Professional Travel Photography - Pro Photography Tips

The journey of becoming a travel photographer is amazing as you get a chance to explore different cities or countries because of your profession with the responsibility to bring out the beauty and reality of the places. A professional like Thomas Salzano says that “travel photographers bring out the best of a place by covering all the important factors of the place that is, in particular, look, character, and ambiance.”

Whereas each photographer has his/her unique style of photography which they strictly follow. To explore the opportunities in the travel photography world you need to know about what travel photography is about? And what it takes to become a professional travel photographer?

Let’s start with Travel Photography and Opportunities

Travel photography is documentation of an area’s people, landscape, customs, history, culture, architecture, etc. A variety of subjects can be considered like portraiture, landscape, reportage, event, wildlife, architecture for travel photography. 

The tourism industry has given a boost to a career in travel photography as it includes photographing destination hotels and resorts, local events, culture, tourist attractions, outdoor adventures, and customs. These amazing images are mainly used for advertising especially on social platforms, merchandising, and print sales.

Opportunities as a Travel Photographer

In the era of advertisement and digitalization, the need for a professional photographer is common. Opportunities like a freelance travel photographer, destination wedding photographer, resort photographer, photojournalist, cruise ship photographer, an influencer, etc are some career opportunities that you can grab at first.

You can also opt for professionals like social media marketing and explore the digital world.

Now, let talk about what it takes to become a professional travel photographer:

Licensing Your Photography

While reading about licensing your photography you will come across many terms like commercial rights, non-commercial rights, serial rights, first right, non-exclusive rights, on time use, creative commons.

You can get your photos licensing done through an agency or the company you are working with. If you are an aspiring photographer and are looking for licensing your photos than sites like 500px, are the suggested ones. In case you have a strong portfolio then you may explore more sites like Demotix and Stocksy to get started with your professional career.

Offer what you are best at

If you want to kick-start your photography career and take it to great heights, it is important to share your services. Be professional and create your own logo, take help from the local tourism board about shooting a few photos for a fee and then advertise your work beautifully through social platforms. Look for advertising companies and work with them in the initial years to explore the parameters of the career.

Sell Your Work/Prints

Sell your images; share your work with artists or art galleries in and around you. Make sure people come to know about your existence and piece of work. There are many online platforms where you can put your images for sale. So don’t miss a chance and reach out to a wider audience and sell your images.

Photography Workshops

You may think that these workshops are only for the aspiring ones but that’s not the truth. The photography workshops are the best place not just to polish your skills but to build connections. The events in which you get a chance to shoot are some unexpected opportunities where you can engage with your future clients and display your work.

Conclusion

Travel photography may seem difficult and complex at first try but to get the right direction in this field you can always look up to the famous name in the world of photography. Famous photographers like Khadija M. Farah, Charlie Hamilton James, Thomas, and Melissa Findley are famous travel photographers that can be your inspiration and a medium of learning.

Nowadays, photographers not only upload their work online but also share tips and important information related to photography which at times turns out to be beneficial for aspiring photographers.

“Learn and explore, Experiment and learn, Observe and practice,” is what Thomas Salzano a professional photographer suggests all the aspiring ones.