Hi!
Summer is all about vacations! Listen, as a Phoenix resident, I know that our city is a great vacation spot, especially for winter and spring break because our weather in Arizona is gorgeous that time of year. But, for us, we wanted to have our own personal get away! Right now, I am actually on vacation with my family, which is why I wanted to post a little something about how to use photography to celebrate your vacation and how to take better vacation photos!
When it comes to going away with your family, it’s important to enjoy the moments and be present. For some, this means documenting their memories through photos and videos!
Be sure that when you’re busy taking videos and photos, you aren’t missing actually BEING present with your family, too! With the right balance, taking photos while on vacation is a beautiful way to make your memories last forever!
1. Get professional family photos taken. If you’re going to an amazingly unique location, it’s a opportunity for scheduling your yearly (or bi-weekly) family photoshoot. Do some research before your trip to find a suitable photographer and let them know you’ll be there on vacation! They’ll know the best locations to visit, as well as have some ideas of how to make your session memorable and representative of your vacation!
2. Take silly photos – If you’re on vacation, hopefully you’re having a great time! Why not have an even greater time by taking some silly photos when you’re out! This could range from doing silly faces, to wearing hats and glasses in those touristy stores, to setting yourselves up in weird configurations at different places you visit! The main thing is to have fun with it!
3. Be sure to GET IN THE PICS! Don’t get overwhelmed by taking too many photos of where you are! Mama, I’m especially talking to YOU! Whoever takes the most pictures in the family can easily forget to get into the pictures themselves. But we want to be remembered and even if we are self conscious about ourselves, our kids want to be able to see us in those pictures!!
4. Take one full on family photo in each new location you go! Instead of having random collections of photos, make it a point to get out at every pit stop all together and ask someone to take a photo of everyone all together! You’ll have photos ranging from weird gas stations with everyone looking dazed and tired from napping in the car, to photos of you all wet at the beach! This way, you’ll ALL be in the photos and you’ll also have a photo diary of where you went!
5. Create a photo book!! I know, I know. Once vacation is over, now you have to sift through all those pictures and spend time creating a book? Listen, I hear you. I’m not great at it, either but there are easy ways! Commit to spending time on your drive or flight home to sift through the pictures, delete the bad ones, separate them into albums on your phone or laptop, and then when you get home, upload them to chatbooks, google books (via google photos) or a more quality photo book company like Blurb. You’ll be so happy you did!!
So, how do you take better vacation photos? How do you find a way to celebrate your family time through photography? Let me know in the comments!
