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.
