What is Travel Photography?

It is the feeling of a time and place. Some images remain timeless, others reflect the moment in which it was taken, portraying the land and its people. Whether you’re a regular traveler or just heading out on your first adventure unique travel photography can excite, motivate and inspire you. 

Travel photography is the best souvenir you can bring home from a trip. Here are a few tips to help if you are thinking about trying Travel Photography, there are even a few tips in here that will help the experienced travel photographer.

Photographing People

Photograph life surrounding you with Joy Not Judgement.  One of the biggest challenges is photographing people in a foreign country. How do you approach them? What if they don’t understand you? They might say no. Or get offended. It can be nerve wracking. I find the key is to talk to people first. Smile, give a compliment. Ask for directions, or a simple warm smile. The idea is to make a connection before you take the photo. It can be invasive, but when using your camera correctly it becomes a great tool to break the ice. I find if I share the photos I’m taking it becomes an interactive experience that involves the subject or subjects you are photographing. 

How do you get “The Photo”?

The joy of digital photography. Back in the days of film we were not lucky enough to see what we were shooting. It was a surprise, I admit I still miss those days. However, film was expensive and was often wasted when I was learning how to shoot. With digital photography you can never take too many photos. I have a rule of thumb. When you finally take that photo that feels like, “yeah, I got one”. Keep shooting 10, sometimes 20 more shots. Light can change, expressions can change, or you may find an angle you hadn’t seen before. More photos the better! Why not?

Get Close

Don’t hide behind your zoom. When shooting portraits, street photography or just life around you get in there. I shoot with a wider lens so that I have to create a connection with whatever, or whomever I am photographing. I had a wonderful mentor, Lorne Resnick, teach me about the invisible finger. When you are working with street photography or trying to catch candid moments, even portraits, imagine that there is an invisible finger nudging you to take 3 steps forward. People like to live vicariously through human subjects in photos. Especially if the viewer can pretend the person in the photo is them! It adds more emotion to an image, you feel like you’re experiencing the location yourself. 

Landscape Photography

Landscape photography is so vast and for me hard to shoot at times. I love adding subjects into my landscape shots. This gives a better sense of scale, help visualize just how expansive the mountains are. Adding people into a landscape composition helps tell a story. Images can become more powerful when you include people in them. I find I can completely change a storyline of an image based on what aspect of life I incorporate in the photo.

Patience

I definitely don’t sit well, ask my family! However, when it comes to travel photography patience is everything! Photography is about seeing what’s in front of you. Not just with your eyes, but with your heart & mind. Slow down and make a conscious effort to become aware of your surroundings before pressing the shutter. However, not to contradict myself, be ready to capture what is going on in front of you – which sometimes means moving quick... Have your camera ready. If you are looking down fussing with your camera you may miss what is right in front of you!

Get Lost (my favorite!)

If you want to get images no one else has, you need to wander off the beaten path. The best way to do this is on foot — without knowing exactly where you’re going. Grab a business card from your hotel so you can catch a taxi back if needed, then just pick a direction and start walking.

Head out into the unknown. Please make sure you check with locals to make sure you’re not heading somewhere dangerous, but make a point get lost. Wander down alleys, to the top of a mountain, and around the next bend.

Get away from the crowd and go exploring on your own.

Gear

I truly think travel photography can be done on any level from the iphone to a DSLR. It’s about capturing the moment. I have designed my photography treks for beginner photographers, even those that don’t take photos end up shooting, all the way to professional photographers. Everyone sees life around them in a different way. It’s nice to collaborate on all levels. Traveling is about the journey. I like to focus on great ways to bring that journey home to share!