Belize is one of the more popular tourist destinations, especially among diving and Eco tourists. There’s plenty to see in Belize and plenty to take pictures of too. Capturing that perfect shot in the paradise that is Belize can be both thrilling and challenging. Here are a couple basic tips for how to go about it.
1. Location, Location
It goes without saying that location is very important if you want to get that perfect shot. don’t think that you can just point your camera at anything and get the perfect shot. This includes good landscape photography, portrait photography, or just any sort of photography in general. You need to set up at a proper location, a location that caters to the type of photos you are trying to take. For example, if you want to take a picture of sandy beaches with the beautiful water, you need to set yourself up on a spot that’s somewhat remote, preferably facing outward towards the sea. You will want to look at some of the more popular Caye destinations like Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, and some of the smaller islands populating the waters off the mainland of Belize.
2. Timing is Critical
It goes without saying that you need to take photos at the right time. Different times of the day will yield different kinds of lighting — and different photo qualities. For example, the generally agreed time to shoot portraits and landscape shots is the magic hour, which occurs right before and during sunset. The light during this time has a softer, warmer quality that flatters the features of a person’s face. Taking shots of landscapes during the Magic hours is a given as well as the land is lit up with warm light.
You generally don’t want to take photos around noon or early afternoon because the position of the sun makes for harsh lighting. This is particularly true for portrait or wedding photography. You can get away with landscape shooting, if you are going for a cloudy blue sky look in your photo.
Cloudy or Rainy days are actually decent days to shot portrait shots. The clouds block light, lending for softer lights which make shots with people look good.
Cloudy days are also good for waterfall shots as you can slow down the shutter speed of your camera (because the is less light) to get that silky smooth water look.
Finally, rainy days are quiet good if you want to take nature shots (macro photography, wildlife photography, or photography that includes plant life). The water on foliage provides an attractive glister to any photo’s you take. You will want to use a polarizer though to cut back on the glare.