Vacation Photos – How To Not Annoy Your Travel Pals

Vacation Photos – There’s a Fine Line Between Too Little and Too Much

Unless you’re a professional photographer, there’s no reason to overdo it on vacation photos, or photos in general.

At the time of this writing, I have about 7,000 pictures on my phone. My photo gallery desperately needs to be cleaned out, but the idea of going through all of those pictures, most of which are terrible, is overwhelming.

Check your phone, I bet you’re in a similar situation.

When I decided to start a travel Instagram, I asked Alex to hand over our eight years of vacation photos. I was shocked to learn we had 25,000 digital camera photos, which didn’t include the pictures from either of our phones. Granted we take two to three big trips a year and Alex is a photographer, but this was still an unbelievable amount of pictures to sort through.

Which I did.

Twice.

Thanks, Seagate.

A Word to the Wise . . . Delete Vacation Photos Nightly

We’re all guilty of taking dozens of shots of the same thing, trying to get the perfect angle and color. If you have the discipline to go through your photos every night and delete the bad pictures, then knock yourself out and shoot away.

Most people won’t or can’t delete photos. After all, what if it’s MY blurry photo from 2007 that identifies a serial killer!?!?

As someone who recently sorted through 25,000 vacation photos, I was shocked that only 2,000 of them were usable . . . and the person who took all of these pictures is a professional photographer.

This isn’t to dissuade you from taking amazing pictures of your fabulous vacations. I wholeheartedly agree that you need lots of awesome vacation photos for your social media and the walls of your home. Photos keep the memory of your trip alive.

It’s important to capture the heart and soul of your trip, but there’s a balance. You shouldn’t live your vacation through your camera lens and then become overwhelmed with the sheer amount of terrible photos you have to delete.

Learn Basic Photography Skills

Learn some basic photography skills. At a minimum make sure your subject is:

• Holding still
• In focus
• Properly balanced (meaning not tilted or rotated too far to the left or right)
• Pay attention to lighting, it’ll make your pictures better
• Adding a basic filter can make your centered, well-lit picture shine

Update Your Cell Phone

I’m not advocating for you to rush out and buy a super expensive cell phone. However, next time you’re cell phone shopping, I’d recommend you spend a little more and get a phone with a great camera. I’m a terrible photographer, but you’d never know it because my phone does all the hard work for me. 

If a high-tech phone isn’t your thing, find yourself a good handheld camera and learn to use it.  Point-and-shoot cameras are great. If you can keep your subject still and in the center of the screen the camera will do a lot of the work for you.

Take a Class

There are plenty of online photography classes you can take for cheap or possibly free. If you prefer in-person learning, check around for a local Community Education class that offers a basic photography course. It’s never too late to learn a new skill.

Unless you’re a professional photographer, photos should enhance your trip, they shouldn’t be the focus of your trip.

If there’s something you want a good shot of and there are lots of people milling around, be patient. The foot traffic will eventually clear, unless it’s something uber-famous like the Mona Lisa or The David. 

If you want an amazing photo of something, consider buying a postcard or a bookmark. 

Narcissists with a Phone – Vacation Photo Warning

Please don’t be the person who annoys everyone by demanding your friends take a perfect photo for you at every stop.

Be realistic . . . most photos are not perfect and your friends aren’t professional photographers. If your non-photographer friend happens to get a great shot of you, I can promise you it was purely by accident.

Please don’t put unnecessary pressure on your travel pals to take perfect photos for your social media, it’s unfair and unrealistic.  If your trip is all about perfect pictures, you’ll need to bring along your own professional photographer.

There are aspects of Facebook and Instagram that I like, but this “perfect picture” and the resulting stress it puts on your travel companions must end.

Likewise, if your travel companions are putting too much stress on you for great photos, it’s okay to disappear when the cameras come out.

Vacation Photos for Strangers

We always volunteer to take pictures for strangers. Here’s what I do:

• I’ll make them hand over their camera
• Carefully clean the camera lens with my shirt (so many smudgy lenses!)
• Verify what they want in the background
• Make sure the people are centered and the entire backdrop is visible
• Unless whatever they’re posing in front of is very tall I’ll take the picture as a landscape
• Count down from Three, then I’ll take 4 to 5 pictures.

Side Note on Landscape

Camera turned on the side instead of up and down . . . landscape photos tend to be more user friendly.

Side Note on Countdown

Sometimes I’ll say we’re counting down from 100. This makes everyone laugh and it usually makes the best picture.

Side Note on Small Children

If my travel companion offers to take the photo and there are small kids in the group, I’ll do what I can to make them smile at me. 

Be Generous – Take Vacation Photos For Everyone

I’ll take pictures for anyone who asks.

As long as I’ve centered the group in front of whatever it is they want in the background and told them when to smile, I feel like I’ve done my job. If they think they look bad or weird in the picture that’s their issue, not mine. 

I’ve had many people offer to take pictures for me, which I always appreciate. I thank them profusely and I tell them I love the photos, even if my head is cut off. Then I’ll wait until they leave and take a selfie. At least my face will be in the picture.

As travelers, it’s what we do. We don’t take things too seriously and we share our love.

And remember to smile. You’re having fun. 

Thanks So Much for Popping By!

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If you’re wondering what prompted me to share my travel knowledge, check out the About Me section.

I’d love to hear about your travel experiences, good and bad. We’ll all be better travelers if we learn from one another. 

The Art of Travel (TAOT) ~ Written by Kylie, these awesome photos came from Unsplash.