As part of a series of articles designed to help you take better images, a member of Whitley Bay Photographic Society shares their advice on taking great holiday photographs.

Your holiday is booked, and you want to record those special moments so you can share them with family or friends. Here are my top tips to get the best out of your holiday photographs.

Plan ahead: Make sure you bring all your chargers, batteries, and plenty of memory cards. Be prepared, always have your phone or camera ready, you really don’t want to miss that first dip in the sea. Never put it at the bottom of a bag, you’re sure to miss that great image!

Before you start snapping, stand and think: What can I see, hear, smell and feel and what can I photograph to remind me of that special moment. 

Capture the essence: Capture the panoramic scenes and major landmarks trying to avoid too many distractions in the foreground or background. Experiment looking for the simplicity of a location and how light, shadows and silhouette change your photo. 

Tell a story: Let your pictures tell a story by creating a visual diary of your holiday. Include scenery, street scenes, interesting signs as well as photos of your loved ones. Try to capture your family having fun in candid shots. Get down low and shoot an image looking up, especially good when photographing tall buildings. Placing your subject in the left or right third of an image ‘rule of thirds’ leads to a more composed shot which helps to focus the eye.

Get in Close: When taking photographs of people try to get close enough to see expressions. Zoom in to photograph them from the waist up. 

Look around and look for detail, sparkling dew drops on a beautiful flower, shells on the beach or the excitement in the eyes of your child as they splash in the sea. Such detail can create great atmospheric photos! 

Make sure you have lots of fun, but be warned, don’t get sand or water near your camera!

When you get back from your trip why not create a photo book, a great way to remember those special times that can be shared with others.

If you’re interested in joining the Whitley Bay Photographic Society, please visit www.wbphoto.org