I am very lucky that I love what I do for a living. Not many people can say this! While I spend at least 80% of my time behind the camera photographing other people’s families in the Boston area, one of my favorite aspects of photography is documenting my own family, particularly on vacation. 

If you’ve been following along with my 365 project, you know that documenting the every day aspect of life is a passion of mine. However, the every day can occasionally be a bit mundane. Traveling gives me the opportunity to photograph my family in a new environment. If you’re a photographer, I am sure your camera is somewhere near the top of your packing list. If you’re not a photographer, do you pack your big camera (if you have one) for your family vacation? 

Traveling with kids can be very stressful. Not only are there a zillion things on the packing list, being away from routine can be exhausting. You don’t need to be stressed out by your camera! Here are some tips to make vacation photography easier.

Travel Light

Even if you are a photographer, you don’t need to pack a lot of equipment. I like to travel with one camera body and one lens. Depending on the type of trip, I either choose my 35mm prime or my 24-70 zoom lens. If you have options for lenses, I would recommend a wide angle lens (35mm or wider) to give you a lot of flexibility. I also bring my wall charger, two batteries, and two 32G memory cards.

Photograph Your Surroundings

Even if you primarily photograph your family, take pictures of your new environment. This Summer we traveled to Bailey Island, Maine for our family vacation. Along with the photos of my family, I love to look at pictures of where we spent our time. You will also appreciate these environment shots when putting together an album for your family trip! Take pictures of the plants, animals, sunsets, and anything that makes that area unique.

Times Of Day

Challenge yourself to take pictures during different times of day. Take pictures of your kids in their pajamas at 5:00AM. Pictures of them staying up past their bedtime. Document your family eating or preparing dinner (or breakfast) together. Is noontime the best light to take pictures in? No. But if that’s when you’re adventuring, take pictures then too!

Take Pictures of the Mundane, Too.

A big part of family vacation (for us, anyways) is down time. While we try to do a big hike or beach trip daily, we also do a lot of relaxing. Don’t forget to photograph what might seem boring, as well as the adventures. You’ll want to remember both aspects of your trip! Some of my favorite pictures of my family are us all hanging out drinking beer and having a rock skipping competition.

Shoot Wide

If you’re into photography, you know what I mean. If you’re not, that basically means to back up and take pictures that include the surroundings. While I love a close-up portrait, vacation is not the time to focus on those. In my opinion, you’ll appreciate the wider angle shots much more. They tell your family vacation story better than just a smiling face.

Have Fun On Your Vacation

I know, duh. Your main goal is to enjoy your vacation. And if you’re like me, to also have those memories documented so you can re-live it. If fun for you means always having your camera handy, do that. Does that seem like too much to juggle? Try choosing 10 minutes per day and then put it away. If you’re going to a sandy beach, bring it in a Ziploc bag so you don’t have to stress about sand. On a hike, take it out at your snack/water break. Some of these photos were taken at a rest stop on the way up! Don’t strive for perfection, I promise you won’t care six months later. You’ll just be happy as you look at your photos and remember all the fun you had together.

Happy Travels in 2019!

XO- Lyndsay