Every day is a celebration or commemoration of some sort, tomorrow is no exception, it is World Photography Day. According to the website “Every year on August 19th, World Photography Day (also known as World Photo Day) celebrates the art, craft, science and history of photography. The day also encourages photographers from around the globe to share a single photo that encapsulates their world.”

I’ve shared mine above. It’s a photo I took of my daughter in the Vatican Museums nearly 5 years ago as she used “Mom’s big camera” and I was using my phone as a camera. I’ve found through our travels that letting our children use a camera to capture images along the way is not only a great way for them to stay engaged, but it also gives us a different perspective as well. They notice things from their vantage points that adults tend to overlook.

I also wanted to share with you this week some of my photography tips to help you take better vacation photos.

Jennifer’s Top 5 Travel Photography Tips

#1 – Rule of Thirds – the easiest way to make sure you’re following the rule of thirds when using the camera on your smartphone is to turn on the grid lines on the display. This will show you two vertical and two horizontal lines on your display. When framing the photo keep the subject centered on one of the intersections.

#2 – Keep the horizon straight – see the tip above on using grid lines, use them to line up the horizon to make sure it’s straight on your landscape shots.

#3 – Carry a lightweight tripod or stand for your camera. Even a pop socket on a smart phone can do the trick to help you keep the camera steady in low light or fast action situations.

#4 – Stay out late, or get out early – Even if you are not capturing the sunrise or sunset getting out early or staying out late will generally lead to more favorable lighting and fewer people.

#5 – Back up! Each night when you return to your hotel or resort make sure you back up your photos. If you are using a memory card take several on your trip and switch them out daily. Should your camera be lost or stolen you have only lost that day’s worth of photos that have not yet been backed up.

Bonus tip! You don’t need to carry around expensive photo gear to capture great photos. The technology with phone cameras has come a long way in the past few years. Often I find myself leaving my camera equipment at home and relying on my phone, or the services of a professional through Flytographer to capture our memories.