More and more, people want to take better photos while on their Royal Caribbean cruise vacation because the Internet and social media are showing us some amazing shots others are taking. Since camera technology is rapidly becoming easier and cheaper to use, the question of, "how can I take better photos?" is being raised by more passengers.
Timothy Corbin is an extremely talented photographer, who posts his photos online and recently took a Royal Caribbean cruise on Oasis of the Seas. Corbin brought back some really impressive shots and so we sat down with him to give the rest of us insight into how to take really beautiful photos like him.
Photo by Timothy Corbin
Royal Caribbean Blog: If someone comes up to you and tells you they are going on a Royal Caribbean cruise and want to take beautiful photos, what are you recommendations?
Timothy Corbin: I would say , always take into consideration the time of day and the light available, sunrise , sunset and what photographers call blue hour are great times to take photos anywhere . On a cruise with so much subject matter available to shoot it all comes down to what you see as beautiful , first and foremost have fun on the cruise and the great photos will come easily.
RCLBlog: Is there a mistake you commonly see vacationers doing that could be easily avoided when taking photos?
TC: Well I find many people do not take the time to frame their photo and look at every corner of the frame to see what will show up in the background and in the photo minus the subject , its a very common mistake.
For me at least i try not to have too many people in my photos as I tried to capture the beauty of the architecture and work that went into the cruise ship . This is not always easy obviously , but my trick is very simple , I shoot just around dinner time or early morning when most people are inside the ship and its alot easier to have less people distracting the image, but that isnt always the rule, sometimes you need people in your photo to add to the story behind the shot , so it all comes down to the scene you are shooting and the invisible words you are portraying through the photo.
Photo by Timothy Corbin
RCLBlog: Can someone take great photos with point and shoot cameras or even camera based phones? Or are DSLR cameras the only solution?
TC: You can take great photos with any camera , its a matter of whether you wants prints of that photo or not. Obviously if you want prints the better quality camera you have will result in better prints.
RCLBlog: You took a cruise on Oasis of the Seas last year and took some amazing photos. What part of the ship did you find the most photogenic?
TC: The boardwalk for me was most appealing especially at night with all the colour and lights, Royal Caribbean did a great job here as well as throughout the ship, by manipulating your mind from the fact that you are actually on a cruise ship and transporting you to a very fun and enjoyable environment.
Photo by Timothy Corbin
RCLBlog: What was your favourite part of your Oasis of the Seas cruise?
TC: Without a doubt the Solarium!
RCLBlog: When going on an island, what equipment do you bring with you to take the sort of scenic photos you've really done well with?
TC: Well I am a landscape photographer and I bring all of gear with me including tripod. I pre planned for every island that we visited and where exactly I wanted to photograph.
Most people maybe will not be this hardcore about taking photos on the islands but that was my intention so I made the best of it in the time we had as I was not interested in shopping . If youre intention is capturing great photos i suggest you plan in advance the places you want to shoot as time is limited on the islands. We did of course enjoy the beautiful beaches in between taking photos.
Photo by Timothy Corbin
We want to thank Timothy for taking the time to share his insight with us. Be sure to check out Timothy's photography site at inplain-sight.com for more examples of his beautiful work.
