An introduction to travel photography
Over the past ten years there has been a huge boom in travel photography. This is probably to do with the massive range of professional level cameras that are now available at affordable prices, which means just about anyone can take incredible photographs of their holidays. People take photographs to remember events, or to show their friends where they have been, but many also pursue it as a career and a discipline. For this approach it is not just a nice digital camera you need, but a lot of skills and patience too.
Most importantly you have to buy some decent equipment and get an understanding of how it works. If you want to take photography seriously, you will need a digital SLR, because the money you save on film will soon pay for the extra money forked out, and the ability to review photographs straight away is invaluable. A decent lens is also a necessity as many cameras come with a fixed focal length lens which can be very limiting.
On a par with owning the equipment is having a good knowledge of it. Spend some quality time with the manual and play around with the settings, getting a feel for the effect aperture, shutter speed and ISO (film speed) has on the end result, as well as their relationship with each other.
Now you have your equipment and you have a good understanding of how it works, you can go on to just getting out there and snapping as much as you can. Learning by doing is always preferable than reading, but there are some things you should know just to get you started. For example, midday is not a good time for taking photographs because it makes photographs look shallow when compared with the long interesting shadows that come with late afternoon and early morning. Remember that your surroundings can aid you substantially too. Solid objects like walls or trees can help to steady your hand, and don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself to get a photograph from an interesting vantage point.
As with most other technical skills, getting good at travel photography is a matter of lots of practice. Becoming good at reading situations and what they require only comes with long hours trying out different things in different situations. Before you know it, though, you will be looking at the world through the eyes of a travel photographer.
Most importantly you have to buy some decent equipment and get an understanding of how it works. If you want to take photography seriously, you will need a digital SLR, because the money you save on film will soon pay for the extra money forked out, and the ability to review photographs straight away is invaluable. A decent lens is also a necessity as many cameras come with a fixed focal length lens which can be very limiting.
On a par with owning the equipment is having a good knowledge of it. Spend some quality time with the manual and play around with the settings, getting a feel for the effect aperture, shutter speed and ISO (film speed) has on the end result, as well as their relationship with each other.
Now you have your equipment and you have a good understanding of how it works, you can go on to just getting out there and snapping as much as you can. Learning by doing is always preferable than reading, but there are some things you should know just to get you started. For example, midday is not a good time for taking photographs because it makes photographs look shallow when compared with the long interesting shadows that come with late afternoon and early morning. Remember that your surroundings can aid you substantially too. Solid objects like walls or trees can help to steady your hand, and don't be afraid of embarrassing yourself to get a photograph from an interesting vantage point.
As with most other technical skills, getting good at travel photography is a matter of lots of practice. Becoming good at reading situations and what they require only comes with long hours trying out different things in different situations. Before you know it, though, you will be looking at the world through the eyes of a travel photographer.
About the Author:
Practise your photography skills and soak up the culture whilst staying at one of these hotels in Nice.