Share your best summer vacation pictures with us for our photo issue

Will you go to China, Down Under or up north to San Francisco or Seattle? Wherever your sense of adventure or search for peace will take you, we want you to share your travel photos from summer 2015 with us.

For the last six years, the Los Angeles Times Travel section has asked readers to share some of their favorite photo memories from summer. The photo gallery above shows some of our favorite submissions.

A group of editors evaluates the photos and makes selections for inclusion online and in print.

What elevates a picture from good to great? Our photo editors say three elements contribute to a superior image: lighting, composition and moments.

Sometimes people can help provide those moments. Sometimes Mother Nature does. For the purposes of our summer vacation image issue, which will run Sept. 20, a photo that gives a sense of place gives your photo an edge.

Makes sure you check the guidelines and the ways to send your photos to us:

Guidelines:

• High-resolution photos: They need to be at least 1300 pixels wide and at least 200 dpi (dots per inch). Photos should be at least 1 megabyte; 5MB is ideal, but 10MB is too large.
• We’re looking for talented amateurs, not professional photographers. If you make some of your living as a pro, please do not submit.
• Free of alterations: You can’t use a photo editing tool to take out or add elements. If someone photo bombed your shot, sorry, but you can’t erase him or her.
• Photos must have been taken from Memorial Day to Labor Day of this year -- that’s from May 25 to Sept. 7.
• Deadline for submissions: Sept. 9.
• Include your name, city of residence, date and place of photo and an email or phone number where we can reach you for verification; we won’t print your email or phone number, but we may need to clarify something about the photo.
• Describe the photo and what’s happening. Who is in it? What prompted you to take the picture?
• What kind of camera did you use? Smartphone photos are fine, by the way; we love knowing that they can be used for great photography.
• By submitting your photos, you agree that The Times may reproduce your photos in any format.
• Please limit submissions to no more than 10 photos.

How to submit photos:

• Email to [email protected] with “Vacation Photo Issue” in the subject line. Remember, photos larger than 10MB will bounce back.
• Upload them to Flickr.
• Share an Instagram or tweet them with #latimestravel2015.

Our highlights from previous years:

2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009