Travel Archives ~ Not Good At Normal

How to get the most memorable photos while traveling.

Faded ghost sign on brick wall with flowers, note the framing
hides the car. By getting down level with the foreground object
you can get a better shot and composition to add a more pleasing photo.

Taking road trips can be a fun way to explore. Trying to get the most memorable photos?Traveling by car allows for greater freedom to not only stop and see more, but also allows for more photo taking opportunities! Here are a few photo tips to get the most out of your road trip whether it is a short trip down the road, to the next town or across the states.

Try for a different angle, not straight on from the front for a different look to an oft photographed subject. The Old Cathedral, St. Louis, MO.

There maybe time when you may have to go back to get a better photo, when there are less people around or less traffic. Maybe the sun is less harsh or setting. Take more angles and more pictures so you come away with at least one ‘keeper’. The sun is most harsh at noon, with the most shadows. You may want to get up early one day to catch a great sunrise photo or stay out and get a stunning sunset picture.

While on your road trip, it is important to make time in your schedule for exploring. You may find an exciting, overlooked area. These road trip photo tips are useful even around your own town. Just today I was on a road I travel often and noticed something new to me. Keeping your ‘eyes open’ and looking all around you can really pay off.

Found this mural today on the side of a business I pass frequently and never
noticed. Yes, I stopped in the rain and got wet!

Timing is everything

Sometimes you may have to wait for people or cars to move for the perfect picture, other times you have to get creative! Like when you are at a busy festival or at a national monument. A kids soccer game or just at the local produce stand. Now days everyone stops to get a picture of just about anything! I love to find ghost signs, old advertising left behind from a lost era. If I have time, I drive around the city looking for them, but many times, I have to go back at a time when there isn’t as many people or cars around.

Timed so no cars or people or other impediments were in the way of this architectural
photo.

Use a different vantage point so an oft photographed
spot comes out unique.

Sometimes you need to enlist a helper for your photos,
but with direction, they can turn out the way you want.
The Mural Mile in downtown St. Louis in the summer is
very busy, but a sunset timed photo works with minimal
interference. Also makes for a more interesting visual picture.

The best time to take the best pictures depends on what it is that you want to accomplish. Do your research and look around, ask locals and have fun! Drop a comment or a cool photo of your last road trip and any photo tips you may have!

Ways to save money while traveling!

Local travel can mean a day trip, or a trip down the street. Play hometown tourist. Day trips are lighter on the wallet and can be just as memorable as longer vacations! And when you just need to get away, you can go into your own city, or a few hours away for a one day getaway. Much less stress is involved in planning the trip. Find you have a day without much to do? Get in the car and go, no planning required.

Less than two hours from my home, hidden gem.

Promote happiness

Travel has been shown to promote happiness as a way of getting your mind off stressful situations. Just a day or two can set your mind at ease and refresh your spirit. Low on funds? No problem! Every city or town has places you can go free. Take a walk along a riverbank, or better yet, drive along a river road and find a small, almost forgotten town to explore! America is full of little known gems just waiting for you! It may take a bit of planning if you are going to expand your area and go a bit further out. Sometimes the fun is in just going without a roadmap.

Ste. Geneve, MO less than two hrs south of St.Louis. Lots to see and do without lots of money!

Recent finds

I recently drove through Cave City and Horse Cave KY. I made a point to go off the highway on my way back home to explore further and was delighted by my adventure! First, right off the highway was a new Dutch donut shop and cafe. I can’t pass up a good donut! Further down the road was Hidden River Cave, surrounded by a cute little town. If it weren’t so cold, I would have ventured in! Lots of mom and pop shops and a few restaurants along the ‘main strip’. There was also a self guided walking tour with signs, and it didn’t cost anything! This part of KY is only about an hour and a half from where I currently live, well worth going when the weather is warmer and I have a willing companion, only MzHyde did her best letting me take photos.

Unusual angle. Don’t be afraid to be artsy.

A few exits down the highway, I came across Dinosaur World and the tourist attractions surrounding it. Most were closed, even though it was a Saturday morning. I happily took photos for the instagram account and made note to make it back to this part of the country as well.

Travel Photo Tips

When traveling, don’t be afraid to experiment with photos. Get in closer or use a different angle. If you have people in your photo, place the person or people about 5-6 feet away from the camera and the location in the background, see photo #1.

Who are these people in photo #2? I don’t know, can’t see them. They look like ants next to the giant sign. Too often people will get right up to the sign or attraction and the person taking the photo is extremely far away, thinking that is what is needed in order to get it all in the frame. Again the example of photo #2. Get low to the ground for an interesting view or zoom in close to fill the frame.

My other favorite model. Photographer on the same level as subject.

Interesting or unusual compositions can turn a photo of a well known place, often photographed, into a new and exciting picture! Now with newer technology you can play with the in phone apps to make changes and adjust color or exposure if necessary. Drop a comment below about a day trip you have taken or are looking forward to soon!

Tag: travel

Road Trips and Photo Tips!