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One of her favourite things to do on the road is stop, take a moment, enjoy the view and snap a photo to remember the moment.
On the Move ambassador Areti Comino from The Thrivin Wanderers is currently on the road with her partner Troy McLachlan, about four months into their first trip around Australia in their Traxx Series 4 caravan.
“If you spoke to me 18 months ago, I would have laughed at the thought that I would be doing this. Me? Living in a caravan? Full time? Travelling around and seeing some of the most beautiful gorges, beaches, outback sunsets? Whilst enjoying the most wholesome chats with genuine people? Ha no chance! But here I am, doing it and absolutely loving it. I don’t think I could live any other way, this is now my life,” she said.
One important thing she takes into consideration is how to share her incredible life with her friends and family so they too can experience everything she’s seeing with her very own eyes.
But Areti has a secret weapon – she’s a pretty great landscape photographer.
“There’s always something to look at and appreciate, from the sunrise to sunsets, that beautiful river that is mirroring the trees and clouds on its surface,” she said.
Don’t fret if you’re not great behind the camera though, or if you have trouble translating the beauty in front of you into a photo, because Arteti shared a few tips and tricks to keep in mind the next time you pick up that camera or phone to snap a photo.
Take your time
“Stop and take a moment to think about what you are trying to capture,” she said.
“What is it that is making you want to take a picture? The light, the trees, the birds, the wall of art?”
Areti suggested trying to bring all those items into the frame.
“Let them form a natural frame or add layers to your photo,” she said.
The purpose
What are you trying to show? A beautiful sunset, your meal, or a moment or all of it?
“If you have a purpose, you will be able to share that moment in its entirety. It might be you sitting there enjoying a platter and a beer at sunset under your awning,” Areti said.
“If so, make sure each of those elements that form the moment are in the frame. If there is a hero object, for example, your platter looks spectacular, and this is something you want to show off.
“Make sure that it is at the front of the photo, your awning is a frame for the photo and the sunset is the backdrop and of course your beer or wine can be nestled in behind the platter or somewhere in the layers.
“Snap and choose where your subject needs to be.”
People
Here’s an example to think about.
If you are taking a photo of your partner standing in front of a waterfall – what is the purpose?
Areti said your options could be them as the feature and the waterfall subtly behind them, or the waterfall as the feature and them in front of it.
“Each option features the same subjects. In the first option, you may be standing closer to your partner with the waterfall behind them,” she said.
“In the second option, you may be standing further away from your partner and capturing the waterfall and its landscape with your partner in the foreground.”
When taking photos of people or objects, Areti said to ensure your lighting was right.
“If your lighting is coming from directly above, it can create shadows. Be aware and rotate or you’re your object where needed.”
Review
The next point Areti said was to take a photo and check it. How does it look? What is it missing?
She said it may not be missing anything, but perhaps it could be better captured from a different angle or from a lower or higher perspective.
“Maybe you need to adjust your frame so that the stream or path that is in your photo is off to the side rather than in the centre.
“Review, snap and repeat.”
Equipment
When it comes to equipment, the photography enthusiast said you don’t need to have the fanciest of cameras.
She said iPhones or Samsung smartphones were built with some of the best cameras and they had “just about superseded” the handheld snap and shoot travel cameras.
“We always have our phones with us somewhere. Spend some time getting to know your equipment, whether it is a camera or smartphone camera,” she said.
“Play around with it. Learn it. Take pics and review and think about what could make it better. Change settings, you’ll be surprised at what you can do.”
Hot tip: Make sure it is charged up before heading out for the day or night. There is nothing worse than being on a tour or hike and your camera or smartphone goes flat.
“It isn’t the end of the world but if you are on a sunset boat cruise floating down the beautiful Katherine gorge, you want to be able to capture it for your own memories or to share with your nearest and dearest,” she said.
Landscape or portrait layout
Now, according to Areti, this one all depends on the setting.
“You may be on a hike and looking down a small narrow walkway with high rock walls, this is best captured in a portrait layout,” she said.
“You may be trying to capture the gorgeous sunset in a remote outback location, the best way to capture that moment is a landscape layout to really capture the colours, the vast countryside and the sunset on the horizon.
“If you are unsure, try both and review the photos. What is displaying what you are trying to capture the best.”
Filters
To apply a filter or enhance your image or not?
“Well of course you can. Sometimes the image may be a little dark or you may want to crop the image slightly to balance the photo. Don’t overdo it but you can most certainly enhance the colours to make sure they are pleasing to your eye,” she said.
“In the end it is important not to complicate it. Play around with your camera or smartphone camera and remember that you are capturing moments to share with your friends and family because you love what you are experiencing. Travel safe!”
You can see all of Areti’s great photos on her social media account, The Thrivin Wanderers.
