Travel photography was my first love when I was just starting out in photography. I wrote more about how I came to find my passion in my first blog, but it was travel and landscapes that started this journey to the photographer that I am today. I wanted to share this collection of photos from my recent honeymoon in Ireland, because not only is Ireland absolutely breath taking, capturing all the beauty brought me back to my first love, and where it all started. If you’re wanting to do nature and travel photography, here’s a few of my tips, plus how to create that sun star burst!
1.Pack only what you need. I’m not one to carry a lot of stuff around with me in a purse. Most days I don’t even carry a purse, I just grab my phone, wallet and keys and go! So when I’m traveling, I definitely don’t want to lug around a bunch stuff, so I typically carry my Canon Mark iii and two lenses, a 16-35 2.8 and my 50 1.8. Yes, there are lots of other lenses I could bring, but I find that for the most part, those two work for just about any situation. In fact, in Ireland, I took 99% of the photos with my 16-35!
2. When flying with your camera gear, NEVER CHECK YOUR GEAR. Always, and I mean always, keep it with you in your carry on. I cannot imagine what I would do if my luggage, and thousands of dollars worth of camera gear got lost on a flight. Not to mention all the photos I would then miss out on by not having my camera once I got there, and the headache of trying to figure out claiming it on your insurance from out of town.
3. Get a good camera bag for travel. My sweet husband bought me a cute backpack camera bag for my birthday last year, and I love it. My other bag once loaded down always ended up hurting my shoulders when carried for a long time. This one is so much better! I can carry my camera body with 50 attached, as well as my 16-35, and if I really want to I can shove one more lens in there, and still have room for my phone, wallet, a bottle of water and snacks!
4. Consider investing in a tripod. I’m lazy when it comes to using one, but the few times I have, I was so thankful for it! There’s no way I could’ve captured Niagara Falls at night, or the Milky Way in Arkansas without it!
5. Think about your perspective. Don’t be afraid to get low, like I did in some of these shots. Scene filled with our tourists? Look up, and look for details! See what else you can capture beside what is right in front of you. Just like when I photograph people, I like to ask my self “how else could shoot this?” It gets me thinking about different perspectives and angles, and sometimes gives me an even better shot that what I first had in my head!
6. To create that star sun burst in your photos, all you have to do is crank your DOF up! I typically shoot really shallow for my portrait and lifestyle photography, so it almost felt weird to change my settings to F/22, but that my friends is how you get the sun to look like a star!
What about you? Do you have any great travel photography tips or tricks I haven’t mentioned here? Share them in the comments to help others! And if you’re interested in seeing more Ireland photos, including our itinerary and tips for planning your own Ireland vacation, head over to my blog! You can also connect with me on social media at Facebook or Instagram.
