Enjoy Travel Photography

One of my daughters has an uncanny way of visualizing a photo and getting it right. While her daughter (MY granddaughter!) is, of course, quite photogenic, my daughter takes pictures of her that are virtual works of art. We say she has an “eye” for a good picture.

For many years, I’ve been blessed with the ability to “see” a photo whether or not I have my camera in my hand. My children, including that daughter, used to get impatient with me when I saw a photo possibility and took the time to make it happen. Now, I’m seeing her exhibit that same ability. Cool!

Please understand that we’re not talking ordinary snapshots here. We’re talking about getting those great shots that have people “oohing” and “ahing” when they see the resulting photos. (For the record, most of my shots aren’t perfect, either!)

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One of the things that separates snapshots from the really good travel photos is the point of focus. I’m not talking about how sharp the photo is but, rather, how the photo is framed.

I’m sure you’ve seen the snapshots Aunt Gertie brought back from her vacation with her husband and their children. They’re all pretty much alike. There’s the famous building, mountain or statue in the background. Standing in front of it is the smiling family.

The purpose of the snapshot is to provide proof that they’ve been there and done that! The hope is that everyone is smiling and has their eyes open. Only one shot was taken because we can’t be wasting film, you know. Many of these people still follow that habit - with their digital cameras!

After making sure she got the famous landmark in the photo, Aunt Gertie concentrated on getting everyone together and smiling. That was all she needed for a proof photo. Click!

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One of the expenses involved in vacation travel is all those travel photos we like to take. Some of the photos will be of the “Wow!” variety. Some will be more like, “Ho hum.”

Different people bring home different kinds of photos. Some just take snapshots to prove that they had been there, and done that. I call these “record” photos.

Other people go out of their way to take photographs that capture the beauty and the wonder of the places they visit. I call these the “beauty” photos.

Those two categories are, actually, the extremes of travel photography. They reflect the talents, skills and desires of the people behind the cameras. They are neither right nor wrong and I won’t treat them that way.

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