14 Tips For Taking Truly Instagrammable Travelling Photos

Handy hacks for sensational travel photography, to take you from amateur photographer to emerging travel influencer in an instant.

Like it or not, in the past 10 years the presence of social media—namely, the emergence of Instagram—has single-handedly changed the way that people travel (and view) the world. Sharing a solitary image of a rocky landscape or picturesque hillside just doesn’t cut it anymore. It is all about colour, lighting, contrast and consistency—as proven by the growing population of travel influencers who infiltrate our image feeds. (Although, the verdict is still out on whether the end goal is to produce the most stunning image, or to induce the most amount of travel envy among followers.) However, if you simply want to take travel images that truly stand out on the 'gram, here are 14 tips and tricks you need to follow.
Image credit: Instagram.com/dorpell
Lighting is everythingThe quality of light in a photo is key to determining its aesthetic value. As levels of sunlight are constantly changing throughout the day, shooting outdoors can be tricky. (It is much easier to set up a studio, tweak light to the perfect brightness and snap away all day—but where is the fun in that?)
Image credit: Instagram.com/wonguy974
Despite what many people assume, bright light—such as the sunlight that is present in the middle of the day—is generally too harsh to showcase colour, reflections and shadows. The best time for lighting is ‘golden hour’ which is essentially dawn, in the hour before sunrise.
Image credit: Instagram.com/dorpell
The golden hour also applies to the hour before sunset, so those who prefer to have a sleep in can take advantage of near-perfect lighting at the end of the day. Depending on atmospheric conditions (fog, cloud cover, etc.), the few hours before sunset in the late afternoon can also produce a beautiful foundation for softly lit photography.
Image credit: Instagram.com/dorpell
During the golden hour, the lighting is much softer than the overhead sunlight in the middle of the day. The angle of the sun elongates and highlights shadows and gives more depth and dimension to the colours in the frame.
Image credit: Instagram.com/kve239
ExperimentSometimes it can take hours, or even days to get the perfect photo—keep snapping away, you never know what will roll into frame. For every good photo you take, there is a trail of hundreds of failures, but that only makes the satisfaction of capturing the shot all the more worth it.
Don't forget to play with foreground and background focus, this gives the subject of your image more dimension.
Image credit: Instagram.com/wonguy974
Look for unique angles, different frames and interesting ways to capture landscapes and buildings.
Image credit: Instagram.com/finduslost
Let it rainWhile most people retreat indoors at the sound of thunder, this is when photographers come out to play, so put on a raincoat and start capturing stormy moments. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need a sunny day to take a great photograph; overcast skies diffuse light, which brings out beautiful tones in the subject you are shooting. This muted light is also like a natural filter on a person's face (#nofilterneeded).
Image credit: Instagram.com/wonguy974
Hollywood sets are frequently hosed down before shooting them. Why? Because everything looks better with a splash of water. When things (people, plants, buildings, pathways) get wet, they glisten—colours become more refined and reflections introduce a whole new dynamic to the scenery - and your photograph.
Image credit: Instagram.com/wonguy974
Rain also brings out a bit of crazy in people, which is fun to photograph. Bright umbrellas contrasted with a darkening sky can also bring character and life to photographs.
CompositionWhen framing an image, imagine the shot has been split into thirds both horizontally and vertically. These imaginary lines will help you decide on what to focus your attention on. Most cameras will have a function that allows you to see these lines, and the grid is also a setting that is available on most smartphones.
Pro tip: always make sure your horizon line is straight!
Image credit: Instagram.com/finduslost
Photo editing appsPhoto editing apps have the ability to take your image from amateur status to emerging travel photographer. VSCO is an easy-to-use app that has dozens of pre-set photo filters that can be applied to your photo in an instant, as well as manual toggles that you can use to adjust hue, lighting, contrast, shadows and more.
It's also a good idea to imagine how an image will look in your Instagram feed when editing photos. Try to work with colour and tone sequences that match each other. This will not only make your feed look more attractive, but it will also give a sense of cohesion to your work, allowing your travel photography to be instantly recognized as your piece of work, instead of just another Instagram image.

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