Last Updated on October 12, 2024 by Greg Head
Creative ways to share travel photos – I brought my DSLR and point-and-shoot camera on vacation and took lots of great shots. Even after a short trip, I end up with hundreds — sometimes thousands — of photos. I’m always looking for new ways to share them with my friends and family without completely overwhelming and boring them.
- Who wants to look at 300 photos of an elephant?
- Don’t let your travel photos perish in purgatory on your external hard drive.
- Do something practical and fun with them instead.
- Here are 7 creative ways to share travel photos
Best Ways to Share Travel Photos
Make photo books
There are dozens of companies that offer photo books. These digital scrapbooks are great and affordable ways to share your travel photos. You can customize them as much as you want. Ranging from just dropping your photos into the templates or creating designs in Photoshop and importing them. Companies like Shutterfly have great promotions and coupon codes when you join their mailing list. You can even create the book and wait until you get a coupon code to print. For online coupons, you should visit ChameleonJohn.com. They have coupons and deals for lots of online retailers.
Create a gallery wall
If you’re looking for a way to display travel photos in your home, a gallery wall is a great way to show off some of your favorite photos. Websites like Pinterest and Apartment Therapy offer creative ideas for layout and composition. Whether you use black and white or color photos, this can be a fantastic way to share some of your favorite memories with guests when they come to your home.
Post your travel photos on Instagram
Sometimes the most memorable travel moments happen when you don’t have your camera with you. Instagram is a fun way to share travel photos taken on your smart phone with your online community, and it has a chance to increase Instagram followers. One of the great things about Instagram is that you can instantly share it with Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and even via email—all at once.
Get crafty
Between Pinterest and all of the DIY blogs, you can find great ideas online for how to show-off your photos around your home or office. Whether it’s using mod podge to put photos on canvas or creating customized coasters, there are endless fun and creative ways to display your travel photos.
Check out Flickr
While there are plenty of photo sharing sites, Flickr is my personal favorite. A free account has limited storage, and a pro account charges an annual fee for unlimited storage. This is a great way to backup photos, but also to share them with your friends and family.
Make personalized gifts
We’ve taken some of our favorite photos and used them for gifts for friends and family. Some we’ve had printed and framed. After traveling through Africa for a few months last year, we made calendars for our parents. Whether it’s a photo on a mug or photo printed and framed, your travel photography can make great gifts.
Create a best-of album
When you start going through your photos after a trip, make sure you put a handful of your favorites in a folder for easy access. Your best-of album makes it easy to find photos when you want to remember your travels. What do you do you with your travel photos? What are some of your creative ways to share them?
Start Your Nature Photography Journey
Are you a green traveler who’s passionate about exploring new cultures, as well as nature and wildlife in exotic locations? Consider preserving memories of your travels through photography. By using a digital camera during your trips, you can discover new features, textures, and colors in the natural environment. However, if you’ve never tried your hand at nature photography (an umbrella term that includes wildlife and landscape photography), you may feel overwhelmed by the different cameras and lenses that are available. You may also be completely clueless when it comes to choosing your subjects and crafting your first photos. Just as importantly, you may worry that your first venture into nature photography might harm the wildlife and natural areas you’ll be exploring. Read on and you’ll soon be armed with the know-how and confidence to tackle nature photography like a boss.
Capturing the Beauty of the Natural World
Nature photography is all about capturing the beauty and grandeur of the natural world—landscapes, wildlife, and plants or close-ups of textures, scenery, and wildlife. Unlike other photography genres (like documentary photography), nature photography places greater emphasis on the aesthetic value of the photographs.
As a result, many nature photographs have marked artistic and painterly qualities such as intense colors, unusual contrasts between light and shadow, and other creative enhancements. This maxim is best expressed by Ansel Adams, who said that “beauty comes first” in his images.
Ethical Nature and Wildlife Photography
Of particular concern to green travelers is the ethical aspect of nature and wildlife photography. While photographers should be free to explore themes and subjects that inspire their creativity, they should also avoid causing any harm to the animals, plants, and natural areas they photograph. As some photographers are prepared to do almost anything to get the shots they want, conservation groups and photography associations have published a number of codes of conduct for wildlife photographers.
Key points to remember when photographing wildlife:
- Always photograph the animals from a safe and respectful distance.
- If the animal shows any signs of stress, move further back or leave the scene altogether.
- Be patient when photographing animals and never force an animal to do something.
- Never encroach on nests or dens during breeding season.
- Always treat the animals and their natural habitat with utmost respect.
- Respect local cultures and customs.
- When baiting wildlife, use only organic food that’s part of the animals’ natural diet, and avoid baiting animals that are potentially dangerous.
As for photographing the natural environment, common sense rules prevail. Nature photographers should avoid polluting and littering the natural environment, and stay on trails that are forged to lessen impact on fragile ecosystems.
Best Entry-Level DSLRs for Amateur Nature Photographers
While it’s acceptable to begin your nature photography journey with a smartphone or point-and-shoot camera, these cameras offer limited functionality and lesser technical image quality. If you want to fully realize your creativity and capture professional grade images, then consider investing in an entry-level DSLR. Entry-level DSLRs have simpler user interfaces with a greater emphasis on automation. Aside from being easier to learn than the more complicated mid-level and pro-level DSLRs, they’re also more affordable than their upmarket counterparts. Unlike point-and-shoot cameras, DSLRs offer larger, sturdier camera bodies and interchangeable lenses. With interchangeable lenses, nature photographers can switch to telephoto zoom lenses when photographing wildlife from a distance and macro lenses when taking close-ups of insects, tree barks, and other subjects. Great entry-level DSLRs for amateur nature photographers include the and the Nikon D3300.
Canon Rebel T6i
The Canon Rebel T6i is great for amateur nature photographers who want an affordable camera with great features. It has an easy-to-use interface, built-in Wi-Fi (for quick transfers to a computer or instant sharing on social media), and an upgraded autofocus. Other key specs include a 24-megapixel resolution, an APS CMOS sensor, an ISO range of 100-12,800, shutter speeds of 1/4000-30 sec, and continuous shooting at 5 fps (great for shooting wildlife in action). Moreover, the Canon Rebel T6i gives nature photographers access to Canon’s extensive line of EF and EF-S interchangeable lenses—including ultra-wide-angle, super telephoto, and macro lenses. Top lenses Canon users should consider investing in include the Canon 10-18mm IS STM and the Canon 10-22mm.
Nikon D3300
The Nikon D3300 is an outstanding budget DSLR that combines a 24-megapixel DX-format (APS) CMOS sensor (measuring 15.4mm x 23.2mm) with a feature set that’s designed to please shutterbugs looking to upgrade from point-and-shoot cameras to entry-level DSLRs. Other key specs include an ISO range of 100-12,800, an 11-point autofocus system, continuous shooting at 5 fps, and shutter speeds of 1/4000-30 sec. Choosing the Nikon D3300 gives users access to Nikon’s more than 70 current-production lenses and teleconverters. Including close-up, fisheye, super-wide, long zoom, and Vibration Reduction lenses. Top lenses Nikon users should consider investing in include the Nikon 10-24mm and the Nikon 18-300mm VR.
DSLR vs Point-and-Shoot Camera: Which Should You Buy?
Last March, I attended a media event with Sony, where I was fortunate enough to spend three full days on location in Park City, Utah learning how to use a variety of their newest cameras, video cameras, and tablets. I now have enough knowledge to make a decision about bringing my DSLR vs Point-and-Shoot Camera wherever I go. I traded in my trusty Nikon point-and-shoot for the duration of the trip, and absorbed the information and in-the-field tutorial of Sony experts. I’ll tell you, I was a bit nervous. I’m not especially tech-savvy, despite using cameras in my line of work as a travel writer for years. I was sure the Sony experts were going to push me out of my comfort zone (the world of point-and-shoots) and make me leave mine behind. While DSLR (which stands for digital single lens reflex) cameras are often the go-to choice for specific functions and results, they don’t have to be complicated. Point-and-shoots still have their place in my day pack or purse.
Best camera for…Taking pictures of kids and action-packed vacations
If you’re trying to capture intense action while on-the-go, it is best to use an action cam. It can be mounted on your helmet, bike handlebar, or even strapped to your chest. Turn it on, record the action, and turn it back off. After being introduced to Sony’s Action Cam, I’ve been able to actually keep up with my skiing kids. Whereas I used to be way behind, trying to film with one hand and hold my poles in the other.
Because action cams (not just the Sony version) have waterproof casing, they can come along for the ride in kayaks, through mud puddles, and in dirt. Even when you’re not traveling, an action cam is the best camera for taking pictures of kids. Sony’s Action Cam features WiFi, which can be used to download videos directly to phones and Facebook as well as for you to see the angle of your shot via your screen as you’re filming. The well-known Go Pro HERO does not feature WiFi, but does enjoy a on-camera screen and more intuitive programming.
Waterproof camera for outdoor travel
If you’re planning to take photos while rafting, swimming, backpacking, or hiking, you need a camera that will fit in a pocket or waist-belt pocket of a day pack, is immune to dust and dirt getting into the lens, and is waterproof. Opt for a waterproof, dust-proof point-and-shoot like the Sony rugged Cyber-Shot with both video and still shoot capability. I’m planning to take mine swimming with whale sharks; horseback riding through the Tetons; and kayaking in Alaska. The Olympus Tough compact digital camera has similar features for a similar price tag, and like the Sony, also claims to be shockproof and freeze-proof.
Best Digital DSLR Cameras for Every Traveler’s Budget
Whether you are going on a staycation or planning a long-term overseas trip, it is definitely easier to capture those legendary travel moments with a great camera. Up until the last few years, it was difficult to get a great camera for a good price. Many professional DSLR cameras seemed off-limits for travelers. But thankfully, there are now cameras that fit with every price range. As the cameras on smart phones continue to improve, we have ditched our point and shoot digital camera. Instead we travel with our DSLRs and our iPhones. We love that this helps us travel light–which is one of the easiest ways we’ve found to travel green. Here are the best digital cameras for every budget.
Entry Level: Rebel T3i
While the price tag may not seem entry-level, the Canon T3i is a great camera for the money. It is an inexpensive DSLR that produces high quality photos. We bought this camera before going on a three month camping trip through Africa and were really happy with our photos and the camera itself. My husband appreciated that it takes video, as well as photos. The flip-out screen allows you to look over crowds and take self-portraits. One of the disadvantages of the entry-level cameras compared to the high-end DSLRs is that they are cropped frame. This camera with a 17-55 mm lens. Nikon equivalent: Nikon D5100.
Mid Range: Canon 60D
The Canon 60D is definitely a step-up from the Canon T3i. The Canon 60D is a more professional camera, but the price is still manageable. Right now, you can purchase a 60D you will also receive a 18-135 mm lens. Like the T3i, one of the biggest disadvantages of this camera is the cropped frame. Canon developed this camera with the photographer in mind. Someone that is looking to upgrade from a camera in the Canon Rebel series. Nikon equivalent: Nikon D7000
High-End: 5D Mark III
The Canon 5D Mark III is definitely on my husband’s wish list. With a price tag this camera is top of the line. With full-frame image quality that gives you wider angle photos, this camera is a big upgrade from both the T3i and the 60D. While the other two cameras come with plastic bodies, the 5D Mark III has a metal body, which makes it a more durable camera. If you are hoping to get into professional photography, this is a good option because it is ideal both the studio and shots in the field. It is also great for still photography. Nikon equivalent: Nikon D800
These three cameras are all Canon because that is what we have always used and what we prefer. Both of cameras are Canon which makes for lighter (and cheaper) traveling because the lenses are interchangeable. We have been extremely happy with both of our DSLRs, but we have friends that swear by Nikon. It is definitely a matter of preference. So, I listed the Nikon equivalent for each camera. What camera do you use for nature travel
Image credits: chris_ford_uk, mklipovsky, theogeo