As Australia endures the winter season, many of us use this time of year to escape the chill and head overseas for some warm summer rays and travel adventures.

My family tends to choose the type of holiday where we aren’t sitting still for too long. We like to find new places we haven’t seen before and experience things we can’t at home. And it’s no secret that high on my agenda when I am travelling with my family is opportunities to make pictures along the way.

Being fortunate enough to have travelled a number of times with my family over the past few years, I’ve taken a fair few photos and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes while doing so.

Of course I take all the conventional photographs while on holiday. We all know the ones I’m talking about; group photos in front of sunsets, pictures of famous monuments, fingers/hands/bodies positioned in ways to look like they are holding up buildings or statues.

These are fun memories and definitely have their place in the family holiday albums.

But these are not the kind of photos that I love to take.

The images I truly yearn to make are those that tell a story of the places we have been.

If I leave a destination with only a few authentic encounters and a compilation of genuine visual stories, I am one happy camper!

The tips below have been gathered from my personal experience travelling as a photographer, a tourist, a mother and a wife.

1. Choose your gear wisely

Before leaving home, you’re going to have to make the decision on what gear you are going to use. To be honest, it doesn’t really matter what camera you use; be it a smart phone, a dslr or an analogue film camera. My number one rule remains the same:

There is nothing worse than overpacking. Stuffing your day pack with numerous cameras and lenses and accessories, breaking your back lugging it around all day, making it impossible to make gear decisions on the run, only to miss the opportunity for a great photo. Believe me. I’ve made all those mistakes.

Each subsequent trip I take, I find myself packing less and less. Here are my suggestions to keep things simple…

If you are shooting on a smart phone, consider packing a portable charger to keep your battery topped up while out and about.

Taking a dslr or mirrorless camera? Choose one multipurpose zoom lens that gives you enough coverage for wide shots but also some great lens compression and bokeh when zoomed in.

Into your film photography? Take one camera that you know well with a pancake lens and a versatile film stock that will allow you to shoot outdoors in the sun, but is fast enough in case you want to use it indoors as well.

And honestly, I would ditch the extra gear such as tripods, flashes, etc. Unless you have a very specific style or niche that requires them, in most cases, you won’t need it.

2. Pack smart

There are plenty of blogs out there touting the newest and most stylish camera bags, filled with specialized compartments and multiple access points. The thing I don’t love about these is they scream “I HAVE A CAMERA” and they are often overkill.

The way I like to pack my camera is in a regular old comfy backpack. I use a bag insert (Tenba BYOB) which gives a little extra padding around my camera but isn’t overdesigned and is still very light. Keeping your camera in your day pack means you can take it on board with you on the plane and reduces the chance of damage.

If taking film, ideally try and avoid having your film scanned through the scanners (CT and X-Rays). However, most airports refuse to hand check film unless there are extenuating circumstances, so you want to prepare beforehand to avoid any arguments at the gate.

A tried and tested way of doing this is to place all your film into a clear zip lock bag. Remove any 35mm film from canisters and take off the foil wrapping from 120 film so they are easily visible.

Throw in a roll of high speed film, even if you don’t plan to shoot on it. I have used 800ISO film before, but also threw in an expired 3200 roll of film too (not that they knew it was expired!). The security staff are briefed to only accept hand scanning if film is high-speed, so having at least one roll in your bag is a pretty good guarantee they will agree.

I’ve also unashamedly used the line ‘I am documenting an important story for my family’ line if there’s any hesitation from them.

Be polite, ask nicely and don’t try doing this if you are rushing through the gate!

3. Get up early to catch thAT worm

Ok, so you have arrived at your destination gear in tow, and its time to start making pictures. You may find yourself frustrated at first, battling overcrowded tourist destinations and dealing with unfamiliar lighting situations. There is one simple thing you can do to improve this, and that is get up early!

Get up earlier than the other tourists and you are likely to find better light; think beautiful golden hour and long shadows.

You can also try shooting in the evening golden hour but I usually find tourist traffic is high at this time so its not ideal.

As well as this, in the morning you are more likely to observe locals going about their daily routine; a perfect opportunity to capture the essence of the place.

Early morning slivers of light in the cobbled streets of Semur-en-Auxois, France 2019

4. Be camera ready

Great moments can come and go as quickly as you can say hello in the local language.

Having your camera ready means you are less likely to miss that epic shot.

A couple of things I like to do while I am out and about:

Where I can, I have my camera ready with settings pre-set. Set Shutter speed and Aperture to a setting that will work in the lighting situation you find yourself in (and ISO for digital cameras) before you see your shot.
Have your camera ready at hand, rather than packed away in your bag. Investing in a good quality camera strap so you can comfortably carry your camera across your body or over your shoulder is ideal.

Following this advice makes it easy to whip your camera up to your eye and shoot at quick notice.

Sweeping the front step before afternoon siesta, San Vito Lo Capo, Sicily 2023

5. Avoid clichés and think outside the boX

Or, don’t avoid the clichés, shoot them for the family album, but then look for better opportunities to tell your story creatively in other ways.

Look for reflections,
Obscure obvious elements and keep it intriguing
Shoot from alternative angles,
Try creative techniques such as double exposures.

Double exposure in front of the carousel at Piazza della Repubblica, Florence, 2023

6. Find great locations, and have patience!

I like getting up early (not usually, but see point 3 above!) and strolling around the streets of where we are staying. It gives me an opportunity to take in my surrounds, notice interesting spaces and find locations that speak to me.

If you see a scene that feels right, stick around for a while. Being patient and waiting for an interaction or a passer-by to walk through the frame can push an image from just nice to something magic.

7. LOOK FOR QUIRKY ELEMENTS OR PATTERNS TO ADD INTO YOUR FRAME TO TELL A BETTER STORY

What could be more fun than adding in a few aspects of humour throughout your travel photos?!

Look for amusing actions (stubborn camels have had enough!) or ironic placement of things (Jesus overlooking the Instagram capital of the world, Positano). Repeating patterns or things lined up in a comical way can also make a great photo that chronicles your travels well.

The convoy, outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand 2018

8. FINALLY, DONT FORGET THE DETAILS

Its easy to get caught up taking photos of the grand visual scenes whilst you are travelling to new and interesting destinations, but often its the little details that add depth and layers to your image collection, and can nicely round off the story you are trying to tell.

Think of the little things that are different to home, or that have occurred only because you have travelled to this particular destination.

Get in close and shoot what catches your eye.