Travel photography is usually described as one of the most important mediums of photographic communication. As the photographer, you are literally creating an entire culture for an audience of people who may never be able to visit that place. Of course, this privilege carries a heavy responsibility. You must be able to present a culture in a way that informs, educates, and entertains. So, what do you look for? Here are seven tips that will guide you in your photographic travels.
1. Look for “the big picture”. Give your audience a bird’s eye view of the location you have traveled to … full of color and vibrancy.
2. Capture things that are “out of the ordinary”. What is distinctly different from your culture? These are things that your audience will find interesting.
3. Find shapes. Other cultures use shapes, curves, and lines in architecture very differently. Be constantly on the alert for buildings, fences, and paths that are unique to your culture.
4. Seek the light. Make any image stunning with some dynamic lighting. Inside cathedrals and churches facilitate beautiful lighting with stained glass windows and skylights. Wait until mid morning or afternoon to capture high sidelight that will pour through the windows and hit the floor.
5. Look for contrast. Whether contrast in light tones verses dark tones, or contrast as in textures and locations, this will keep your images varied.
6. Third world countries especially have extreme diversity of textures, colors, patterns, and content. As a photographer, you have to unify all the different elements to an image that will “make sense” visually.
7. Photograph that which captures your soul. A poor child? A destitute village? A tropical landscape? A busy city center? Take pictures of things that matter to you, and you will come away with visually gripping images no matter where your travels may take you.
