How to Take Great Summer Travel & Beach Photos For That Perfect Holiday Photo Book

How to Take Great Summer Travel & Beach Photos For That Perfect Holiday Photo Book

Create the perfect photo book tribute to beautiful summer moments. First, use our pro tips below to take the best travel and beach photos during your holiday or even just a great day trip with friends and family, then choose from a wide range of photo book designs, sizes, paper and cover finishes. Voilà! You will definitely cherish your favourite memories for many summers to come. (And don’t forget to print out multiple copies of your photo book to share with loved ones!)

How to take the best travel photos

Play with different angles

Even recognisable or frequently photographed locations can be even more eye-catching when you capture them from a fresh perspective. For example, shoot buildings looking up rather than straight on.

Play with different angles

Position your subject

To create more powerful photos, place the subject off-centre and leave the rest of the frame empty. Imagine the shot divided into three sections (like a noughts and crosses grid).

Position your subject

Use silhouettes

Put your subject between you and the setting or rising sun to create dramatic silhouettes-perfect for framing.

Use silhouettes

Capture colour

Look for the vibrant and unique colours. You can find them anywhere-shop displays, graffiti, even in farmers’ markets. Here, a shopfront full of bags and scarves becomes a striking photo.

Capture colour

Try black and white

The contrast of black and white accentuates lines, textures, and edges, making it a good choice for turning snapshots into dramatic photos.

Try black and white

Snap signs and symbols

Landmarks, signs, and memorabilia can make for fun, creative photos. Look for opportunities to capture the flavour of your destinations – great for creating a travel photo book too.

Snap signs and symbols

Scrapbook style

Take photos of ticket stubs (from public transit, theatre performances, concerts, flights etc.), menus and whatever else you can think of to turn your book into a digitally printed ‘scrapbook’.

Scrapbook style

How to take breathtaking beach photos

See the small details

How to take breathtaking beach photos

Use your camera’s macro shooting mode to shoot small details such as a footprint in the sand, a coconut washed to shore or an intricate seashell.

Capture beach play

To catch the action try something new and set up your camera on action shooting mode or burst mode. Action shooting mode uses a fast shutter speed to stop action, so you get clear photos without blur. And burst mode lets you take multiple pictures with one click of the shutter button, perfect for catching a sequence of moves.

Capture beach play

Position the horizon

Rather than cut your image in half, make the composition of your photo more interesting. For example, notice how the horizon line in this photo is in the top third of the image – providing more visual interest. You can do the same with vertical elements such as trees, tall buildings or just your friends.

Position the horizon

Adjust to the light

When at the beach, avoid harsh shadows by shooting on cloudy days, in shade, or around sunrise or sunset. You can also use your camera’s flash when shooting in direct sun to get rid of strong shadows on faces or other objects in your shot.

Adjust to the light

Black and white shots

The colours of the sea and sky can be marvelous, but don’t forget that the contrast of black and white accentuates lines, textures, and edges, making it a good choice for capturing beach scenes and coastlines.

Black and white shots

Plan your photos

Nothing compares to being prepared for taking your perfect beach snap. You can use the clear horizon of a calm sea with props and your imagination to layer objects in the photo. For example, hold up a little souvenir ship in front of you using the sea as a background. To achieve a blurry background keep the focus on the ship.

Plan your photos

Our bestselling photo book designs

Our bestselling photo book designs
Roadtrip
Our bestselling photo book designs
Summer Snapshots
Our bestselling photo book designs
Life at the Beach
Our bestselling photo book designs
Art of Travel
Our bestselling photo book designs
Wanderlust
Our bestselling photo book designs
Snapshot
Our bestselling photo book designs
Aloha

Pick your book size and finish

From adorably tiny 15 x 10 cm photo books to large 38 x 29 cm photo books, we’ve got a wide range of sizes. We also offer a range of cover and paper options, such as chic leather covers, glossy, matt and metallic pages.

Pick your book size and finish
Photo Books

How will you preserve your summer memories?

Don’t forget to tag your photo stories on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest with @snapfishIE and #snapfishie. We love seeing what you create.

Buy with confidence