5 Tips For Great Vacation Photos

By Lauren Hull, GalTime.com

Here we find ourselves at the end of the school year, rounding through spring and heading full speed ahead to summer, and to me this means one thing: VACATION! It is so important you save and preserve every memory you possibly can from these trips (I mean, let's face it, the kids aren't going to be little forever). So, I have compiled a few tips for you on how to take fantastic vacation pictures... making sure you come home happy with your memories.

1. It's all in the camera! While it would seem silly to carry around a DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera) every where we went, it would still be nice to get the crisp clean photos these phenomenal cameras take. If you have the budget, I suggest the Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS. It's a little pricey for an everday camera, but it has an impressive 6 megapixels, includes image stabilization and was rated the number one point and shoot to own by Digitalphotographyschool.com. With the Canon Powershot pro series S3IS starting at $650.00, DPS also recommends trying the Fujifilm Finepix S5200.

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2. Just ask! Don't be embarrassed to ask people to please snap a shot for you! They really do not mind! In fact they are probably on vacation, too, and have asked others the same question! It is better to ask a stranger to lend you a few moments of their time than to have one person who is missing from every shot!

3. Candid is key! I have found that perfecting the art of striking a perfect pose is a never ending process (and can take up valuable vacation time). Keep in mind these are vacation pictures! They should project the fun you are having with each other and not look forced! Candid is key! So if dad is laughing, sister is digging in the dirt and uncle Joe is caught checking out the tour guide, don't worry! You will remember these things later and can laugh about them for many years to come! So, snap a few shots and get back to your vacation!

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4. Touch them up! When you are home from your vacation, take some time to touch up your photos. Sites like Photobucket.com and Picnik.com make all beginning photo editing easy and possible! You can crop, resize, change the contrast, sharpen, blur the edges make the color pop, and even airbrush... all for free! Fix any and all flaws.

5. Don't stress! It's important to remember not to stress about the minor details of your vacation photos. Enjoy your family and your time away and you can always perfect your photography skills another time!

Happy Summer everyone!

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