Shoot at sunrise or sunset for the most flattering light.
Before your trip, review travel guides and photos in books and magazines so you can make a list of potential
shots. When you reach a location, scout the area to plan your approach before shooting.
The right lighting is crucial to creating stunning photos. For example, if you must have a photo of sailboats
in San Diego, shoot just before sunset or shortly after sunrise. The light during this time can lend everything
a beautiful golden hue.
Before you shoot, make sure there are no stray objects that might detract from your composition. Capturing
buildings or other people in the distance is great as long as they don't take away from your composition.
It is actually more aesthetically pleasing to place your subject off-center then mid-frame, which is a
technique known as the rule of thirds. Here's how it works: In your mind's eye, divide the picture area
into vertical and horizontal thirds (like a tic-tac-toe grid). Then, place your subject on one of the four
lines to create a more interesting picture.
Take advantage of people in the scene to add perspective to your shots.
What looks dramatic in person sometimes doesn't turn out that way when transformed in the camera lens. One
way around this is to add people—or natural features such as trees—into the shot to show scale.
This technique works whether you're shooting a landscape, as in the above photo, or pictures of buildings,
monuments—even mountains or the world's tallest Ponderosa pine.
Look for little details that tell the story of your trip.
Eating, relaxing, leaning on street signs, and browsing roadside markets are part of any adventure. The
same is true of telling details that bring a place to life. So shoot lots of pictures of casual moments
to help shape your photos into a story well told. Since you're using a digital camera, you can snap as
many pictures as you like, and delete those you don't want to keep. (Remember to pack an extra memory card.)
Whether it's brightly painted houses in the Caribbean, or the vibrant hues of a Venetian delivery boat,
color can add vitality to your photos. Have your camera ready, because you never know when the perfect
shot will present itself.
Several digital cameras offer in-camera panorama stitching—a feature that
fuses up to five single shots together to create one seamless image-right in your camera.
Follow these tips for best results:
Make sure your camera is as level as possible.
Stand in the same position for all the shots you take.
Overlap your images by 30-50 percent horizontally. (Your camera may walk you through this process.)
Taking advantage of the beautiful light at sunset or sunrise can bring out the beauty of just about any location.
But the low light can make it hard to get clear photos. Rather than use your flash, change your camera's setting
to a sunset mode to heighten warm colors. Or use a night scenery
mode to lengthen the exposure time, making the most of available light-but be sure to use a tripod or
steady your camera on a secure surface or the results will be blurry.
If you don't have a tripod, another option is to raise your camera's ISO setting to 400 or 800 (if your camera
goes that high). This will add more "noise" to the photo-like grain in a film camera. But it will let you shoot
with a faster shutter speed with less blur.
Learn more about shooting in low light conditions.
With HP's Photosmart compact photo printers
you can enjoy your travel photos while on vacation.
With the optional travel case
for safely and conveniently printing on the go, you can not only capture your excursions, but can be
ready to share them upon your return!
No PC required—simply insert your digital camera memory card directly into your printer's card slot,
and you're on your way to stunning photos. On some models, you can view your photos directly on the touchscreen!
Even editing, such as removing red-eye, can all happen directly on the printer. To find the model that's
best for your, check out this simple
comparison chart.
Use your great travel photos to create albums, scrapbooks, and other projects. Get started with HP's
vacation photo frames and
road trip scrapbook.
If you're eager to get your photos into an album, try an
HP photo book
and print your photos at home! These stunning books are easy to create and come in a variety of
sizes and colors—perfect for your own keepsakes or to give away as gifts!
For more ideas on getting perfect prints, check out
Print Better Photos.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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