We traveled to Greece in Early May for a family vacation and did our best to take in every site we could see. For a full detailing of our vacation visit the vacation adventure blog post. Between the four of us and our phones we took thousands of photos. Some great – some not so great but definitely fantastic memories. As we were backpacking predominantly this vacation I opted to not take my big camera and instead used my iphone for all of the photos. Quick, light, easy and the four of us were able to share photos at the end of each day creating a master album with all of our favourite images.
I received many questions on social media regarding photo tips as a result I created this post. It has a few simple tips that you can use when you are traveling to not just Athens and Santorini but any busy tourist location. It seemed that it did not matter the time of day there were people everywhere. We decided that the Acropolis and Oia were the two places that we definitely had to see first thing in the morning to be the least affected by the crowds. It made a difference and was worth rallying the troops out of bed at the crack of dawn.
Before you scroll down – this post was fun compiling these tips and I am looking forward to doing more. If you have a photography question that you would like answered or an idea for a tip send me a message and I will be delighted to do a post on that topic.
Simple Tips:
Get there early. If it opens at 8, line up at 7:30.
- Angles – tilt your phone slightly. It will crop out the majority of the people and accentuate the building.
- Patience – Be Patient. People are constantly moving and milling about. If you are patient they will wander out of your frame – Then CLICK quickly!!!
- Zoom – Zoom in on the finer details of the monuments as well as the whole image. It will help to tell your story when you are reminiscing from your vacation.
- Look Behind You – While you are walking around don’t forget to look behind you. You can get an image from a different perspective that is amazing.
- Be open – Do not be so focused on getting to the tourist monuments and museums that you miss the beauty of Athens streets. The cats, doors, buildings etc all make beautiful subjects. In other words stop and smell the roses you are on vacation after all!
- Be Fast – Plan ahead what you want in your picture. When you find your spot take your picture then get out of the way because there are other people waiting. This especially pertains to Santorini and Oia. The lineups (yes I said lineups) for the instagram photo sharing locations were crazy. We avoided most of them and found other spots usually just one alley over that showcased the cities’ beauty but did not have to deal with the “Tourists”.
- Sunsets – Santorini especially is all about the sunsets. Golden hour is that hour before sunset when if Mother Nature is on your side the cloud cover is minimal and you have a gorgeous light show. We specifically booked an Airbnb that had sunset views so each night we basked in the glow. This is a perfect time for portrait photos as the light is soft and flattering. When pointing your camera directly at the sun you can get lens flare. I like a bit of flare sometimes but it can generally be avoided with a little lean to the left or right. Don’t forget to look do the alleys and side streets the light is gorgeous during this hour and it is a perfect opportunity when everyone is looking at the sunset to use the alleys for a photo op.
Let’s see some of these tips in action
This was a family pic in front of the acropolis. Note the large number of people milling about in front of the monument. I then took a zoomed in pic of from a location a little bit closer (about halfway between where we took the family pic and the monument) zooming in enough to cut off the majority of people. The result is you can get a good picture with just a few people in the lower right of the picture but not so many that it takes away from the image. The final pic is one where I edited using adobe photoshop removing the people that were in front of the building.
Family photo at the acropolis. Note the large number of people milling around the base of the monument.
An Example of Creative Cropping at the Hephaestus Temple:
Below is the original with a ladder and various people on the lower right. Followed by a picture where I have cropped it in to showcase the temple a little more.
As you get closer look up. Always look up, look behind and look through to see some of the amazing details.
And a 3rd Example of Cropping. This was zoomed in to the max that the phone would allow. The grass etc at the bottom of the photo is distracting so a little creative cropping gives it a bit more of a polished look.
Change your Angle
This is the side of the Acropolis. I managed to get it without any people but I found the crane and scaffolding a little distracting so did a little edit. If you do not have adobe photoshop or a similar photo editing program try changing the angle a little. See the image below where the phone is tilted slightly to get less of the base and more of the height.
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Blue Skies, Sunshine and Architecture
Santorini was filled with glorious white buildings that sparkled in the sunshine. Bright sunny conditions can be challenging in photos. Often you can hide the sun behind buildings. See below the church lit slightly with the sun behind it. I toggled between colour and black and white for this photo. I have also included a different building with the sun beside it instead of hidden so that you can see the difference.
Always remember to look behind you. This windmill people were not looking at as they were all looking forward over the water. I turned around and captured this with the beautiful cloudless Santorini blue sky.
Santorini Sunset Photos
Sunsets are gorgeous and that beautiful golden hour 1 hour before the actual sunset time is the time for pictures. Watch for lens flare although sometimes I think a little flare adds to the photos. Be aware that you will be joined by every other person on the island trying to get the same photo! Lean, reach, step on your tiptoes, be courteous.
We specifically looked for a rental with sunsets and our Airbnb did not disappoint having great views from 2 balconies. That was a deliberate choice of mine as I knew I would want sunset photos I also knew that I would not want to be fighting crowds every evening. I grabbed this family picture while we were enjoying a sunset one evening. I love it as it is but the wire bothered me slightly. There wasn’t much I could do position wise to avoid it while taking the picture so I did a little editing with photoshop.
Remember Why you are There
We were there on a family vacation. I left my cameras behind. What I brought home were thousands (yep still editing through them) of photos that show us laughing, disheveled and creating memories that we will all cherish. All of my photos were not perfect from this trip but the trip was! I did not obsess on getting the perfect photo from the precise Instagram location focusing more on having a great time.
Upcoming Photography Tip Posts
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