Holiday snaps are supposed to be the images that capture priceless memories. But more often than not, the photos that emerge tend to look pretty ordinary or not capture very much at all.

Forget that beautiful sunset, instead all you’ve snapped is a vagrant finger over the lens, a wonky skyline or a mob of blurry figures.

So, what are you getting wrong? Why doesn’t your picture look like all those Insta-perfect travel shots with #nofilter?

Well, according to Lindsay Silverman, a professional photographer who’s also a Senior Product Manager at Nikon Inc., it’s all to do with timing.

Speaking to Forbes, Silverman insists that to get the perfect holiday photograph you need to get up at the crack of dawn.

“I like to get up early because the morning light is gorgeous, and there can be lots of activity.”

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If that’s not an option, Silverman suggests capturing images towards the end of the day instead when warm tones like reds and yellows will make your photos more appealing.

He offered up a bunch of other tips too, the first of which is to know how your camera works.

Now, that might sound obvious but these days even our smartphones come with a host of features and settings you need to get your head around so take the time to research your camera before you leave.

Similarly, Silverman says it’s important to be prepared for the unexpected. Keep your camera on you at all times so you can capture unexpected moments and don’t expect to get the perfect shot the first time.