Capture the moment

Claire, our Designer and keen photographer, shares her top tips for taking vibrant and meaningful images that will help you capture the local flavour from your holiday.

Research your destination

“Whether it be a breath-taking landscape or iconic landmark, flick through Instagram or brochures for inspiration. This will give you an idea of the best viewpoints and help you take some unique shots that stand out from the crowd.”

Master your settings

“Travel photography requires a wide spectrum of camera settings. Keeping your camera on auto will make life easier, but if you learn to master your camera’s settings you will achieve higher quality images. Practise shooting on aperture, shutter speed modes and adjusting your ISO and exposure settings before you travel.”  

Wander off the beaten track

“Immerse yourself in the local culture and step away from the traditional sites, take a wander through streets and stumble across fascinating photo opportunities, from colourful markets to intriguing festivals. Patience and politeness are key when taking images of local people, but a smile and respect for local customs goes a long way to helping your subject feel at ease.”

Adjust your position

“It’s important to avoid shooting everything from the same height, if you try different perspectives you will capture a more powerful shot. Shoot low down and point your camera up to make your subject more prominent or get up high and shoot from above for an alternative angle.”

Pack a tripod

“If you can buy, hire or borrow a tripod for your next trip, this will help you utilise slower shutter speed, create sharp images and avoid camera shake in low light conditions. There are some great compact tripods available, that won’t take up much luggage space.”

Point of focus

“Establishing a point of focus within your images helps to give it a sense of scale. Focusing on people in front of iconic buildings helps to visually represent local culture and give the building more scale.”

Useful apps

Magic Hour – With Magic Hour, you always know how long you have until the next ‘magic hour’ (also known as ‘golden hour’ – at sunrise or sunset) and you can set notifications for any time before to get ready.

For more inspiration visit our holiday types pages and start planning an amazing adventure to capture your special moment.