Travel photography is all about capturing those special moments that are timeless and begged to be preserved. For instance, a beautiful view on top of a mountain, the sun setting on a beach, the stars filling up the night sky.
In order to preserve all these beautiful and poignant moments, you need the right camera. Sony’s A6000 is a dynamic mirrorless camera that comes with an affordable price tag and empowers the photographer with a wide array of friendly tools. This consumer-centric camera allows you to take photos with its rewarding features and capture those special moments that tend to be difficult with most obtrusive cameras and bulky DSLRs.
As a travel photographer, your aim is to blend into the background and go unnoticed as you capture and preserve the beauty of the world. The camera is amazingly small, making it easier for the photographer to sneak into unimaginable spaces to capture that perfect shot. You can get super close to picturesque scenes without bothering anyone as the camera doesn’t make any sounds.
The flip-screen makes shooting from the hip immensely comfortable. At the same time, the electronic viewfinder and autofocus are the most incredible features that make this device a valuable investment for a travel photographer.
This article will walk you through 5 power-packed tips to make the most of your Sony A6000 for picture-perfect travel photography results.
Give A Human Touch
As a photographer, it is crucial to use a human touch regardless of your niche. Whether you’re covering landscapes or traveling, showcasing people allows you to stand out and draw your audience towards techniques that reflect your talent.
Naturally, in order to showcase a humanistic style, you must focus on developing it. A humanistic style stems from the uniqueness of the photographer’s perspective. If three or more photographers are capturing the same scene, will the resulting pictures be the same or different?
Each photographer will provide a unique take and perspective on a scene. While some tend to focus on the entire picture, others like to zoom in and focus on the finer, littler details. Suppose a person is sitting watching the mountains. Some photographers may crop the person out of the picture completely. However, including a human touch always makes your photos more relatable and appealing.
A humanistic style is reflected from perspective and creativity, and it determines your ability to add value to your photos. It is crucial to break free of hard and fast photography rules and set yourself free of all inhibitions so you can truly explore and experiment to discover your style.
Once you’ve made the discovery, focus on refining your style and adding new tricks and tips to your pantry. Showcasing your humanistic style will help you cement your reputation as a travel photographer and create iconic shots that only you had the sight to picture and preserve.
Back Up Your Photos
Photographers are always dealing with overwhelming amounts of data and heavy files that require multiple backup storage spaces. File backup is the most significant and indispensable strategy to adopt as a travel photographer because you want each and every shot to be beautifully preserved.
Besides, these images constitute as your portfolio, making it all the more important to find multiple backup storage solutions. Hard disks and cards are handy and portable, but it is also crucial to seek cloud-based backup solutions to enjoy easy sharing and enhanced accessibility.
Backing up your files once simply isn’t enough because it doesn’t do much to drive down the risk of losing data. Seeking out multiple backup solutions offers data security if you experience card failure, or your card gets corrupted. File management and backup are crucial for a travel photographer, and experts usually recommend storing duplicate files to prevent complications.
The slightest of card-related mishaps can deteriorate your reputation and brand you as an irresponsible professional. Losing files as a travel photographer accompanies personal loss with a loss of professional dignity. Besides, the convenience of having your images stored in multiple destinations will give you a cherished peace of mind.
Travel photographers typically backup their raw images and their edited shots to create extensive catalogs that are easily accessible. Suppose you’re constantly struggling to free up memory or upgrading cards to gain more space. In that case, it’s time to look into backup storage options for enhanced efficiency.
Experiment With Framing Pictures
The beauty of a picture is defined by its framing, perspective, and composition. These are integral ingredients to capture a picture-perfect moment with an enticing background, well-positioned subjects, and appealing foreground. Most young travel photographers tend to focus more on devices and lenses than the technique, which can make a world of difference.
Seasoned photographers are more focused on framing their pictures to create idyllic shots that capture the beauty of their subjects and their surroundings. Travel photography isn’t just about capturing a big scene. It also involves capturing small breathtaking details in a scene, such as small flowers and whimsical details, and contrasting colors.
As a travel photographer, framing will help you improve the contents of each image and pack your pictures with a plethora of charming elements. However, it must be noted that travel photography is fast-paced, making it difficult to catch up with everything that’s happening around you. Naturally, you cannot take out a few minutes to focus on framing because the scene could pass you by the time you’re done.
Therefore, framing requires practice and experimentation so you can build up your natural aptitude and capture with a refined, creative flow. Before you start shooting, take a few minutes to scan through the scene and absorb the elements that appeal to you the most. Once you find these elements, focus on framing your pictures in a way that includes them.
Always Bring A Camera
As explained above, the Sony a6000 boasts a variety of dynamic features that can help you manipulate your depth of field, play around with lighting, and use manual tools to refine your images. Always having your camera with you is one of the basic steps of gaining command over your photography ambitions and perspectives.
Having your camera with you will allow you to practice more and help you understand your camera better. If you don’t understand how you use certain features, you’ll be missing out on the quality they are capable of delivering. For instance, the aperture mode and dial of the Sony a6000 allow photographers to control their image focus and depth of field. The Creative Style feature, which you can find in the menu, allows you to play around with saturation and color to reduce editing and post-editing efforts.
Always bringing your camera will also allow you to capture photos in multiple different lights. This will enable you to learn how to manipulate light settings using the ISO and get enhanced results in low-light settings. While some shots need to be well-defined, others need to be blurred to capture in-action moments with a dynamic shutter speed. The Sony a6000 requires you to mess around and experiment with all the tools and features that most newbies avoid to prevent configuration complications.
It is important to complicate and uncomplicate your device’s feature so you can study your camera inside out. Knowledge and command over your camera’s features will help you power your perspective with innovative tools that can help eliminate shadows, boost exposure, and play around with controls. This will help you create masterful shots that are well-defined and unique in their presentation.
Stay Out As Much As You Can
Travel photographers are meant to blend deep into the background so they can go unnoticed, only to emerge once the pictures have been processed and edited, ready to be posted. As a travel photographer, it is crucial to stay out as much as possible. This will allow you to practice more and learn how to not be in anyone’s way. Most importantly, you’ll learn to avoid influencing and interfering with events as they unfold.
Candid shots are the most beautiful and poignant of pictures that all photographers aim to capture while traveling. However, these candid shots require you to fade out your presence and camouflage yourself to avoid influencing your subjects. It is crucial for a photographer to move around noiselessly and go unnoticed as you take shot after shot.
Staying out all day will also allow you to stay on top of things and capture in-action moments. This is easier to do when you’re focused on your art as opposed to your surroundings. Photographers generally remain behind the scenes and not at the forefront of festivities.
It is also crucial to divide your time throughout the day so you can focus on all locations and not miss out on anything. Maintain a low, faded presence as you circulate around the city on the hunt for incredible vantage points that refine your perspective and power your framing with astounding shots.