Flightster

9 Tips for the Intermediate Travel Photographer

• by Alan Perlman
• on July 19th, 2010
• 6 Comments

Alright, so you know a little bit about cameras, and you like to travel.

You can recognize the difference between optical and digital zoom and wax philosophical on the amazing features of high-end DSLRs. You’ve taken several thousand images by now, possibly in a variety of exotic locations, and the compositional rule of thirds is second nature.

Basically, you know what you’re doing, but you’d like to take your photography to the next level. Maybe you’re looking to invest in some better equipment, or maybe you want to market your images to sell or showcase in a studio or local coffee shop. Either way, whatever your plans are, it’s time to shake things up.

Check out these nine tips to help you stay creative as a travel photographer:

1: 24-Hour Reconnaissance

If you’re going to be in a location for a while, block away a good chunk of time for reconnaissance. Try not to shoot on the first day you arrive. Talk to people, survey potential scenes, look at postcards and books to familiarize yourself with the popular, recognizable images and think about how you can improve upon them. Take note of your surroundings, settle in, and map out your plan of attack. This is much more effective than simply showing up to popular tourist destinations and snapping away.

2: Extend the Photo Shoot

Most amateur travel photography, at least in my experiences, is often done quick, on the go, spontaneous, without enough time to set up a scene. Sitting with a subject, or even photographing the same structure, or event, or atmosphere for an extended period of time will often produce a more compelling series of photographs. The longer you’re at a location, or with a particular person, the deeper you’ll be able to dig. Your photographs will become more engaging and more sequential, and you’ll be able to explore more techniques, use different lenses, etc.

3: Shoot From the Hip, Literally

This is one my favorite bits of advice, picked up from a guest post I read at Christine Gilbert’s blog Almost Fearless. Bethany, the writer/photographer, explains that by shooting from the hip, not only do you get a unique perspective and angle on your subject, but you’re more conspicuous, which in certain situations can serve as a great advantage. The photos are more raw, more real, and because you’re camera is hidden from view, who knows what kind of emotions you’ll capture. This is a great technique for crowded areas.

4: Beauty in the Details

So many people at popular tourist destinations stand far away, trying to frame the whole hustle and bustle of a scene in one photograph. It’s nice to capture the grandness of certain landscapes and architectures, but getting really close often presents a different kind of beauty. Take religious facades, like mosques or cathedrals, for example. Explore the minutia, like patterns and gargoyles and wrought iron door knockers.

5: Find the Empty Space

Explore the use of empty space in the frame. Don’t worry about filling the frame. Negative space is your friend. Sometimes, it’s just as important as the main subject. This is a great technique for landscapes, trees and animals.

6: Shoot RAW

If you have the option, shoot your images in RAW. You’ll have greater flexibility in the post-production of your images, namely in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Keep in mind, though, that when you shoot in these formats, you’ll need a ton of space. Travel with enough high-capacity memory cards, and get in the habit of transferring your photographs to a storage device, like a laptop or external hard drive, to free up space. There’s nothing worse than being out in the field with a maxed-out camera. Well, maybe there is. If you forgot your batteries.

7: Buy a Notebook

If you’re serious about travel photography, having a notebook is a must. Not only can you keep track of times and places and people and names and all the important details one might forget when scampering around like a true traveler, but you’ll also be able to use the notebook as a tool. When you first arrive at a location, what do you notice? Is it a particular smell, or maybe the way light filters into an interior? Take note, and think about what kind of images you can take to expose those sentiments. Photography is highly personal, so the more emotion you can integrate into your images, the more they’ll be positively received by viewers. Use a notebook to record first impressions and take mind of your senses.

8: The Three Day Rule

Similar to Rule 2, try to shoot images in one location for at least three days. Hopefully I’m driving this point in, but the longer you stay somewhere, the more compelling and engaging your images will be. You’ll better understand the flow and subtle nuances of a particular scene and will be more cognizant of how to capture them.

9: Get Local, Real Local

When researching a particular location, think about what special events you’d be able to shoot. Plan trips around holidays, celebrations, spiritual or religious events, traditions, etc. Also, if you’re in a large city like Buenos Aires, Sydney or Prague, visit a coffee shop or check local listings to see if there are any smaller, more localized events, like film festivals, art shows, sports events, etc. These kinds of gatherings offer a magnitude of photographic options.

(photo credit: ficknoster)

Alan Perlman

Alan Perlman travels the world as an international cost-of-living surveyor. When he's not hunting for the price of female undergarments in places like Syria, Rwanda and Turkmenistan, he's hanging out in Boston, MA, staying active, meeting people and brainstorming business models. You can read more about Alan and his plans to conquer life at his blog, The 9 to 5 Alternative.