ERIC KIM

Travel Photography Course

Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Travel Photography: Plan and experience the best travel photography adventure

 

  1. Section 1: Planning Stages
    1. How to Decide a Location
      1. Depending on price range
      2. What type of photography you want to take
      3. Why you want to travel in the first place
    2. What Gear to Bring
      1. Bring the camera that would not be devastating to lose
      2. Keep gear to a minimum so you can take more photos and spend less time fumbling around with gear
      3. Extra batteries, memory card, film (how many per day staying)
    3. How/What to Pack
      1. Try to fit everything you need in 1 backpack
      2. Quick dry/breathable clothing
      3. Comfortable walking shoes, not brand new hiking boots or you’ll get blisters

 

  • Could be activity: to pack 1 backpack and only use the contents of that backpack for 1 week.

 

  2. How to Find/book the Best Deals
    1. Travel insurance
    2. Plane tickets
  3. How to Choose Living Accomodations
    1. Stay at a hotel if the prices are cheap (ex. Southeast asia)
    2. Avoid hotels and stay at an airbnb to experience the area like a local
  4. Planning Your Itinerary
    1. Where to go: dependent on what type of photography you would like to accomplish (ex. Food, nature landscape, street photography)
    2. How long to stay in each location
    3. How to travel between locations
  5. Activity: Setting Goals for Your Travels
    1. Set specific goals to accomplish during your travel
    2. Why do you want to travel in the first place?
      1. Keep your expectations attainable.

 

While There

  1. Keep Yourself at Top Performance
    1. Adjust to the local time zone to avoid jet lag
      1. Sleep on the plane if it will be daytime when you arrive/don’t sleep on the plane if it will be nighttime when you arrive
  2. Don’t Get Suckered By the Exotic
    1. Avoid tourist traps
    2. Look for authentic experiences
  3. Being Mindful of Local Laws/Customs
    1. Research local photography laws
    2. Be respectful of local customs
  4. The Early Bird Gets The Worm
    1. Blue hour/Golden hour
    2. Go to popular areas early to avoid too many people
  5. Connect With The Locals
    1. Ask locals for their recommendations not as a tourist.  
      1. Example:  What do YOU like to do for fun/ What is YOUR favorite place to eat? VS. What do you recommend I go for _______?
  6. Patience is a virtue
    1. Be willing to wait for a better shot (ex. lighting/the right person to enter the scene)
  7. How To Make More Interesting Photos
    1. Dynamic angles
    2. Low angle

 

After Your Trip

  1. How to Choose Your Best Photos
  2. What To Do With Your Photos
    1. Make a video slideshow of your best images to post on Youtube
      1. Royalty free songs to add music to slideshow
    2. Make a photobook/zine
    3. Blog about your experiences and post your photos
  1. Plan your Next Trip
    1. Plan according from what you learned on your most recent trip
      1. What worked/did not work for you
        1. Expand on the positive experiences
          1. Example: if you got the best experience from connecting with locals, plan your next trip to spend a majority of your time to connect with the locals there.
        2. Adapt to what didn’t work
          1. Example: if you did not schedule your itinerary well enough to see all the places you wanted to go, adjust your schedule to spend longer time