Part of any good trip is having the things you need, when you need them. Usually we pack a few snacks, some stickers/books/stuffy, change of clothes, and water. The kids get the same.

Are you a people watcher? Do you notice when planes get a new paint job? While it might take a bit of work, bring your kids into the process of enjoying the journey.

Pro Tip: Learning and growing with your little traveler will help shape new routines and make future travel easier and more enjoyable.

Often, adults want to just rest when they get somewhere. Kids often want to get their wiggles out. Neighborhood parks near your destination are a great place for both. Bring a book or browse the web on your phone and let the kid(s) move a bit.

Same implement, different use.

Photographer tip: Swing pictures in low light can be difficult for slower shutter speeds. Try capturing the photo at the moment momentum swings from forward to back (or vice versa). It helps to freeze motion and reduce blur.

There are lots of rules of thumb about symmetry. When editing this photo, I went slightly off center to keep a balance in the “weight” of the background.

Photos get presented in so many formats. While standard prints would require you to change dimensions and trim photos, the number of options you have now for printing books, posting online, or making galleries can require a lot from a fixed image. Leaving edges gives you options and most people would rather have a photo be cropped without their shoes than a photo without their head.

This is a personal preference, but the waterline does not run through my head in this photo. I purposefully positioned our friend (and stand in photographer) on a rock so that the waterline would not cut through the back of my head.

Movement on boats is rough for getting everything “aligned".” Just leave enough room and fix the horizon line (to be level) in post. Focus on the subject to make sure you get their expression and don’t get distracted by something that can be “fixed” in an editing program.

Seriously… just make the horizon line straight. If the boat is tilted, your mind will recognize the nature of a boat being tilted in water. However, when the horizon is off, the world looks off-kilter.

Sometimes, to get a genuine look back, just call a name out and snap right away. Don’t wait for the subject to recognize they are being photographed as they will often “put on a face” when they know the camera is out.

Even now, 2 years after this photo was taken, we still walk hand-in-hand with our kids. I’m enjoying it while it lasts. This felt like home, even though we were thousands of mile away.

We only break out our hammocks when we camp… so this was a fun “element” to capture. Often times, these types of images can help to capture the details of a trip that would otherwise be forgotten. This image reminds me of the moment, the trek out to the island, as well as the beautiful surroundings.

Grey days are a photographers dream for lots of reasons. While it is easy to point out that overcast days make for even lighting, I love that they also make the subject “pop” against the otherwise “flat” background.