Compass Monopod

Compass Monopod

Travelling Abroad to Take Photographs? Prepare Well With These Travel Tips

Do plenty of research. Masses can be found on the internet and then there are good maps and books in the shops. Travel magazines can also be useful.
Read about the country, the area and cities you are visiting.
Find a decent guide book which suits your style and approach and take it with you.
If you are in a major city, visit the country's tourist board and see what travel tips they have to offer.

Decide how you want to approach the area. Going to a completely new place, there can be so much of interest it's easy to snap away at everything. On my first visit to India, I decided to concentrate on transport and people at work – that gave me plenty for one trip.

Follow subjects you are interested in. Photographing subjects that matter to you can lead to more interesting images. Hobbies such as architecture, trains, embroidery, flowers, birds can all be found in foreign places.
Going for subjects you like rather than the obvious tourist stuff can be more successful and they might still sell well.

Check out the health risk of a country and region. Foreign Office web sites will have details about security levels in a country and what injections and pills are required or recommended.

Successful travel photography is really a solo business. It's virtually impossible if the partner or family is with you. They won't want to hang around while you wait for 4 hours to the light to change or go back to the same location several times until that surroundings are right.
The trip needs to be either for a holiday or for work.

Good planning of places to go means you can start as soon as you get there and you are less likely to be overwhelmed by the new surroundings. Make a checklist of places which are a definite must.

Learn some foreign phrases. The locals will love you for it and be more co-operative. It's also less lonely.
To be a serious travel photographer in certain areas, you must know at least some of the language. If you want to get involved with the distant tribes living an isolated existence in the mountains of Siberia and you don't speak Russian, then forget it – stick to the more usual places.

Travelling around in a car or camper van might have its conveniences but you will be cut off from the people and their way of life. Using public transport and staying in guest houses will bring you in touch with local people and other travellers. Meeting people this way is more interesting, will provide good tips and information and will generate better images.

Trim your camera equipment to essentials. Carrying several cameras and a mass of lenses is too much hard work and attracts a lot of attention. In theory, one camera and 2 or 3 lenses should be enough, but to avoid too much risk a second camera body will usually be the choice for most people. For anyone still using film, cameras can be loaded with different film speeds.

Try to have all your equipment as hand luggage; it's less likely to get stolen or damaged in transit.

Electronic cameras can still be unreliable in very extreme conditions and for anyone spending 2 months in the Canadian ice-lands, digital cameras which need recharging every few days, can be a problem. An old-fashioned mechanical film camera can be a life-saver.

Other essentials can be a mini tripod or monopod, spare batteries, polarizing filters, plenty of memory cards and a compass. With computers, it's no longer worth taking any filters other than a polarizer.
Some travellers like to take a mini hard drive to back up all their images.

For those who still prefer film for harsh difficult conditions, take much more than you are likely to need. That's an individual choice and can depend on how one is travelling and how much weight can be coped with; for example, those on animal safari will require long lenses.

Check all equipment thoroughly and clean digital sensors before you go. This might be impossible once you are on location.

Take small plastic bags which can be sealed to put gear into to protect from dust and water. Have small bags of silica gel in the plastics bags to absorb moisture.

Have a list of all the equipment with descriptions and serial numbers with your name and address and take it with you. If the equipment was recently purchased, taking copies of receipts should convince customs that import duty is not due.

Non-photographic needs can include medical plasters, multi-tool pocket knife, universal sink stopper, sewing kit, string for a clothesline, LED headlight torch (flashlight).

Some locations might require special permission for access – a good guide book should point this out. Permissions can often be obtained in advance from embassies or consulates.

In some countries it can be illegal to photograph places like bridges, airports, large satellite dishes, certain buildings and flags. It can be worth checking this with the embassy or tourist office beforehand.

Make a list of everything you need for a trip, clothes as well as gear, and keep it for future trips, adding new items as they are needed. This will save time on later occasions.

 

About the Author

Duncan Wherrett is an experienced professional photographer and Photoshop instructor.
Great information and masses of tips on Photoshop via: ---->
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