Blogs

[#1]

This week I wanted to share my tips for traveling on vacation with your new DSLR camera. If you recently purchased a Canon EOS Rebel kit from QVC then you have a lot more gear to manage: the Canon camera, a camera bag, two lenses, battery charger, memory cards, and the camera manual (yes, you should always carry the manual in your camera bag). 

Before you travel…

Please, please, please download all the pictures that are on your memory card to your home computer. After you have successfully downloaded photos from your memory card I want you to “clean” your memory card. Place the memory card in your camera and format the card. This step will basically delete all contents from the memory card so you are starting with an empty card ready for taking new pictures. My mother saves images on her memory card that are sometimes 2 or 3 years old. This is a very dangerous habit that can result in losing pictures that you want. It is also really difficult to manage pictures when you save them for a very long time on your memory card. I can’t stress enough how important it is to regularly download pictures from your memory card on to your computer.

Pack your camera bag 24 hours before your begin your trip, or at least early enough to allow you to go to the store if you need supplies (batteries, memory cards, etc.). This is the same time that I usually format my memory cards (I usually take at least 3 or 4 memory cards on vacation).

During your vacation…

I love to take a lot of pictures, which can be good when you want to really capture every aspect of the trip. But it can also be exhausting when you return home and begin downloading hundreds of pictures. In the beginning of your photographic journey with your DSLR camera I suggest taking a lot of pictures because that will help you get more comfortable with the camera, and help you hone in on what you like to photograph. I have learned over the years that I am more interested in pictures of people than I am of scenic photos. I do like to take abstract photos that remind me of the trip, or help tell my photographic story.

Force your family, or whoever you are traveling with, to be in some of the photos you take! I know this may sound a bit demanding, but forced family photos (even when no one is smiling) are great memories to have years from now when you go back and look at your photos to reminisce. I have learned the art of taking some candid photos and some posed photos, you will want to try to capture both. DSLR cameras with a zoom lens are great for capturing a candid moment of one person, while the wider zoom can capture nice candid moments of a complete scene where you want to capture people in the setting they are in.

Vacation is really a great time to explore your DSLR camera and all it’s various features and lens capabilities. As you take your photos work on your composition and try to make an effort to be aware of all the elements of the photos you take (background, etc.). Take your time, move around to get the best angle for the photo you want to capture.

When you return from vacation…

One of the 1^st things you should do when you return from your trip is download the pictures from your memory card(s) to your computer. You don’t want to wait too long to get those pictures off your memory card(s) before you need to use your camera for different pictures not related to your recent trip. Once you have your pictures copied to your computer, format your memory cards so they are empty and ready for new pictures.

From your computer, delete the pictures you know will never be kept (out of focus, bad faces, too bright, too dark, cropped funny, etc.). After you do a quick pass through all of the pictures you’ve taken and deleted the one’s you are never going to keep, you can decide which photos you are going to edit for printing or to post on a site like Facebook to share with friends and family.

Sometimes taking photos can feel like a lot of work. The more you take photos the faster and better you will get at completing the tips that I have recommended in this post.

Thanks for reading my recent blog post, I hope you found the tips helpful. Please comment below and share your vacation photo tips with me, I’m curious to hear what other people do when they travel.

-CG