head on, you must capture the “spark,” the life, and the magic in their eyes.

If shooting close enough with an SLR camera, have your subject look deeply into the reflection of their own eyes in the lens. Often the longer you hesitate to snap a photo, the more natural magic you sacrifice -- have your camera ready to shoot before pointing it at a subject.

If you're simply shooting a Facebook photo, let your subject leave those sporty sunglasses on; otherwise, always have people remove their sunglasses for photos!

Flash isn't just limited to indoor scenarios. Sometimes, particularly in the middle of the afternoon or on a beach where the sun creates harsh angles, a little fill flash will help to remove shadows from faces. Be mindful of your shutter speed, however, as to not overexpose white skin or backgrounds.

If the central theme of your photo is to be the subject, don't give viewer's eyes a reason to drift all over the photo with a busy backdrop. Signs, other people, random objects, cars, and anything else going on behind your subject will weaken a photograph.

Tip: Pay particular attention to trees, towers, antennae, and lines on buildings directly behind your subjects so that they do not appear to have something growing out of their heads! Be mindful of shadows -- especially your own -- that may wind up in the photo.

If the subject of your photograph is a person, why fill a majority of the frame with empty sky, uninteresting sand, or background distractions? Use the old-fashioned zoom -- your feet -- and get as close as possible so that you've got less cropping to do later.

This travel photography tip applies primarily to the DSLR camera users. Unless you care about the backdrop, give as much focus as possible to your subject by using a wide aperture. The lower the “F” number, the wider the aperture on your camera, and the less depth-of-field you achieve.

Letting in as much light as possible with a low F-number will blur the background and cause a subject to “pop” out more in the photo.

• Learn more about how apertures work.

The best travel photos have either a theme or “drama” that keeps viewers' eyes scanning deeper into the photograph. Try having your subject to hold an interesting object such as a colorful flower, or try capturing a natural moment by having them look away from the camera. Look for sharp contrasts that grab attention.

Tip: Drama can be produced with unusual angles. Eye-level photos are commonplace; try shooting a person or object from either very low or very high.

• See more tips for better travel photos.

When photographing people, try having them turn their bodies and heads slightly away from the camera, but have their eyes looking directly into the lens. Angling the face so that the nose points slightly away from the camera helps to bring out facial features and personality.

Turning the head is a technique that most studio photographers use to produce better quality portraits.