If you didn’t capture it on camera, did it really happen? In the social media age, vacation photos have taken on a whole new meaning. On top of being a great way to preserve your memories, sharing great vacation photos on your social media lets your friends know that you’re having a great time. Plus, they might make a few people jealous! Having a bank of snaps to look at is also a great way to kick the vacation blues once you return home.
However, no matter high-tech iPhone cameras get, it is sometimes impossible to capture the perfect perfect photo. So, before you start dusting off your bulky old digital camera, read this list of our 10 tips for taking the best family vacation photos!
Check out Instagram Community first
The internet moves pretty fast – too fast for travel guides and articles to be published, anyway. The leading travel websites can’t keep on top of the latest Instagrammable hotspots of your chosen destination.
Instagram is therefore the best tool you can use for finding out the hottest place where all the travel influencers are taking their selfies. Instagram Community will give your vacation photos a uniqueness like no other.
It’s the best way to uncover hidden locations, with unbeatable backdrops, and where the lighting is just right!
Get the lighting right
You’ve probably heard a lot of people talking about the ‘golden hour’ – the last hour of light in the day.
This is great for selfies, but also essential to capturing the best family vacation photos.
Under the glow of the early evening sun, your surroundings come alive through the camera lens. The azure sea and verdant trees become richer, and faces appear softer and relaxed.
Plus, generally, fewer people are milling around, giving your followers the impression that you’re vacationing on your own private island!
Follow the shade
You won’t have time to capture all your family vacation photos during the golden hour.
Taking photos during the day can be extremely difficult, however, with harsh sunlight and lots of squinting eyes!
Always look for shade when capturing family photos during the day. Look out for thick trees or a building- anything that casts a big enough shadow.
Capture the moment
Don’t wait for everyone to get into position before you close the shutter. Candid photos capture the vacation fun in motion and convey positive energy.
Posed holiday photos always appear forced, and Instagram is generally flooded with them. Candid pics will stand out on the newsfeed and make excellent vacation photos.
Take some time to capture the scene
Don’t expect to capture the perfect picture straight away!
Especially if you’re capturing a picture of a view, spend a bit of time getting yourself comfortable with the scene.
Walk around the area a little bit, find the spot that you most enjoy looking at the scene from, and experiment with a few different angles.
No matter how good the scene looks the first time you capture it, you never know how better it’ll look after a few other shots!
Use a tripod
What’s the point in capturing family photos if you aren’t in any of them?
A tripod is a worthwhile investment, as not only does it help capture group photos, it can help capture steady and clear images.
There are many affordable tripods now available to buy, many of which are designed just for travelling. No longer are they big and bulky, often they are small and foldable.
Entertain the little kids
When on holiday, the last thing kids want to do is stand around, with the sun beating down, posing for family vacation photos.
This is fair enough!
They came here to run around, swim, and play – not to take part in mom’s photo shoot.
This is why candid photos are good, as the kids don’t feel like they have to do anything.
But when it comes to group or posed photos, you’re going to want to keep their attention somehow. Bribing them is not always the best option (although, it may be your only option), so instead try keeping their attention through jokes, pulling silly faces, or making them laugh by other means.
This will look great on camera as it will draw a genuine smile out of them and will produce better photos!
Plan what you’re going to wear
For some, this may seem like too much effort, but it really makes all the difference when it comes to capturing your vacation.
Treat it like a real photo shoot, and make sure that no members of the family are color clashing.
Alternatively, you could organize the outfits so that everyone is matching, to give your family the appearance of unity and togetherness. Either way, you want the family pictures to appear well balanced, but not overly thought-out.
Don’t be the full-time photographer
You’re on vacation to have fun too, so you can’t spend your whole time behind the camera.
Take breaks from snapping and go back to it later. It would also be a good idea to let another family member take over camera duties for a while. You never know what kind of hidden talent they might possess.
If you trust them enough, give your camera over to one of your kids! This will capture a unique perspective of the vacation and produce stand-out family photos.
Dabble with editing
For family vacation pictures, it would be a good idea to give them a little polishing up on photo editing apps before you upload them.
If you’re not too nifty with editing, don’t worry!
There are plenty of easy to use editing apps, that could help elevate the quality of your photos.
Adobe Lightroom and Luminar are two great editing apps for beginners.
Make sure to crop and filter the photos too. Even before you take the snaps, it could be a good idea to experiment with aperture, and any other camera settings you find on your phone.
Use these tips to enjoy taking your family vacation photos and capturing those holiday memories forever.