{"id":72037,"date":"2017-12-04T12:38:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T20:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=72037"},"modified":"2017-12-04T12:38:25","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T20:38:25","slug":"33-tips-how-to-take-better-travel-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/04\/33-tips-how-to-take-better-travel-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"33 Tips How to Take Better Travel Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re traveling, avoid getting \u00e2\u20ac\u0153suckered by the exotic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Here are some practical tips to take better travel photos:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

ERIC KIM TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES ><\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"ERIC<\/p>\n

\n

1. Silhouette<\/h2>\n
\"Silhouette.
Silhouette. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the best ways to make better travel photos \u00e2\u20ac\u201d don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make it too obvious what you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re photographing. The best photos are mysterious, because it encourages the viewer to make up his or her own story.<\/p>\n

\"Dots.
Dots. Abstract street photograph. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To shoot silhouettes, photograph people through abstracted glass.<\/p>\n

2. Photograph the local people<\/h2>\n
\"Kyoto,
Woman standing in front of Zara. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just photograph the store vendors, or street performers. Instead, photograph the locals \u00e2\u20ac\u201d people who live there.<\/p>\n

For example, I like to shoot street photography<\/a> in busy commercial areas. This way, you just look like another tourist, and you can easily blend in with the background.<\/p>\n

3. Photograph details and abstract images<\/h2>\n
\"Kyoto
Kyoto abstract, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look down in the gutter, photograph what you find on the ground.<\/p>\n

Photograph peeling paint, spots where there used to be posters. Look for textured backgrounds, rust, and look for faces in common objects.<\/p>\n

\"Dots.
Dots. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Peeling
Peeling tape. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4. Photograph people at cross walks<\/h2>\n
\"Walking
Walking woman. Kyoto street photograph, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of the best places to photograph people is at cross walks. Why? Nobody is paying attention to you.<\/p>\n

5. Photograph in restaurants<\/h2>\n
\"Yakiniku
Yakiniku grill. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often, the best photo opportunities of people can be inside restaurants.<\/p>\n

Tip: pretend like you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re shooting the interior decor of the restaurant, not the people inside.<\/p>\n

6. When photographing food, use macro mode and flash.<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Ramen, Kyoto<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

7. Look up<\/h2>\n
\"Architecture.
Architecture. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just keep your camera at eye level. Get a good back bend, and shoot looking up.<\/p>\n

\"Traffic
Traffic light. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

8. Photograph trash cans<\/h2>\n
\"Green
Green trash can. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

9. Photograph in grocery stores<\/h2>\n
\"Red
Red wall and green basket inside grocery store. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even ask the cash registers for their portrait.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman at grocery store (Frescos). Kyoto, 2017. Red lips and red hat, and green background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Grocery
Grocery store. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I often find when traveling, the best way to understand a foreign culture is through their grocery stores, the packaging for the food, and what they sell, and how they sell it:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Head
Head of lettuce, in grocery store. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Photograph at the mall<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy on escalator. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re traveling, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just go to the same tourist destinations. Instead be like a local, and check out the local malls.<\/p>\n

11. Photograph inside your hotel room or Airbnb<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy color with a flash in Kyoto airbnb, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

12. Photograph beautiful decay<\/h2>\n

Rust, decay, and roughness:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"Red
Red texture. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

13. When photographing food, have a simple and clean background<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

14. Shoot blurry photos at night<\/h2>\n
\"Blurry
Blurry picture of Cindy. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blurry photos at night, out of focus, will add more mystery, mood, and drama to your travel photos.<\/p>\n

15. Shoot in program mode (p)<\/h2>\n
\"Eric
Portrait of Cindy behind red curtain. Program mode, ISO 1600. RICOH GR II<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I shoot while traveling, I just shoot in program mode (p) \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and set my ISO to 800-1600 and just \u00e2\u20ac\u0153set it and forget it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t waste your time shooting fully manual. Focus more on enjoying your experiences, than always fumbling around with your camera settings.<\/p>\n

16. Photograph your bed<\/h2>\n
\"Ryokan.
Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Or have your partner photograph you while sleeping:<\/p>\n

\"Cindy
Cindy takes a picture of ERIC sleeping in Ryokan. Uji, Kyoto 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

17. Shoot selfies of yourself through reflections<\/h2>\n
\"ERIC
Kyoto selfie, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take selfies with the front facing camera. Rather, be creative \u00e2\u20ac\u201d and shoot selfies of yourself through glass and textures.<\/p>\n

Or shoot a selfie of your shadows.<\/p>\n

\"Selfie
Selfie in Uji, Kyoto 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Eric
Eric Kim selfie with flash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

18. Low angle perspectives<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Kyoto, 2017. Laughing Cindy. #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shoot your partner or kids when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re traveling with family<\/a>, from unique perspectives. Like from very low angles, using a wide-angle lens like a 28mm lens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

19. Tilt your camera \u00e2\u20ac\u201d make diagonal compositions<\/h2>\n
\"Kyoto,
Kyoto, 2017. Google Nexus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tilting your camera will make a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Dutch angle\u00e2\u20ac\u009d composition<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d these will make your composition more dynamic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Kyoto
Kyoto sunset, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Night
Night time picture of Kyoto Bridge. HDR+ on Google Nexus 6P. Processed with VSCO with f2 preset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Diagonal
Kyoto, 2017. Google Nexus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

20. Travel with your own coffee maker<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I use a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153clever dripper\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and coffee grinder when traveling (with my own beans) to have a good coffee hit in the morning before traveling and shooting. Real talk, this is the best pro tip.<\/p>\n

\"Happy
Happy with coffee and my film Leica in Portland, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

21. Choose your shooting neighborhoods near good coffee shops<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Coffee Vision in Melbourne!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not sure where to shoot when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re abroad? Just find good coffee shops, and shoot on the way to the coffee shop. Shoot around coffee shop, and stop by the coffee shop again for more coffee.<\/p>\n

\"Tools
Tools of Hanoi: Ricoh GR II, GoPro Hero 3, and (lots of) coffee in Hanoi, 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"SAIGON
SAIGON SATCHEL<\/a>, RICOH GR II<\/a>, cappuccino. Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also always have your camera on your table, because you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re never sure when a good photo opportunity will happen.<\/p>\n

\"Hanoi,
Hanoi, 2017. Shot of a silhouette of a woman at a coffee shop.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

22. Shoot in galleries and at exhibitions<\/h2>\n
\"Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, 2014. Shot at the William Klein exhibition at the foam museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I like to visit photography galleries and exhibitions while traveling, and often shoot inside. Try to juxtapose your subjects against the exhibitions.<\/p>\n

\""Opposed"
“Opposed” – Shot with my Ricoh GRIII at the World Press Exhibition in Zurich, Switzerland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also if the weather isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t good or raining \/ snowing, exhibitions are a good place to find inspiration for your photography.<\/p>\n

23. Shoot in the train, subway, or while in transit<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Amsterdam, 2014 #suits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You will find interesting people in the subway, bus, or tube.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman in pink and Red Bull. London, 2011 in the tube.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To avoid making a scene, pretend to be a lost tourist photographing the subway maps on top.<\/p>\n

\"Leica
Leica MP + Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH + Kodak Portra 400 + flash in Paris subway.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

24. Find an interesting background, and wait for your subjects to enter the frame<\/h2>\n

\"dark-skies-over-tokyo-silhouette-suit-2012-leica<\/p>\n

In street photography<\/a>, this is called the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fishing technique<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. This is good when you nice architecture or scenes, and want your pictures to be more interesting.<\/p>\n

\"Woman
Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2011 \/\/ ERIC KIM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

25. Shoot in bad weather (like rain)<\/h2>\n
\"DARK
DARK SKIES OVER TOKYO \/ Man with umbrella.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re in Japan or abroad when traveling, and it starts to rain, buy a clear umbrella and shoot through it with a flash, for cool effects.<\/p>\n

\"Umbrella
Umbrella and flash in color. Kyoto, 2017. Ricoh GR II and flash, shot through clear umbrella.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Woman
Woman with clear umbrella. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Blue
Blue sky in the rain. Shot with a RICOH GR II in P mode, with flash, through translucent clear umbrella. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Umbrella
Umbrella and Dutch angle. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

26. Shoot your own home, when traveling<\/h2>\n
\"American
American flag. Prague, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m American, and I always photograph the American flag when traveling.<\/p>\n

\"Flags.
Flags. Amsterdam, 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

27. Photograph store fronts at night<\/h2>\n
\"Berlin
Berlin coat in window. 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Use a flash to illuminate the scene.<\/p>\n

28. Shoot from high perspectives, looking down<\/h2>\n
\"Overpass
Overpass in Tokyo. High angle, looking down. Dynamic perspective composition. Tokyo, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look for highway overpasses, and shoot looking down.<\/p>\n

\"Abstracted
Abstracted into colors. Overpass in Tokyo. High angle, looking down. Dynamic perspective composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

29. Take street portraits of strangers<\/h2>\n
\"Interact
Interact with strangers, a good way to provoke a reaction, to make a good street photograph. Fifth avenue, New York City, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you see an interesting stranger when you are traveling, ask them permission for their portrait<\/a>. Sometimes they say no, but often they say yes.<\/p>\n

\"LAUGHING
LAUGHING LADY by Eric Kim Contact Sheet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

30. Keep it simple<\/h2>\n
\"Porsche.
Porsche. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seek to make simple, clean pictures. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t show everything \u00e2\u20ac\u201d focus on details.<\/p>\n

\"Lines
Lines and texture. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

31. Photograph your family members<\/h2>\n
\"Kyoto,
Kyoto, 2017. Google Nexus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just take photos of the locals, photograph your family members, or traveling partners.<\/p>\n

\"Family
Family selfie. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kyoto,
Kyoto, 2017. Google Nexus 6P and HDR+. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

32. Shoot a foreign city like it were your own city<\/h2>\n
\"Layers
London, 2015. Layers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ask yourself,<\/p>\n

\n If I lived in this city for my whole life, what would I photograph, and what wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t I photograph?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pretend like you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a local, so you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just photograph the same things that all other traveling photographers shoot.<\/p>\n

For example, when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re traveling, ask your host, or hotel front desk:<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What tourist traps should I AVOID<\/em>?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Or ask,<\/p>\n

\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where are places in this city that locals avoid?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

33. Enjoy your experiences<\/h2>\n
\"Cindy
Cindy enjoying a nice cup of coffee at our Airbnb in Amsterdam, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The biggest mistake I made in the past when shooting travel pictures:<\/p>\n

\n I treated the photos more important than my experiences.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The most enjoyable experiences when traveling is talking to locals, enjoying local food, having time to reflect on life and meditate, to walk around, and learn more about foreign cultures.<\/p>\n

Remember, the experiences you have are more important than taking good pictures.<\/p>\n

\"Amsterdam,
Amsterdam, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tokyo,
Tokyo, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Enjoy the journey,
\nERIC<\/p>\n

ERIC KIM TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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START HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re traveling, avoid getting \u00e2\u20ac\u0153suckered by the exotic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Here are some practical tips to take better travel photos:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-0134500-1.jpg?fit=4928%2C3264&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72037"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72042,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72037\/revisions\/72042"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}