Austria Travel Photography

So, you want to know how to take great photos of Austria. In this post, you'll find out what you need to do come home with memorable photography from your visit. The sample photos are from my own trip to this charming country located in the heart of Europe.

There's more to it than just point and shoot with a decent camera at one of the  interesting subjects you come across when you travel around Austria. Okay, let's dive into 5 tips for getting great photos of Austria.

1. Use Basic Rules of Composition

For many photographers it comes naturally to intentionally compose their photos using good composition techniques. These include balance, using leading lines, the rule of thirds, diagonals, framing, and more.

For others, it's easy to be impressed with the attractive subject in front of them and just take a quick snapshot. That's how you get an average photograph. It's easy to be enthralled by the many beautiful scenes you'll come across in Austria and just point and shoot.

Take your time to pay attention to how your subject looks in your viewfinder or on your camera's LCD screen from the vantage pint you're at before you push the button.

Composition is all about noticing the elements in your scene, how they interact with each other and how you can find the right principals to compose a winning photo.

In the photo above, outside of Melk Abbey in Austria, I positioned  myself so that the left edge of the cobblestone corridor acted as a leading line directing the viewers eye to the doorway. I chose a vantage point that had each successive archway repeat and diminish in size to create perspective.

I included the stucco wall on the right in the composition to act like a framing device and create balance.  See my post on  composition tips published on my sister photography tips website.

In the photo of Mirabel Palace above, I placed the horizon using the rule of thirds and included the strong diagonal of the palace to guide me in the composition of the image. The lighting was not the best at the time I shot this photo, but it was a pleasant rendering of an interesting subject.

2. Take Advantage of natural Light

Simply put, natural lighting makes for more natural looking photographs. I know what you're thinking. Bruce, why shouldn't I just use my flash when I'm shooting indoor photos. Well, look at the photo below

3. Shoot From Unique Angles

One of the easiest mistakes to make is to shoot all of your photos of Austria from an eye-level perspective. Remeber to shoot from higher or lower perspective once in a while.

For the higher than normal perspective photo of the Magic Fountain at Hellbrun, I chose a location behind and above the spectators to get a more interesting angle on the fountain AND the crowd.

With the photo of the flowers I chose a strong perspective (low and close) using a very wide focal length to exaggerate the shape of the flowers in the garden.

4. Include Architecture in your Travel photos

Travel photography is often more fun if you take notice of and photograph the interesting architecture as you trek your way around a foreign region.

Whether it's just a church or a genuine cathedral, the architecture is fascinating to view and photograph. I've always been intrigued by the ceilings of these majestic buildings.

The intriguing designs and the amount of effort going into the construction and beautiful finishing touches to the ceilings is remarkable and worth photographing.

5. Shoot The Details

A good travel photography excursion should include a variety of images and that includes close-up detail photos.

Whether it's a close-up of a water sculpture in Hellbrun Austria, an abstract photo of the garden wall behind the famous scene in the movie Sound Of Music, or a detail shot of an artistic ceiling painting  there are plenty of photo ops for detail shot of Austria.

What Camera For Photographing Austria

You're probably wondering what's the best camera to take with you when you want great photos of Austria. If you're looking to invest in a new camera for travel photography you can't go wrong with one of the more affordable beginning photographer level mirrorless cameras.

Mirrorless cameras are lighter and smaller than typical DSLR cameras.  I'll post a few links below just to give you an idea of what's available on Amazon for a cheaply priced travel camera that you can use in Austria and other travel destinations.

What ever camera you choose it should satisfy the following criteria:

1. SOLID IMAGE QUALITY.  You don't want to come home disappointed with the quality of photos after making all that effort to take them
2. COMPACT SIZE. Let's face it. You're not going to want to lug a bulky, heavy camera around with you when you're on the move in a foreign land.
3. VERSATILE. Camera features and settings have evolved so much that the cameras themselves are plenty sophisticated to shoot different subjects successfully under a large variety of conditions. The key ability in terms of versatility is focal length. You either want one single zoom lens that goes from very wide to at least moderate telephoto or you want the ability to switch lenses as you travel. Having multiple lens adds to what you have to carry and most beginner travel photographers prefer just one solid versatile lens.
4. AFFORDABLE. You're not a pro travel photographer so you don't need an expensive high end camera
5. EXTRA. Additionally, if you're going to a typically rainy environment, like Scotland, you may want a camera/lens that have weather sealing. If you are going to shoot under dim lighting conditions like interiors or night time photos you may want a fast lens.

Example Travel Cameras:

There are a few DSLR cameras that are compact in design and solid choices for travel photography, like the Canon SL3, but most newly-purchased travel cameras, used now and in the future. will be mirrorless. "Bridge" cameras area also a good size and have remarkable zoom ranges, but the image quality is only average because of their smaller sensors.

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I hope this post has inspired you to take better photos while you're visiting Austria. It's a beautiful place with many memories and photos ops waiting for you to capture!

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