Want some creative travel photos ideas for your next vacation? Up your photography game and take unique shots of oft-photographed sights and landscapes with these easy hacks and inspiration.
Travel photography can be challenging. We often only have moments to capture a shot–there’s no waiting around for the weather to cooperate or the light to be just right. Sometimes we’re battling crowds or other obstructions to beautiful photos. In these instances, a little creativity can go a long way. These creative travel photo ideas will not only help you overcome some of these hurdles, but help you create more interesting and original images.
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Reflections
There are so many reflective surfaces, especially in urban environments. They can be a great way to capture an image or even a selfie with a unique twist. Sunglasses, puddles, glass, pools or mirrored surfaces, even wet sand are among the many opportunities you will find to get creative with reflections.
Obscuring bystanders and unwanted objects
Sometimes popular tourist locations are crowded—we can’t be everywhere first thing in the morning, right? While some human element is always great in a photo, (it can be especially helpful to illustrate the scale of something) you probably don’t want a whole crowd of people. There’s also cars, bins, power lines and other environment factors that can detract from an otherwise beautiful scene.
Here are a few creative ways of obscuring those unwanted bystanders and objects in your pictures. These include a combination of one or more of the following: Composing your photo with someone or something in the foreground, choosing an extreme angle, and/or using a prop.
In one example, the Buckingham Palace photo, I couldn’t possibly avoid the traffic AND the people. So, I waited for a passing black cab (a London signature) to obscure some of the people around the base of the monument–two London icons in one shot!
Fancy framing
Look for fences, balustrades and other holey architectural elements to frame your picture. In nature, use trees, rock windows or arches to create a foreground that frames your subject.
Silhouettes and shadow play
Sometimes the shadow an object throws is more interesting than the object itself, or at least is a fabulous addition. At other times the shadows are more favourable to photograph in terms of lighting, or background. In the same vein, silhouettes can be enough to tell the story on a beautiful background.
Eye-level
Getting to eye-level with a subject is really powerful in capturing the world from their perspective. This works especially well with animals, sculptures—anything with a face, really. You’ll have to be prepared to get down really low, often lying on the ground.
Do you have some creative travel photo ideas? Share them with us in the comments below. Also, let’s rendezvous on Instagram – you can find me here!
Peace, love & inspiring travel,
Madam ZoZo
