Visit our travel agent friends at MEI Travel

The secrets to taking better photos on your Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
09 Feb 2017

Going on a Royal Caribbean cruise means you will be seeing new sights, both on your ship and on land, with the opportunity to see ancient architecture, nature at its finest and incredible cities. Naturally, capturing these moments through photos is something many people want to do because it provides the perfect souvenir from any vacation.

Whether you are shooting with a fancy DSLR camera or just your smartphone, there are some good strategies to employ, which can ensure some lovely photos after your trip is complete.

Practice before your cruise

Whether you just purchased a new camera or have had it for years, it is important to get acclimated to the nuances of your camera before your cruise.  The more you can practice, the better your cruise photos will come out.  

Try going to a local beach or lake to practice beach photos, or take photos at the mall or shopping center to get used to indoor photography.  Regardless of if you have a DSLR camera or a point-and-shoot, the key to taking better photos is knowing how your hardware works and trying things out.

Plan your shots

While you cannot anticipate every photo you will take on a cruise, doing a bit of research into the type of photos you want to take can mean you do not come home with regrets about missing out on a photo idea. If you have cruised before, think about the sort of spots you might want to take photos and make notes about which ones are important to you.  Perhaps a family photo on the balcony, or the kids meeting Shrek on the Royal Promenade.

If you are new to cruising, or new to the ship, consider looking through what others have shot and use that for inspiration for your own photos. Flickr is a great resource for seeing other people's cruise photos, and it might serve to offer ideas you had not thought of previously.

Invest in a good smartphone app

The standard photo app on your smartphone seems like it can do a lot, but third-party apps can provide a lot of extra features that can make taking great photos easier.  Look for smartphone apps that offer additional features, such as a grid overlay that helps establish the Rule of Thirds when taking a photo. Composition of the photo is arguably one of the most important factors to creating a great photo, and you want to ensure the subject of your photo is properly aligned, and what is important in the photo is the focal point of the shot.

In addition, a good app will provide additional settings to manually control things like the image sensor (ISO), shutter speed and focus on the smartphone camera. You may not need it all every time, but having some control over these sort of features can help a lot depending on the type of photo you are taking.

Seek good lighting

Regardless of what you use to take photos, or where you are, ideally you will want photos that have plenty of light.  The more light, the less shadows and off-colors you will run into.  

Having well-lit photos is important, so try for when the light will be lower in the sky (early or late in the day). Also, the mid-day sun is typically the hottest and can be harsh, so work around that time to have photos that will come out well, and subjects who are not dealing with higher temperatures.

Of course, a cruise has so much subject matter available to shoot, so it all comes down to what you see as beautiful. Sunrise, sunset and the "blue hour" are the times of days many photographers always look for when shooting.

Check your corners before taking a photo

A common mistake aspiring photographers make is not accounting for everything in the shot.  A good way to avoid unwanted objects or people in your shot is to look at every corner of the frame to see what will show up in the background and in the photo minus the subject.

Look for objects, people, and obstructions that if you just shift a little to one side or another can improve the photo greatly.

Avoid the flash

Regardless if it is day or night, do not use the flash on your camera. Ever.  The flash will flood the foreground with bright light at the moment of the photo is taken but often colors get washed out and the background disappears.

What you want to do instead is learn to control the shutter and aperture of your lens to control the amount of light that is let in without the assistance of a flash. Most cameras have these sort of controls and even smartphone cameras now have basic options to assist.

To avoid blurry photos when using this technique, try to stabilize your shot.  Use nearby stationary objects like garbage cans (or bring a tripod) to take a steady shot. 

Your thoughts

What are your tips for better photos on a Royal Caribbean cruise? Any recommendations or ideas of your own that you would like to share? We love hearing from readers, so if you have any other comments or questions, please feel free to post those, too.

How to take better photos on your next Royal Caribbean cruise

In:
17 Jan 2015

Photos are the best souvenir you can bring back from any Royal Caribbean cruise, because they are the best ways to remember all the fun.  From moments of laughter, to sunsets to capturing snapshots of your vacation forever, photos can do it all.  So when you get home and look at all those photos, you definitely want to make sure everything came out well.  Here are some great photography tips to make sure your next Royal Caribbean cruise will help you get the best photos ever.

1. Learn to use your camera

Before you step foot on your ship or even wave goodbye to everyone at work when you go on vacation, you should practice with your camera.

Regardless of if you have a DSLR camera or a point-and-shoot, the key to taking better photos is knowing how your hardware works and trying things out.  Try bringing the camera to events around your home town or even taking photos in your house.  Take photos in the day time, night time and indoors so you get a good sense of what to expect and try things out.  It's better to take bad photos at home so you know how to avoid those bad photos later on your cruise.

2. Take public area photos in the early morning or late at night

Royal Caribbean has built some amazing areas on their ships, from the Boardwalk on Oasis-class ships to the Centrum on Radiance-class ships.  So if you want to get the best views of these areas, try to take photos of them when there's no one around.

The best time for these kinds of photos is in the early morning and late at night when most guests aren't around.  Whether it's a photo of the beautiful spaces or a shot of your family posing, it's great to get these shots in without other people you don't know in the background.

3. Charge your battery each night

You know what's worse than bad photos? No photos! Make sure you charge your batteries each evening to ensure each day your camera will have enough power to last you throughout the day.

Along those lines, investing in multiple batteries can help avoid not having enough juice.  If your camera uses disposable batteries, make sure you have a stockpile of them.  In addition to keeping your battery working, it's better to have too many rather than having to purchase new batteries on your cruise and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean charges.

4. Take into account where you are

Good photographers will tell you it's important to take into consideration your surroundings and avoid taking photos where things like shadows or sunlight can ruin a great photo.

Unlike our eyes, cameras are more sensitive to these elements and while it may look okay to you now, the camera may not develop as good a picture.  Keep the sun to your back as the photographer and always make sure when you take photos, there's as much light as you can get.  

5. Get the same photos without the professional photographer cost

Royal Caribbean will take photos of you and your group in select spots on the ship that you can purchase later.  They come out great but they are expensive, so try this trick to getting similar shots without the extra cost.

Aside from the photos with backdrops, many photos are taken on staircases or in front of beautiful areas of the ship.  Scope out on the first couple of nights where the photographers are setting up and then come back at another time when they aren't there and take your own photos.

Staircases in the Centrum and Royal Promenade are often great spots for photos because of the lighting.  

6. Look at every corner before you take the photo

A great way to avoid something small that can ruin your photo or just be a distraction is to check the corners of your shot before you take it.

Often when taking photos, we are focused on the subject and ignore what's on the sides.  Look for objects, people, and obstructions that if you just shift a little to one side or another can improve the photo greatly.

7. Take plenty of photos each time you want just one

In the old days of photography, you had to pay for every shot you took when it came to developing the photos.  But with today's world of digital photography and media cards, there's no excuse not to take a lot of photos.

Even if you think you nailed the photo on the first try, take a few more just in case.  People blink, your wrist can move and a whole slew of other problems can pop up that are hard to see until you get the photos back on your computer to process.  

Try taking at least 3-5 shots anytime you're taking photos to give you the best choice in the right shot.

8. Don't be afraid to ask someone to take the photo for you

It's great to have photos of everyone in your family or group, so don't settle for someone always being left out of your photos.

Your fellow guests on a Royal Caribbean cruise are often quite willing to take photos for you and allow you to get in the photo too and remember these great memories with everyone in the photo.  Offer a smile and be courteous in asking someone passing by to take your photo and it will greatly improve who's in your shots.

9. The best photos will be taken with a camera, not your phone

Of course it's simpler to take photos with your phone but the fact is the best shots come out of cameras that independent of your phone.

Even if you just go with a point-and-shoot camera, you will get better quality shots with more features.  Cameras in general can give you a greater range of functionality when taking photos, especially night photos. 

10. Night photos? Avoid the flash!

The most common thought process in taking a photo at night is to use the flash on your camera but don't do it!

Flashes flood the foreground with bright light at the moment of the photo is taken but often colors get washed out and the background disappears.  Instead, many good quality cameras (most notably DSLR cameras) can take great photos by keeping the shutter open longer to allow more light in without the assistance of a flash.  Make sure you take a stable shot (try placing it on a trash can or bring a tripod) and you will get much more accurate photos in terms of color and they will just look better.

11. Bring a computer to download photos

Memory cards for cameras are pretty cheap but it may be a good idea to bring a laptop to download your photos to for a few reasons.

First, memory cards are notorious for corrupting and you do not want to lose your photos.  Downloading photos to your laptop periodically will ensure you can back up what you've shot in the case your memory card takes a turn for the worst.

Second, backing up your memory cards to a computer will let you get away with using less cards and that means less money you have to spend on memory cards in general.  Just like batteries, you don't want to purchase a memory card on vacation and be subject to the prices Royal Caribbean or a store in port sells them for.

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast Episode - Taking better cruise photos

In:
01 Oct 2014

Listen to the Show

When we take a Royal Caribbean cruise, we take a great deal of time planning for our vacation. Which ship we sail on, which restaurants to eat at, and what we will do and see. And while we are there, whether it be alone, or with family and friends, we try to capture the moments, memories, details and stories that we want to save and share but unfortunately most of us are not professional photographers. So this week, I'm joined by someone who will help us all learn how to take better photographs on our Royal Caribbean cruises.

On this episode:
Running time:

Taking better photos on your next cruise vacation

In:
19 Aug 2013

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.

Subscribe to Photography