Over the last (almost) 3 years we have taken our fair share of pictures with each other. Whether we are shooting one another or ourselves as a couple, we have a number of tricks we employ to make sure that we have cute and memorable photos of our adventures.
Check out our best tips for taking amazing travel photos as a couple!
Avoid the Selfie Stick
First off, nothing screams, “I’m a tourist, please take my wallet,” more than a selfie stick. Europe’s most popular cities are all too over saturated with selfie stick salesmen. Yes, you will see pictures of us using a Go Pro pole every now and then, but that will generally be at the top of a mountain where there aren’t many humans to ask to take a picture of you.
Plus, if you are trying to take good pictures there is a huge difference here.
Using a selfie stick means you’re going to likely be using the front facing camera on your phone which has a lower number of megapixels than your standard phone camera. A Go Pro is a bit different, considering you use the one and only front lens.
Just ask someone to take the picture for you and strike up a conversation with them. We have made a number of friends who we still keep in contact with just from asking a stranger to take a picture for us.
Ask the Right Person
If you walk up to the person with the disposable yellow and black camera (do people still use these? honestly, no idea…) and ask them to take a picture for you, don’t expect to get a great picture out of it.
In a touristy destination it is incredibly easy to find someone with a professional camera. This person is much more likely to make sure to get a few good pictures of you than the disposable camera guy.
Back to point one – don’t ask the person with the selfie stick. They don’t want you to talk to them anyway.
Invest in Decent Equipment
This doesn’t mean you need to spend $1000 on a camera because we definitely don’t own a $1000 camera. If you have an iPhone or even one of the newer Androids you’re likely to have a pretty good number of megapixels in your phone camera which can actually produce a great photo.
Full disclosure on our equipment:
iPhone 6 and 6s
Go Pro Hero 3+ Black
Canon Rebel T3i
Some of our older pictures were even taken on an iPhone 5s!
Take Your Time
It’s easy to rush a picture when you’re excited or tired from traveling. Take a few minutes to relax and take a look at your surroundings. Don’t be afraid to take 10 shots of the same thing either!
Our Dropbox folders have about a combined 20,000 pictures and you can see on our Instagram accounts that we have posted less than 1,000 combined over the last few years!
Be Yourselves
Some of our favorite pictures together are from moments where we were joking around, laughing, or simply doing something we love. Forced pictures will look exactly that…forced. Have fun with it! Be goof balls!
Do Something Different
Sure, when you go to Florence you’ll definitely want a picture in front of the famous Duomo or on the beautiful Ponte Vecchio. When you’re in London, of course you’ll want a picture with Big Ben. But don’t be afraid to spice it up!
Do something you haven’t seen 1,000 times on travel Instagram accounts. Whether that means capturing the picture from a different angle or simply doing something different in the picture. Don’t go to Pisa and pretend to be saving the Leaning Tower from falling over. Just don’t. Be creative!
Know How Lighting Affects a Picture
Certain times of day are better for taking pictures than others. Generally mornings and evenings will offer the best lighting (and less tourists at attractions).
Taking a picture with the sun behind your object will likely silhouette your object, so if that’s what you’re going for then great, but if not make sure to shoot with the sun behind you so that it lights up whatever you’re shooting.
Take (and Share) Pictures of Each Other
Don’t be afraid to let your love for one another be known. People want genuine and real posts, so chances are if people are following your Instagram and Facebook journey they will support you and your love as a couple.
Follow us on Instagram to see the shots!
@Michael_J_Gallagher & @Alexandra_Carson
Do you use any of these tricks when traveling with your significant other? Let us know in the comments below!
Great photos showing how it should be done!
We actually do enjoy taking selfies but not with the notorious stick. Our Sony RX-100 M3 (which is awesome!) has a screen that can be flipped towards the front for “selfie mode”. It does limit you to taking pictures at arm’s length though, so we do ask other people from time to time. Will try to go for someone with professional gear next time, as they can probably do a lot better than us 🙂
It is a fool proof plan. You’ll be quite happy and might even learn something when you ask real photographers to shoot you.
A great read! It sounds so simple to go ask someone to snap your photo but I definitely needed to hear it! I was thinking of investing in a tripod but you’re right, you can always tell who the real photographers are at sites and I’m sure they would be willing to take a photo, I know I am always up for taking someone’s photo! xx
Absolutely. We can’t remember a single time ever being turned down by a photog when asking them to take a picture. Most times they ask us to take one in return and we end up chatting for a bit. The great thing about traveling is that you meet so many like minded people – no one wants to spend thousands of dollars to go half way around the world to be in a bad mood 🙂