Better Travel Photography #1 - take the road less traveled

Do your travel photographs look just like everyone else’s?

If you wonder why you bothered lugging your digital SLR half way around the world and didn't just settle for buying postcards, it's time to revisit the way you photograph your travels. Here is part 1 in my new series of Better Travel Photography - a guide to getting great travel photos that don't look like everyone else's..

Today's tip: Move out of the way
If you're tempted to stand alongside other photographers to capture photos of popular tourist destinations then it's time to move away.

The really unique photographs are those that you take when you look at something through your eyes rather than following what everyone else is shooting.

Look for things that are different and interesting to you in the place you are visiting..

For example, when photographing fountains look for something other than the big picture.

Get in close to the fountain to capture close-up detail or wait for something to happen.

It might be a child splashing in the fountain, a couple sharing a kiss or it might be something as unusual as a bird perched on a statue.

Even in the most popular tourist places there are great and fun and unusual things to capture.