When Christina mentioned she wanted a Rome travel poster made to add a little keepsake decor from their five year anniversary trip to Italy, I got to see a little glimpse of her photos and all the places her and her husband, Matt, got to visit. Documenting travels can be hard, especially if you're tired of tourist-filled snaps and poor lighting.
As a photographer, Christina has a different approach to vacation photos, and I asked her if she'd be willing to share some of her photo tips for getting keepsake quality photographs on vacation.
1. Bring a mirrorless camera
This is tip #1. I bought a fujifilm mirrorless camera for this trip because I didn't want to tote my huge and heavy Nikon DSLR around. I also didn't want to risk losing it or having it stolen, and with a less expensive camera that still gives you manual control and lens options, I felt much better about leaving my Nikon behind. When we booked an evening tour of the Colosseum, I was able to take photos like the one picture below because I had full control of my exposure without having to rely on an ugly flash.
2. Turn existing art into your own art
A statue is a statue, and photos of them can get pretty boring, especially when there's a ton of tourists in your shot; the image gets ugly and cluttered. View existing art as your subject. Treat a statue like a person and take its portrait. It's all about frame of mind. Shoot through things, like trees to get a "fly on the wall" look.
3. Wander the side streets
The best views are often found where the locals are hanging out. In Rome, we stayed in the historic heart. Every hidden little corner revealed gems like this:
4. Go Off the Beaten Path
Pick a place at random on the map before you book your trip, and google it. That's how I found Civita di Bagnoregio. It wasn't packed with crowds, and the views made for stunning photos.
5. Hire a Photographer
If you're traveling for a special occasion like your birthday or your anniversary, hire a local photographer. Serena Cevinini was amazing, and she took us to Trastevere for photos. I love having beautiful photos of me and my husband. When traveling as a pair, it's hard to get photos of the two of you. This was definitely a splurge worth taking.
7. Don't rely on your photos to document your travels
We're in the process of decorating our tv room, and we're going for a vintage, mid-century vibe. While I love the photos we came home with, I wanted a framed graphic to display that also brought back memories of our trip.
The travel poster Brooke made for us was absolutely perfect. The scene she created is also a place I actually didn't get to photograph but was memorable point of interest on a tour we took of Rome.