Do you want to be able to capture amazing photographs of your family as you travel? It is so important to make those memories last as long as possible. Here are a couple tips on how to make meaningful photographs of your families adventures! I am participating in a blog circle today so make sure to head down to the bottom of the post to follow the circle around.

#1 As you scroll through the images I decided to include here you will see a little bit of everything. Details, people (both my own family members and strangers), architecture, landscapes, streetscapes. You will see candids and posed shots. In order to really capture the essence of your day of adventure shake it up and get a taste of each thing you see! These were all shot in one day in Kyoto, Japan.

#2 Modes of transport : Especially when you are visiting a big city, take a moment to capture the modes of transportation you use. Not only do trains, planes and buses often have awesome light, these in between moments will be some of your strongest and funniest moments. As you try to get from place to place, you could get lost, embrace that adventure and make sure to document it. A huge part of traveling is the transport you use!

Travel Photography Tips

#3 Take time to be silly! When you are traveling with kids, they will need a break from touring from time to time. These breaks are not only important for sanity, but also are a great chance to make amazing memories. My favorite times on all my international trips have been when we stopped and let the kids (or adults) play.

#4 Streetscapes are fun. I know this makes some people uncomfortable, but when you see beauty or interest in the world, on the street, where ever you are : just lift up your camera and take a shot. It is SO fun. My biggest advice when it comes to street photography is if you see something that makes you feel something, shoot it!

#5 Landscapes are important. They are not always my favorite type of photograph, but I love to have them as a background when I put together a book of my travels. Obviously capturing where you were and the big picture will add a lot to your travel photography. I always like to start wide and then focus in on the details of a place.

#6 Don’t forget the details! When it comes to making memories, sometimes the close up and detailed shots will trigger the brain the quickest. My daughter and niece loved these little animals lined up on the side of this shopping street. And I know this image will always remind them of this one wonderful day in Kyoto!

#7 Architectural elements : I love architectural elements and they will help tell the story of your travels so well. They will show you where you are and what it is like. Use windows and doors to frame your shots, bridges and gardens to remember just how big or small a space is. Architectural elements should never be overlooked!

#8 Light. Always light. How can this possibly be the last tip? You know that light is the most important element when it comes to photography. I love to look for the light. When I can get an amazing sun flare like the one below well that’s a huge win. But I love subtle light too. You should look down alleyways, use water reflections, watch how the light enters buildings and buses. Japan is a perfect place for this!

I hope you feel as happy as my son reading this post today and that going forward you will be able to capture your families adventures better! I don’t think I could say enough times how grateful I am for this chance to travel and I know if you take the opportunity to do it in your own life you will see the rewards as well! Want to see more places I have seen? Check out travel photography in Bangkok, Thailand.

Remember to follow the blog circle around until you get back to me! Next up is Shelly Niehaus, and she is talking about finding joy in teen portrait sessions. She is a talented Dallas teen photographer.

Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Okinawa, Japan. She loves documentary-style family vacation photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving the entire island of Okinawa and ready to travel to many major cities in the Asian area. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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I love street photography. I love these images, and I came home with about 4xs this many to weed through. So I guess I should probably apologize for my overshare here, but hey what is this blog for besides me oversharing? I can’t apologize. And I won’t because that is something that struck me about my first time in Thailand. The people there were unapologetic.

I won’t pretend to know everything or even a slice of anything about real Thai people or their deep long lasting culture. I can only speak to my impressions during my short time there, and I can only share what I saw. Even though I know I only scratched the surface of all Bangkok and especially Thailand has to offer. These images were actually almost exclusively made over my first two days there, by the third day I was overwhelmed and tired and barely lifted my camera to my eye.

Street Photography in Bangkok

Street photography in Bangkok leads to a lot of people looking straight into your lens. Where I live in Okinawa, Japan, people on the street tend to keep their eyes down more, and if they see you pointing a camera at them they generally try to turn away. In Bangkok it was the complete opposite. The Thai people I saw throughout my trip looked the camera straight in the eye or even performed for me. It was harder to get an illusive side or back of the head.

There is something startling as a street photographer to have someone looking right into your lens, and holding that gaze. It is rare. I also think it is part of why I love street photography, I am always on the search for those humans out there who will let me look into their eyes and see a piece of them. I hope you enjoy this peek into Bangkok, Thailand. Please comment below and let me know what you think.

Need More Street Photography?

Check out my street photography from New Orleans, Louisiana USA , Waco, Texas and Moscow, Russia!

Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Okinawa, Japan. She loves documentary-style family vacation photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving the entire island of Okinawa and ready to travel to many major cities in the Asian area. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

The post overwhelming and vibrant street photography {Bangkok, Thailand} appeared first on Anna Rasmussen Photographs.

I am participating in a blog circle again this month. So make sure to follow along to the bottom of my post and follow the circle until you get back here!

Topsail Beach Family Portrait Photographer

Here are the freelensing images! I just love that bokeh behind them!

Thank you for visiting the blog! Remember to follow the blog circle and see some more amazing photography! Next up is Amanda she is so talented and offers Suwanee Family Photography!

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!
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I am excited to share this weeks loop on my blog today. First is my images that I shared with this post and keep scrolling to see the thankful images from my talented photographer friends!

Below find images by my lovely and talented lifestyle photographer friends.

Mindy Tingson is grateful for being a mother.

Brandi Markham is grateful for her oldest child.

Fran Jorgensen is grateful to live by her sister and have cousins for her kids.

Holly Nicole Photography is thankful for her daughter’s love of baking and that her girls have each other.

August and Iris Photography is grateful to live in Boston, with all its seasons!

Emily Hamson is grateful for trials that help her grow.

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

The post thankful mamas united {personal photography project} appeared first on Anna Rasmussen Photographs.

Waco was a fascinating place, still so very small town Texas, but with this booming mecca in the middle of Magnolia. It also has a gorgeous riverwalk area and of course the beautiful campus of Baylor University. Seeing a touch of the Gaines family almost everywhere was a testament to their mission and Joanna’s impeccable design taste. Their complex at the Silos was so well thought out and perfectly planned. It was such a visually awesome place to photograph and visit. I hope you enjoy this!

Also I was in Texas with these three, and well they are my favorite…so all the better!

Street photography and travel photography

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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I love the laid-back style of this family, they were wonderful and easy to photograph. Sometimes when I do sessions with older children like this I am amazed at the difference from the sessions with toddlers. My gratitude and love for the families I get to photograph is immediate. I loved spending some one on one time with these guys. Capturing their love and this moment in their lives was an honor!

Topsail Beach Family Portrait Session

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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The post family of four in a gorgeous spot {topsail island family portraits} appeared first on Anna Rasmussen Photographs.

What do you do to instill your beliefs, morals and passions in your children? Is there a right way? I would love to hear your thoughts. I focus on trying to create happy and positive memories associated with that thing. Inevitably there are bothers in any situation. When this happens I try to brush it aside and not get angry. If it is stressful or a lot of hard work (as camping with small children can be!), I step back, adjust my attitude and strive not to let that be a negative thing. 

The blessing of hard work is something I learned from my parents that I want to pass on to each of my children. So it is not that I hide the hard work, but I make it fun, bonding and something we all do together. Something that brings you rewards, not just monetary rewards, but rewards of feelings of accomplishment and confidence. Whew! Thats a lot of depth from some fun pictures with headlamps!

The headlamps were my other favorite part of this camping trip. My kids got so involved in this project! They kept coming back to check every image on the back of the camera, and then making a new plan as to what they would do for the next shot. I often hear photographers talk about putting down the camera to be present. For me sometimes the camera helps me be part of my children’s world in a new way that wouldn’t be possible without it. This night was one of those times. I need to go camping again!

Topsail Beach lifestyle portraits

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel logs and birth stories in the hospital. However she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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Recently (time is a relative thing right?) my husband and I were able to travel to New Orleans for a conference for his job. The kids got to have a lot of special time with Grandma (“Mom she spoiled us SO much!”) and we were able to have some adult time. During the day my husband was mostly in continuing education classes and I savored the time on my own. Dating back to my study abroad days I have just loved walking around a city and photographing it.

Just like a person, each city and place has its own distinct characteristics and traits. As a documentary photographer I am striving to uncover and highlight those. Also like a person it is impossible to get to know a place in a day or two. It does take time, and when I go on these little trips I certainly don’t claim to now be an expert. But I love to try! I love to try and find and see what the locals do.

I took a lot of pictures in New Orleans and I really love so many of them. As usual when I go on a trip expect an overshare here! My first stop on my first day was the famed World War II National Museum. Having lived in DC, I am hard to impress when it comes to museums, but this one was so superb. I also cant remember the last time I was in a museum alone, so that probably helped the experience. Sometimes I cant believe just how much of an introvert I am. I will probably say this over and over, but I just loved being alone!

There is a chance that Japan will be our next move and viewing the displays on Japan and the atomic bomb sites was very moving for me. The destruction and power that we as humans are capable of hurt my mind. Just a few steps aways from this museum stood the Robert E Lee Memorial. It was scheduled to be taken down just a few weeks after we were there. I found the juxtaposition of these two places in such close proximity to be interesting. It made me think that every human has a back story, a reason for why they are what they are. Can we judge that? History especially is viewed through such technicolor glasses, how can we say who those people were who made those decisions and did the things they did?

I spent a good amount of time in the Garden district and loved seeing the big beautiful homes. But what fascinated me most was the plants. I come from a desert where nothing grows but cactus and living and visiting in the South has been a new experience! The plants take over everything! I loved documenting them growing out of walls, destroying side walks, and peeking out of graves. Our impression on the earth as humans feels small when I see that. I feel like if we all died tomorrow, the earth, this great living thing that we are stewards of, would erase our history so quickly.

I met some frustrated tourists on the street cars in New Orleans, it seems that the slow pace of life there was not going to get them to their dinner reservation on time. I took it as another personality trait of this multifaceted city. They are southern. They have time to get where they need to be.

I always focus in on one aspect of a city and in New Orleans it was the bikes. Chained up everywhere and decorated to the T, they were such a fun and vibrant part of the city. This bikes series may be one of my favorite street photography transportation series to date!

As with all trips I missed my children a ton and was so ready for them and all their shenanigans by the time I got home. I sometimes suffer mom guilt from wanting to get away. I know how fast their childhoods are passing me by, but I also love these moments of self discovery and documentation. I am grateful for the opportunity to experience both. As with all things in life it seems balance is what is called for. I am striving to enjoy now, whether I am with my kids or not, enjoy the time I have. That is all that is granted to each of us. 

Another favorite stop for me was the sculpture garden outside the local art museum. The trees were all covered with Spanish moss which gave the sculptures an erie feeling that I thought was pretty cool!

I won’t lie to you all, although I ate some of the tastiest food ever and had a grand time walking this city. It isn’t one I would put high on my list to visit a second time. For me it was quite dirty and well, I dont drink, so Bourbon street was a bit of a waste! Ha! I did love the Jazz clubs over on Frenchman though. Like anyone, when the music is live and good, I have a hard time keeping my feet still. We also stumbled upon a live concert in the square one night. It was the perfect opportunity for me to get some humanity into my pictures. I just love being a fly on the wall in this type of place!

Street travel photography in New Orleans

Here are just a few (haha) more images just from my street wandering in NOLA. I felt so much colorful vibrancy from this city and am so grateful I was able to check it out. I hope you enjoy these images!

[tg_small_content class=””]Anna Rasmussen is a featured and award-winning family portrait photographer in Topsail Beach, NC. She loves documentary-style family photography and beautiful lifestyle portraits. Her two favorite things to photograph are travel street photography and birth stories in the hospital, but she also loves everything family – from capturing the joy of expectant parents in maternity photography, the first days of a baby’s life in Newborn Fresh 48 Sessions, the beauty of everyday chaos in Family Day-in-the-Life Sessions, and on-location family portrait sessions. Anna is an on-location photographer, serving areas of coastal North Carolina, including Wilmington, Hampstead, Topsail Beach and Surf City. Book a session here with Anna today! Thank you so much for stopping by!

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We had the fun fabulous blessing to spend a week in Orlando at the beginning of this year and it really was the perfect trip. In some way we chose the perfect moment to go. Our family was just the right ages for everything to be magical, fun and almost easy. We had only been to Disney World once before and it had been so crowded I vowed never again. But this time we chose the perfect season as well, we walked on rides, had a wonderful balance of big kid and little kid rides, and just had a blast. This trip is also one of the few times traveling with all my children where I really felt like I was able to capture the story of our trip in photographs. In the past I was always too tired, sore, etc to carry the camera in addition to whatever else was needed to survive an amusement park. My children are at that golden age where there is still magic in Disney for them, but they do not need to be carried or have constant snacks. This opened my arms for my cameras.

I felt like we really soaked up each moment of our time and looking back at these images just brings the entire week back to life for me. My oldest had to go on a few more kiddie rides then he would have preferred and my youngest was slightly scarred while falling down the big drop on Splash Mountain. In order to capture and really enhance the magic of Disney I took a lot of double exposures on this trip. I love their whimsical and amusement park feel.

These double exposures were shot on my Lomo LCA+ camera. I honestly hadn’t used it in years before I went on this trip, and it was the best camera. I loved how small it was and the images that I got from it are by far my favorites of the trip! Love my little girls profile here, floating high above the castle.

Harry Potter World was just as magical for my big boys as Disney. Especially my biggest boy pictured below. There is nothing like seeing things that you have only imagined in your brain come to life. Also the rides there in Universal were super exciting and fun!

I always feel a bit like I should not love Disney because it is such a commercialized place. Perhaps I am just a brain washed American, but I adore it. I will always relish in the magic of it. This trip in particular was one of those perfect moments spent with these five beautiful people, my family.

My photographer friend Emily Hamson went to Disneyland around the same time. We decided to connect our blogs so people could check out both experiences from two different perspectives. Emily is a talented Utah Nature Photographer and mother of four; click on over and see how they do Disney on the west coast!

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We enjoyed a fun road trip complete with Harry Potter on audio book to Nashville over Thanksgiving. I love road trips! Most of all I love seeing things, light, nature, cities. It really doesn’t matter what. I love new places and new adventures. I think driving is such a fun way to see the world, to see changes in the landscape. We drove over the smokey mountains and they were actually very smokey because of forest fires.

This was our second time in Nashville, but we had fun exploring some new places. I love street photography and capturing my children exploring a new city. Documenting my children’s exploration is my favorite use of my time.

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