Tips for Great Vacation Photos

Family vacations can be stressful enough without the added headache of capturing all those memories. But, since capturing those memories are a must, I thought I'd share a few thoughts to help you on your way to great, less-stressful, vacation photography.

Oh, and enjoy some of my various vacation photos from over the years. :)

• Keep it simple. Bring a camera you're comfortable with. This is not the time to decide to learn how to use that new camera. You want to enjoy capturing those memories, not dread picking up your gear. Use a small, padded camera bag that's easy to carry. I personally prefer a satchel style or backpack (depending on what we'll be doing that day). Then, toss in your 1-2 favorite lenses, an extra camera battery, battery charger, a few memory cards, and maybe a lens cloth. That's it. Keep everything lightweight and easily accessibly and you'll be more apt to bring it along. When I'm carrying a camera bag, I usually leave one compartment for my wallet, phone, keys, etc and leave my purse behind.
  ​Remember, less is more!
  

• Be prepared. You  never know when you're going to see an awesome moment that you don't want to miss. Have your camera nearby with fresh batteries and memory card already loaded.
• Don't forget to hand the camera off so you can be in some of the pictures too. If you're super brave, let your child(ren) take a few pictures as well. It's a great way to experience the world from their view. 
  *I actually bought a waterproof, virtually drop-proof camera a few years ago specifically to be able to let the kids take pictures too. It's a pretty inexpensive point and shoot that's waterproof up to 30m, weatherproof to -10°, and drop proof up to 10 feet.
  

• Snapshots are perfectly ok! Some of my favorite pictures were quick snaps. Those are the stolen moments that we as parents often treasure.

• Know when to leave the camera behind so you can BE with your family. It's ok not to pick up the camera at all for an afternoon, a day, even an entire vacation. Sometimes it's nice to just be in the moment.
  
• Capture the action. Allow your family to ignore the camera - and watch your shutter speed. When possible, I avoid shooting kids with a shutter speed below 1/250ths of a second if I'm trying to freeze the action.

• Try to take pictures at different times throughout the day - the nicest light is the earliest and last light of the day.
• And lastly, take pictures from all different angles. Get down low and get up high. You never know what you might see from a different perspective.

• And finally, the best camera is the one with you. So, whether it's your cell phone, a point and shoot, or the newest DSLR, just use it.