Fourteen Ways of Photographing the Eiffel Tower — and other landmarks

Cornell researchers analyzed 35 million Flickr photos and discovered that we all shoot the same places when we travel — from the same angles.

The Eiffel Tower in Paris is fourth on the list of the most photographed landmarks on earth. Most tourists find a dead-on view of the iconic tower of latticed steel, typically from far away.

This isn’t a bad thing! It’s human nature to document the fact that we’ve seen these amazing landmarks. But you can take a better picture of the Eiffel Tower — and avoid boring your friends with pictures they’ve seen a thousand times before. Here’s how:

1. Choose a detail
It’s not necessary to fit the entire building in the photo. Typically famous landmarks are easily recognizable even if you can see only a small part of them.

Source: Jetpac on Pinterest

2. Try a different lens or filter
There’s a variety of lenses or filters you can use to get different results of your subject, wide angle, macro, telephoto, fisheye, lomo just to mention a few. You probably don’t have a full stacked camera bag with you at all times, but you should think about maybe investing in at least one different type of lens for your camera. If you’re shooting with your camera phone you can easily get some fairly cheap and fun accessorie lenses or use photo filter apps like Hipstamatic or Instagram.

(Source: grandpins.com via Velva on Pinterest)

3. Focus on something else
Landmarks are often interesting because we recognize them; photos of them represent a been there/done that kind of moment. But that doesn’t guarantee the photo will be that interesting later.
A good trick is to include something else photo worthy in the frame to make it more interesting to look at also in the future.

(Source: piccsy.com via John on Pinterest)

4. Have fun!
Travel is fun, so there’s no reason your photos can’t be as well. JuxtaPoses, as we like to call them at Jetpac, are fun to do and you get a laugh when you look at your travel photos later. But don’t take to many of them.

(Source: Jetpac on Pinterest)

5. Add a message
Why is this landmark important to you? Add words to describe something about your trip or the moment you’re experiencing by being there.

(Source:Jetpac on Pinterest)

6. Add action
Action brings life to your photos. Simple as that.

(Source: pratfall.tumblr.com via im on Pinterest)

7. Get up close
When you think you’re close enough, go even closer. Cut out everything but the detail you want to capture. And if you can actually can walk closer physically that’s the best. You loose some quality by using the zoom on digital cameras.

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8. Get there early… or late
If you get there early in the morning or in the evening you will have a lot more space to play around with different angles and get shots without a million tourists in the frame. Often places we are used to being crowded convey a totally different feeling when it’s empty: an empty school in the weekend can feel like a creepy haunted house.

9. Take LOTS of photos
When you get home and look at your photos on a big screen you’ll realize that half of them are terrible. Some shots will be blurry. Some people will have their eyes closed. Some bystander will be doing something stupid in the background. So take advantage of the digital age, you can always delete them later. Just bring big enough memory cards.

10. Choose a time with interesting light
Early mornings and late afternoons right before the sunset usually have the best light for good photos. For mid-day photographing make sure the sun is not directly facing the lens, but try to have the sun in your back.

(Source: Jetpac on Pinterest)

11. Play on the cliché
Sometimes the typical tourist clichés work and they’re worth exploring. Think about what makes the landmark so famous and your associations with it. It can be interesting to document the vibe at the place, the crowd, the souvenir stalls or do a portait of the man checking your ticket who’s been working there the last 60 years.

(Source: snippetandink.com via Jetpac on Pinterest)

12. Try a different angle
Try to portraying the building in a different shape than expected or take your photos from an unexpected angle. Sometimes you can get help from other objects.

Source: imgfave.com via Jetpac on Pinterest

13. Point at something else
This point is related to the above. Be on the lookout for interesting ways of capturing the landmark without even pointing the camera at it. Reflections can be captured using windows, water pits, sunglasses, camera lenses, your iPhone screen and so on.

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14. Include yourself!

If you’re a solo traveler you probably come home with only photos of buildings, food and other tourists. Or if you’re the photographer in the family it looks like you stayed at home on those family trips since you’re nowhere to be seen.
Make sure you’re included in some of your photos and try to be creative to avoid the typical self portrait with your right arm and shoulder filling half the frame. You can of course also just ask someone to take your picture…

Source: piccsy.com via Jetpac on Pinterest

Wonder what the #1 photographed landmark is? The most photographed landmark on earth is the Empire State Building — and most of us shoot it from the sidewalk across the street looking up. Sounds familiar?