Capturing memories with your phone: 7 travel photography tips

Whether you're exploring a new destination or revisiting a favourite place, your smartphone is always accompanying you, making it easy to capture memories and share them with friends and family. Discover how to take good photos with your phone for the next time you’re on your travels with our 7 travel photography tips!

Tip 1: Condense scenes

When taking photos, you want to make sure that everything in the frame has its intended impact. Small, cluttered details in the foreground or background can be distracting, and a vivid colour should only highlight something that truly deserves attention. If in doubt, opt for a tighter crop, as shown above, using the telephoto lens of your phone camera, which is roughly a 3x zoom.

Tip 2: Experiment with different angles

Photos become more interesting when taken from different perspectives, such as from the side, below, or above. Getting very close to the ground is particularly worthwhile when the surface itself is intriguing — for example, with road markings, cobblestones, or in this case, railway tracks that guide the viewer’s eye through the image. To get the camera lens as close to the ground as possible, simply turn your phone upside down.

Tip 3: Use wide-angle mode

The choice of framing will depend not only on your location, but also on your lens’s focal length. Fortunately, modern smartphones come equipped with multiple focal lengths. For spectacular urban shots, as well as landscapes, the wide-angle mode is often a great option. It allows you to fit more into the frame, adding a sense of drama to your image.

Tip 4: Use burst mode

Use the city as your playground and take creative photos of yourself and your travel companions. If you're capturing fast-moving subjects, you can use the burst mode on your smartphone camera. This captures a rapid series of photos, allowing you to later choose the best one from the set.

Tip 5: Use panorama mode

Often it can be difficult to fit everything you want into the frame, and stepping further back isn’t always an option. In these situations, use your smartphone camera’s panorama mode for a wider view of the scene. Alternatively, try capturing tall buildings as a vertical panorama for a unique perspective.

Tip 6: Take a selfie with your surroundings

The focus of the selfie is on the face. But especially when traveling, try to include the surroundings as well. Many smartphones offer an even more wide-angle selfie camera mode, often marked with several faces. This way, more fits in the picture – and it's also worth it if you're alone in the picture, but you're standing in a cool place.

Tip 7: Don't forget to enjoy the moment

Taking photos is a wonderful way to preserve memories. However, it’s just as important to truly enjoy the moment and take in the city with your own eyes. So, don’t rush from one photo spot to the next or spend too much time staring at your phone screen but instead, take the time to soak in your surroundings and appreciate the company of those around you. This is how you can capture images that reflect the emotions and stories behind the scenes.