8 Genius Smartphone Photography Tips for Taking Amazing Florida Vacation Photos
As you travel around the beautiful state of Florida, you will be blessed to see endless Instagram-worthy sights. We have all scrolled through dreamy IG feeds before a trip and been wowed over all the glorious images. Did you know most are these are taken using smartphone photography?
You, too, can take beautiful travel photos on your smartphone that look as great as those you see online and in magazines.
Florida has epic sunsets, tropical palm trees, endless stretches of golden beaches, and hip urban scenes. So many gorgeous places are abuzz with life and vibrant activity. There are so many peaceful corners created by Mother Nature that are just too stunning not to photograph. Striking cloud formations, charming architecture, not to mention the people. Florida is a melting pot of interesting characters if you like what the pros call people photography – from the locals who will never leave to the travelers who never want to leave.
Read on to find out how you can improve your travel photos with just a little practice and a dash of editing magic. These eight genius smartphone photography tips will take your travel photos from simple snapshots to total works of art in no time!
1 – Shoot Plenty
Always try to take a lot of travel photos just because you can. Later, you can go back through to find the ones to keep. You will then have a more comprehensive range of images to select from. Try taking photos of the subject from three different angles and decide later which one you like best.
2 – Shoot Often
Do you know how they say practice makes perfect? There is a lot of truth in that saying, and it certainly applies to your smartphone photography. Try to shoot often and not just on vacations. As you get more familiar with your smartphone features, you will also get faster, which often is an essential factor in travel photography, which can be fast-moving without giving you a second chance for that shot of a lifetime.
3 – Selecting Shooting Modes
When you master your smartphone camera’s modes, a whole new world of opportunities will open up for you. If you are a beginner, practice with one mode at a time until you feel comfortable. As you learn each mode, you will begin to instinctively know which one is best when you spot something you wish to photograph.
- Photo Mode: Photo mode captures rectangular images.
- Square Mode: Square mode captures square shots, which is excellent if you are a big Instagram user, but if not, you can use photo mode and crop later.
- Pano Mode: This shooting mode is perfect for wide panoramic shots of scenic landscapes, ocean shots, or cityscapes.
- Portrait Mode: Portrait mode focuses on the person and blurs out the background, as this photo below shows. It creates an eye-catching effect and is excellent if you aren’t interested in the background details.
- Burst Mode: Burst mode gives you a series of images taken in quick succession. When you take a photo, hold down the button, and it will continue to take a burst of images. Then you can scroll through later to find the best shot. Burst mode is great for fast-moving objects and people smartphone photography. A photo of an iconic building can be much more enjoyable with some people walking past it. Use burst mode to capture the pedestrians at just the right moment. Use this mode to capture the fast-moving rides at Disney World or capture a fantastic photo of the Wheel at ICON Park.
- HDR Mode: HDR means high dynamic range, and it captures more detail from dark and light areas. Try using it if one part of the image is darker than another area. An example is shooting inside a building with windows and seeing some of the interior and exterior.
4 – Setting the Focus
Getting the focus right is one of the significant issues for photographers from beginner to pro level. Even professional photographers can struggle to get sharp focus in low light, so don’t worry if you get a bunch of blurry travel photos.
You can tap your screen on the area you want in focus on your smartphone, and the camera will focus automatically. Hold your finger on the screen to lock the focus if you want an object in focus but need to reframe the shot.
Blurry can be artsy. Movement can add depth and interest, so don’t delete blurred travel photos straight away. It might have some keepers like the tunnel of light below!
5 – Adjusting Your Exposure
When you are in dark places, you will want to lighten up your image. Adjust your exposure before you click. To create a balanced mood in a very bright photo, lower the exposure. Here is how:
- Tap the screen where you want the camera to focus
- Lock the focus by holding your finger down
- Adjust the exposure by dragging your finger up or down over the sun symbol
6 – Zoom or Move
You can zoom in with your smartphone, but the more you zoom in, the lower the quality of the image. If possible, always move closer to your subject for a better photo.
7 – Experiment And Be Creative
Don’t be afraid to shoot from different angles. Shoot through things to create frames and look for interesting shapes, shadows, and lights to document your travel adventures.
Place your smartphone on the ground to stabilize it and get low for an image that will make the subject look larger than life and to give the photo a unique perspective like the image below.
Use your camera to be social and meet people as well as get some great shots. Don’t be shy about asking someone if you can take their photo by saying, “I love your outfit, costume, or hairstyle. May I take your photo, please?” If they say no, it’s okay. If they agree, be generous and offer to send it to them.
8 – Edit With Presets
Presets are the same as filters. Your phone has some basic filters included. Presets can be purchased or found free. Many photographers and Instagram influencers sell presets. So if you find an Instagram feed that you love, you might be able to buy a matching preset to achieve a similar effect.
For Florida, the colors are bright with many blues and greens, so a preset that enhances those colors will be ideal. Right now, presets with earthy dark tones are in fashion, but those types of presets won’t suit the light and airy exotic Florida surroundings. Experiment with presets and find your style.
Your smartphone has a powerful little camera that can help you create epic images of your travels through Florida. If you have the latest version of the iPhone or an older version, or a different smartphone brand altogether, you can take wonderful travel pictures. Smartphones just keep getting better and better as technology moves forward.
Your smartphone photography skills will be growing too as you hit the road and document every beautiful sight you see. When you get home, you can edit your travel photos into beautiful visions that you will be proud to share with friends and family and, maybe, the world through your Instagram feed!
Cover Image
Photo: Unsplash
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