In search of some quick pointers to help you shoot better travel photos, we came across sound advice from the Brave New Traveler website.  Among their tips:

Use your flash outside. Using flash outdoors brings a new dimension to your photos and can help eliminate harsh shadows created by high, strong sunlight.

Move in close. When photographing a person or something roughly the same size as a person, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Don’t get too close, however, or your pictures will be blurry.

The rule of thirds. Bring some added dimension to your photo by simply moving your subject away from the middle of your picture. Imagine a three by three grid in your viewfinder and position your subject within one of the intersections of these lines.

Go vertical. If you have never turned your camera sideways to take a picture, you’re missing out! All sorts of things look better in vertical. From a lighthouse on the edge of a cliff to the Eiffel Tower blazing with lights to your dog splashing around in a puddle.

Need more inspiration?  Check out the website of Naomi Liu, the photographer who authored these tips, as well as the beautiful travel photography of physician Bill Yeaton, a longtime locum tenens physician.