This week's blog is written by Tourissimo guide and photographer, Lieven Loots. He shares some tips on how to take better photos during your cycling tour in Italy.
Remember that the best camera is the one you have with you
Nowadays we all have at least one camera with us all the time. In good lighting conditions, almost all smart phones take wonderful photographs, and they have completely supplanted compact digital cameras. Some smart phone cameras are actually so good pro-photographers have started using them for commercial work!
Stop, get off your bike and walk around
Not only becasue shooting from the saddle puts yourself and others in danger, but also makes for shaky, out-of-focus and badly framed photos. Taking your time to stop and think about the shot you want to bag, will vastly improve your photography.
Get high, get low
We all look at the world from eye-height, making shots taking in a 'standing up' stance often look boring. Try some new perspectives on the world by crouching down by the roadside to grab a shot of your fellow cyclists zooming by or climbing up some steps to include both your friends and that breath-taking vista in a once-in-a-lifetime photograph.
Tell a story
Don't limit yourself to shooting people in cycling gear on rolling bikes, but have your camera ready also when pulling your bikes off the trailer, when sitting down for a coffee break or a wine tasting session, when enjoying a picnic lunch, when visiting a cultural site, when going for an evening walk, when having a gourmet dinner, ... Then put together a good selection of these in a slide show to create a story of your cycling trip.
Try your hand at editing
There's a plethora of smart phone apps out there that offer easy to use editing tools to make your photographs look even better. Why not crop out that nasty telephone pole, make those spring colours pop, or transform your colour snaps in vintage black & white for that arty look.
