These Five Tips Apply to More Than Travel Photography

I'm always curious to see what accomplished photographers use as their "rules of thumb" or "best practices." This video offers five tips to improve anyone's travel photography, including one I wish I'd heard before my recent trip. 

The internet is filled with lists, tips, and tricks to improve your photography. I find the ones that focus on your thought process rather than settings to be far more valuable. In this video, award-winning commercial photographer Julia Nimke shares five tips to improve your travel photography. I would argue the thought process behind them applies to many genres beyond just travel. 

This short video is for Leica, and Nimke discusses her love for her Leica Q3, but the advice she shares isn't system-specific; it applies to any photographer using any gear. Her tips are, for me, often-needed reminders of how to train your eye to craft better photos and then take them. 

Framing is one of the most important aspects of a compelling image, and it's a tip that most photographers need to be continuously aware of. Taking your time and purposefully crafting a quality composition that includes a foreground element that provides context and emphasizes your subject is a hallmark of great photography. When it comes to travel photography, it takes on an extra level of importance. 

Nimke's philosophy is that your goal as the photographer is to make the viewer feel as if they are part of the scene. Travel photography is not supposed to be a substitute for travel, but an inspiration for it. Powerful photos will make viewers feel as if they are standing where you were. That feeling can motivate them to embark on their own travels, which is often the purpose of commercial travel photos. 

That also means shooting more than just the postcard image. Showing everyday life in a dream vacation destination adds personal elements that help people connect with it. It is another layer to your photography that draws people to your images and, in the case of travel photos, further piques their interest in the destination. 

As for the tip I wish I had heard before my recent trip to Greece, well, you have to watch the video for that one. It is her third tip and is so simple, yet not something I've considered. I am definitely a photographer who prefers to be behind the lens, but her advice may lead me to make some subtle changes to that practice. Perhaps it will for you too.