How to take the best holiday photograph

This summer is a much anticipated holiday season. Some of us have been waiting two years for our holiday to happen after pandemic delays. It’s understandable, then, that we’ll want to capture the happy times in all their glory. Now that most people carry a smartphone, photographs are plentiful. So the danger is that we’ll over document our holidays and come away with very little quality memorabilia. We’ve worked out some simple tips to taking, and looking great in, holiday photographs.

Does the camera matter?

Whether you have a DSLR camera or an iPhone, it’s possible to take the best holiday photograph for your memories. Unless you’re a wildlife specialist who wants to capture a close up of a rare butterfly, you should be able to achieve great shots on a phone or point and shoot camera with just a bit of positioning and thought. 

Behind the Lens

As the photographer, just take a few factors into consideration before taking a shot. Remember that it’s just as important to enjoy your holiday as it is to capture amazing moments. So don’t risk missing anything in the pursuit of the perfect photo. 

Reason

Firstly, why are you taking the photograph? Do you want to capture a moment, a feeling or document a visit? Sometimes a photo is a reflex reaction, and often these spontaneous shots capture raw emotion in a way that composed photos don’t. 

Angle

Switch up the angle of your camera or phone for an interesting perspective. Go low for an imposing image, or shoot from high to make a subject appear smaller. Take several shots from different angles, this gives you options to choose your favourite, or can work great when shown together as a carousel of images.

Framing

For landscapes especially, think about the edges of your image as much as the focal point.   By including flora or greenery in the foreground, framing the more distant landscape, you will create a sense of depth to the image. 

Light

Think about how the light affects your image. While it’s always said not to shoot into the light, is sunlight making your subject squint? Would a silhouette image (created by photographing against the light) look effective? Capturing light hitting water makes a great scenic shot in a holiday photograph. 

Subject

Your photograph will look more pleasing if the subject is off centre. So when you’re photographing landmarks or monuments, mentally divide the image into thirds and position your subject where those lines intersect. 

Looking great in photos

Of course, you’re not always the one taking the photographs, you’ll be in some (or lots) too! So how do you make sure that you look fantastic in all those holiday memories? 

Posing

Engage your arms and shoulders. The best way to do this is to think in triangles. One bent leg, an arm on your hip for example. This stops any awkward positioning in your stance and gives you a sense of intent. Turning your body 45 degrees is also a great way to build angles and dimension to your photo pose. It’s the most flattering angle for tums and bums too!

Expression

Does the camera lie? Yes and no. We all know that an image doesn’t tell the whole story, but if your expression is authentic then it’ll enable that photograph to convey a stronger memory. So whether you’re posing in front of a landmark or in a group of holiday buddies, try not to worry about your smile but laugh full and genuinely. It’ll come across in the final photo.

Selfies

An art form in itself! The selfie is a very real player in holiday photo memories. To get it right you need to look into the lens, not the screen. This is a bit anti-intuitive, but you’ll get used to it. Try to get some holiday background in, you need to set the scene after all. Some partial face selfies look really creative and arty. 

The most important thing of all? To feel comfortable and relaxed on your holiday. Photograph things that bring you joy; authenticity has real power. And if you’re in the shot, feeling confident in your skin allows your real beauty to shine through. Shop here for comfortable and effective foundation shapewear that gives you that inner confidence.