Top 10 Travel Photography Tips

1: Travel light, but travel prepared.
There is nothing worse than having too much heavy equipment to lug around and it can often get in the way and make you stand out, but worse than that is not having the equipment you need. For city shooting, carry around a wide to medium zoom for a variety of conditions, and if out shooting landscapes, a light tripod is invaluable.

2: Use your camera's P mode.
Shooting in AV, TV or Manual modes gives you the greatest deal of control and any decent photographer will rarely use anything else, however if wandering around a city, use P mode. This sets the camera to Auto for ISO, shutter speed and aperture whilst allowing you to change any settings if necessary and giving control over the flash, and when a shot comes along and you have no time to think, all you need to do is compose the shot and shoot. Better to give control to the camera than to miss the shot completely, and if you find you have longer than you thought you can flick back to one of the other modes for more shots.

3. Use a long zoom for candid shots.
I love shots of people living their lives, but as soon you whip out your camera, any naturalness goes straight out of the window. Using a long zoom can allow you to observe from a distance and capture natural shots without disrupting or being disrupted.

4. Choose your lens and stick to it.
Dust is the bain of the photographers life so when out in the field, you don't want to be changing lens and letting dust in. Pick a suitable lens for your shoot and stick with it.

5. Find a new perspective.
You can guarantee that famous landmarks and places have been photographed from every position possible. Try to look at your subject from a new perspective - climb a tree, stick out the rain - you'll find yourself with something that 99% of people wouldn't have.

6. Check your batteries before leaving home.
This sounds obvious but not checking battery life and having your camera die on you at the crucial point is a common problem. Charge your batteries, take a spare and avoid kicking yourself for such a simple mistake.

7. Be polite.
No one likes people shoving a camera in their face. If you are taking a picture of someone you don't know or of something that they might be protective over, common courtesy can go a long way. Just ask and most of the time they will say yes and you might even get an interesting conversation out of it.

8. Use a filter.
If you've spent hundreds of pounds on a lens, you want to make sure you keep it protected. For a fraction of what your lens cost you can get a filter that will save you alot of grief.

9. Get insurance.
Most travel insurance policies only cover a small amount of personal possessions so it is worth making sure you have camera insurance that covers you in the country you are in.

10. Back up your images.
The longer you travel, the greater the risk of damage or theft to your memory cards. Losing the photos you have taken is often more painful than losing the equipment itself, so make sure you back up your photos either online or on CD. Or both. You can then keep these with you or send them back to someone to keep hold of until you get back.