HAVE YOU GOT AN ITCH TO TRAVEL?
THEN LET US HELP YOU SCRATCH IT
WITH SOUND ADVICE FOR PLANNING
THAT WILL HELP YIELD JAW-DROPPING
IMAGES AND ADVENTURES IN NO TIMEPLANNING &
PREPARATION
54 Digital SLR Photography October 2019
D
O YOU FIND yourself immersed in the
photography of National Geographic,
in awe of stunning locations on
Instagram feeds, or scrolling through
submissions for Travel Photographer of the
Year green with admiration? Then it may be
time to flee the country with a well-packed
kit bag and a plan to enrich your portfolio
with incredible landscapes, culture and
powerful portraits. Have you noticed the
magical quality of the light in images taken in
Vietnam, heard how there are never enough
days to photograph Rome or how the town
of Oia in Santorini witnesses one of the most
beautiful sunsets on the planet? The world
holds many natural wonders, species of
wildlife and architectural playgrounds for
photographers to use, but to fully appreciate
the beauty and harness the opportunities
you need to plan. Plan, plan and plan some
more – but don’t worry, once you know
where you want to go, this is the fun bit.PhotoMasterclass
A
FEWY E A R SA G O ,thiswouldhavebeenaneasy
question to answer with many different avenues
that could lead you to selling your travel shots for a
fair price. These days, however, the market is even more
saturated and dominated by a steady stream of Instagram
travel photographers who populate their feeds with
stunning pictures with the potential to buy. If you’ve the
time, the frequent trips and talents to build an online
following, you may be able to see some money from
commissions or product sponsors via Instagram but it
won’t happen overnight. Even 'penny' stock is two a
penny these days so microstock won’t make you rich,
but may make you something, however you’ll still need
to find ways to make your images stand out from the
incredibly competitive masses. Look at the submission
details for the likes of Alamy, Shutterstock, iStock and
Stocksy. Another, indirect, route for making your trip pay
dividends are photo competitions. Strong images of
another remote culture or stunning captures of a unique
view can do well and if you don’t win a cash prize, you
may earn some equipment or at least a higher profile,
which in turn could send commissions your way.Forspecificspecies,typesofweatheror
cultural festivities there’s a good, bad and a
better time to go. The better times tend to
be the priciest but we’ve lots of advice for
how you can get great deals. The good
times offer you a balance between price and
photography, but you always run the risk of
missed opportunities. And the bad, well,
we’re mentioning it so you can avoid it.
There’s no point going on safari when the
animals have migrated, photographing
Tuscany without the world-renowned misty
mornings or heading to Spain in August for
culture only to miss the La Tomatina Festival.
On the positive side, however, the best
time of year for photography is not always
the same as the one for tourists who aren’t
looking for prize photographic opportunities
as much as a holiday, therefore it’s worth
researching to find a time that’s good for
photography but falls outside of the
highly-priced school holidays.PLANNINGQ&A
Q
HowcanI findoutif a destinationmaybe
too dangerous for me to visit?
The Foreign Office issues up -to-date travel
advice for all countries regularly, especially in
places where there’s political unrest or a risk of
disease outbreak: http://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-
advice. Forums and travel blogs are also a good
source of information from recent travellers.Q
Should I take a mobile phone?
A phone or tablet will be arguably your
lifeline – not just for you and your family to stay
in contact but when using apps to help plan your
day and routes. Depending on your provider,
your mobile may or may not work abroad or you
might need to purchase bolt-ons to minimise the
extra cost for data and calls. Tablets can work off
Wi-Fi so you could purchase a dongle in the UK.
You could also invest in a functional pay-as-you-
go phone, then pick up a local sim card on arrival.
Just remember to pass the new number on to
your loved ones so they can keep in contact.THE WORLD HOLDS MANY NATURAL
WONDERS, SPECIES OF WILDLIFE AND
ARCHITECTURAL PLAYGROUNDS
FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS TO USE, BUT
TO FULLY APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY
AND HARNESS THE OPPORTUNITIES
YOU NEED TO PLANHOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM YOUR TRIP
Right: It’s essential to have a plan for what to shoot on your trip
but keep it flexible too and factor in time for the unexpected.