How do I make great travel photos? What are the best tips and tricks to capture those unforgettable travel memories? If you ever asked yourself these questions and want to learn more about travel photography then this article is for you. Today I am very happy to present you some really cool travel photography tips for beginners from a professional photographer.
I am so excited that Valeria Kasatkina, a fellow Californian, a travel fan and an experienced photographer agreed to share her knowledge with us. I asked her many questions about travel photography and she provided the answers below. All stunning photographs in this article are made by Valeria herself.
With all the new technology available these days, do you think a cell phone camera is sufficient for taking good travel photos vs. a DSLR camera? Why or why not?
Modern smartphones have great cameras and you can capture a beautiful shot with your cell phone. The main advantage of a smartphone is that it is small, lightweight, and easy to carry. However, I like to use my DSLR to take travel photos. A DSLR camera has a bigger matrix and therefore performs better in low-light conditions. It introduces less noise and as a result, you get sharper images. It also gives more flexibility when it comes to settings and choice of lenses. If I want to capture a quick shot “for fun” I can use my smartphone, but if I want to do some serious and creative photography, I choose a DSLR.
In addition to having a good camera, what other equipment would you recommend for taking great travel photos for beginners?
When you travel you generally don’t want to carry a lot of heavy equipment with you. Choose a lens that fits your needs. For example, Canon 24-105 mm f/4 is my best travel buddy, because it is good for many kinds of photography, including landscapes, cityscapes, and portraits. You may want to bring a tripod with you, especially if you like sunsets and night photography. I also recommend having a spare battery and a memory card.
Landscape is King among travel pictures. What are your landscape photography tips for beginners?
My landscape photography tips for beginners are as follows:
- Try to avoid shooting in the middle of a sunny day. The light at noon creates harsh shadows. The best time for landscape photography (and outdoor portrait photography as well) is around dawn and dusk. This time is known as “golden hour”. During this time the light is very pleasant and soft.
- Including the foreground in the picture gives more depth to it.
- If you are near the water, look for reflections. It may be reflections of trees, mountains, clouds, or even a person or an animal.
- Look for repeating patterns and leading lines, for example, roads, trees, coastline.
If I want to photograph some close up details, like a flower, a butterfly and such – what are your macro photography tips and tricks?
I would be very happy to share my macro photography tips and tricks:
- Open the aperture to create a shallow depth of field or use the Portrait mode on your smartphone: this helps you to separate your subject from the background.
- Try keeping the background not too busy.
- Be careful with focus. I suggest using continuous-servo autofocus – the system that keeps moving objects in focus. It is particularly useful when you want to take a photo of a butterfly or a flower on a windy day.
Everybody loves a great sunset photo – no trip to the beach is complete without one. What is your advice on taking perfect sunset photos?
It is not that difficult to make good sunset photos, just follow these guidelines:
- Expose for the sky, because you don’t want it to be blown out. Adjust your camera settings so that the sky looks accurate.
- Keep in mind that the sky without any clouds looks plain and boring. If you want to capture a stunning sunset, do it when there are some clouds on the sky.
- Try taking a long exposure shot, using a tripod. The longer your shutter speed is, the smoother the water and the sky become on the photo. This effect looks amazing on sunset photos!
- Add a silhouette to the picture, for example, a person or a tree. It makes the photo much more interesting.
What photo editing app would you recommend for a beginner and why?
I use mainly Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. I’d recommend learning Lightroom because it has everything you need to make your image look stunning. Moreover, Lightroom allows you to organize and label photos in a very convenient way.
Recently I tried another editing app – Luminar. It is a powerful app that uses artificial intelligence to edit images. It works pretty well with both landscapes and portraits. I can recommend it for beginners as well. While Lightroom requires a subscription, you can pay for Luminar once and it will be yours forever.
As a local resident of San Francisco Bay Area, which palces would you recommend for taking great photos of San Francisco?
There are so many beautiful places in San Francisco that will provide you for excellent photo opportunities! Here are some of my favorites:
- Pier 7 – Great view of SF Downtown
- Baker Beach and Marshall beach – the view of the Golden Gate Bridge
- Fort Point National Historic Site – the view of the Golden Gate Bridge
- Twin Peaks – 360-degree view of the city
- Battery Spencer – the view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco
- The Embarcadero – view of Bay Bridge, downtown SF
- Salesforce Park – a nice rooftop park in the heart of downtown SF
- 16th Avenue Tiled Steps – beautiful tiled stairs
- Mission Dolores Park – a nice park with great view of downtown SF
Tell us about yourself
My name is Valeria Kasatkina. I was born and raised in Russia, and I have moved to California almost 7 years ago. I always loved traveling and photography, and 2.5 years ago I decided that I want to do photography professionally.
You are very welcome to check out my travel/landscape/personal page for photography inspiration: https://www.instagram.com/valevitaly/
My portrait photography page: https://www.instagram.com/valevitaly_photos/
And my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/valevitaly
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