Tips and tricks for impressive summer photos

Bright colors and dynamic motifs make photography particularly attractive in summer. Summer is also the time for wanderlust - and as you discover the world, you capture all your great experiences in numerous photos. Under bright blue skies and golden sunlight, there are opportunities for unique summer photos. But summer also has a few challenges. We have put together a few tips and tricks for summer photography that will help you to capture the unforgettable days of your holidays for eternity in expressive and vivid pictures.

You can then immortalize your most beautiful shots in a Photo book or on a Photo canvas.

Whether trekking in the mountains, relaxing by the lake or exploring the city - there is a suitable camera for every holiday fun. Technically speaking, a digital SLR camera certainly offers the best conditions for professional pictures, but of course it has a fair weight and is rather impractical when you go hiking or camping, for example.

The choice of the right camera for your holiday pictures is therefore not only based on the technical requirements, but rather on your needs. So always ask yourself what ‘photo type’ you are because depending on the model selected, great pictures can be taken with any camera.

Are you more of a spontaneous type who likes to share his/her snapshots on social channels or other photo apps and doesn't want to worry about camera settings? Then the smartphone or a compact digital camera is right for you.

A digital SLR camera, on the other hand, offers you more flexibility with regard to settings and selection of lenses. This makes it possible for you to add more depth to your shots. Whichever camera you choose, the bottom line is how you use the light, the settings that the camera offers, and your motif in order to take impressive pictures.

In summer there are exceptional lighting conditions: Depending on the motif you choose, you should pay attention to how the sun is positioned. In direct midday sun, the light in photos is very bright and the shadows look hard. In the case of architectural photos, you consciously use this effect to draw sharp contours. Portrait photos, in contrast, are more flattering in diffused light. At dawn and dusk, the lighting is softer, making it the ideal time for great shots. This time is also called the golden hour.

Be it in the early morning, at noontime or at sunset, take advantage of the sunlight and just experiment a little. This is how you can capture wonderful shadow figures, reflections or light reflections.

In summer it is important to control the available light on the pictures as much as possible to avoid overexposure. This can be done not only via the chosen motif and the light control, but also via the settings on the camera. Depending on which motif you choose, you can get the best out of your pictures via the aperture, the shutter speed, and the ISO value. Modern smartphones today also have these setting options. If you want to take pictures of people, a blurred background looks very dynamic. To do this, you should keep the shutter speed very short and turn down the ISO and f-number. For landscapes, however, the f-number should be very high in order to capture all details. To prevent the picture from becoming too dark, you need to turn up the shutter speed again. If this is not sufficient, just additionally increase the ISO value.

In addition to the manual settings, you can also use the shooting modes on your camera to take great holiday pictures. Many cameras have special programs for portrait, landscape, macro and sports shots.

In general: When the aperture is open, a lot of light gets into the lens, and this makes your photos look summer-light and friendly. Bright, direct light creates hard shadows. You counteract overexposure with a slower shutter speed. With the lens cover closed against the backlight, you may even get an interesting effect with the lens flares.

Whether you’re at a lake or at the ocean, there are special requirements for exciting shots at and in the water. Basically, you can say that every motif and every lighting situation requires a different setting on your camera. This is mainly due to the reflection of the light on the water surface which makes the surroundings even brighter, and also due to the different lighting effect which changes fundamentally depending on the time of day. At sunrise and sunset, a small ISO value and a high f-number are best. The camera mode for sun shots is also recommended. However, if you want to take great pictures on the beach during the day in bright light and reflections, you should choose the beach or snow mode on your camera. This will help you get the most out of your shots in very bright lighting conditions.

On the other hand, if you want to freeze the movement of the water, for example in a mountain river, you should choose a slow shutter speed. Especially in summer when there is a lot of sunshine, the f-number is to be turned down and, under certain circumstances, the ISO turned up.

The use of an underwater camera also helps you with beach photography. It is best to dive with a waterproof camera at noontime in order to use ideal lighting conditions.

For unique holiday photos you should also have the right photo equipment and accessories ready. A waterproof camera bag and a microfiber cloth for cleaning the lens are a must. If you work with a longer exposure time, a tripod is also advisable to prevent wobbly and blurry pictures.

Filters are optional but useful gadgets: A gray filter acts like sunglasses for the lens, which means that you can take pictures with a longer exposure time and a wide-open aperture without losing color and contrast effects. A polarization filter, on the other hand, dampens strong reflections on water or glass and produces richer shades of green in landscape shots.

A replacement battery and a power bank or a solar charger is also useful to charge your camera and batteries on the go.

With a few tricks you will succeed in shooting colourful and lively summer photos that can bring you back to your most beautiful holiday moments at any time. To take impressive vacation pictures, you don't need the most expensive equipment, but mainly an eye for the right light and the right setting.