Ever wondered how your favourite travel blogger makes even the mundane trips to the nearby street swoon-worthy? But how you cannot get the photos from your oh-so-exotic travels, look anything beyond ordinary? Making your photos Instagram-worthy requires patience, a keen eye for aesthetics, basic hacks and quite a few attempts. Here are a few basic tricks and tips for Instagram travel pictures, to turn them from regular to glossy perfection.
1. Play With Lights and Shadows
Lighting is everything! Ensuring the right light for your pictures will make all the difference. Considering most of your travel pictures will be clicked outdoors, make the maximum of the golden hour to get spectacular shots. It is the time right after sunrise or right before sunset.
You can also play with shadows to give your picture a distinct perspective.
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2. Nature’s Elements Bring Out The Best
Nature plays the perfect accompaniment to your photos. Clouds, rays of the sun, birds, flowers, come out beautifully in a picture. Don’t be afraid to shoot in the rain, as you can sometimes get the best pictures in it. Take advantage of stagnant water and let reflections add magic to your pictures.
When near a river or the ocean, bring your phone to the edge of the water to create super cool effects (ensuring your phone is a basic waterproof one).
3. People Matter
Yes, the beautiful landscapes in a picture make one go wow, but people add feeling to a picture. A picture’s personality is often reflected by the people in it. Remember the boyfriend who took pictures of himself holding his girlfriend’s hand all over the world? Take cues from that!
Also, in a vast setting of ruins or castles or high mountains in the backdrop, people help create a sense of scale.
4. Change Your Perspective
If you are one of the many who click pictures at your eye-level, shake up your perspective this time. Photographs taken from a lower or a higher angle will give them a unique perspective that will set them apart.
So, get down on the ground, go above a canal and don’t be afraid to get dirty.
5. Beat The Crowd
The worst thing you can do to your photographs is have it flooded with tourists. Get up early and hit the place you want to capture, to get spectacular views, devoid of the tourist rush. Also, pushing yourself to explore an offbeat path will get you unparalleled views. The best thing you can do is to go further than anyone else.
6. Striking Pops of Colour
Sometimes a pop of colour is all that your picture needs. A striking coloured subject in front of a relatively insipid background will make it eye-catching. It is that simple.
7. Silhouettes for Added Drama
Go dramatic with silhouettes. Capture stark silhouettes of your surroundings and you may be amazed at the detailing of your pictures.
This is best captured during sunset and shortly after.
8. Say Bye-Bye to Filters, Know your Phone
Many expert bloggers and phone photography enthusiasts will tell you to ditch the filer. No, we aren’t kidding. Filters look like, well, filters! Learn the basics of your phone camera and play with brightness, colours, and saturation to get the desired results.
Also, know the quick access to your phone camera to catch that unexpected moment of brilliance without missing out on a spectacular capture.
9. Third Party Apps Are Not Foes
To go the extra mile, we suggest you download a photo editing app like a PS Express or a Snapseed. It is indeed true that most professionals tweak their photos to make them look drool-worthy.
Get yourself ready for your next dreamy vacay and double-dreamy pictures for your Insta-fam!
