On The Road For World Photography Day

It’s World Photography Day on August 19, and we’re looking to you our Skedr community to share your travel photos that we’ll compile into our own amazing gallery on that day. They could be landscapes, portraits from the city or countryside. Photo postcards from your summer holidays; family and friends enjoying the sunshine or simply epic wildlife or breathtaking sunsets. Want to find out more? Well we’ve compiled five top travel photography tips to get you on the road.

Tip 1. Pack the right kit - think carefully about what kind of shots you want to try out. How near or far from the subject you will be is a great way to figure out what you need to pack. Get batteries charged, an extra battery or two is a bonus. Test it out before you depart then pack in a proper photography bag with all the right padding. A towel and sock combination is a risky business when you’re on the move. Comfy shoes are a must.

There are so many camera options out there, for those who are not yet professional photographers we have cut it two ways:

Pocket camera: light and easy to handle with a long built in zoom. Good quality compact with a 24-150mm lens. Many people worry about sensor size and megapixels. Think about where your images are going. If it’s for Flickr, showing family and friends and printing up to A3, any camera with 16 megapixels or above plus a one inch sensor or bigger is perfect.

Intermediate camera: Mirrorless body you can afford and then consider location:

• City and coastal trips: 24-105mm equivalent lens would be perfect.
• Safaris and portraits ( closer to subject ): 100-300mm equivalent lens.

Tip 2. Composition - a reminder of the classic rule of thirds, some cameras have this built in dividing your frame into 9 rectangles and placing the subject of the scene along one or more of the lines or where the lines intersect. Or you can center your subject and create symmetry, great for reflections and architecture. Or do you want to be more minimal, using negative space to pull focus on where you want the viewer to look. Take time to consider your composition.

Tip 3. Message - is there a theme you want to explore, a message to communicate? You might want to think about provocative topics like: acts of human kindness, gender equality or protecting the planet. Think about the feeling you want to express.

Tip 4. Memorability - is your shot distinctive enough? Is there a clear idea that you are trying to capture in a single frame? Does it tell a story that is interesting and easy to recall? Does your image make the viewer keep coming back and looking again and again?

Tip 5. Originality - even when photographing one of the more iconic and much-photographed places, how can you make the image really shine and show that a photographer has taken the time and has the imagination to stamp their own style or vision onto it.

Expensive camera gear and a scientific understanding of how they work are no substitute for a considered thought process and an idea which inspires people to think.

We’re creating our own showcase of travel photography to make World Photography Day so when you have your summer shots don’t forget to share them here: https://forms.gle/2mEFF5g8GEm6FYBi9

Find out more about how you can share your photos to more Flickr groups here.