Dream Vacation & Taking Pictures

I am excited to connect with other business professionals & entrepreneurs - "giving back" and helping others. This idea I received as I now follow Tory Johnson (Thank you, Tory, for all of your inspiration!) I am amazed with all of the incredible people with intriguing successful businesses which I am lining up as guest writers. Now read on! for "today's feature guest writer."

Taking Great Images on Trips

As you already know from my stories, pictures are one of my favorite pieces of every trip and meeting. Even though I am not a professional photographer, I take those unusual images that remind you of your experiences. Some of these images have been selected by Sacramento Connect as photo of the day, and I have had other written publication solicitations. 

But, What is important to remember when taking these pictures on your own trips? What camera do you use?  How to do you remember what happened?  Read on....

  Susan Berland, Creative Memories Senior Consultant, shares how to take a picture & capture memories of your dream trips. And, she will later share how to organize into telling your special story.  Susan is the author of A Picture's Worth where she shares more information with her readers. 

      About Susan Berland ~  I take a lot of pictures – I always have. In 2000 I found myself with 30 years of pictures and lost memories. I finally found a way to organize and display my photos so that I could enjoy them and tell the stories behind them, ensuring the stories would live on. I thought I’d always remember what was happening in those thousands of pictures but sadly, many of the stories were gone.

I’m a busy woman and I understand not everyone has time to "scrapbook." I love helping other busy people find solutions that work into their busy lives for the pictures they take of their families, their vacations, family reunions; all those special moments, so they don’t end up with pictures and no stories. After all, who wants their pictures to end up in the flea market!

Dream Vacation & Taking Pictures 

You’re finally going on your dream vacation – the one you’ve waited you’re entire life for (or at least it seems that way!). You want to be sure to remember every moment of it.

First you need a good camera. You may already have one. If not, it’s a good investment. The point and shoot cameras available today are incredible and not too expensive. If you’re already an experienced photographer, great! Take along your camera and lenses, maybe even your tripod. For me, when I travel, my camera is about all I can carry! I have a high end Sony point and shoot camera that is about 2 years old. It takes great pictures and I’ve learned to use many of its features. If you buy a new camera, take some time to learn its features and practice with it before you leave so you’re comfortable with it.

Here are some tips for taking pictures while you are away:

• Turn off your flash! Whenever possible use natural light. You will get better pictures.
• Don’t be afraid to move in close. If you are taking pictures of people, animals, flowers – close ups are more dramatic and beautiful.
• Look for the unusual to take pictures of. I love to take pictures of the locals if I’m traveling abroad. I also like to take pictures of unusual food I see in open-air markets or things that are really colorful.
• If you are taking a picture of a large monument like a pyramid, don’t have someone pose in front of it. You won’t be able to see them! Take the pyramid and take another picture of your sweetie, close up, in front of the pyramid. You’ll know where they were standing!
• Take a lot of pictures. Professional photographers will tell you that to get one great photo, they had to shoot hundreds. That’s the beauty of digital cameras. You don’t have to print (or even keep) the bad ones. 

An Image From Susan Berland's Picture Album

Be sure to bring along spare batteries. I always have an extra, fully charged battery with me because my camera battery always dies when that perfect picture comes along! And be sure to have a large enough memory card and bring along an extra, just in case.

I usually write a few minutes in a travel journal each night about what I did that day and that helps me remember what’s in all those pictures I took.

Lastly, while you are on your dream vacation, have fun. Take pictures but don’t let that get in the way of your experience. In my next post, I’ll talk about what to do with all those pictures when you get home and you’ll see some of my pictures.

Where are you going to go on your dream vacation? Who are you going to go with?

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Thank you Susan Berland for sharing!  Continue to connect with Susan at A Picture's Worth.

Taking Pictures on dream vacations! ~~ The Fun Tour Guru