Vacation Snap Shots

As the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and there’s no better way of saving your vacation memories than with photographs. So never take your vacation without your camera! To make viewing all the pictures you have taken more entertaining, photography enthusiast Shawn Umsted suggests shooting in chronological order and tell a story with your pictures. You could include images of picking up the tickets at the travel agent, packing, waiting at the airport, arriving at the hotel, seeing the sites and the people, having dinner out, breaking a priceless cultural artifact, being arrested by local authorities, laughing for joy when the extradition papers finally come through, and arriving back at home at last.

Be more creative. Try not to take those boring pictures with your fellow travelers standing in the center, looking at the camera with some building or vista in the background. Be different, like having a person closer to the camera looking out at the significant tourist thingy, so that the eye follows their gaze to the subject. Or just take the thingy without someone standing in front of it… your friends will still believe you were there even if you're not in the picture (somebody had to take it!).

From an equipment point of view, remember to bring lots of film or memory cards if you are using a digital camera. Never let the films go through the x-ray machine at the airport, it could destroy your film. Another thing that can be fun is to buy some disposable "specialty" cameras, like a panoramic camera if you are going to Egypt and wanted to take sweeping shots of the pyramids, sunsets, and desert, or an underwater camera if you are going to the Caribbean. This allows you to throw some variety into the usual mix of photographs you take, and have some fun in the process.