Travel photography is my passion.  Experiencing different cultures and different landscapes, playing with light and shadow, composition and colour, capturing that decisive moment as Henri Cartier-Bresson famously quoted, are all the thing that get my heart singing.

If you want to take your travel photography to the next step, then keep reading as I’ve put together a list of tips to take you just there!

Tip 1 - Plan

When I decide on a location to travel to, I do a tonne of research first. Why do I want to visit this location? What are some key photos I want to get.  What time of day is best for the shot I have in mind?  What is it about this location that makes it different?  What’s the culture like? This isn’t to say every shot is planned, it’s more about trying to capture what drew you to visit this location in the first place. You will also have an idea to get the main shot you want to achieve and then you will always take shots as you see them as well.

Tip 2 - Get up early 

Sometimes the best photos will be at the crack of dawn, before all the tourists are out.  It’s also the most beautiful light, the sky can turn from a beautiful soft predawn blue to a hazing golden glow.  

Tip 3 - Stay out late

Pretty much similar to the previous tip, staying out later means all the hustle of tourist have departed and now you can see the location in all it’s glory.  Lights switch on as the sun sets creating a different atmosphere and vibe to a location.

Tip 4 - Wander off the beaten track

Even if you’re heading to a city location, wandering around the city and don’t just taking an uber from place to place.  Some of my favourite and probably most sold pictures are from wandering around back streets.  Obviously be safe, but step away from your comfort zone a little.

Tip 5 - Make sure you have the right gear for the shots you want to get

If you have planned a beautiful sunrise shot overlooking the perfect vista, don’t turn up without the equipment you need to get the shot.  i.e a tripod, correct lens, correct filters.  Also make sure you pack a torch, it’s likely to be dark when you arrive or dark when you leave if for a sunset shot. If you plan to do street photography, make sure you travel light, only bring what you need so you can stay out longer by not carting heavy gear around with you.   Always be ready for the shot as you don’t have time to be rummaging around in your camera bag as something is happening right in front of you, you may just be too late and miss the perfect shot, this is true for both street photography and nature photography.  A deer might walk on the track in perfect composition and lighting, you need to be ready for this.

Tip 7 - Take notes

I like to write down information along the way.  My memory is pretty good, but sometimes having notes about the place can help when going back through the images.  It could be just the street name so you can reference when posting on social media or selling to a potential travel magazine, but I also write down feelings about a place or even a song I felt that really resonates with the location.  It helps not just for memory but also to spark my creativity. 

Tip 8 - Safety

It’s terrible to say but unfortunately it is true that being a woman travel photographer can sometimes make you feel a little unsafe.  Some parts of the world have different cultures and can be dangerous traveling on your own, especially with camera equipment.  So do your research and if you need to hire a guide then this will be worth it.   Also make sure you have adequate insurance both travel and equipment insurance.

Tip 9 - Respect

Respect the land, the environment and culture.  This again comes back to the research so you can act accordingly.  Photographing someone in certain cultures can be perceived as bad luck so ask permission.  If they say no, that’s ok, respect their decision, say thank you and move on.  Others may ask for money, that’s also ok, usually it is because they are poor and need money, if you want the photo and it is not too much money to you, then pay it and feel good that you may have just fed someones family.   In some instances, you can’t ask for permission, the person might be a blip on the screen or just another face in a huge crowd.  Usually people are ok with this kind of photography, unless someone notices you’ve taken their photo and comes and tells you to delete the photo, then just respect their decision.

Respecting the land and environment, . Take your rubbish with you, don’t tramp across native plants damaging them and if there are signs that indicate an area is off limits, then you need to respect this.  It could be a cultural reason or someones private property

Tip 10 - Emotion

Every photo I take has some sort of emotion attached to it, it’s not just about picking up my camera and clicking a shutter.  To me I see something special in what I have taken.  I imagine the words that have been graffitied on a post and who those words are for.  I feel the sense of a poet sitting under the Joshua trees scribbling in their note pad.  I live the photo before I take the photo.  My favourite quote from Ansel Adams reads ““You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

It is so satisfying flicking through the images I have taken whilst out in the field.  I can visualise the location as soon as I see the image.  I remember the smell and sounds and how I felt in an instance.  My memory may fade, but the images will be there to remind me time and time again.

Go out and enjoy yourself.  Travel photography is the most rewarding career in my opinion.

I hope this has helped you in some way.  Feel free to reach out to me via the contact me page if you have any questions.  

In this blog I decided specifically not to focus on the technical aspects of the best camera settings, composition, lighting etc as this will be something I would like to go in to way more detail about in a later post or a workshop.

I will be hosting a workshop on travel photography soon, so sign up to the newsletter or follow me on social media to stay connected and informed.