The Ultimate Photo & Videography Guide For Your Next Vacation

Traveling the world is one of the best experiences available for our generation. We have to be conscious that this amazing possibility of traveling anywhere we want to wasn’t always there. Before the 20^th century, the only people traveling were traders or explorers, and trips were extremely dangerous adventures. So, now we are in the age of low-cost flights and selfie sticks, how do we make the most of our travels in terms of leaving behind a quality register of photo and video? Following these simple steps will help:

Know your destination
Do as much research as possible about your destination, before hopping on that plane. Look for the places you can’t miss, ask questions to previous travelers, and you could even consider hiring a guide to show you those places that most tourists miss, but an experienced traveler won’t.

Let the local culture amaze you
This world is a marvelous kaleidoscope of cultures, traditions, expressions, and diversity. Embrace that richness, by traveling with an open mind and a non-judgmental attitude. Every culture is different, and only if you are receptive to these differences you’ll be in the position of taking the best pictures a new culture can offer. We are not talking here about the staged parade for tourists, but about that little boy running barefoot on a cobblestone street in Puerto Vallarta’s downtown.

Make the most of the sunlight
That means getting up early. The early morning light is very unique and walking around a waking city offers some interesting opportunities to capture a side rarely seen in tourism magazines. It will also allow you to record the sunrise of every place you visit.

Quality equipment
Let’s be honest, if you are reading this is because you are not a selfie-shooting tourist. If you want good photos and video of your travels, you need to invest in good equipment, and by that I don’t mean an expensive smartphone. Get good cameras, tripods, lenses and flashes, and all you need to take that perfect sunset photo.

Travel light
This one may seem like a contradiction with the last point, but the idea is that you don’t want to be dragged by your equipment. Yes, you may bring with you a couple of lenses on your next trip, just make sure to choose one before leaving the hotel and be ok with that decision. Too many options at any single moment, may distract you from one, enjoying the moment, and two, capturing that moment.

Back everything up
Rule number one for photographers on the go. You’ll never know when your camera may break down, or when you’ll get trapped under heavy rain. So, as soon as you get back to your hotel, make sure to back everything up on your computer, and a couple of USB memories as well. You don’t want to risk losing those amazing pictures and video you just captured.

Finally, maybe the best tip of all is to just enjoy your travels. Don’t experience them only through the lens of your camera. Make sure to make your own memories, and then let your material tell you some other stories when you get back home.