The Four Types of Photos Every Travel Photographer Should Master
When we think of travel photography, most of us picture images of sweeping landscapes and palm tree-lined beaches. However, travel photography that tells a story and really invokes the magic of a place actually requires a number of different photography niches - and each of them requires a different skillset.
I know what you’re thinking - isn’t travel photography a niche though? Technically, yes, but, within the travel photography niche, there are all kinds of sub-niches. This is because every destination is different. Sure, if you travel to Banff National Park, you’ll likely spend most of your time snapping photos of magnificent landscapes. But, if you travel somewhere like Rome, you’ll likely spend more of your time snapping street photos. This means that you should not only have a solid understanding of how to snap photos in both of these niches, but you should also ensure you bring the correct camera gear for the types of photos you’ll likely be taking in your chosen destination. That’s right. Different travel photography calls for different camera gear, too.
If you’re a world traveller that finds yourself in a variety of different locations and scenes, you’ll want to have a good understanding of a number of different photography niches, so that you’re ready to snap photos in any situation. To help you get started, here are four types of photos you should master to become a well-rounded travel photographer, as well as some gear recommendations for each:
Landscape Photos
Let’s start with the classic. Landscape photos typically depict epic, natural scenes, including large mountain ranges and valleys, canyons, forests and large bodies of water. To capture landscape photos effectively, you firstly need a relatively wide focal length. Anywhere from 24mm to 35mm should do the trick. These wide focal ranges will help you capture as much of the sweeping scene as possible, showing off the landscape in all of its glory.
The one issue with wide angle lenses, however, is that they often make details in an image smaller due to their lack of compression. Because of this, a lot of travel photographers also carry a mid range zoom lens, like a 24-70mm, so that they can zoom in on specific elements to create compression, making them look larger in the frame. A classic example of this is with mountain photography. If you snap a photo of a mountain scene using a wide angle lens, you’ll be able to capture more of the mountain, but it’ll look smaller. If you zoom in on the mountain, you’ll capture less of the mountain, but it’ll appear bigger.
The key is to snap a number of photos from different angles and focal lengths. Since so many of the world’s most iconic landscapes have been photographed time and time again, your job as a travel photographer is to try and capture new perspectives of these places. Varying your focal length can help you achieve that.
Once you’ve snapped your photos, spend some time learning how to edit landscape photos, giving them a dreamy look that creates wanderlust.
Environmental Portraits
I started off my travel photography journey really focused on landscape photos. However, after a number of years travelling around the globe snapping photos, I realized I was actually more of a portrait photographer.
So, how did I go from a landscape photographer to a portrait photographer during my travels? Well, when you travel with people, you typically end up taking a lot of photos of people. Because of this, it’s good to learn some of the basic principals of portrait photography. However, travel portrait photos are a bit different than standard studio portrait sessions because they occur in a variety of environments, which are typically outdoors. This travel photography niche is called environmental portrait photography.
Environmental portraits are a bit tricky because you not only need to focus on composing your subject well, but also ensure the background scene or “environment” looks good too. The cool thing about environmental portraits, however, is that, by showcasing a person interacting with an environment, you can tell incredible stories through your imagery. In fact, most journalists include environmental portraits in their stories to help strengthen and depict the situation they’re describing.
Traditionally, portrait photographers use a fairly zoomed in focal length, such as 85mm, as this creates a lot of background blur / separation. The more zoomed in focal length also, arguably, make peoples’ faces look more flattering, as wide angle lenses can distort facial features. With environmental portrait photography, however, you typically want to use a wider focal length, such as 35mm or 50mm, to capture both your subject and more of the scene that they’re interacting with. If you do use a wider focal length, try and keep your subject away from the edges of the frame, as this is where a lot of the distortion tends to occur.
Beach Photos
If landscape photos are a sub niche of travel photography, beach photos are a sub niche of landscape photos. Because of this, a lot of the principles of landscape photography apply to beach photos. However, beach photos can actually be super tricky to photograph well. Why? Because so many people (me included) snap basic beach photos of just the water and the sand. Thankfully, there are a number of different ways you can combat this and take epic beach photos.
There’s one other thing I should mention - beach photos are not only a sub niche of landscape photos; they’re also a sub niche of environmental portrait photos. That’s right. If you’re at the beach with your travel partner, you’ll most likely end up snapping some photos of them hanging around the sun, surf and sand. Just like other environmental portraits, ensure you focus on capturing your subject in their best light, while also incorporating important background elements to try and tell the story of your beach day. Just remember that most beach hangouts occur during the middle of the day, which is when the sun’s light is at its harshest. This can produce very intense shadows on peoples’ faces. If you can, snap beach portraits during golden hour in the morning or evening, or try finding some shade during the day if possible.
Street Photos
There are, of course, many incredible landscapes around the world, but there are also a plethora of incredible cities. From super modern streetscapes in Tokyo to the ancient streets of Rome, there are tons of incredible photography opportunities awaiting travel photographers who like to get their steps in by exploring a new city.
Sure, you can snap photos of classic structures within well known cities, such as the Colosseum or the Eiffel Tower, but I think the real power of travel street photography is that you can really capture a sense of a destination’s culture through the everyday atmosphere of the local streets. Sure, a beautiful landscape photo out in the country is nice, but the hustle and bustle of city streets really open the door into a world that you or your audience may not know much about.
With street photography, try taking a more journalistic approach by looking for interesting scenes and details that help tell the story of a given place, rather than just looking for the most aesthetic shots. This could be a local market filled with colourful fruits and vegetables, or it could be a rundown building that has been abandoned for years and years. Whatever it is, make sure your photos showcase the heart and soul of a place - not just the single structure that its known for.
Conclusion
Many aspiring photographers dream of becoming successful in the travel photography niche, but there are several sub niches that they need to familiarize themselves with before they can take their travel photos to the next level. To start, create new perspectives of familiar landscapes by experimenting with different focal lengths. Next, practise environmental portrait photography by snapping photos of your travel companions, trying to capture enough background details to help tell your travel stories. The next time you find yourself on a beach, combine some landscape photography and environmental portrait photography principals by shifting your perspective away from the basic sand and beach photos, and incorporating your travel companions into your shots. Lastly, focus on the details and day-to-day vibes when you’re exploring a new city, as street photography can really help you capture the culture and essence of a place.