18 tips for better photos during your holiday in Italy

What do you take with you when you go to Italy? Just a smartphone? Maybe a compact camera? Or a professional photo or film camera? Whatever you choose, with good preparation and execution you will get the most out of your holiday photos. Here are some tips to take better photos during your holiday in Italy.

1. The preparation

It all starts with good preparation, even if you choose to only take photos with your smartphone. For example, make sure you have enough memory space available, or take an extra SD card with you especially for your holiday photos in Italy.

Also keep in mind that you don't want to end up with an empty battery. A power bank for your smartphone or an extra battery for your photo camera can offer a solution.

It is probably also useful to take your laptop with you on holiday. Then you can immediately transfer the photos you have taken and empty the memory card of your camera or smartphone again. Oh yes, and of course make sure you know in advance exactly how your (new) camera works.

2. The equipment: smartphone or real camera?

For my photos in Italy I use a combination of my smartphone and an (already older) Sony camera (DSC-HX50). I chose this camera especially because of the excellent optical zoom and the good quality video.

See the video below for the video I made in Umbria with my Sony camera.

Your equipment doesn't have to be expensive, but upgrade your equipment if you want to go the extra mile with your vacation photos.

3. Pay attention to details

Many people take overview photos of, for example, highlights in Italy. But it is also fun to photograph details. From those beautiful, large tomatoes at a greengrocer's or a close-up of the sculpture on that beautiful basilica.

4. Take photos that tell a story

Try to take pictures that tell a story. For this it is often interesting to photograph locals. You often achieve the most with a friendly approach.

5. Experiment with flash and tripod

Also experiment with the flash. You can also use it in backlight or in the sun, for example. Take the time to try some things.

A tripod for your camera can be useful if you want to take pictures in dark conditions. Turn off the flash more often in the evening and try to shoot with a high ISO value. You will see: that immediately increases the atmosphere in your photos.

6. Spin that smartphone

Many people hold the smartphone upright, even while taking photos or filming. Photos become more attractive and panoramic when you turn your smartphone a quarter turn. They then also come out much nicer on your TV or your screen, when you look at the photos. If you make a photo book of your most beautiful photos, you can also better handle photos in landscape format. Unless you want to make a portrait photo album.

7. Don't zoom with your smartphone

Cell phones do not have lenses to bring objects closer. They simply magnify the image, which quickly leads to a blurry image. So you better not do that. Instead, walk up to the subject of your photo and take a close-up photo. Make a good cropping later on your computer.

8. Keep your phone quiet!

For some smartphones you can use a tripod. Otherwise, you can probably put your phone against something and use the self-timer. Pictures get much better if you don't shake and don't move. And please: no selfie stick on holiday in Italy!

9. Experiment with the HDR function

With the HDR function, your smartphone takes multiple photos with different settings and combines them into one image. The effect is a photo with dramatic lighting. It's not always beautiful, but in a lot of light or shadows you can take well-rounded photos. Just experiment with it.

10. Make use of apps

There are many photo apps for devices of all operating systems, with which you can instantly improve your photos. Instagram, for example! Photoshop Express and Snapseed are also good apps. But there are a lot more to download for free. This way, you can give your photos a summery look during a somewhat cloudy holiday, for example.

11. Create depth in your photo

Make sure you have something in the foreground (which you are not focusing on). For example flowers, a piece of a rock or a branch with leaves. This way you get depth in your shots and much more vibrant photos.

12. Choose a different perspective

Many people take a photo from the position they see the subject. It is often much more exciting if you get down on your knees or climb on something to shoot the picture. Don't go for the easy snapshot, but try something out.

13. Play with the depth of field

With modern smartphones, you can take pictures where the subject is in focus and the surroundings out of focus. Take advantage of depth of field by touching the screen. This way you focus on what needs to be sharp.

14. Play with the sun

You often hear as a photography tip that you should not photograph against the sun. There's something to be said for that if you want your subject to be as bright and clear as possible in the photo. But if you want more creative photos, you can very well shoot against the sun.

15. Show color!

Look for nice bright colors during your holiday. That bougainvillea hanging over that white plastered wall, that rusted Vespa against that yellow wall, a beautiful orange drink against the background of the azure sea… Italy lends itself perfectly to color contrasts.

16. Take your photos in the morning and evening

If you really plan to take nice pictures, you can also adjust your itinerary accordingly. You take the most beautiful pictures in the morning and in the evening. As an additional advantage, you also have that fewer tourists walk through your image.

17. Take a lot of pictures

Make sure you have a memory card on which you can store a lot of GBs and shoot. You just throw those bad photos off and the best holiday photos remain. You can also easily shoot the photos at the highest quality.

18. Make backups

The last thing you want is to lose your phone or have it fall into water. At the risk of losing your photos too. If you have your laptop with you on vacation, you can transfer your photos from that day.

But many smartphones also have photo albums that can store your photos in the cloud. And also with the Google Photos app, you can save your vacation photos and videos for free. Make sure that your phone only syncs if you have a WiFi connection, otherwise the data costs will increase during your holiday.

Bonus tip: make a photo book!

Many holiday photos remain on your phone after the holiday or you transfer them to an (external) hard drive. While there might be some great pictures in between.

If you want to prevent your holiday photos from disappearing into the depths of your hard drive or cloud, you can have the most beautiful printed in a photo book.

A tangible album that you take out of the closet to impress your family and friends. Let's face it, those most beautiful smartphone photos deserve it!

And it doesn't have to be expensive.

How do you take pictures during your vacation? And do you have any good tips for other holidaymakers? Let us know in a comment!