guide to better vacation photos

Guide to Better Vacation Photos

OK first, if you’re headed out on vacation with the family, I wish you Godspeed on your journey, it’s always a bit of a gamble no matter how well intentioned we are as parents. I honestly believe that investing in memories and experiences with your kids is so worth it, but that doesn’t mean being on the road with your family isn’t an unbelievable beating at times.

As we think about bringing home a beautiful record of your experience, I think we can break down the list of images into three categories: action, landscape/cityscape, and portraits. I’m going to breakdown a few tips related to each in this article and, as always, hit me up with questions anytime joe@familyphotolife.com

Or, if you’re in the midst of packing and want to know what I pack, check out the last part of this article for my thoughts.

Action Images

Maybe this goes without saying, but I define action images to be those where your subjects are involved in something that includes movement and is making them camera unware. This could be anything from zip lining, hiking, skiing or swimming but the universal theme is that you’re going largely unnoticed so that the action and reactions are genuine.

I love these images because they are the ones you’ll use to illustrate stories from your trips, they represent the moments and highlights of your time together, and for me they’re definitely the most important images I make.

• OK so most of the time these are going to be taken with a dedicated camera not a cell phone; for the simple reason that I want to use a lens that gets me closer to the action. This is time to break out the big guns, a longer zoom is going to be a great choice.

One lens you need

100% of the time my recommendation for parents on what lens to buy for their camera is a 70-200mm f2.8 lens (or equivalent) since it will handle not only vacations, but sports, recitals, concerts, graduations (both indoors and out). This is an expensive, once in a lifetime, purchase but you should only need to do it once and it will solve so many problems you’re likely to run into as a parent.

• You have to anticipate the action so you can’t be too incognito or only trying half-heartedly. This is a moment to go ahead and let yourself really concentrate, think about where the action is, and be ready for it.

• This tip is huge… shoot through the moments. If something great happens don’t lower the camera to join in the moment too soon because you’ll miss the images of jubilation which can be the very best. Give it just a couple more beats of time and you’ll be rewarded with those moments of celebration, not just action.

• Watch the light. Position yourself in a way that you understand how the light will look on your subjects, remembering that dappled, broken, or super strong direct sunlight can often not look great. Try backlight, side light, or open shade if you like a nice even exposure on faces.

Landscapes/Cityscapes

A sense of the space is a big part of what I love coming home with in terms of images. Whether it’s a national park or Mount Haleakala in Hawaii, I always at least try to bring home an image I’d love to see on my walls.

Here I’m just going to give some simple advice-

1. Plan your day around arriving at these iconic locations in good light.

2. Don’t make them too complicated and take too much time if you’re with your family, remembering that their experience is important.

3. If you’re really into it, then go out early in the morning before everyone is awake or late at night, to get some time to really concentrate.

4. Don’t try to make something out of nothing. If it’s noon and the light is bad, know that’s it’s OK to let some things go.

portraits

OK -so camera aware portraits are a mainstay of every parents camera roll, but for those of us that love photography, they don’t have to be a major percentage of the take away portfolio from any trip. That doesn’t mean that we don’t take some, they’re nice to have as a part of the record, but there are a few rules that I try to abide by to make them feel like a seamless part of the day and not a beating for everyone involved. I’ll also include a couple of tips to make them a bit more “pro”

1. My essential gear for making portraits even on vacation, beyond a camera/phone, are a flash and a reflector. I know that’s adding something to a lightweight kit but there are so many times these can really make all the difference. The flash is used to fill in shadows when my subject is backlit (sun facing you the photographer) and the reflector is used as a portable shade (most of the time). Don’t have a reflector? Use anything you can easily carry to block the sun, I’ve even used one of those windshield shades to get the job done. Having access to those two tools can really make or break a portrait and they’re completely worth the effort.

2. Make it fast - If you only need 5-10-30 seconds of performance from your kids, they’ll be happy to help. It’s really only when their expectations are that every time you pull out a camera that they, A. have to sit still for a while and B. smile for a long time, that they will start to give you the ‘tude.

3. Make it fun - A quick game of ‘Simon says’ or ‘you better not’ are great ways to get instant smiles (but you have to be quick because it will be fleeting.)

4. Don’t focus too much on perfection - If you go in to every moment of a vacation looking for perfection in light and posing you’ll most likely make everyone miserable. Instead, I like to wait until I see when the light and background look good and then I’ll suggest a quick photo. Don’t try to make these images on demand when you arrive at anything new or exciting, wait until you see what will work then work quickly.

5. Only a small percentage of your photos from a vacation should be family aware, at least in my book. My goal would be to have maybe 5-10% of the images from any trip be grip and grin, posed, and looking at the camera. I much prefer action, moments, and maybe a sprinkling of suggested acting into the mix. I might ask my son to climb something and sit for a moment but not look at the camera, for instance, or ask my daughter to show me her diving skills.

Great light + 10 seconds is often the best way to go… note my wife is holding a reflector which is giving the catch light in Viv’s eyes (kinda makes a big difference in the polished look)

Sometimes it’s great to hand the camera to your 12 year old and have her get one of you.

6. Take the time to shoot the other families with you if you’re on a trip with friends and family. This one is big - I really try every time I’m out with another family to make sure I do my best to give them some photos I’m proud of that include them. Most parents don’t have the skills or patience to do what I do but I love giving back in this way. You might even consider taking a few minutes one evening to really try to make some family portraits for them.

What to bring

OK this is obviously dependent on the nature of your trip but if it’s a destination that requires nothing too specialized here is what I would pack as a family man. Obviously, this is not about a full photo-centric trip which would be an entirely different list.

1. Computer and external USBC SSD hard drive for downloading and backing up. I run my own business of course (josephmark.com/bigwallstudio.com) so we always have a computer on hand but I do think, however works best for you, that it’s a good idea to have a way to backup.

2. Camera body, extra batteries, and SD cards. My current favorite for vacations is a Fuji XT4 with three batteries, and 4 SD cards (128GB) but whatever you have is most likely great… just don’t forget the batteries or cards since those are often very hard to source while you’re on the road.

3. Wide angle zoom, fast prime, telephoto zoom.

   1. The wide angle zoom is great for closeup action, landscapes, star-scapes and general walking around.

   2. The fast prime is for anything at night or indoors, I like it to be a 50mm (or equivalent)

   3. The telephoto zoom is for action images of the family during activities and for landscapes.. and portraits

4. An action camera for video - love these for vlogging or for watersports, beaches, and even hiking.

5. If we’re going to be in a pool, ocean, or lake I love to bring a waterproof camera like the Olympus TG-6. Word to the wise, buy a floating strap that keeps your camera from sinking.. $5 investment can save the day.

6. Bags… this is the really hard part but I think the best thing that has worked for me is a backpack for day trips, hiking, and airports and a smaller shoulder bag for less conspicuous trips like going out to dinner or sight seeing.