Vacation season is finally here!

Who else is exited? I know I couldn't be more thrilled about the warm weather and gorgeous plants. It's the time for swimming, sunscreen, ice cream, and road trips. With so many fun things to look forward to you may be wondering how you'll capture all these fun memories? I'm here to share some tips to help you take awesome vacation photos. You're only one post away from beautifully capturing your memories!

Lighting

Lighting is far and away the most important part of taking a good photo. If you take a picture that's too dark or too light you won't be able to see what's going on! Post processing can fix a lot of things but it can't fix areas with no data (E.g. when the sky is totally blown out or it's too dark to pick up any details). Lighting is also a key influencer in the mood of a photo. You can't usually control the sun but you can control your position in relation to it!

Sunny Days

Sunny days are so fun to be in and sometimes so hard to photograph! My best tip is to keep the sun behind what you're taking a picture of. This will keep the features in your photo evenly lit. If you're taking a picture of a person, it will also keep them from squinting! If you are photographing a person but keeping the sun behind them isn't possible, try having them close their eyes then open them on the count of three. This will help to keep their features relaxed and prevent squinting when you take the photo. Pro tip: this works great with kids when you can get them to laugh as they open their eyes!

My second tip is to use the settings on your camera. When your subject is backlit they usually have at least a slight shadow in front of their face. If you're using a smartphone, it will usually do a good job of automatically adjusting for the light. But if it's not working, more than likely you have options available to at least change the brightness in your photo. (Which is often all you need!) Each phone has their settings in a different place so explore your camera app to see what you can find!

Cloudy Days

Cloudy days are some of the easiest to photograph! These provide even lighting over the whole image. The biggest issue you may have to face here is lack of color. For some reason, cloudy days tend to sap the color out of the world. To remedy this, try picking a photo spot that's near something with color or wear colorful clothes! You can also adjust the color settings in post or in your camera. (If you adjust your camera settings to add warmth just be sure to set them back to normal so you don't mess with later photos!)

You may also notice the sky being blown out in these photos. That's because the sun is basically reflecting from cloud to cloud and amplifying the light. If this is the case, try to avoid shots with lots of sky in them. More on this in the Composition section below!

Mixed Lighting

For mixed lighting, think "partly cloudy day." The sunny is bright and there are a few fluffy clouds casting dark shadows. It can be tricky to shoot in this lighting because the light areas are very bright and the dark areas are very dark. The sunny day principle applies here, keep your subject's back to the sun as much as you can. When you can't, keep them in as much as an even shadow as possible. When neither of these are possible, try adjusting your camera settings. A good rule of thumb is to "expose for the light." Turn down your camera brightness to a manageable level then brighten the dark areas in post.

Composition

Composition is the second cardinal rule in photography. This is what makes a photo interesting. Is your subject smaller than the scenery? Are you close up to show their expression? Trying to show off something in the background? The way you compose a photo draws the eye of the viewer. Having too much headspace, distractions in the background, or parts cut off can ruin an otherwise great photo!

There are many compositions guidelines I could talk about. The few I'll highlight here are ones I commonly see people struggle with and ones that will quickly elevate your images!

Headspace

Headspace is the room above the subject's head in an image. In most cases, you don't want to have a lot of headspace in an image because it's distracting from the subject. However, there are exceptions! The most common one is when you want to show something above their head like a building, something in the sky, or the background. (If you are trying to show an object be sure to leave a little bit of room above it as well!)

In addition to having too much headspace, it's also possible to have too little. When there's too little space your photo can feel cramped. The goal is to have enough room that the eye is comfortably drawn to the subject.

Edges

The key here is looking at the edges of your image to make sure nothing important is cut off. This doesn't mean every picture has to be a full body shot. The important thing is to keep the meaningful parts of the image in the frame with a little bit of space around it (think headspace around the whole subject). For example, if you're taking a close picture of your kid eating ice cream, you don't need their full body but you do want to keep a little bit of space around what's included in the image.

The second important part to this principle is making sure your subjects joints aren't cut off at the edge of the photo. When you end an image right at someone's wrists, elbows, ankles, or knees it can be disconcerting the viewer. Instead, break the photo above or below the joints. (In the case of wrists and ankles it's often better to end above the joint or just include the hands/feet.)

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the most fundamental composition techniques. Imagine a grid with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines in front of the picture you want to take. Now place your subject in any of the cross points where the lines meet. This technique is so helpful because it will help you "balance" the different parts of your photo and help you keep a good amount of space around your subject! (Many smartphones have the option to turn on rule of third guidelines. This can be helpful until you can eyeball it yourself.)

All of these "rules" work together. It can feel like a lot to remember but when you get the hang of using each technique together your photos will turn out so much better!

Staying in the Moment

In my experience, this is the hardest part of taking vacation photos. You want to capture the moment but you also want to be a part of it. How do you take a photo without participating through a screen? Sometimes its not possible, other's you can get someone else to take the picture or stage the photo yourself. Either way, it's important to enjoy the moment while the photo is happening.

Also remember that it's okay to not get every shot! As a photographer this is sometimes hard to remember. But it's important because if you spend your whole vacation taking pictures, you may find you weren't part of many moments yourself! My mom always says "everything in moderation." Take pictures when it's time and enjoy your trip however you can!