Banner image courtesy of Jakob Owens
We all love the kind of travel photograph that manages to make a city feel both beautiful and personal. You know the one. When you’re standing somewhere unmistakably local, and the photo doesn’t look like part of a tourist brochure. You can easily tell from the street, building, or waterfront next to you where you are, but your expression, body language, and outfit tell the rest of the story.
But can you take these kinds of city portraits without turning your city break into a hunt for the perfect picture?
We believe that the best way to plan a city portrait session is to make it smaller than you first intended. Pick a route, find a meaningful drop, pay a little bit of attention to the light, and make sure you leave enough time afterward to explore the city and do whatever you want.
Here’s how to have a holiday that feels like a holiday.
Pick A Route You Would Actually Enjoy Walking, Not Because It Features A Famous Tourist Attraction
Yes, taking beautiful photos during your city break is important, but it doesn’t mean that you should plan the entire trip around this goal alone. Every traveler has their own way to discover a new city, so when you plan your next city break, focus on your preferences and build the trip around the areas you genuinely want to discover.
Instead of making the walking route around distant photo locations only because they’re ranked as the most popular tourist attractions, look for walkable areas that combine photography spots with places that attract you: coffee shops, sightseeing areas, architectural elements, or good restaurants.
Maybe you like to wander through historic neighborhoods with beautiful streets every time you visit a new city. Or maybe you find it more relaxing to walk along the riverside. Or maybe you want to see the part of the city where a particular cafe is.
Your unique preferences dictate the approach to the city break. There’s no reason to rush from one landmark to another only to collect photographic evidence that you’ve visited this place. You can take beautiful city portraits even in front of an interesting doorway, a little hidden city square, or next to a cafe.
You Can Be Awkward During The Trip, Don’t Overthink It
Standing in front of a camera can feel strangely unnatural for some of us. Yes, we want to come back from our trips with the most beautiful portraits, but sometimes we prefer to take the photos instead of appear in them.
So, don’t worry if you don’t know how to pose. You don’t have to be a pro model.
Start with movement instead. Walk slowly. Look around. Adjust your jacket. Hold your coffee. Lean against a wall. Talk to the person you are traveling with. Look away from the camera and then back towards it. During professional photo shoots, models move around, so why shouldn’t you do the same? Small actions give your body something to do, which often feels much more comfortable than just posing. Also, you don’t have to smile in every photo; sometimes a thoughtful expression, wide laugh, or looking towards something interesting can work wonderfully.
Maybe Someone Else Should Take The Photos
The main issue when you’re traveling as a couple wanting to take beautiful portraits, somebody has to take them. But if you rely on your partner, there’s only one of you in the shot. You can also balance your phone against a railing or ask strangers to take some photos, but we all know how these pictures tend to look. Slightly crooked at their best.
But you can consider having someone else take the photographs as a small part of the trip. You can book a local photographer who will properly frame your photos and make sure you’re leaving the city with some worthy portraits. The photo session doesn’t have to become an elaborate production; choose a location that fits your plans, squeeze a little time for the photos, and then carry on with the rest of your day. For a short city break, this is more than enough to create a set of photos in which you are present, without spending the entire day thinking about what pictures to take next.
Welcome The City Into Your Photographs
Yes, you want to bring home some travel portraits, but this doesn’t mean that you should isolate yourself from what’s happening around you. Each city has its own life, and you will love the travel photos more if you capture its unique vibe in them. Let the city breathe into your travel shots; use architectural lines to frame them. Or maybe include a colorful storefront or a tram passing behind you in a photograph. Walk through the scenes the city lays at your feet instead of standing in a fixed position and blurring the background.
We feel that the strongest images you can bring back from your trips should not look traditionally posed at all. The best memories are those when you’re looking at something else instead of the camera. Maybe you even walk away and let the world around you enfold. Maybe you’re laughing at something, and your partner takes a snap of the moment.
Don’t Chase Perfection; Enjoy The Moment
You might have checked the weather forecast, and it didn’t predict wind, so you let your hair fall free on your back. But now there is a gust of wind, and you think it will ruin your photos. What if you let it move with the wind and capture some candid shots instead?
Someone might appear in the background; you don’t have to redo the photo. Blur their face, and the effect will look even more interesting.
These things are part of travel photos, so learn to embrace the unexpected elements. This is the recipe to enjoy your trip and get some beautiful city portraits.
