Your holiday may be over, but at least you have your photographs to remind you of the places you have visited and the things you have done.
So, what’s the secret to taking great photographs on your caravan adventures? Here are a few tips:
The camera
- given the state of modern technology, it’s perfectly possible to take great photographs with your smartphone – you don’t especially need any fancy SLR digital camera, but it might help;
- either way, be sure that you’re familiar with just how it works – as the website Picture Correct suggests, that might mean studying the operating manual in one hand and your phone or camera in the other;
Simplicity
- simple shots are often the most effective;
- that is likely to be the case even with a fancy digital camera, but even more so if you are using your smartphone – if you limit your photograph to just a single subject, you’ve a better chance of creating a strong composition, advises the iPhone Photography School;
Framing
- perhaps the biggest secret to taking great photos is to frame them correctly;
- that means making sure that you’ve not cut off a hand, arm or leg of one of the subjects – still less their head, of course;
- allow sufficient headroom, but try to make your composition more interesting by keeping your subject slightly off-centre;
Depth
- especially when taking landscape scenes, get used to making the most of the picture’s depth by drawing your viewer’s eye right into the scene you’ve captured;
- this also involves your understanding of the concept of the depth of field of a photograph – when using a camera, for example, learn how changing the exposure (“F”-stop) and adjusting the focus, helps to widen or reduce the depth of field;
Lighting
- be aware how lighting and the angle of the sun can change the whole mood and atmosphere of your photograph;
- for most purposes, you want the sun on your back, so that you are not shooting directly into the light, but at the same time avoid making your subjects have to squint into strong sunlight;
- but back-lit subjects may be just as effective and some great effects may be had by shooting completely dark subjects, with them appearing in silhouette only;
- the outdoor life of the caravanner means that you’ll be using almost exclusively natural light, so be prepared to come back at a later hour when conditions suit the picture you intend to capture;
Ever-ready
- but at the same time always try to keep your phone or camera to hand – you’ll not want to miss any action shots or fleeting impressions;
- know that not every photograph is going to be your masterpiece but be prepared to strike gold every once in a while.
These tips may help to make your memories of any caravan outing that much sweeter – and well-taken photographs are more likely to impress your friends and those back home.