It might have happened to you. You are reading a travel blog or scrolling through an influencer’s photo feed, and you can’t help but wonder how they have managed to have great photos. Their images are stunning and so inviting that they easily inspire you to pack your bags and visit the places that they have visited yourself.
Taking good travel pictures is one thing, and editing them is another. Half the effort involved in having good travel photos go to editing. In many cases, it could be as detailed-oriented and exhaustive as e-commerce product photo editing. But that does not mean that you cannot simplify it.
If you want to upgrade your travel photos through editing, here are some things to bear in mind:
Start taking pictures in RAW form
You might want to do editing the way pros do it. But before they turn on their editing suite, they start with their camera the shooting itself. They take pictures in RAW instead of JPEG. Taking pictures in RAW gives you more creative control in the editing, as the details and nuances of the image are visible. RAW also record better levels of brightness, thus making editing quite enjoyable, because there is much light to play around. Plus, you get to correct overexposed or underexposed pictures quickly.
Crop it well
Cropping allows you to change the aspect ratio of the image; you can go for 16 x 9 if you want to make the picture quite cinematic and dramatic. Also, cropping helps you do away with distractions and objects that keep the eyes of the spectator from the main subject. While you should be practicing composing images while you’re on camera, there are moments and subjects that you need to capture quickly, thus keeping you from following this rule. In which case, cropping comes in as a post-shoot remedy.
Adjust the lighting, shadows, and contrasts
While you must have used the right camera settings for the right moment, time of the day, and type of subject, you might want to add more drama by adjusting the lighting, shadows, and contrasts. You can use this setting if you want to highlight specific areas and features of a subject or simply want to achieve that artistic chiaroscuro effect. Regardless, it also helps in creating moods and tones for your pictures.
Add a preset or filter
Many professional photographers have a love-hate relationship with presets and filters. But these help in conveying your story and improving the mood and tone that you want for your images. In a way, filters can help in highlighting and saturation colors. Just be careful when it comes to using them. You do not want your photos to end up looking unnatural.
Be free to explore
In the end, the good thing about editing your travel pictures is that you have the freedom to explore which works and which doesn’t. You can always come up with techniques and settings that best suit your tastes and aesthetics. For more suggestions, consult an expert.
