An important aspect of travel photography involves capturing monuments, landmarks, and architectural marvels. If you’re embarking on a city break, these tips will prove invaluable.
1. Incorporate people into your shots to provide a sense of scale
Ideally, and most of the time, we want nobody in the frame when we take photos of a monument or a landmark. But with popular tourist destinations, it’s not always possible to have the place to yourself.
In this case, embrace the people. Let them be in the frame, and be ready to capture when these people are in the ‘right’ position in the frame to make a good composition. When done right, you can use people to emphasize the majesty of a landmark or building.
Just imagine how you can frame these images and hang them all over your walls. Amazing, right? !
Pro tip: you can bring some awesome photo gifts home. Don’t feel like photo gifts? Not a problem, be sure to check out cool travel gift ideas for any budget!
2. Focus on the smaller things to find interesting patterns and details
When photographing a landmark, we often focus on getting wide-angle shots to show it as a whole. There’s nothing wrong with that, but after you’ve got it covered, focus on smaller parts of the building, as this is the best way to find interesting details and patterns.
One technique to try is zooming in and looking through the lens. This will train your eyes to see the smaller things that you might miss when you look at the bigger picture.
3. Play with different angles and perspectives
Buildings and landmarks shots can fall flat without a little twist. Just imagine, thousands of people who have come before you might have taken the same shots at the exact same spot. Tilt your camera, find a higher vantage point, or lay down and point your camera upwards; be as creative as you can to give your images the ‘wow’ factor.
4. Use lines and shapes to create geometric patterns
Another way to create unusual shots is by playing with lines and shapes to create unique patterns that can be the focus of your photo. Combined with unique angles and points of view, the results can be extraordinary. Just let your imagination run wild!