Travel Photography Equipment Tips for Beginners

Have you ever found yourself wishing you knew how to take better travel photos? Do you enjoy travel photography but you want to “up your game” a bit? Well, then…we have the advice you need! This post is the first in a four-week series loaded with our top travel photography tips for beginners. We’re starting this series with our top five equipment-related tips for beginning travel photographers.

You can’t take great travel photos without making the best possible use of your equipment. To help you get your equipment right, here are our top five travel photography tips for beginners on equipment:

This is always at the top of my list of travel photography tips for beginners: know your equipment.

When I started in travel photography, I can’t tell you the number of “once in a lifetime” shots I ended up missing. Why? Simple — I was fiddling around with my camera trying to figure out what I wanted it to do. I also missed many shots because I expected the camera to capture an image in the same way I saw it with my own eyes (spoiler alert: it won’t). The more I practiced, the more automatic my photography became.

To use an analogy — think of a professional musician. You never see them struggling with their instrument or with how to hit a certain note. They’re focused on the quality and the emotion of the music, not the mechanics of making the notes come out. It’s the same way with a great photographer — the better you know your equipment, the easier it is for you to focus (no pun intended) on capturing a great image.

You should start by familiarizing yourself with all the settings available on your camera. You probably won’t need to use them all, but it’s essential to know what you do and don’t need. I’ve found the manual that comes with the camera to be a great help in discovering the features you have and what you can do with them. Since I purchased my first DSLR, I’ve read through the manuals, marked them up and added sticky notes on pages with key information.

Learning is good, but beginning travel photographers also need to think about putting that learning into practice. I once heard the suggestion that new photographers should practice using their cameras until they can set the dials and buttons without pulling the camera away from their face. If your camera uses a touch-screen for all its functions this advice may not be practical but the principle applies. Keep scrolling through the menus and functions until it becomes second nature to change your settings.

Before doing any travel photography, it’s always a good idea to check a few key settings on your camera. Before you go on any trip, practice checking to make sure everything is set up correctly. Doing so will help ensure that you don’t have any surprises when you’re out in the field, or trying to squeeze off a quick shot. Some things to verify before you start shooting:

Hang on…not so fast.

Get out and practice a lot (I mean…it’s digital, so the exposures are free!). Shoot from a variety of different angles: stand up high on a bench or a stool. Get low to the ground. Practice approaching animals slowly and quietly as to not spook them. Know whether you’re shooting something that will stay stationary or will move quickly, and practice shooting both scenarios.

The bottom line: the more you practice and sharpen your photography skills at home, the more confident you’ll feel when shooting on your trip. Your results will be better, too.

In addition to practicing with your camera, get into the practice of using a tripod. In fact, a tripod is one piece of travel photography equipment that every beginning travel photographer should carry with them. Unless you’re shooting fast-moving action, I find it’s generally always a good idea to use a tripod. Here are a few of my top reasons why:

Look for a tripod that’s sturdy enough to hold the weight of your camera plus your heaviest lens. If size is at a premium in your luggage or carry-on bag, look for a travel tripod. These fold up smaller than conventional tripods and will fit into almost any suitcase or carry on bag.

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