Travel photo poses for landmarks, viewpoints and old streets

What are good poses for travel photos?

Choose poses that include the place: standing small before a landmark, walking through an arch, leaning on a viewpoint rail, pointing at the view or sitting on old steps. They tell a story, because the setting does half the work.

Posepass has a Travel situation with 15 drawn poses, including Small and the landmark, Point at the view, Suitcase walk, Map check, Arch frame, Train window, Viewpoint rail, Old town steps, Made it to the top, Market walk, Wide selfie and Bridge walk.

How do I fit a landmark and a person in one photo?

Step back and go wide. The 0.5x lens is an ultra wide camera that takes in more of the scene. The Wikipedia page on wide-angle lenses explains what it does to perspective. Keep the person away from the edges, where a wide lens stretches shapes.

The Posepass pose Small and the landmark asks for a low phone, turned upside down with the lens near the ground, the 0.5x lens, the whole landmark in the frame and the feet on the bottom line.

1. Switch to 0.5x and step back until the whole landmark fits.
2. Place the person on a third line, not at the edge.
3. Hold the phone low and straight.
4. Check the horizon and verticals.
5. Take a burst of five frames.

How do I take a travel selfie with a landmark?

Hold the phone at about eye level, use the 0.5x lens on the back camera if you can, and tilt the phone slightly to keep the landmark whole. Keep the level straight. Posepass has Wide selfie in the Travel set, which suggests the 0.5x lens, a level phone and the landmark inside the frame. The direction is to switch to 0.5x and keep the level line green.

Take a few frames, since the first is rarely right.

How do I deal with crowds?

Wait for a gap and be fast. Choose a viewpoint slightly to the side of the main spot, where the crowd is thinner. Shoot a burst when people clear. Early morning gives you space and soft light. The Posepass direction for markets and crowded places is wait for a gap in the crowd.

If a crowd is unavoidable, use it. A walk through a market with the crowd soft behind you can look good.

What light works for travel photos?

Early and late light give warmth and long shadows. Golden hour is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset. At noon, use shade, an arch or a doorway. If the sun is behind the person, tap their face to brighten it, or tap the sky for a silhouette. Both directions appear in the Posepass camera.

How do I ask a stranger to take my photo?

Ask someone who is not rushing and hand them the phone with a simple instruction. Say you want the whole building and your feet in the picture, and ask for five taps. In Posepass, tap Send to my photographer on a pose to give the helper a clear set of directions on their own phone, or open the pose and turn on hand-off view so the text is large. Check the first frame, and ask for one more if it is off.

How do I plan travel photos for a day?

Pick a shot list. The Trip highlights list has six poses: Small and the landmark, Suitcase walk, Arch frame, Viewpoint rail, Made it to the top and Wide selfie. Each row ticks when you keep a shot, so you can finish it over several days. See shot lists for how it works.

What should I pack for photos?

A charged phone, a clean cloth for the lens and a small bag you can use as a phone prop. A light scarf or jacket changes the look of a second photo in the same place. Keep the phone case thin if you use a ledge. You do not need anything else.

What are common travel photo mistakes?

These show up on almost every trip.

• The landmark is cut off at the top.
• A tilted horizon on the sea or a skyline.
• The person is too close to the edge on a wide lens.
• Strong sun behind the person with no exposure fix.

How do I pose in front of a famous sight without looking staged?

Do something. Point at the top, check a map, drag a suitcase or just walk past. The poses Point at the view, Map check and Suitcase walk in Posepass are built on the idea that a traveler is busy. The photographer stays low, keeps the sight whole and shoots when the back foot lifts. If you only want to stand, stand small and let the sight be the subject.

Avoid the same pose at every sight. Rotate between walking, leaning, sitting and a back view so the set feels like a trip, not a repeat.

How do I take a back view or a silhouette on a trip?

Turn away from the lens and look at the view. This works well at a lookout, a market or a long street. For a silhouette, put the sun or the bright sky behind the person and tap the sky so the phone exposes for it. The Posepass directions for these frames are to put the horizon on the lower line and tap the bright sky to get a silhouette.

How many photos should I take at each spot?

Take one wide frame with the sight, one walking or leaning frame and one close frame. That is three poses, five frames each, in about five minutes. Move on before everyone gets bored. Check the first frame before you take the others, since a tilted horizon repeats itself.

What if I travel alone?

Use a timer and a stable spot. A ledge, a wall or a bag on a bench works as a tripod. Frame the empty scene, mark where you will stand and run into place. Posepass has a Solo with timer situation, and the Travel poses work with a prop as well. Ask a stranger for one photo at the main sight and use the timer for the rest. See solo photo poses.

How do I protect my phone while I shoot?

Keep a strap or a firm grip, especially on a rail or a bridge. Do not lean over a drop to get the shot, and check your footing on stairs. A phone propped on a wall should have its edge back from the drop. The best frame is not worth a fall.