You traveled all the way to the Taj Mahal hoping to capture a quintessential photo of the ivory-white marble mausoleum only to find thousands of tourists exploring right in front of your lens—and that’s not quite the image you were hoping for.  There are few things worse for a photographer than being at an amazing location and having other people in the way of your shot.  But no need to fret.  With this travel photography tip, you can have a beautiful image sans tourists, and you won’t have to spend hours upon hours cloning people out of it. 
 
Here’s how you can make tourists disappear in four simple steps:
 
Step 1: Put your camera on a tripod.
Step 2: Take a picture about every 10 seconds until you have at least 15 shots, depending on how fast people are walking around.
Step 3: Open all the images in Photoshop Extended or the Creative Cloud edition of Photoshop by going to File > Scripts > Statistics.   Then choose “median” and select the images you took.
Step 4: Voila! Photoshop finds what is different in the photos and simply removes it.  Basically, the area where someone was standing is now filled with part of another photo where no one was there. 

​So before you travel to the Taj Mahal or any of the other wonders of the world, test this technique out in a nearby park or busy area in town to ensure you’re comfortable with all of the steps involved and satisfied with the outcome.

Have you ever walked into an old cathedral or chapel, looked up, and found yourself amazed by the patterns, architecture, lines, colors, light, and frames all perfectly composed for your camera to capture? A grand ceiling is beautiful to behold and photograph.  But unless you’re prepared to photograph a grand ceiling, what you see before your eyes may not translate through your lens. 
 
Let’s take some time to talk about lighting.  Because many older structures are poorly lit, seeing the details in the ceilings may be difficult even for the naked eye.  To make sure your camera can pick up the details in dim lighting, you’ll want to use a wide aperture and long exposure time to capture as much light as you can.  Also, be mindful of lanterns, windows, and other lighting sources as they can also create sharp contrasts.  With different factors at play, be prepared to test multiple settings. 
 
Holding the camera in your hands to capture images in low-light settings is not ideal; photographing the spectacular architecture and artwork of a grand ceiling certainly calls for better technique than merely craning your neck back, pointing your camera straight up at the ceiling and snapping away. Not only is this painful for your neck and spine, but you may miss out on capturing all of the intricate details above you in a blurry or dark image.  So, try setting your camera on the floor.  Yes, on the floor with the lens pointing up.  Setting the camera on the floor allows for the widest perspective of the grand ceiling, and you don’t have to worry about setting up a tripod.  I also recommend using a wide angle lens for these shots to give your image an even wider field of view with an enhanced perspective.  If you’re worried about having your camera on the floor, you can place it on top of a thin non-slip mat for additional cushion and protection. 
 
But, there’s a catch. 
​
Since you’ll be unable to use the LCD screen or viewfinder with your camera in this position, I highly recommend you tether your camera to your laptop computer with a USB or HDMI cable (depending on your camera’s capabilities).  The LiveView function will allow you to see everything in more detail on the larger screen of your laptop which will, in turn, help you find the optimal position, snap the picture, and help you make appropriate camera setting adjustments to capture the image more efficiently. 
 
Before you head out to try this technique in a high-traffic cathedral or chapel, practice it at home.  Tether your camera to your laptop computer with LiveView function and become familiar with all of the capabilities at your fingertips.  With practice, you’ll be able to beautifully capture the ornate grand ceilings waiting for you to photograph all over the world.

Happy Snapping!
​Kirsten

There’s no doubt travel photography can be a challenge.  Not only are you traveling to a new (and sometimes distant) location with camera gear, but you’re also at the mercy of whatever conditions are thrown your way.  Although you don’t want to pack too much gear while you travel, you still want to be prepared for anything you may face.  One way to be prepared for any condition, is to travel with camera lens filters. 
 
With so many technological advances in digital photography, it may be tempting to think that camera lens filters are outdated or even pointless.  Many photographers are reliant on the built-in editing tools in Lightroom and Photoshop to replicate or even replace the filter actions of a camera lens filter.  Although the photo editing tools we now use are highly developed, lens filters shouldn’t be tossed by the wayside--some filter actions can never truly be replicated with software.  Yes, you can achieve many effects with digital editing tools, but some lens filters have the ability to yield effects that would take a considerable amount of time or be near impossible to recreate digitally.  Not only that, but some lens filters will enable you to shoot in conditions that could otherwise damage your lens.  This creates more opportunities for the travel photographer.
 
Although there are many different lens filters with varying purposes, there are three lens filters you definitely want to have with you while you travel.
 

1. Polarizer Filter– This is a creative filter can be used for any type of photography.  A polarizer makes photos more vibrant by increasing contrast, enhancing colors, and reducing glare and reflections off of water and other surfaces. 
2. Neutral Density (ND) Filter – The ND filter is also a creative filter that is useful while shooting in strong natural sunlight.  It reduces the amount of light entering through your lens into the image sensor which reduces the shutter speed.  It’s particularly helpful when you need to capture smooth flow effect of waterfall or ocean movement, or when you shoot portraiture with reducing depth-of-field. The ND filter will capture images that your eyes can’t see and photo editing software can’t accomplish.   
3. Graduated Neutral Density filter (GND) – The GND filter is an essential tool in capturing scenes in a broad dynamic range by restricting the amount of light across an image in a smooth geometric pattern.  This filter works well with simple lighting scenarios like those common in landscape photography—it may even be considered a hidden secret of successful landscape photographers.

 
While you can’t control the weather, lighting, and other extrinsic conditions when you travel, you can control the equipment you bring with you.  Lens filters have the ability to capture images in difficult lighting conditions, enhance colors, reduce reflections, or simply protect lenses.  Lens filters can greatly enhance your photographs, but it’s important to use them properly and only when necessary to avoid jeopardizing your image quality.  So, don't rely on photo editing software for all your effects; get out there and have fun the traditional way with one of these three filters and discover how they can transform your images.

What's your favorite lens filter to travel with?  Is it one listed above or something different?  I'd love to hear from you!  

Happy Snapping!
Kirsten