We've been taking travel snaps for quite a few years now (and finally we have an Instagram page to show them off!) and we've learnt the long, hard way about the disasters which can hit our precious photos on the road and simple tricks for making sure we get a great shot on every trip.
Read on for our tips and advice on getting the perfect travel photo, and once you have why not enter it into our Student Photograph of the Year Competition, we've got £300 to give away in prizes!
Rule of Thirds Place the subject along imaginary lines which cut the photo into thirds or place the horizon along one of these lines. It will instantly give your images a boost as opposed to having everything in the centre.
Use Nature's Dimmer Switch Light has the ability to massively alter your photos. Aiming to take a shot during the 'golden hour', the time just around dawn and sunset, will create wonderful shadows and contrasts as well as the golden light of the sun at these times.
Expose Yourself Not like that! (In fact, absolutely do not do that, it is disrespectful to locals and could get you in a lot of trouble). Instead learn how to use the exposure on your camera/phone. Much like your eyes need time to adjust to a dark room after being out in bright sunshine, your camera lens needs time too. Adjusting these setting just gives the camera a nudge in the right direction.
Be Individual Try to think outside the box and aim for photos which really encapsulate that moment in your adventure. Thinking about perspective, colour and theme will all mix it up a bit!
Be Vintage It might seem old-school but packing a disposable camera or two might well produce some of your favourite travel photos, no posing or re-taking shots. Plus the surprise when you get them processed is always great!
Get Permission It is polite to get permission from the people you are taking photographs of. Usually people will be happy to oblige but if not, respect their wishes.
Power Up We’ve all experienced that moment when your camera has gone flat just as you find the perfect photo opportunity. Remember to bring spare batteries and avoid these things which drain battery life: high levels of flash usage; looking at all of the images on the camera screen; constantly turning the camera on and off; cold temperatures (try to keep your camera and batteries stored in inner pockets if visiting somewhere super chilly!).
Make Friends While we all love a good selfie, sometimes it's not quite the same as a proper team snap. If you need a stranger to take a photo look out for someone who is carrying a camera, they are more likely to know how to take a better shot!
Get Editing Simple photo editing is easy now and just a finger swipe away with loads of great tools you can download onto your phone. Spending five minutes playing around and tweaking an image can make it go from average to awesome!
Not Everything is Worth a Photo Looking back through your holiday snaps will bring back some of the best memories but some of those adventures just aren't meant to be captured. It's not worth spending your whole trip behind the lens, live in the moment and enjoy experiencing your journey too!
With that in mind, a bit of practice (and the ability to take thousands of photos using modern memory cards!) there is no doubt that you will get a few great shots while you travel! And if you do, why not share them with us on Instagram: @stcadventures.