Tips for Taking Perfect Honeymoon Photos

Exotic locations you’ve always dreamed of, from the warm turquoise waters of the Caribbean to the cool snowy mountaintops of the Alps, where ever you plan to go for your honeymoon it will be remembered in the years to come through your honeymoon photos.

Years later you can relive your honeymoon as the photos transport you back to remember every little detail. The feeling of connecting with a huge majestic creature is able to be re-lived when you see the picture of yourself next to an elephant on that trek in Thailand. Or you can almost feel the soft sea breeze gently kissing your skin in that silhouetted photo of you on the beach during the most amazing sunset of your life.

After all the running around and excitement of the wedding, it’s your time to relax and celebrate your new life together. Capturing those gooey ‘couple’ moments holding hands or laughing as you share food will make some of the most treasured memories of your life. Don’t worry if you don’t know your way around the latest camera on the market, great shots can be taken by anyone!

You don’t need to be a professional to get shots like these – all you need is some tips and tricks to help you along the way and voila! – amazing honeymoon shots are yours. I’m talking about the kind that have people gasping when you get home, saying “that’s gorgeous!” So, here are some helpful tips for taking great honeymoon photos, along with some weather tested and proven handy hints to help you capture those special moments.

1. Know your camera

I know, you are thinking ‘duh’ but there is nothing worse than looking back through your photos and realizing you had the wrong setting or things are slightly fuzzy because they were moving… we’ve all done it. Take time to familiarize yourself with your camera and its settings before your trip to cut down on those ‘whoops’ moments.

Handy Hint

If you decide to use just your smartphone camera, make sure you’ve discovered all the camera features. A lot of cell phones these days have HDR included so make the most of it and take professional shots with your phone’s camera. HDR is a setting where your camera takes 3 shots and incorporates all 3 pics so you come out with even lighting and a great shot! Quick, easy and simple!

2. Take lots and lots of photos

Raise your hand if you’ve had one of those moments when you realize that perfect photo… just isn’t perfect? You look at it and realize one person has their eyes closed or your hand shook and the photo is blurry. Solution – take lots and lots of photos so you will always get the result you want. It’s easy to delete the ones you don’t need, especially with digital cameras.

Handy Hint

Do a quick search on night photography and watch a YouTube video on your specific camera’s settings. Most cameras will actually have a sunset setting just for this so you’ll have a better chance of capturing the perfect shot with the proper settings.

3. Get photos of the both of you

This is a big one. A lot of couples do this, they don’t get shots together and return home with a whole bunch of solo pics. This is your honeymoon! You want those lovey-dovey romantic photos that everyone is secretly jealous of. Don’t be scared to ask a kind stranger to snap a photo of the two of you so you don’t miss these moments. In case there’s no one around to ask, don’t forget to pack a selfie stick, or a Gorillapod to capture great shots of the two of you without the need for a third person to snap the pic.

Handy Hint

Don’t be afraid to use your timer. Setting your timer allows you to not only be in the shot, but also have fun posing with each other and creating photos like a pro.

4. Get up early and stay out late!

There are two times of day that create spectacular pictures because the light is softer. The golden hour (sunrise and early morning) and the blue hour (hour before and after sunset). These have the ability to transform that drab grey overcast sky you looked at all day into a picturesque wonder so if you are walking around town and it’s a bit grey, just wait an hour and then take the shot.

5. Try some gadgets

You don’t have to have thousands of dollars of camera equipment; a few gadgets can make your life easier and guarantee great pictures. A mini tripod or selfie stick can help you with those tricky shots as well as packing up small to fit into your luggage so they’re easy to take along. Other gadgets worthy of packing would be an underwater case for your camera or cell phone, a gimbal or other stabilizer and a camera phone lens for your cell phone that will create pictures as good as a professional! Check out these recommended gadgets below to help you capture the perfect shots:

6. Details, details, details

Get close up and personal! Take photos of things that scream ‘honeymoon’ or represent your destination. Take a photo of that amazing meal you shared. Or if in a tropical locale, nothing says tropical honeymoon like seashells and sand. Photos of that tiki torch, favorite cocktail you ordered or adorable soaps in your room will make you smile in 5 years when you look back. Make a collage of your favorite honeymoon things and include the photos in a memory album of your trip! You may even want to create a custom photobook of your honeymoon memories!

7. Angles

Have fun and take spontaneous shots of each other from different angles. From water level as they jump into the swimming hole under a waterfall, lay on the ground and take a shot of them climbing a coconut tree to get fresh coconut water or take a shot of them looking up at your smiling from the ground floor while you are upstairs. Different angles make unique and fantastic photos. Be creative and have fun!

8. Make it real

Don’t forget your favorite waiter, breathtaking fire dancer or street artist that you watched work for an hour. Those people that you met who made it a wonderful honeymoon add to your experience.

Handy Hint

Un-posed spontaneous portraits of each other make some of the most real and amazing memorable moments. Relaxing by the pool reading a book or lazing in a hammock looking out to sea will capture the feeling and tell a story.