July is almost here which means its time to hit the air, road, and rails—camera(s) in tow. Load The GoGo’s Vacation on your iPod and pack your bag for this month’s Mortal Muses theme: Travel.

Oaxaca City flags
Nikki (Kodak 400 TX)

In my family, we’re all about road trips in summer and I’m looking forward to a short getaway to the Cape in a few weeks. I grew up in Indiana and when I was a kid, we ventured out on day trips to the Dunes at Lake Michigan and camped there for a week every August. I don’t have pictures from those trips but wish I did. I would have captured pancake breakfasts by the fire, sliding down the sand dunes with my sister, water sprints along the sandbar, and ice cream before sunset.

Summer travel is all about capturing memories and stories with a camera. I’ve come up with a quick list of five tips to remember while you’re on your adventures.

Five Tips For Photographing Great Travel Stories:

1. Story — Tell a story from beginning to end. You can start by capturing travel prep: packing, maps, snacks. Storyboard or list the kind of photos you want to make and the travel story you want to show. Take a variety of images from different perspectives, distances, and angles.

MortalMuse (1 of 1)
Vanessa

working
Urban Muser

on the road again.
Cara

2. Setting — Create an establishing shot that shows a sense of place. Wide-angle lenses are perfect for scene setters.

A Landscape of Adventure
Holly

Stone fences
Jenny

Eiffel Tower
Meghan (Impossible Project Polaroid film)

3. Details — Take note of the details and zoom in and get close to your subject.

CNV00060v2
Kirstin

School Uniform
Holly

53/365
Meghan (Impossible Project Polaroid film)

View from the Sacre Coeur dome in Paris
Jenny

4. Scene — Capture scene transitions between locations: train station, airports, buses, cars, bikes, boats, taxis, walking, etc.

MortalMuse (1 of 1)-2
Vanessa

51/365
Meghan (Impossible Project Polaroid film)

Oaxaca airplane
Nikki (Kodak 400 TX)

5. Portraits — Make portraits of people you’re traveling with as well as the interesting people you meet along the way, just be polite and try to ask first.

Untitled
Urban Muser

Sunset Splash
Holly

Dancing Couple, Oaxaca City
Nikki (Kodak 400 TX)

What are your favorite travel memories, past or present? Leave a comment and share your Travel photos in our flickr pool for a chance to be featured on the blog in July. Happy shooting!

Nikki | Art & Lemons