Capturing the magic of travel through photography is a fantastic way to document your adventures and create lasting memories. Whether you're a young explorer or a parent guiding your child's journey into the world of photography, here are some top beginner photography tips to get you started as well as instruction for photography with Smartphones.
Know Your Gear
Familiarise yourself with your camera or smartphone. Understanding its functions and settings can make a big difference in your photos. Read the manuals or watch video tutorials on your specific camera model, and take time to experiment with different modes and features.
Focus on Composition
Good composition can turn a simple snapshot into a stunning photograph. Remember the rule of thirds – imagine your frame divided into nine equal parts by two vertical and two horizontal lines. Place your subject along these lines or at their intersection of lines for a more balanced and interesting shot. See our featured header photo above as an example. We have positioned our photographer on the left hand side of the image with the primary focus being the camera lens. The vertical grid line passes straight through the centre of the camera lens and her hand is sitting along the horizontal line where the two lines meet.
Lighting is Key
Natural light is your best friend. Early morning and late afternoon (the golden hours) provide the most flattering light. Avoid harsh midday sun, which can create unwanted shadows and highlights.
Tell a Story
Think about what you want to convey with your photo. Is it the joy of playing on the beach, the wonder of discovering a new place, or the tranquility of a quiet moment? Capturing emotions and candid moments can make your photos more engaging.
Get Creative with Angles
Don’t be afraid to change your perspective. Crouch down low, find a high vantage point, find reflections in objects or even lie on the ground to get a unique angle. Different viewpoints can add depth and interest to your shots.
Practice Patience
Great photos often require patience. Wait for the perfect moment, whether it’s a bird taking flight, a wave crashing, or a child’s spontaneous laughter. Being patient and observant can lead to magical captures. Using a tripod can also help stabilise your camera, especially in low-light conditions, to capture sharper images.
Edit with Care
Post-processing can enhance your photos but use it sparingly. Adjusting brightness, contrast, and saturation can bring out the best in your images, but avoid over-editing, which can make them look unnatural.
Mastering Your Smartphone Camera
As smartphone cameras become more advanced, they offer a fantastic and accessible way for us to capture stunning travel photos. Here’s a dive into making the most out of your smartphone camera, with photography tips tailored for iPhone and Samsung users.
Panoramic Shots
A panoramic shot is a wide-angle photograph that captures a larger field of view than a standard photo. This technique stitches together multiple images taken in sequence to create a single, continuous image that showcases expansive scenes, such as landscapes, cityscapes, or group gatherings. Panoramic shots are ideal for capturing the full scope of a location, providing a sense of scale and immersion. Most modern smartphones have a dedicated panoramic mode that guides you through the process.
iPhone: Open the Camera app and swipe to "Pano" mode. Start at one end of the scene and slowly move your phone horizontally. Keep the arrow on the line for a smooth panoramic shot.
Samsung: Open the Camera app, tap on "More", then select "Panorama". Hold your phone steady and move it slowly across the scene.
On our recent family travel to Europe we had a lot of fun with the pano features on our cameras. We were able to capture exciting full width panoramic landscapes as momento's of our adventure. Above is a panoramic photo that we took in the Centre of Zurich, Switzerland.
Portrait Mode
A portrait shot focuses on capturing a person or subject with a clear emphasis on their face or upper body while blurring the background. This mode, often called "Portrait Mode" on smartphones, uses a combination of camera lenses and software to create a depth-of-field effect, mimicking the look of photos taken with high-end DSLR cameras. By blurring the background it helps isolate the subject from the surroundings making the image more visually appealing.
Portrait mode is perfect for capturing portraits of people and pets, highlighting their expressions and features. It can also be used creatively for close-up shots of objects, flowers, and other subjects where you want to emphasise a specific part of the scene.
By selecting portrait mode on your smartphone camera, you can easily enhance your photos' overall quality and visual impact, making them stand out on social media and in personal collections.
iPhone: Open the Camera app and swipe to "Portrait" mode. Depending on your iPhone, you may have additional sub-options like natural light, contour light or stage light etc. Try them all so you start to understand how they impact your shot. Ensure there’s good lighting and keep the background simple to make your subject pop.
Samsung: Open the Camera app, tap on "Live Focus", and adjust the blur effect to your liking and focus on your subject for a professional-looking portrait.
Exploring Video Features
Cinematic:
Cinematic Mode is a video recording feature that allows you to create videos with a shallow depth of field, similar to what you see in professional films. It automatically shifts focus from one subject to another based on the context, such as when a person looks away or someone enters the frame. This creates a smooth transition that enhances the storytelling aspect of the video.
While recording or editing, you can manually adjust the focus points or level of background blur, allowing you to highlight specific subjects at any given moment. Cinematic Mode is high quality recording of 1080p at 30 frames per second, ensuring your videos are sharp and smooth.
Enhance your travel videos by using Cinematic Mode to capture the details of your journey. It's awesome for storytelling, so use Cinematic Mode when you want to create a narrative or convey a story through your video. The automatic focus shifts can help emphasise key moments and guide the viewer’s attention. Focus on people, landmarks, and activities, creating a more immersive and professional-looking travelogue.
When recording interviews or conversations, Cinematic Mode can focus on the person speaking and then shift focus to the listener, adding a dynamic element to the video.
iPhone: Open the Camera app, swipe to "Cinematic", and start to tell a story by pushing record.
Samsung: Open the Camera app, tap on "More", and select "Pro Video" for manual controls. Adjust settings like focus, exposure and white balance.
Slow Motion:
The Slo-Mo (Slow Motion) feature allows you to capture videos at a high frame rate, which can then be played back at a standard frame rate to create a slow-motion effect. This feature is great for emphasising movements and details that might be missed at regular speed. Smartphones typically capture Slo-Mo videos at 120 or 240 frames per second (fps), providing smooth and detailed slow-motion playback.
iPhone: Open the Camera app, swipe to "Slo-Mo", and start recording. Slow-motion is perfect for capturing action shots or dramatic moments.
Samsung: Open the Camera app, tap on "More", and select "Slow Motion" or Super Slow-Mo for even higher frame rates. Record your video and watch as ordinary moments turn into cinematic scenes.
Slo-Mo mode is great for:
- Action Shots: Capture fast-moving activities like sports, dancing, or pets playing e.g. Record a skateboard trick to show every detail of the jump and landing.
- Nature Scenes: Capture natural phenomena like water droplets in a rainfall, birds in flight, or insects buzzing.
- Special Moments: Capture unique moments such as blowing out birthday candles, confetti falling, or someone jumping into a pool.
- Artistic Effects: Add an artistic flair to your videos, making ordinary actions look extraordinary such as a dancer's movements in slow motion.
Time Lapse:
The Time Lapse feature on smartphones allows you to create videos that compress long periods into shorter sequences by capturing frames at set intervals. This creates a fast-motion effect when played back, showing processes or movements that occur slowly over time.
The smartphone adjusts the interval between frames automatically based on the duration of the recording, ensuring smooth playback regardless of how long you film. Simply set up your phone, start recording, and the smartphone handles the rest, making it accessible even for beginners.
Use Time Lapse to capture bustling cityscapes including traffic and pedestrian movement; long journeys on your travels like a train ride or scenic drive through the mountains in a condensed format; or daily activities like cooking a meal capturing each step and creating a fast paced, engaging video.
iPhone: Open the Camera app, swipe to "Time Lapse", and start recording. Tap the record button again to stop. Your iPhone will automatically process the video, and it will be ready to view in your Photos app.
Samsung: Open the Camera app, tap on "More", and select "Hyperlapse". Set your desired speed and duration and start recording for stunning timelapse videos.
Find a stable surface or use a tripod to keep your phone steady and avoid moving it to ensure a smooth and professional-looking time-lapse. Alternatively if you want an action video, do what we did below in Florence.
Above is a timelapse video that we took of the line at the sandwich shop All'Antico Vinaio in Florence Italy. See more examples on our The Geo Kid Instagram and Youtube sites.
Storytelling with Video:
Starting the Shot: Begin your video with an establishing shot to set the scene.
Moving Shots: Slowly move your camera to follow the action. This can add a dynamic element to your videos.
Editing: Use simple editing apps to cut, trim, and add music to your videos, making them more engaging.
Most Importantly Have Fun!!
Most importantly, enjoy the process. Photography is a wonderful way to bond with family, explore new places, and express creativity. It is a fun and enriching activity for everyone and with a bit of practice using The Geo Kid's beginner photography guide, you will soon master this skill.
Happy snapping, and may your travels be filled with beautiful memories and stunning photos! 📸🌍✨