It all started as I was searching for an after-work hobby over 10 years ago. I wanted to find a way to share the beauty of the San Diego sunsets that I was so fortunate to watch every night. I never knew that starting to share these daily moments would snowball into a new career and change my life. There’s countless ways to stand out as a photographer, but I always challenged myself to pave a unique path. Here’s a few vacation lifestyle photography tips that have helped me build a career as a travel photographer over the past decade.
Study the light
Vacation lifestyle photography scenes can transform drastically with lighting. Whether you decide to shoot at sunrise, midday, or sunset can result in dramatic differences for your composition. Know which direction the light is coming from, check the weather, and make sure you’re deciding to shoot at the time of day that paint the location in its best light.
Check the Weather
Similar to light, checking the weather can make or break a shoot. All too often, I’ve seen people show up and expect everything to be aligned perfectly with how they envisioned it. I always hope for a bit of clouds to add detail to the sky, but too much cloud coverage can kill the color. It’s a delicate balance, but one worth studying!
Use a Polarizing Filter
Polarizing filters make an enormous difference, especially if you shoot water like me. They cut down drastically on glare and add such richness to color and skies. It’s really hard to describe how important they are to my workflow. Unless it’s dark out, I’d say I utilize one in almost every image I shoot. They also protect the lens as an added bonus.
Play Around with Angles
Sometimes the best angle is eye level, sometimes it’s 45 degrees, and sometimes it’s a look-down! Don’t be afraid to analyze a scene from multiple perspectives to see which one is the strongest composition. I can’t tell you how many times I thought a scene was mediocre until I took a drone up.
Tap into Different Focal Lengths
Similar to exploring different angles, don’t be afraid to swap lenses and see which leads to your favorite image. I often jump between a 16-35mm and 70-200mm lens, just to see if anything stands out to my eye. Often times you can capture two completely different stories at the same scene!
Catch the Eye
When I’m shooting and editing my work, I always ask myself “Why would someone stop scrolling their feed to look at my image longer?” I try to utilize dramatic color, light, or composition to direct the eyes to the subject of the photo. When you’re lining up a composition, it’s important to keep in mind what you want the viewer to observe at first glance. This has helped me a lot over the years when it comes to improving my compositions.
Stand Out
Challenge yourself to explore new destinations. If you’re in a common spot, think about how you can put your own spin on it. Media is being captured and shared at a quicker rate than ever before. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you follow the crows seeking a blueprint for success. It pays to find ways to stand apart from the crowd. You can do that through visiting lesser known places, or even by capturing and editing in unique ways. Try to find your signature touch!
Find Your Sunset Formula
I’ve shot so many sunsets over the years that I’ve learned exactly which few factors typically result in the most dramatic color. It’s critical to have a clear horizon so the light isn’t blocked after the sun dips. Having mid to high cirrus or cumulus clouds is critical since those are the ones that will light up with color late after the light dissipates. You also want clear air and less than 60-70% cloud coverage. There’s always exceptions, but I check for most of these variables before I head to the beach.
Plan Ahead, but be willing to improvise
Over the years, majority of my favorite images have come from me being in the right place and prepared, but having to quickly determine how to capture an image. Sometimes light won’t be exactly how you expect, but something in the distance will catch your eye. Other times you may be experiencing the sunset of the year, and you realistically have 10-15 minutes to get as much of a variety of images as possible. I think one of my biggest strengths now is being able to get 5-10 vastly different looking images in a very short time window.
Have Fun
This is perhaps the most important tip of all. Never forget that photography should be fun! If you miss a shot, don’t feel disappointed or stressed. Don’t go into a shoot with extremely high expectations, because that’s the only way you can set yourself up for a let-down. Go in with an open mind, eager to capture whatever you can. Over the years, I’ve really benefited from managing expectations when I travel. I no longer put the pressure on myself to come home with the best images of my career. I work hard to make it happen, but I appreciate the fun of being in the moment with my camera. Having fun is the key to longevity in this industry — especially vacation lifestyle photography.
Check out more of my work in AdoramaTV’s new docuseries, THE MASTERS.
