Five photography tips for cruising

Drew has five useful tips to ensure that you capture the very essence of cruising with images you can treasure for years to come.

1. The Camera
When spending thousands of dollars on a trip away, spending a little more on a quality camera will help you capture perfect and memorable photos that will last a lifetime. While a $150-$200 camera will satisfy, spending an extra $300 on a Digital SLR camera will turn your photos from “amateur hour” versions into professional photos. Further more, the chance of photo blur is reduced and the amount of photos captured is increased because of shutter speeds.

2. Playing with light
Playing with different lighting conditions can improve your shots. For one, shoot with the sun at your back to get even lighting on your subject. This makes your subject front-lit, helping you avoid shadows on faces and bring out more detail. Sometimes you may not be able to change your stance, so look for a camera that offers Intelligent Auto which automatically identifies a variety of different scenes and makes adjustments automatically from a bright sunny day, sunset or a cityscape at night.

3. Get Creative
Some of the best Keepers are found when you move out of Auto mode and take advantage of you’re cameras capabilities. To do this, you don’t have to move to full manual settings, but can try shooting with settings such as aperture-priority mode helping you to put your subject in focus and achieve a blurred background or try shutter-priority helping you to capture movement like a flowing waterfall.

4. Framing and Point of View
Add a new dimension to your photos just by choosing a new point-of-view. When possible, try shooting from ground level or from high up. Even small changes in perspective create big differences in the way things look.

The more you move around and look at your subjects from all angles, the better your chance of getting that Keeper. Try using your camera’s optical zoom to get in close and get a Keeper with a single, dominant subject that fills the frame.

5. Rule of Thirds
Capture significantly better Keepers with this simple rule. It’s an easy way to create interesting, well-balanced shots. Just imagine lines that break the frame into thirds, horizontally and vertically. The points where these lines intersect identify four strong spots where you can place subjects and prominent features in your shot.

Any of these four spots can be used as a focal point to create a natural balance that’s more interesting than the actual centre of the frame.

While capturing your memories through photo is a fun part of your holiday, don't forget to put your camera down and enjoy the experience and sights as they happen. The chance to travel through some of nature's untouched and magical scenes is one which should not be missed and the joy of the moment will remain in your memory forever.

Do you have a photography trick or tip to share? Comment below!