We’ve all sat through a friend or family member’s photo album from a recent vacation and feigned interest at looking at 100 photographs of them standing in front of some landmark and making that same smiling face over and aver again. After the 3rd photo, they all start to look the same. BORING!
Not my photo album.
If you want to impress your friends, relive your vacation memories and laugh all over again, take fun pictures. Here are some of my favorite tips taken on a recent trip to Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
1. Make a Funny Face
Yes the posing, smile face is nice, but too many of those will quickly bore your audience. Surprise them with an unexpected grimace, wide-eyed grin, or quizzical look.
Question: How many people have a photo of themselves smiling in front of the Liberty Bell?
Answer: Everyone that goes there.
But how many have a photo of themselves like the one above? Significantly fewer. If anything, it certainly got your attention, didn’t it?
The funny face pose happens to be my “signature look” at adventureswithben.com You’ll find it everywhere.
2. Pose Like The Statue
Here’s the famous Rocky Statue at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Don’t stand in front of it with your hand around the shoulder of your travel partner! Show those muscles and stand triumphant.
3. Pose Like A Statue
Washington D.C. loves statues. They are everywhere and of everyone – except me. So inside the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building, I decided to create a statue of myself. Who says I’m narcissistic?
4. Take a Forced Perspective Photo
The iconic forced perspective photos are pinching the Taj Mahal and pushing up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. But if a trip to Italy and India is out of your budget, use your imagination and find a creative way to highlight whichever landmark you’re visiting.
5. Use a Prop
Whether it’s an over-sized dollar bill, a funny hat, or a unique backdrop, a prop will make your photos stand out amongst all the others.
So Make it Fun
Next time you’re having an adventure and about to click the shutter ask yourself, “is this a fun photo, or could it be better?” For more fun travel pictures ideas, I’ve created a photo album of Fun Travel Photos on my Facebook Fan Page.
What tips do you have to take fun, travel photographs? Share by commenting.
I’ll see you out there…!
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I’m going to try to take more Fun Travel Photographs on my next trip. I usually try to avoid the camera myself so we will see how it goes
Avoid the camera? Never. Try it out and see what kind of reaction you get from friends and family.
LOL i love fun pictures, they are the best. I wish more bloggers would do that. It gets very borring when blog after blog you just see pics of places and monuments and blah blah & blah. Its like put your self in the picture and have some fun!!!
Oh & i agree with Ayngelina JUMPING pics are the best. I just learned about them like a year ago and do it all the time now…lol!!!
I’ll try a jumping photo on my next trip.
My favorite are jumping photos in front of monuments. You can’t look at someone jumping and not smile.
angelina – ah, the jumping photo. There were tons of people doing those in front of the Washington Monument. I wanted one too but was running behind schedule. Thanks for sharing!
Good ones Ben!
I love funny pictures but mines tend to look more ugly than funny… lol :s
Sometimes it’s hard to do force perspective when you’re traveling solo, but I still bug one or two people that seem to get the concept so they can take my shot.
I also love doing jumping pictures or hanging from something every once in a while.
Norbert recently posted something special..How to Stay Safe while Spelunking
Norbert,
When I travel solo I do a lot of the “outstretch your arm and point the camera at your face and try to aim and position the landmark behind you” photos.
Hanging photos are fun too. I have one from a tree I climbed in Eugene, OR.
great post. we have another one, the lunge. the deeper the lunge the better the photo.
cheers, jamie
jamie recently posted something special..Caoba Organic Farm Antigua Guatemala
Jamie – I don’t know if I’ve seen the lunge. Do you mean lying down with your arms outstretched?