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The art of travel photography

Planning a trip away and you would like to bring back some great photos; here are a few ideas that will help -

Author: Sahayak Plowman

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No matter where you travel there shall always be a time when you don't have the appropriate lens for that special shot, except of course if you are a professional photographer with a kit full of lenses and camera bodies.

The first point to consider is are you backpacking or travelling by transport, or having your gear carried for you. This shall determine the weight of camera equipment you can carry. If you are limited by weight then you have to plan on the number and type of focal length lenses and cameras you can carry. The easiest way to come to this decision is to know what you have planned this trip for - what are you planning to photograph. Take the lenses that will give you the capacity to capture certain images, leave the rest at home.

If you are not limited by weight then take all your camera gear. Are you planning to photograph in high or low level light conditions? This will determine the speed of lenses to take. For example if you are shooting in rainforest you will need fast lenses, in open areas slower lenses. These considerations can be helpful if you are wishing to buy camera gear especially for the trip.

Tripods can assist the speed of the lenses as well, even though they are slower to use, many shots have only been successful because a tripod was used.

Now you can consider if you going to remote areas where you cannot recharge batteries. So take plenty of spares, or take a camera body that is fully manual. I remember spending one very cold evening at the Devil's Marbles in central Australia. A group of photographers and I were photographing star trails, I looked after all of the cameras and tripods, but there was one problem the evening was so cold that many of the automatic cameras failed in the cold air. My camera was a medium format Mamiya, fully manual, my shots were fine, and the others sadly did not get their images.

If you are travelling in high humidity regions be careful of condensation in your camera lenses and bodies. To prevent this damaging moisture take packets of silica gel and keep them in your camera bags. You can also 'dry out' moist camera gear by sitting it in the sun for a few hours.

On a short trip away accept the fact that you may only get a couple of outstanding photos, the others for the sake of memory you can buy as postcards. Plan your trip before you go, research as much as you can. Be disciplined to the shots you have come to photograph anything else is a bonus.

If you are experimenting with some new shots, practice them before you leave, become familiar with all possible variables at home before you travel into the field.

Buy a strong and comfortable camera bag, one that you can carry as a backpack is ideal. These have many support pockets ideal for all accessories, camera bodies, lenses and tripods.

Above all have fun with your camera you may never get an opportunity to return this location.

About Author

Sahayak Plowman has travelled extensively through S.E. Asia and Australia as a freelance photographic journalist. He has had four feature articles published in GEO Magazine and won first prize in an international landscape competition. He has been studying meditation with Sri Chinmoy for the past fourteen years and is the webmaster for Sri Chinmoy Books.com http://www.srichinmoybooks.com/

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The art of travel photography