5 Travel Photography Tips

Practical photography tips when traveling abroad:

1. Shoot JPEG

Mexico City, 2019

One of the sucker mistakes I made in the past was to think I had to shoot RAW to be considered a ‘serious’ photographer. Now I know that there are so many benefits to shooting JPEG:

  1. Smaller file sizes (faster importing of photos, faster uploading of photos online, faster reviewing/editing of photos)
  2. Colors often look better in JPEG
  3. Less time to process photos, and less stress

What this means is:

More time shooting on the streets, less time in front of a computer.

2. Upload photos while abroad

Another simple tip:

Don’t wait until you go home before you review and process your photos.

Here are my reasons:

  1. When you get back home, your thoughts, experiences will no longer be ‘fresh’.
  2. You might not have the opportunity to review your photos.

3. Shoot both video and photo!

Don’t feel like you must only shoot photos. Also shoot videos! Shooting videos will give you a richer and deeper experience while abroad.

I think if you want the deepest experience when traveling, shoot both photo and video.

There are many benefits to photos, and many benefits to video. Don’t separate them; combine them both!

4. Photograph your loved ones

Mexico City, 2019 #cindyproject
Mexico City, 2019 #cindyproject

Don’t just shoot the streets and strangers. If you’re traveling with your loved ones, photograph them as well!

To be frank, photographing your loved ones while traveling abroad is probably 100x more important than photographing strangers.

5. Don’t try to stick to a certain genre or style

When it comes to shooting photos while traveling, I say consistency is for suckers. Shoot anything and everything which interests you! This will keep you creatively productive while abroad.

Conclusion

The more experienced I get in traveling and photography, the more laid-back and ‘chill’ I am. I used to work so hard to make ‘good’ photos, that I didn’t really know how to enjoy my travels:

Using my travels as an opportunity to think, reflect, meditate, and appreciate life.

We all have different reasons for traveling. Dictate what is important for you in your travels, and this is my last tip:

To make better travel photos, enjoy your traveling more!

If you enjoy your travels when abroad, you will naturally make better photos!

ERIC