It happens to me often; I’ll be exploring a new landscape, discovering places I’ve long read about in guide books but have never seen with my own eyes, and I start racking my brain to come up with a new way to photograph the scene in front of me.
Yet no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to find a new perspective, a way to shake up my standard point and shoot routine.
Thanks to my recent foray into travel photography with Panasonic’s Lumix GH4, I’ve started to look at the act of capturing my adventures in a whole new light. I’ve been inspired by the camera’s 4K Photo Mode and have managed to shoot some incredible photography, but I’m still on the hunt for new and exciting ways to translate my travel experiences onto the blog.
Keen to inject a new lease of life into your photography??
Here are five unique ways to document your travels with your camera.
Pick a constant and capture a changing scene
Choosing to maintain one constant throughout a series of photos is a great way to tie the images together.
A number of photographers have made their name by repeating a particular shot in multiple destinations, whether in still or video mode this trick can add an extra dimension to your travel photography.
Want to see an example?
Take the ever-growing and now infamous ‘Follow Me To’ series by photographer Murad Osmann; his constant within every photo is the image of his fiance leading him into the shot.
Simple.
Yet spectacular.
Capture movement
Landscape photos can be epic; dramatic skies, vast swathes of colour peppered with natural elements, rays of sunlight illuminating the view. However, for a really unique landscape shot, try incorporating movement into the scene.
Want to see some examples?
Over the last 6 months I’ve been capturing my travels with my Panasonic Lumix GH4 and I’ve consistently turned to the camera’s 4K Photo mode to help me shoot stand out shots that I’d fail to photograph in standard stills mode.
Shooting short bursts of 15 to 30 second video and then pulling from the footage one or multiple shots that best captures the moment, I’ve managed to accumulate some unique island imagery by introducing movement into a still landscape scene.
Change your point of view
Sometimes changing the way you look at a subject can bring about a whole new way of seeing it. Experiment with point of view to find a unique shot amid a bland landscape; look for reflections, patterns, and unconventional viewpoints to shoot from.
Want to see some examples?
Image credits – Lens Between Us on Facebook
Creative duo Zuzu and Peter from LensBetweenUs focus their attention on each other when shooting the world around them. Making each other the subject of their images adds additional depth to each photograph and brings a new perspective to the scene when the shots are viewed as a pair.
See more ways to use photoshop to elevate your photography.
Play with perspectives
When you’re trying to photograph iconic landmarks and tourist hot-spots it can be a real challenge to find a unique perspective from which to capture the scene. So why not experiment with ‘forced perspective’ and turn familiar scenes into creative works of art.
Want to see some examples?
These photographers have taken what could have been quite mundane images and by simply changing the perspective, have given them an artistic twist.
Use in-camera hacks to add creative flair to your images
One of the great things about digital photography is the numerous ways in which you can tweak traditional camera techniques to achieve more abstract results. Simply by moving your lens or zooming in whilst shooting, over exposing your shot, or experimenting with your white balance setting, you can achieve a completely unique effect.
Want to see some examples?
These photographers have used the zoom burst or zoom blur technique to give an abstract quality to their images. Simple, fun, and easy, it involves zooming in or out while you are taking a shot causing the image to blur from the centre outwards; as if the scene is bursting towards you.
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Can you suggest some unique ways to capture your travels with your camera? Comment below!
