Are your travel photos looking a little…blah? Are your friends and family falling asleep during your slideshows? Read on! This post has all kinds of practical tips and techniques for capturing memorable vacation photos.

1. Stay in the shade. Take beautiful pictures in the middle of a bright, sunny day by placing people in a shaded area near direct sunlight, for example, an open doorway or under the shade of a building or tree.

2. Go off-center. The rule of thirds can help you create more compelling photographs. Envision a tic-tac-toe board on your viewfinder and place something of interest at one or more of these intersections.

3. Get framed. Choose an interesting frame for your image, for example, an arched trellis, a unique doorway, overhanging tree branch, or an unusual architectural opening.

4. Capture the action. Use a fast shutter speed or your camera’s Sports mode to freeze the action. Even smartphones can stop motion if you’re shooting in bright light. Take a lot of images in sequence. Encourage movement and play and watch those “ok” shots turn into something interesting.

5. Use soft light. A general rule for beautiful images is to plan your photo shoot for early morning or late afternoon light because softer shadows equate to less contrast in your scene and more flattering light.

6. Fill it with flash. Use your camera’s Forced Flash setting in bright sunlight to fill in shadows or avoid a silhouette.

7. Change your point of view. Mix things up and shoot from different angles and distances. When you put these images together in a slideshow, it’s much more fun to watch.

8. Read the signs. Capture the essence of place by photographing interesting locations, local people, architectural details, and signs.

9. Get in the shot. Use your camera’s self-timer or a bluetooth remote so you can appear in the family photo too.

10. Play. Experiment, get a shot of the entire area, capture details, get in close, and be silly. These are the images that show off your unique personality and help create a compelling story about your adventures.

11. Share. Once you’ve captured your experience on your camera, it’s time to create an amazing slideshow with your images. I like to use Animoto because it’s unbelievably easy to do, and it looks creative and hip. I just upload my images, pick a template, choose a song, and a few minutes later I’m watching my own professional-looking video. The templates really show off your images and if I don’t want to use my own music, they have a library with a choice of music to fit any mood – plus I can upload my video to social media sites, send a link, download the file, or burn a DVD. Check out this 30-second video I created from my trip to Venice, Italy. My friends all think I spent hours creating it, but it only took me a few minutes.

I hope these tips inspire you to capture your own vacation experience in a creative way. Now it’s your turn!