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Your family timeshare rental vacation is special in many ways, and one way to savor the memories is by taking good pictures. This is the second in our two-part series offering photography tips collected by Douglass Daniel, a writer and editor with the Washington bureau of The Associated Press. Continuing following these tips on good picture-taking and you'll have some real beauties to frame.

5. Know when to turn the flash off and when to turn it on. "Many people figure if they're outside they don't need the flash," says Baltimore photographer Walter Rowe, editor of the Travel Photographers Network website. "But flash can help lighten up areas in shadow so they don't appear so dark."
   
   At night, not using the flash in favor of natural light might be the best way to capture an image. But for a longer exposure, the camera will need to be steady to avoid blur caused by movement. "Use the camera's timer to avoid the downward movement that comes with pressing the shutter button," advises Rowe. "Steady yourself against a wall or another stationary object. Try placing the camera on a flat surface, even a drinking glass turned upside down."


6. Check the edges of the frame as you compose a shot. "Train yourself to look for objects you don't want in the picture. At the beach it might be a trash can; in the city it might be an orange construction barrier. Then reframe accordingly," suggests Daniel.
   
   "Most people tend to shoot from wherever they're standing and not think about eliminating unwanted information from the edge of the picture," adds Eliot Cohen. "You have to learn to really see all the details as well as the piece you're interested in."


7. Use a digital camera if at all possible. The great thing about using a digital camera is that you can review all the elements once the picture has been taken. "If a post or a tree is sticking out of someone's head, reshoot. Maybe you can move yourself a little bit," Rowe says, "or move the person a little bit." "Digital cameras don't make you a better photographer, but they do allow for more chances to get it right," says Daniel.


8. Buy the largest memory card you can afford. And bring extra batteries or the battery charger and an adapter, if needed. "Don't be afraid to take a lot of pictures," Dharapak says. Walsh adds, "You've already paid for those megapixels, so use them."
   
   Daniel suggests that on a long trip, look for a photo store that can download your pictures to a disk you can pack or even mail back home. "You risk losing all your photos if you drop your camera in a river or if it's misplaced or stolen."

Your family timeshare rental vacation is a wonderful time for bonding, and is full of memories that will last everyone a lifetime. Part of the memory making is the picture taking. You don't have to enroll in a photography class at your local college for great family vacation pictures - just follow these tips from some of the pros, compiled by Douglass K. Daniel, a writer and editor with the Washington bureau of The Associated Press, in our first of a two-part series.

1. Start shooting before you leave home. This is especially important if you have a new digital camera. "Reading the manual on the plane is not enough," says Washington, D.C.-based photographer Eliot Cohen. "At that point it's way too late. Practice with it before you take important pictures." Shooting at home, without the pressures of trying to get those once-in-a-lifetime pictures on the trip, will help you become familiar with the camera.


2. When photographing a landscape, make the foreground interesting. "A rock, tree or statue can work," says Scott Stuckey, author of National Geographic's "Ultimate Field Guide to Travel Photography" and managing editor of its Traveler magazine. "Even better is a shot of a person doing something that relates to the landscape — a fisherman tending his nets, a cowboy on horseback, even a tourist taking a picture."
   
   And sunsets? "They really aren't all that interesting," Stuckey says. Sure, take a shot of the setting sun, and then "…turn around and photograph the landscape where the setting sunlight is falling, with the sun at your back. That's where the interest lies," points out Stuckey.


3. Go beyond the posed picture. "Vacation pictures are about remembering moments, not just places," says Susan Walsh, an Associated Press photographer. "Shots of your companions in action will capture the fun of a trip. They remind you what you were doing," Walsh says, "whether it's how hard it was to climb up that mountain or splashing in the pool or paddling a canoe."
   
   And don't forget to include the locals, Scott Stuckey advises. "They reveal the character of a destination more than any other photographic subject."


4. Get as close as you can to your subject. Try to move in and "fill your frame," says Charles Dharapak, an AP staff photographer in Washington. "If you can get closer, I'd say the results will be sharper." Avoid using the camera's zoom in low-light situations. "The zoom lens usually engages a slower shutter speed to collect more light," explains Dharapak, "which increases the chance of blur from movement."

Read Vacation Photography Tips – Part 2