Embrace

1. Find something unpopular. For example, if you're walking through Yosemite, instead of taking pictures only of Half-Dome like everyone else try to look for something people don't notice, such as an interesting rock formation in a shadowed crevice. This will give viewers a more in-depth and personal experience instead of an half-hearted attempt at a national park advertisement.
2. Show some scale! This is important. It's very difficult to get scale in most scenic photographs. A large mountain to you could be a bump in the road to your family and friends. For example, with the image at left, the Blue Basin in Eastern Oregon was huge. It's difficult to show that scale to viewers. Therefore, I decided to make the subject berries on a tree and the background the mountains of Eastern Oregon. Now you're much more able to tell what's small and what's large.
3. Don't be afraid of people. This is a hard one. It's really tempting to take a picture of just the attraction and leave people out. However, people can help add perspective. I wouldn't recommend taking every picture like this, but it helps viewers imagine the scale, as if they were at the area. If you don't like full-body shots, take pictures of body parts, such as a person's hand on a wall overlooking a ravine.
4. Try some black and white. Of course, in today's digital age, no one needs to anticipate buying black and white film: black and white conversion is done post-processing now. However, it helps to "see" in black and white. Fore example, with the above image, I knew I wanted it in B&W, so I tried to compose to do so. Why black and white, you wonder? It emphasizes texture and mood. It makes travel pictures an emotional experience for others and not just a forced sit-down-and-share time. I would only use black and white where it matters, though, such as a place with harsh shadows or not a lot of color to begin with.
5. Include a subject. Subjects are usually a must-have in photography. They help the user relate to something and it helps tell a story, even if there is no story attached to the subject. When traveling, it's tempting to simply take pictures of the sites as-is. Adding a subject shows how the environment treats the subject, like the tree on the right.
6. Be exciting! Be creative. Try different photography tricks, such as zoom explosion, as shown below. Create motion blur. Show something at an odd angle. Include lens flare. Just don't settle for the ordinary shot.
Hopefully these tips helped. I hope that next time you go on vacation you add an extra kick to your photographs.

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