Whether you’re heading to West Lafayette or West Xylophone, the travel gurus at Fodor’s have some travel photography tips for you before you embark on your summer adventures.

Pick up nearly 100 pointers, from how to shoot churches, castles, and canyons, to the nitty-gritty of shooting on mountaintops, in city streets, or at the aquarium. Their guide is written with film cameras in mind, but the basics hold true for digital.

Among their tips:

• For clear campfire shots, let your camera take its exposure readings from a well-lit face. Fire in the frame will throw off your camera’s calculations.
  
• Research your destination and plan a “shooting itinerary” so you don’t miss any great shots. (But remember that some of the best photographs are made when you stray from the beaten path.)
  
• In wild caves, put your camera shutter in the B position and fire your flash multiple times to paint the room with light.
  
• Underwater, colors will photograph naturally to a depth of about 10 feet but fade away quickly beyond that. Use flash.

Before you hit the road kick it on over to Fodor’s for the full list.

And hey, while you’re out there, take Yogi Berra’s advice: “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

Fodor’s Travel Photo Tips

p.s. Some fun city names we came across while researching this piece that we couldn’t help but share: Sandwich, IL, Romance, AK, Batman, Turkey, Hot Coffee, MS, and Rough and Ready, CA. (Okay, OK enough already.)

Photo Credit: Sergio Louro

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