From Society of American Travel Writers journalists and photographers.
1. Shoot photos early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the sun is overhead and the light is flat. Shooting in early morning and late afternoon will add more color and shadows to your photos, giving more definition to the subject.
2. Move in close to your subject for impact (too far back and your photo can be too busy). Get close, and then closer. Fill the frame with your subject.
3. Don’t shoot every photo at eye level. Don’t be afraid to get low to the ground or climb up to get a better vantage point.
4. Pay attention to details and distractions in the back of the photo or behind the heads of your subjects. Frequently, a telephone pole or tree is sticking up behind your subject.
5. Shoot lots of photos and edit and erase at night. Digital space is cheap. Shoot in the highest resolution possible.
6. Always show a sense of place. If in the tropics, frame the photo with palm trees; if in the mountains, frame it with pine trees.
7. Shoot important subjects from several different angles and vantage points and with different lenses and at different exposures. Take an overall wide shot, a medium-range shot and a close-up detail shot. Check your photos on-site.
8. Wait before you click. Wait for the clouds to clear, the truck to move away from the front of the cathedral or other visual noise to pass.
9. Put locals in your photos. Ask permission first and try not to pose them. People give a sense of size and scale.
10. Use fill-flash, even outdoors, to “fill-in” shadows.
