How To Take Incredible Travel Photos

Tips, advice and ideas to help you make the most of your next travel adventure.

- Graeme Green

For anyone who loves exploring the world, these haven’t been the best of times. Like many things we took for granted before Covid-19, suddenly the freedom to get on a plane and immerse yourself in different sights, sounds and cultures was gone. As the world starts (hopefully) to open up again, we will have a whole new appreciation for being able to see new places through our viewfinders.

Travel photography has taken me from the Amazon to the Himalayas, and from crowded cities to remote wilderness. Along the way I’ve spent time with indigenous tribes, artists, yak herders, wrestlers, dancers, farmers and soldiers, each with a story to tell. This is the beauty of having a camera in your hands: it can help you get to know people from all walks of life, and to help them tell their stories.

Great travel photography requires open eyes and an open mind – the world is full of so many fascinating cultures and visual wonders, it’s up to you to do them justice. And all the insights I’m sharing in this feature can also be deployed on your next domestic holiday – in case long-haul travel is not an option right now.

SIX KIT ESSENTIALS FOR TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

1 Weather-sealed camera A travel photographer’s camera needs to survive snow, sand, dust and torrential downpours, and it will inevitably take a few knocks along the way.

2 Multi-purpose lens Situations change quickly. There’s not always time or the ideal circumstances to swap lenses. It’s useful to have one lens that covers a lot of bases, from wide-open shots to close in.