In today’s age of social media, people love to travel to have the best photos of their dream destinations and share them on their online accounts. For many, their social media accounts have become open travel diaries that their followers enjoy. But aside from posting your photos, it’s fun to immortalize your travel photoshoots–so you have something to look back on.
Today, people aim to have the best travel photos that they can have. Many love to curate their online feeds to a specific theme that enhances the picture even more than its real-life beauty. In other words, people today love to have unique and dreamy travel photos.
But with all the gorgeous and breathtaking travel photos swarming around social media today, how do you create a unique and dreamy travel photoshoot? One where you’re not only busy capturing the best feed-worthy shots but enjoying the moment. If you want to have your version of travel-aesthetic shots, this post will try to help you.
Here are five tips for a unique and dreamy travel photoshoot.
1 – Try shooting with film cameras.
First, let’s start with the mother of dreamy photos: the film cameras. Film cameras were the “iPhones” from the 1960s until the early 2000s. Within that time frame, the art of photography has immensely developed. People also enjoyed learning and trying film processing, hence, the birth of family photo albums.
Today, film cameras have become popular again. Many people started buying and using 35mm film cameras after polaroid cameras became popular in the late 2010s. If you want to have the original “dreamy” aesthetic that your childhood photos emit, I suggest bringing a good 35mm film camera with you on your trip.
I wouldn’t recommend using disposable film cameras for your trip. If you want to practice shooting with film, disposable cameras will do. But to ensure your photos do justice to your travel shoots, I suggest getting a quality 35mm film camera.
2 – Shoot early in the morning, before and during sunset, and at midnight.
One of the secrets of a great photo is lighting. A photo’s lighting sets the overall mood and feel of a picture. If you want a dreamy feel for your shots, it’s worth the try to wake up early and fill your lenses with the early morning light. Many photographers love shooting during the golden hour, a.k.a, an hour before sunset and one hour after sunset. Some even call this time the “magic hour” as well.
Experts say that your lighting during the shoot determines the texture of your shot. If you’re aiming for the foggy and light photo feel, it would be best to shoot early in the morning. It is also an ideal time for a traveler to enjoy the view of an attraction without many people crowding to take the best shot.
On the other hand, if your aesthetic leans more towards bright lights or a fuzzy feel, midnight is the best time to shoot. It will undoubtedly challenge and improve your photography skills. After all, it’s not easy to shoot in the dark. If you want to have at least one photo with these three different vibes, I’d recommend shooting during these times of the day.
3 – Don’t be afraid to play with angles.
I’m assuming that most of us here are not professional photographers who strictly follow the rules in taking the best shot. I believe most of us here are daydreaming about our next travel getaway and how to record them in the best way we can. And since we are free to make our rules, my next tip is don’t be afraid to play with angles.
Many of us always want to follow a trend, whether it is in fashion, language, photo styles, and more. Today, most travel photos we see online usually revolve around an angle that highlights a person’s travel outfit or the breathtaking attraction. And there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, those photos are the ones many of us look forward to when we travel.
But since we’re trying to find tips on how to have a unique travel photoshoot, I’d recommend taking shots from various angles other than what we’re used to online. It can be from your eyewear shade’s perspective to add a different filter to your photo. Or you could take a shot at an angle against everyone’s shooting angle at an attraction.
Whatever angle it is, try to explore. You might just capture the best travel photo at an angle you weren’t considering.
4 – Visit a souvenir shop where you’re travelling and remake the photos from their travel postcards.
There’s a saying that the best way to learn is by imitating the experts and our heroes. In a traveler’s case, their photography hero is a travel postcard. Even though you don’t fancy the angles of the postcards you’ve seen, I recommend giving this a shot. After all, you’re the only person who’ll judge your photos anyway.
You can use the travel postcards as inspiration and tweak the shoot with your style. Maybe you can try shooting the postcard-inspired photo at sunset, midnight, or early in the morning. You can also buy the postcards and keep your version alongside the postcard in a photo album.
If you love printing your travel photos, I suggest trying this.
5 – Try to shoot from the eyes of the people in the area you’re travelling.
Lastly, try to shoot from the eyes of the people in the area you’re travelling. When travelling, we love to explore a destination from a traveler’s perspective. It’s rare for us to look at and appreciate a place from the perspective of the people living there.
These scenes may not be the best “dreamy” travel shoots you’ll have. But from this perspective, you’ll surely learn more about the place you’re exploring. You can even make your shots dreamy by applying your photography skills. A little filter, lighting, and angle can turn a mundane local scene into a striking one.
If you want to explore a different perspective on a famous travel destination, this tip will surely help you.
But more importantly, make your travel experience as dreamy and unique as your photos.
I hope you’ll find my simple tips helpful for your next travels. But more importantly, I hope you savour every moment of your trip. Don’t let it pass you by without being in the moment while working on your travel shoots. After all, travels should be lived and not only for posting.
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