Vacation Photos – how to take them better

Just back from vacation, and I have a ton of photos to sort through. 1261 to be exact. While I will have good memories of most of those shots, it’s very doubtful any but my closest friend would want to see that many shots.

As I’m looking thru for keepers for my slideshow, there are a few things that pop up as negatives. Whether the photo is clear and sharp – blurry photos get rejected. Same for over or underexposed images. Now there are some that can be saved in Photoshop, but generally I have a second & better image.

Next I look for impact – does the shot have any wow appeal? Some have it just by the beautiful content – a dramatic castle behind my husband and myself. Who could resist this! Note, we positioned ourselves to the corner of the shot, leaving the castle in full view.

Next are scenic places that everyone knows the name of, such as Loch Ness. Sorry, we didn’t see Nessie, but there is the ruins of a castle on the western shore. See how taking the shot from above the ruins shows a lot of depth to the scene? The castle takes up roughly a third of the image, with the rest being split between the water and the hills in the distance.

Then there are shots of animals that we don’t get to see too often.

These grey seals were on the Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth – gotta love that name for a bay. Again, I positioned the seals just below center, so the rocky cliffs behind them show as well. Remember the Rule of Thirds when framing a shot. And if you don’t know the Rule of Thirds, please call, I will be glad to explain it.