Photography and travel are closely intertwined; it doesn't matter whether you are a professional photographer, a social media influencer, or someone abroad with a smartphone- there is something about being in a location outside of our everyday experience that encourages us to document our surroundings. It's no surprise that we reach for our DLSRs, GoPros and camera phones when away from home, as travelling exposes us to landscapes, cultures and architecture that inspire us to see things differently.
For me personally, travel was the key ingredient that ignited a love of photography: I bought my first DSLR in preparation for a trip to Japan, a journey across the United States compelled me to start my photography business, while exploring Iceland and Denmark enabled me to refine my own photographic style.
Here are the lessons I've learned along the way.
Pack The Right Kit
Your own artistic eye is incredibly important, but if you don't have the right kit for the job, the final image will never match your vision. Think about where you're going and what you want to photograph there. Grand mountain views and city streets call for wide angle lenses so you can capture the scene in its entirety. But if you're going on safari, you'll need a telephoto lens to get detailed shots of the animals from afar. This image of a picturesque Copenhagen side street would not have been possible without my ultra wide angle lens.
Schedule Plans Around the Light
Utilising the right light is the most powerful way to transform a standard snapshot into a great image. Schedule the most visually compelling stops on your itinerary for early morning and late afternoon when the light is soft and golden toned. The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset are the most beautiful. Be sure to research this in advance as sunrise and sunset times vary depending on location and season.
Add People into the Frame
For a long time I would go to great lengths to make sure there were no people in my travel photos. It can be the best tactic when you're trying to convey a grand, isolated scene in nature, however, incorporating a person into the frame can add scale, tell a story, and convey the character of a place. Don't just settle for any passerby, instead ensure that their clothing and appearance compliment the surroundings. Copenhagen is a dynamic place full of cycling residents; the image below would be much less interesting if I'd not waited around for the right person to whizz by.
Add Yourself into the Frame
Sometimes I would get so focused on photographing what was around me, that I forgot to document myself within that landscape. There's not much sense in handing your camera to a stranger and hoping they take a decent photo of you without direction. I often travel with my boyfriend, so when I want a photo of myself, I make sure to communicate my vision clearly. I also choose my outfits based on where I'm visiting that day, such as a bright red jumper to stand out from the minimalist white walls.
Look Beyond the Obvious
It can be easy to fall into a routine of going from attraction to attraction and photographing the popular landmarks, the blatantly beautiful, the panoramic scenes marked on a map as photo-worthy. In doing this, the photos you come away with will be no different to those taken by thousands of other visitors. Don't forgo the landmarks, but keep your eyes constantly on the search for beauty in-between the points of interest. Look for colours, textures, light and shapes that you find appealing, something that the average person could walk by without a thought. That way, you'll be telling a much richer story of your experience. I was drawn to the way the square window of my small hotel room framed the concrete of Copenhagen outside. It's not your traditionally beautiful scene but vividly reminds me of my first impressions of the city and my eagerness to go outside to explore more.
Explore Online First
You have probably worked out by this point that I'm fond of planning and organising. Spending time getting to know a location before you visit allows you to squeeze as much out of your travels as possible. A great way to familiarise yourself with a place ahead of time is exploring hashtags on Instagram. Before visiting Copenhagen, I scrolled through photos tagged with #visitcopenhagen, #cphpicks and #cpharchitecture to find places that weren't necessarily listed in guide books.
Wherever in the world you visit, I hope you enjoy implementing some of these travel photography tips.