Travel photography is one of the most popular genres of photography and is practiced by both amateur photographers who travel and want to capture unique moments and by professional photographers. Digital photography has truly revolutionized the art of photography and for the passionate fans who own a DSLR camera with interchangeable lenses we will present in the following lines the ideal objectives for travel photography.
What does travel photography involve?
For most of you, travel photography is meant to capture the unique moments you spend in never seen places, places that one can visit once in life. For professional photographers travel photography requires documentation, capturing extraordinary landscapes and conveying in images the culture, people and certain traditions. Travel photography is characterized by time and space.
As it was mentioned before, travel photos can be taken both by amateur photographers, beginners or professionals. Among amateur travel photographers, compact cameras are most popular. Any person who loves to travel prefers to have at hand a small device, ergonomic, which can be used easily anytime, to capture the subjects they find interesting. On the other hand, photographers that claim they want to evolve in terms of photography will own better cameras, chosen, of course, depending on their level of training. The supreme advantage of DSLR cameras is that they allow photographers to change the objectives according to their preferences, depending on the subject and the type of photography they want to realize. Often, the objective is the same or even more important than the camera itself.
Also the fixed objectives of compact cameras have a large influence on image quality. For those who travel and want to always have at hand these great compact cameras, you can choose those that have a zoom of 20x or even 30x. Even if the price of these cameras is higher than that of some compact cameras with 10x zoom, the investment is worthy for travel photography.
Most of the travel photos have as the main topics landscapes and buildings. Often, the objectives cannot cover quite as much as the photographer wants and he will have to create more slides that he can “stick” later on to give a perfect view. Or, you can opt for a compact camera with a suitable gran angular lens for this type of photography.
Compact cameras are improved constantly in order to meet the needs of all users. As mentioned earlier, in case of DSLR cameras the objectives can be purchased separately, of course depending on the photographers and the stories that they want to address in their photos.
Among the most popular types of lenses ideal for travel photography we mention those of 18-200 mm, 18-250 mm and 18-270 mm, especially for this particular type of photography, because they represent an interesting combination between a gran angular lens and a telephoto lens. These lenses are very convenient and can be used in situations more or less different. It is true that the price of these objectives is slightly higher, but beginners and advanced photographers will have much to gain from them.
Photographers’ claims increase with their level of experience and professional travel photographs who want to achieve outstanding images are more demanding in terms of the type of lenses used. Most times photographers prefer zoom lenses that offer more and better quality image. Moreover, these objectives are characterized by the f2.8 aperture opening which allows photographers to achieve excellent shots even in weak light. But there are also some photographers who prefer fixed targets that allow them to make great pictures without zooming. While most photographers get caught somehow in the toils of “zoom”, shots taken with fixed objectives are clearly better in terms of image quality.
It is very important that if the travel photographer cannot use a tripod, the objective has a built-in image stabilizer. The clarity of images will be much better, even if travel photos are taken in more difficult conditions, such as those taken by boat, car, train or other vehicle.
Most travelers are fascinated by the spectacular panorama whose splendor they are trying to capture in a single frame using a gran angular objective. This objective can be used by anyone, being extremely appreciated by novice photographers. Besides the fact that the gran angular objective allows the photographer to capture a broad framework, it is characterized by a greater depth of field.
Besides the original landscape photos, travel photos try to capture in a spectacular way the surrounding buildings and their architecture. Also, with the help of the gran angular objective, photographers can achieve great photos. Not to mention the photos taken with telephoto lenses, pictures that are truly spectacular. Telephoto lenses are used generally by professional photographers.
All in all, any travel photographer must choose the appropriate objective according to the subjects their photos will approach. An ultra-professional equipment will never make a picture, regardless of its kind, to be truly spectacular. The photographer must know their camera equipment, know the photographic techniques and, most importantly, experience photography in the most creative way.