How to photograph landmarks
Published: 11.01.2022
From the long-awaited vacation, you want to keep as many photos as possible as a memory. Tourists almost never part with their cameras during their travels and try to capture the sights they have visited. But often when we come home from vacation, we are disappointed with the quality of the photos. Especially in popular tourist spots, it can be quite difficult to capture everything in high quality, there is little time on excursions, passersby constantly get in the frame, the angle is not right, the lighting is off. Therefore, when preparing to visit a particular attraction, find out in advance about its features, see how others are taking photos, so that you can make a decision on how to best take your shots on the spot. Let's consider how to correctly photograph sights so that the photos from your travels bring you joy, not disappointment.
"What to pay attention to when shooting landmarks"
When taking photos of landmarks while traveling, we recommend considering the following points:
- Go take photos early in the morning at sunrise. Photos taken in the early morning and evening hours, at sunrise and sunset, turn out better because the sun is not too aggressive and the light in the pictures will be warmer and softer. In addition, early in the morning at sunrise, there are fewer people near popular landmarks and the crowd of tourists will not spoil your shots.
- If the tour takes place during the day and you do not have the opportunity to choose the shooting time, find places for photos where there is shade. This way you will get non-overexposed photos and people in the shots will not be squinting from the bright sunlight.
- Take photos not in the most popular places, as it can be difficult to get close to the sights due to the influx of tourists. For example, if you visit the Colosseum, you will end up with standard photos with a bunch of people in the background. It's better to take a stroll through the small streets of Rome, where there is interesting architecture, quiet and peaceful. You can choose a successful angle and show your journey from an unusual perspective.
- When capturing architecture, include the sky and surrounding objects in the frame. To show the scale of a building, photograph a person in front of it. If you are photographing a group of people in front of a architectural structure, position them in a way that they do not block the entire building. Also, avoid depicting people too small, a person's portrait should take up approximately 1/3 of the photo.
- Although modern smartphone cameras take great photos, it's better to take pictures with a professional camera. It wouldn't hurt to bring a small foldable tripod on your travels, which will help you take complex photos and shoot with a long exposure. To stabilize the camera without a tripod, place it on a flat surface.
- Photos of landmarks taken from a bird's eye view look interesting. If you have a quadcopter, use it for shooting. If you don't have a drone, climb up to observation decks to capture the city from above. It is important to check if shooting is allowed in that area before using a drone. If there are secret or strategic objects nearby, you may face a hefty fine for flying a quadcopter.
Features of shooting landmarks in the evening
"It is not always possible to take photos of landmarks in good daylight, often we find ourselves in interesting places only in the evening or even at night. To take quality photos in low light conditions, we recommend using the following tips:"
- If possible, take pictures of landmarks at dusk, the evening lights against the darkening sky look beautiful and create a romantic atmosphere.
- Avoid using automatic shooting mode. Often, when shooting automatically in the evening, the flash turns on, resulting in an overexposed photo of a person against a dark landmark. To get a quality shot in low light conditions, it is also not recommended to use night shooting mode, try to adjust all settings on the camera manually.
- To eliminate excess noise in photos, set the ISO value between 100-200 and close the aperture.
- To capture evening or night lanterns, use a tripod and take photos with a long exposure, so you can achieve a bokeh effect and a beautiful blurred background in your pictures.
- Do not place the camera directly under the streetlight, its bright light will result in overexposed photos.
Post-processing is necessary for photos taken with support. The final image is a composition of two or more photos. Combine the frames in Photoshop, upload them to the free editor Mapi7, and create a thematic composition."Album Light""And show magic to the world."
Try to convey the atmosphere of the city and its landmarks, observe people's behavior. Street photography that shows not only the main objects of the city, but also the lives of ordinary people, looks much more interesting than just a photo of a monument or architectural structure. Capture birds, cats, dogs, children in your shots, don't try to capture only your close ones in every photo. Choose unconventional angles, look for interesting poses, experiment, and then you will definitely get interesting vacation photos. And the best photos of landmarks can be preserved by ordering a photobook or Light album from Mapi.
