Preparation

You think carefully about what to pack before going travelling, and if you want top-notch pics you need to do the same for your camera! It's something most travellers forget about in amongst checking flight details and hotel bookings, but ignoring your gear could cost you dearly in those irreplaceable holiday snaps.

If it's been awhile since you've taken a few photos, take some time before you leave to reacquaint yourself with your kit by browsing through the instruction manual, and experimenting with some of the basic features, like the flash and lens settings. If you run out of time before you leave, use those wasted hours waiting for your flight to depart by brushing up on how it all works.

If you're shooting on film, and want to make sure everything's in good working order, take a few test shots on a 12-exposure film and have it developed before you leave. On digital, you can snap away and get instant results, but make sure you view them in full-size on your computer too, as that tiny built-in screen might not show small lens scratches or other problems.

Right, so you've got your camera up to speed, but what about accessories? The specialised lithium camera batteries can be hard to come by in some places, so make sure you've loaded a fresh set, or have some spares on hand. If you're using rechargeable batteries make sure you've got the charger, and double check that it's the charger for the camera, not your electric toothbrush, or you could find yourself powerless on foreign soil (I speak from experience!).

Give the lens a good clean too, but make sure you use proper lens tissue or cloth — not your T-shirt — so that you don't scratch the delicate glass.

Shooting tips

There are a few golden rules which any photographer worth their film will tell you shouldn't be broken... unless you want your holiday snaps to look like your ID photo, in which case you're probably not well enough to fly.

• Rule of thirds: having your subject in the centre of the photo isn't always best. Divide your viewfinder into a grid with two horizontal and two vertical lines (like a noughts-and-crosses board). By placing the most important element of the photo at the intersection of two of the lines you'll draw more attention to the subject and give depth to the picture.

• Watch the background: while your smiling travelling companion is usually the centre of attention in holiday photos, you also need to pay attention to what's going on in the background. Is there a lamppost 'sticking out of' Aunt Susan's head? Is a car speeding in the background going to spoil your serene scene? Make sure the background enhances, not detracts from, the main subject.

• Be a flasher: Don't be afraid to use your flash outdoors — many people think that a flash should only be used inside, or when there's not enough natural light. Professionals will tell you though that a flash comes in handy when there's too much natural light, and you want to get rid of the deep facial shadows created by the sun. Like all good tricks though, you need to use this one wisely.

  "I personally prefer not to use a flash since it tends to give pictures a fake 'cardboard cut-out' kind of quality," says Cape Town photographer Stephen White. "Rather, I compensate by adjusting my aperture and shutter speed values — and by choosing my type of film carefully and following the light."

• Red-eye: So what's with that freaky red circle in my husband's eyes when I use the flash?

  "Red eye normally occurs in low-light conditions with an on-camera flash when the flash illuminates the blood vessels at the back of the eye," say Peter K Burian and Robert Caputo in their 'National Geographic Photography Field Guide'.

  To eliminate red-eye you can use a separate flash (keep it as far away from the lens as possible), brighten the scene with artificial light or use the camera's built-in red-eye reduction feature.

• Be different: When it comes to photographing landmarks, look for unusual ways to snap them — get ideas from postcards and pictures in the guide books and then start taking photos from different angles. If you're after a certain mood, take an early morning picture and return at sunset to get an entirely different feel. And remember, the soft light of the 'golden hours' around dawn and sunset are best for landscape photos.

• Bracket: At its simplest, this means taking a couple of versions of the same photograph. By using different apertures, shutter speeds and framing you can make sure you get the pic just right. While this can get expensive when you're shooting on film, if you've got a digital camera there's no excuse for not taking the trouble to bracket.

• Take control: Don't be afraid to play 'director' — tell your subjects where to stand and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. Have a few good jokes on hand for authentic smiles!

• Get closer: rather than zooming in as far as you can, take a few steps closer to your subject. This means less camera shake (which leads to blurry photos) and by getting up close you can reveal great details, like ornate carvings in that church wall or attractive freckles on your new-found friend from Sweden.

Taking pics with your camera phone.

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