With 2022 travel ready to surpass pre-pandemic levels, half the fun is taking amazing photos to share with friends later.

Still, we’ve all been there — looking back on photos and sighing that the scenery never looks as good as it did in person.

There are some ways to make your travel photos look just as amazing as they did in person. Here’s what to do.

Pick Your Angle Carefully

When most of us snap some quick travel photos, we just hold our phone out, press the shutter button in the direction of the subject, and move on. However, you can get much better pictures if you’re willing to play with the angle.

Drop down to the ground and take the shot from below, for example, and you’ll notice that the effect is much more cinematic! Suddenly your travel photo album already looks more professional.

Try for Good Lighting

Even if your camera claims to be good in dull light, photo ideas will never look as good as they do if there’s good natural light streaming in. If there’s a particular part of your journey you want to photograph, try waiting until the sun is high in the sky, if possible.

Or, for that glow approach, wait until the sunset. You’ll get an amazing natural orange wash.

If it’s indoor, however, try for cool light over warm light as artificial warmth can make things look oversaturated.

Take the Time to Learn to Edit

Photo editing is key to getting those amazing Instagram shots that will have all of your followers envious of your travels. There are many different things you can do to make a photo look epic after it was taken, including:

• Playing with the contrast and brightness 
• Upping the sharpness slightly to get that crisp effect
• Putting a filter over it
• Remove background from an image
• Crop the photo to focus on the best part

Every photo is different, so what works well in your photography will likely vary between pictures. There are plenty of photo editing apps you can download on your phone and computer to get the desired effects.

Use a Tripod

If you want to be in more of the photos and don’t have anyone to take them for you — or want to include everyone — consider bringing a tripod on the trip.

They’re inexpensive, quick, and easy to set up, and you don’t need to ask strangers to take pictures for you. Once you start taking a tripod on vacation, you’ll never go back.

Up Your Travel Photos With These Tips

Up your travel photos game by using these tips. Try for good lighting where possible, get down on the ground to switch up the angle, and don’t forget to edit your pictures a little before you post them. You’ll have the best pics on Instagram.

For more travel tips and advice, check out the rest of our site.