8 Travel Photography Tips For Your Instagram Feed

 

Ever heard the millennial saying, “Photos or it didn’t happen”? These days with social platforms like Pinterest and Instagram, people have made photography a huge part of their travels. Some even plan their travel itinerary around places that are known to be most Instagrammable! 

 

With so much pressure on maintaining a certain aesthetic for your Instagram feed, it's important to remember that enjoying the trip should come first, and photos second. So with our list of tips to do both well, you can book your flight and hotel with us anywhere and still be sure to get great photos for your Instagram feed! 

 

1. Appreciate the small things

 

Photo by justsaytravel via Instagram

 

Travelling often makes us realise how much we take the simplest things in life for granted. When you start to appreciate the little things, it gives you something new and different to photograph! The last thing your viewers want is to see another photo of a popular tourist destination that can be found anywhere else on the Internet. Boring! When you appreciate the small things, you’re encouraging your followers to do the same and you’re adding value to what they’re visually consuming. 

 

2. Document the mundane

 

Photo by Partick via Instagram

 

As you’re making the effort to photograph nice moments and things on your travels, don’t forget to document all the in-betweens. It could be the feeling of anticipation you had about heading to the next destination, or following your travel buddy’s footsteps traversing along a wet gravel footpath glistening in the sun! 

 

And sometimes, when your memory brings you back to that specific moment, it's nice to have an actual photo to look at and remember even more. Be mindful of your feelings, and document these moments in your journal or blog.

 

3. The early bird gets the worm

 

Photo by Angie via Instagram

 

When it comes to photography, this really applies! The early photographer gets the best sunrises, lighting conditions, the least-crowded transit, and the whole place to him/herself! How wonderful to be able to take photos without trying to dodge the back of other tourists heads, or waiting in line for hours to get a chance to stand in front of a certain view! Be the traveller who wakes up early, takes his/her photos hassle-free, and still has time left-over to explore his/her surroundings  - all before lunch! 

 

4. Apply rules of thirds

 

 

Phot by Long-Nong Huang via Instagram

 

Now we get into the basic technicalities of what makes a good photograph. “Rules of thirds” is a photography term used to describe how every photo can be visually divided into imaginary “thirds”, horizontally and vertically - making a grid of nine squares/spaces in total. Many digital cameras and phone cameras have a function where you can turn on this grid in your viewfinder as a guide. Try it for yourself and compare photos taken with the rules of thirds in mind to photos that aren’t. It’ll blow your mind! 

 

5. Play with light, shapes, and patterns

 

Photo by Patrick via Instagram

 

Photography is actually the art of using light. Light forms an image and the amount of light you allow into a photograph can give the image a very different feel and meaning. The direction which your light source is coming from also changes the way a photograph looks. If you want a more artistic photograph of yourself and your partner at the beach, get someone to take the photo where the sun is behind the both of you to create a silhouette! 

 

Another way of making your photographs interesting is to look out for patterns and shapes all around you. This could be circles made by many plates of food on a table, or repeated rectangles through a window frame. Be observant and have some fun! 

 

6. Try different angles

 

 Photo by Patrick via Instagram

 

Sometimes the best view isn’t going to present itself right before you. You need to work to find it! Move around and find different angles to see the same subject, object or view from. Take 2-3 different angles so that when it comes to posting up your photos, you’ll have a good variety to select the best from! In relation to point number 5, trying different angles can also help you “make patterns and shapes” in a photo, simply by moving a little more to the left, right, up, or down. 

 

7. Use photo editing apps

 

Photo by Maliha via Instagram

 

You probably already know this but, most travel Instagrammers are able to maintain a consistently pleasing aesthetic throughout their grid because they’re using a consistent photo filter. Adding filters is just one of the many reasons to download photo editing apps so you can quickly run your photos through them before posting. Photo editing apps help to tell a story, and some even give you fun stickers and scribbles to give your photo some graphic personality! A few highly recommended and free phone apps are Snapseed, VSCO, Unfold, and Canva. 

 

Ps. Canva is super useful for creating awesome Instastory designs with your photos too! 

 

8. Let your photos reflect who you are

 

Photo by Sam Lim via Instagram

 

Finally, your photographs should reflect the kind of traveller YOU truly are. Don’t feel pressured to make your Instagram feed look like someone else’s just because they have a huge following. Instead, let your photos reflect who you are and that is what will really make your Instagram feed unique. It will give people more reason to view your photos because they know that they can expect authenticity and a different perspective from you. It will also give you real travel memories that you can call your very own, to be treasured for a lifetime! Don’t forget to back those photos up baby! 

 

Ready to take pictures on your next big adventure? Check out what we have to offer on Mayflower Holidays!  Register as a Mayflower member for the best travel deals and steals. Book your flight, hotel and tour packages on Mayflower.com.my now. AND don’t forget to follow our Mayflower Facebook Page for more!   

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Sarah Lim 

Believes travel is more than food and shopping. Slowly becoming a history and architecture geek. Loves the outdoors but struggles to keep plants alive. Takes photographs, occasionally writes. Follow her adventures at @justsaytravel or just say hello: sarahlimwrites at gmail dot com.