Anne-Marie Mettus, photographer and proprietor of Portraits by Anne-Marie in Feasterville, recognizes that much of Bucks County is already prepping for summer 2022. As perhaps the first Jun.-Jul.-Aug. stretch in two years with fewer general pandemic worries, the connectedness that vacation season brings will be especially treasured.

Capturing moments together in photography, then, may be more meaningful this vacation season than it has in a while.

Mettus, a Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce Member, therefore advises that bolstering picture-taking skills now may pay off significant dividends later.

Her top-ten pieces of advice for capturing magical vacation photos are:

1. If you’re using equipment beyond a simple cell phone, gather, check, and refresh your photography gear early. That means making sure batteries are fresh and media cards are plentiful.
2. Don’t just shoot aimlessly; tell a story. Establish the scene with wider shots and then focus in on a particular activity.
3. Turn on the flash, even in the daytime. The goal is to inject a hint of light into subject’s eyes.
4. Be creative. Think beyond the usual framing and focus that shows up on dozens of bland postcards. Shoot high; shoot low; move around; shift focus.
5. Frame your shots interestingly. Shooting through a “border” — the branches of a tree, the uprights on a lifeguard stand, the doorway to a screened porch — adds interest.
6. Take a quick shot of a street sign before snapping away at other subjects. If nothing else, it will remind you where you were when cataloguing pictures at home.
7. Shoot for expression. Vacation smiles are fine, but the small pout of a child watching a rainstorm or the open-mouthed joy of a thrill ride passenger add character to your vacation chronicle.
8. Shoot off-center. Mentally divide the frame into thirds. The intersections of those divisions are great spots to position a subject.
9. When shooting the horizon, keep it out of the center of the photo. Tilt up or down just a degree or two to add additional visual interest.
10. Shoot in weather that’s less than perfect. Taking pictures against a sky aboil with pre-storm clouds or a misty rain that’s clearing in the distance can produce dramatic results.

Mettus’ final thoughts on vacation photography are these: “Have fun! Let your family create goofy poses. Let the kids shoot from their point of view.”

More on Portraits by Anne-Marie is available on the website of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce.