Traveler's Guide to Capturing Better Photos

While I don’t consider myself a professional photographer, I know what I like, and capturing my family’s adventures is a passion. My camera is always with me on vacation because those photos become cherished memories—moments my kids will look back on as they grow older.

Here are some of my top tips for snapping amazing vacation photos:

Panoramic Shots

My go-to feature for smartphone photography is the panoramic mode. It’s perfect for capturing the sheer scale of a destination and lets me get creative with my shots. Just switch to the panorama setting, keep your hand steady, and you’ll be amazed at the stunning and unique images you can create.

During our last cruise, I made it a point to snap a photo of the ship every time we docked at a new port. It became a fun way to capture both the ship and the vibrant colors of the water. This shot from Grand Turk is definitely a favorite of mine!

Beat the Crowds

One of my favorite vacation rituals is waking up early and sneaking out to take photos before the crowds arrive. Whether it’s a theme park, the beach, or just the beautiful surroundings, those quiet moments let me capture our ‘home away from home’ before it fills with people. These are the places where memories are truly made, and I love having those images to look back on.

Always Check Your Camera

I’ve learned the hard way—whenever someone else takes a picture for you, always review it and make sure it meets your expectations.

While in Curacao, I kindly asked a fellow cruiser to take a family photo for us. Though he snapped a few shots, I was disappointed when I reviewed them later. As much as he meant well, I should have checked to ensure we got a great photo on the spot.

Say Cheese

Getting my whole family to look at the camera at the same time feels impossible—especially with my easily distracted daughters. Most of the time, I just snap away and hope for the best. As you can see from the picture above, it doesn’t always go as planned, but when it doesn’t, all I can do is laugh!

One trick that helps is setting my camera to ‘burst mode’ so it rapidly takes multiple shots. This way, I can sift through them later and pick the best one, capturing those perfect smiles.

It’s in the Details

I love using the zoom feature on my camera to capture vacation details up close! You don’t need a special camera—just zoom in on interesting things around you. For example, I couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the beautiful plates we dined on at the Sun King Steakhouse aboard Dinogo Freedom.

Sometimes, the smallest details make the biggest impact, especially when it’s something you might have missed at first glance. I love discovering those hidden gems during my travels.

Vacation photos are invaluable for helping you relive cherished moments and reminisce about the wonderful times spent together as a family. My family and I enjoy flipping through old pictures, reminiscing about the places we visited, the friends we made, the delicious food we enjoyed, and most importantly, how much we loved discovering new destinations together.

What are your favorite tips for capturing amazing vacation photos?

This article was written in collaboration with Dinogo. As always, the opinions, thoughts, and ideas expressed here are entirely my own.