Improve Your Vacation Photos In 30 Seconds

Posted on November 13, 2008
Filed Under Vacation Rentals

No matter what part of the globe you’re from, you’re probably counting down the weeks until your next vacation. Can you remember how happy you were with how your last vacation pictures turned out?

The irony is that it usually takes just as much time to capture outstanding vacation pictures that it does mediocre ones.

So, what’s the secret to capturing better vacation pictures?

It’s pretty simple, really. Here’s how to take phenomenal vacation photographs in 10 easy steps: Take a few seconds before immediately snapping off 5 pictures and think about these questions:

Are all my settings correct (at a minimum, consider: ISO, metering mode, fill flash, and white balance).
Would the photo be more effective if taken using a portrait (vertical) perspective rather than a typical landscape (horizontal) perspective?
Would this picture be much more spectacular if taken at another time of day or night (assuming of course, that you could return then)?
Do I have the right image in my viewfinder? Think of the view as though you were about to crop the final image. Is there way too much extraneous material in the image (or far too little)? Having up to 20% more in an un-cropped photograph is a good idea, but much more than that could begin to degrade the resolution after the photo is cropped.
Could this photograph improve if a circular polarizing filter was used?
Would the photograph be better if I had people (or no people) in the shot?
Am I about to be bitten by a wild animal? (It may not be photo-related, but if the camera is also eaten, then…)
Do I want to be in this photo? If so, use a tripod or ask a stranger to take the shot.
If I re-position myself, could I include something in the foreground (or background) that would improve the photo?
Is there a better angle?

Realize that you probably don’t go on that many vacations per year. Therefore, doesn’t it make a lot more sense to take a few extra seconds before taking your photos and be very satisfied of your vacation pictures? Otherwise, the same old mediocre alternatives are still available.