Pack your things, close your suitcase and on to your next destination. Whether that's a continuation of your vacation or a nice trip home: you surely took a lot of pictures with your camera and/or your phone. Travel blogger and photographer Kiki van Dongen of Backpack Routes shares her tips and tricks on what to do best with all your shot footage. So hop on your plane, train or car, we'll get to work on your vacation photo!
Collect all the images!
You may have only shot your vacation photos with one camera. Easy does it, then you have already collected all your images in one location. The only thing left to do would be to transfer all your images from your camera to your phone or computer so you can post your best pictures on social media and have them printed. Kiki has a handy trick for that: ,,My system camera has a wifi function, which allows me to import the photos directly to my iPhone. This allows you to start editing right away, which makes it even more fun for me!''
Now should it be that you have used multiple devices (such as a cell phone, a system or SLR camera, an action camera, an analog camera or a drone), it is very wise to collect all your footage in one place. Kiki: ,,I use a hard drive to collect all the files from the different devices. That way I keep track of which pictures are from the GoPro, FujiFilm or DJI drone.''
Finally, Kiki has another golden tip for the world travelers and backpackers among us: ''Are you going on a long trip? Then it is definitely advisable to take a hard drive with you, so that it not only gives you an overview, but also functions as a backup!''
Next destination: computer/laptop
It's very tempting to start working with your photos right away on your phone, since you always carry it with you. The same is true for Kiki: ,,Usually I'm so excited about a photo session that I'd prefer to start working on the result right away. Unfortunately, the photos I put on my iPhone are compressed. That means that the files are reduced in size and thus include limited quality. A shame! That's why I continue post-processing at home on my Macbook. On this I can also work more precisely because of the larger screen.''
,,Photos that made me very excited when I shot them.''
Edit & enhance
Beautiful photos, that's what we all want! The first step is already taken: taking a picture with the right composition and sharpness. The second step is post-processing. Your vacation photo can be enhanced even more by adjusting the color, contrast and exposure, among other things. There are many types of apps and programs you can use to spice up your photos. Kiki largely edits her images in Adobe Lightroom (similar to a simplified version of Photoshop). ,,It does take some time to fully master this program. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to do some post-processing yourself. The key is usually to lighten the photo a little and increase the contrast. That quickly makes a photo a little brighter!''
An easier way is to use presets (presets) in Adobe Lightroom. There are many providers of various types of presets. Choose a package with a style that suits you, and with the press of a button you have already edited your photo. It also makes it a lot easier to get unity in your collection of photos in terms of colors, exposure and contrast. Kiki: ,,I also created my own filters that I plan to sell at the end of this year. This works really great! I only have to change a few settings because no two pictures are the same.''
Before & after
In case you're looking for a free app? Then Kiki recommends Snapseed: easy and available on your phone!
Get organized
After you have imported your photos, put them in one location and edited them, it is time to create order in this mountain of files. To keep things organized, I work in folders by year. In these I then put folders with different countries I have been to. That way, when I make an Instawall super easy to go back to the picture in Morocco. In addition, it's handy to create a folder of 'original' and 'edited' images, so you can be sure you've got the right one to go with it!'
Final tip: Don't wait too long to organize your images. When you get back from your vacation, everything will still be fresh in your mind and you'll fly through it in no time ;)
Good luck!