A girl in my daughter’s first grade class is flying to Hawaii for Easter recess.
The rest of the class is going to Florida.
Spring fever has hit, and it seems everyone is hitting the road on a family vacation. If you are one of the lucky ones, take advantage of the photo opportunities you encounter on your trip by following these tips:
Timing: Timing is key if you are planning to take outdoor photos of your kids at the beach or an amusement park. Use natural light to your advantage. Shoot during the golden hours (which take place at dawn and dusk) when the sun paints subjects in the best light. During the golden hours you can snap shots that feature vibrant colors and textures that you wouldn’t ordinarily enjoy if you were taking pictures at high noon.
Shoot RAW: If you have a high-end digital camera, consider recording RAW images instead of JPG. RAW photos eat up more memory, but they allow for greater flexibility in the editing process because they record minute details that JPG doesn’t.
Experiment: If you shoot with a DSLR camera, take time during your vacation to experiment with lenses and filters. I would suggest using a wide-angle lens for shooting any landscapes that you may pass on your journey. Also, consider purchasing a polarizing filter. It helps to darken the sky and saturate the other colors in the shot. I used one in Hawaii and it really made the beach photos of my daughter pop. If you have extra money, then consider investing in a neutral density filter, which helps reduce the contrast between the land and the sky. Another option is to purchase a color correction filter. It comes in handy when you want to warm-up or cool down a wide-sweeping landscape shot. It can also be used to change the color tones of subjects in a shot.
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