Happy Friday! Who else has been having amazing weather where you live this last week? I’ve been loving the cooler temps and moody vibes that we’ve been experiencing here in Northwest Arkansas this week … it has been reminding me of the weather where I was on vacation last week. Speaking of, my husband and I finally got to visit one of the places on our bucket list – Alaska! If you’ve been around for a few years, you might remember the trip we took to Maui back in 2021. When we first started planning that trip with our friends Kim and TJ, we were originally planning to go to Alaska, but because of covid regulations at the time, we decided to go to Hawaii instead (I know, bummer, right? lol).
Alaska was, in a word, amazing. We somehow timed it right/got lucky and were there during the peak Fall colors (at lower elevation, anyways; the higher elevation around Denali National Park was just a little bit past peak but still very beautiful!). We flew into Anchorage, drove down to Seward for three nights, drove up to Healy for three nights, and then went back to Anchorage for one night before flying back home. In a few weeks I’ll give a full breakdown of all the places (and restaurants) we visited, but today’s blog post is going to be all about taking documentary style photos on your phone on vacation. This blog post will feature some pictures from Alaska, and some from previous trips as well – but they’ll all be photos I took on my phone.
Let’s jump in!
What is documentary style photography?
Documentary photography is a style of taking pictures that captures moments just as they are, without posing or directing. Historically, documentary photographers have covered everything from wars to politics to culturally significant events to everyday life.
This candid way of taking pictures has always fascinated me, and I have made it a goal of mine, especially in the last few years, to take more documentary style photos not only in my everyday life, but also while on vacation. Below are my best tips for you if you are wanting to capture these types of photos from your vacations (or anytime!), even if you only have a cell phone camera.
Documentary style photo techniques:
Some of these techniques contradict each other, and that’s okay. Having a wide variety of shots is what will make your photos interesting!
Don’t pose your subjects
Having people pose for photos completely defeats the purpose of taking documentary photos. Being completely honest, I do take pictures of people posing while on vacation. My husband and I pose together for a photo in front of the sign for every state and national park we visit. And if we are traveling with friends who want a posed picture in front of a beautiful view or historical monument, of course I oblige! But my favorite photos to not only take but to enjoy later on are the ones where I capture people (my husband, friends, strangers) just enjoying the place we are in. They may not necessarily know I am taking a picture of them in that moment, until I show it to them afterwards.
L to R: Denali National Park, Alaska | Cross of the Martyrs, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Coler Mountain Bike Preserve, Bentonville, Arkansas | Chichén Itzá, Mexico
Hang back, capture a wide angle
Anyone who goes on a hike, or really anywhere, with me knows that I am almost always in the back of the group. I like to take my time and enjoy my surroundings, stop to take a closer look at mushrooms or flowers, and, of course, take photos. One important part of documentary style photos is that each one can stand alone and tell a story. A good story will always answer these six questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? A way to achieve this is by including the whole scene in a single photo.
Keep your subject in the foreground while focusing on the background
One classic aspect of portrait photography, which is extremely posed, is that the subject will be in focus and the background will be blurred (the technical term for “blurred” due to camera focus is “bokeh”). Documentary photography allows us (the viewers) to be more interested in the scene surrounding the subject than in the subject itself. By changing the focus on your camera from the subject to the background, thus blurring your subject, you can create an interesting visual effect that is classic documentarian.
Get closer for intimate details
Documentary photographers are always looking for details that others may have missed. Getting (or zooming) closer to these details helps to isolate them and make sure they are remembered.
Capture movement
Real life isn’t always still, so nothing says “real life” like movement. Whether your subject is walking or running in the photo, or you’re taking a picture out of the car window, or, if your camera has the capability, you lower the shutter speed to create a blurred look, including motion in your photos is a good way to achieve a documentary style.
Change your perspective
Always taking pictures from your own eye level, looking straight out, creates photos that all look the same. Taking photos angled straight up or straight down, or by crouching down to a lower level can give your photos a different and sometimes unexpected look. Capturing a diverse range of perspectives gives you photos that are more interesting to look at.
Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska | Santa Fe, New Mexico | Quinta Alegría Shopping Mall, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Always be ready
Cell phone cameras may not always have the best quality (although there are definitely things you can do to help increase the quality of your cell phone photos – that’s a topic for another time), but they do provide convenience. One of the most important things you can do to capture documentary style photos is to be always ready when an opportunity presents itself. As a photographer, I am, almost unconsciously, always looking for a cool photo opportunity. Sometimes I get my phone out of my pocket on time, and sometimes I don’t. My advice to you is to be grateful for the moments you capture, and don’t worry about the ones you don’t.
One more thing …
Having cool photos from vacation is fun! It’s fun to look through them later to remember the fun times you had and it’s fun to show them to your friends or post them on social media. But don’t forget to be present and just enjoy the vacation that you worked hard to plan and to pay for. Snap a few pictures, and then put your phone down and just enjoy it.
I hope you enjoyed this post, and I’d love to see some of the photos you take on vacation using these tips! Be sure to tag me when you post them on Instagram!
*All my blog posts contain a selection of images that I’ve taken. This blog post contains images that I took myself for personal use and enjoyment and are not intended to be used for marketing purposes. All of them were taken on a cell phone, and these photos are unedited. If you are interested in viewing some galleries of my couples, intimate wedding, and elopement photography, click here. If you’re interested in booking a wedding or session with me, I am more than happy to send you a full gallery upon request!
I’m a wife, a dog mom, a foodie, a wanderer, a registered nurse, and a couples/intimate wedding/elopement photographer … and this blog will cover it all! If you enjoyed this post, first of all thank you, and second of all please follow me on Instagram + Facebook and sign up for my monthly newsletter to get exclusive wedding planning advice and access to all of my new (and old) freebies! If you have any questions about elopement photography, my journey from nursing to photography, or my time spent as a full-time RVer, drop a comment and I just might write a blog post answering your question (but I definitely will)!
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