Pavitjot Singh Chahal
“Photography is a form of time travel.”
—Neil deGrasse Tyson
Indeed, it is! Traveling through memories, places, people, nature, and whatnot! Whether heading to a small hill for a hike or spending an entire week on a road trip, one thing you never forget to carry is a Camera! Well, call it a craze or a practice; carrying a camera around to capture every little moment while traveling is as old as cameras. All thanks to all Dads for capturing those priceless moments in the stock of that vintage camera reels… That hassle and struggle to fit into the frame to make a “Happy family photograph” right after setting up the self-timer. Ah! Those were some really beautiful days, what say?
From capturing those family moments to capturing every landscape, travel photography has come a long way! In this parallel world of ours, travel and photography are going in one breath—making travel photography one of the greatest genres!
Travel Photography: A Journey of Life
If explained in a few words… Travel photography is that wide genre of photography where photographers and travelers capture; landmarks, landscapes, cultures, history, traditions, customs, and architecture of a place. It is more like telling a story through photographs! Isn’t it fascinating how photographers put in efforts to document all those components altogether that make up any given destination?
Not only the travelers but everyone else can be a part of the voyage—just by looking at those photographs. There is a subtle reality in photographs that sometimes evolves more true to life than actual reality. That’s the magic of photographs!
Travel Photography: Till The End Of Time
Travel photography strives to portray the journey with the art of photography; travelers capture the adventure and the experience they had in their entire journey. This eventually allows them to seize the moments for future viewing. By capturing stunning images while traveling, they serve as educators, storytellers, and guides on the world’s richest diversity.
Travel photography is a way of feeling, touching, loving, and living. One can always remember those little moments and places long after-What a traveler has caught on camera is captured forever!
Photography within photography
If you have some basic idea about travel photography, you must know that this is a wide field where one can travel seamlessly with many other associated sister fields. Travel photography can stretch across different genres since it is a world in itself! From Astrophotography to Wildlife Photography, you can touch any photograph. Well, it depends on the destinations and your motive to travel too! Below are four major fields you can consider while covering miles on a journey.
Landscape Photography
From breathtaking sunrises to serene sunsets… From snow-clad mountains to lush green forests, landscape photography is all about the beautiful world around us. The world around us is bejeweled with the most breathtaking, tempting, and picturesque landscapes. When walking on a scenic road and glimpsing the most beautiful scenery, at that moment, you can focus on landscape photography.
City photography
Citylights, road trails, and cityscapes: this field captures wide skylines, a world full of life, human activities, automobiles, roads, streets, and of course, people. Street and portrait photography can also be a part of this!
Portrait Photography
Of course, while traveling across the world, you meet people… People with different cultures, traditions, costumes, and facial expressions. Portrait photography opens the doors for those faces you capture through your third eye “Camera.”
Architecture Photography
Whether natural or artificial, structures and establishments worldwide hold a big share in photography. This field allows you to show the heritage buildings and contemporary structures with the history and significance written on the walls. You and your viewers (through pictures) can explore the unique quirks of man-made structures.
Travel Photographers’ POV
The tag “travel photographer” is the wildest dream and zenith for many artists! Of course, being addressed as a travel photographer is as bizarre as witnessing the most surreal landscape or sunset!
In this vast field of photography, you aren’t alone; you gotta compete with the other creative and talented artists vying for the same! For travel photography, all you need is a camera and a plane ticket; not exactly! Besides, you need a strong arm for creativity, perspective, and probably something outside the box.
That said, the industry does not have much space for skilled photographers since the need for quality content is always high! One must endure the sense of wanderlust and have that little bling within to achieve such a wildest dream; travel photography!
Pack yourself for the Journey Into The World of Light!
Along with carrying your camera and other important gadgets, you must make space for a few things in your rucksack—which are;
A Knack for “Telling a Story” With Your Lens
A travel photographer must understand the power of connecting with the viewers; you must make a good impression and connection to tell a travel story. You need that skill to entertain the viewers with the bizarre moments you capture in the form of photographs.
Capturing the instant moment in time and making it forever is the key! Ever seen advertising agencies spending huge on visuals? They know the power of visuals (pictures)! With photography, one can illustrate the entire story with just a few photographs. Try keeping your message clear and subtle in your photographs; let the viewers see precisely what you want to show them.
A Journey Towards Reality!
Travel photography is not only about finding the most scenic view; it is more about finding beauty in everyday life. Just like all cycles of life are beautiful, all frames are beautiful. You must have the right eye and skill to capture the moment at the right time.
Sometimes we try hard to make a Composition, please don’t force it! Let the scene fit inside your viewfinder just the way it is—People embrace that! The viewers today don’t want to see something too good to be true; they just want to see what’s true, what’s real. Remind them about the beautiful world they live in!
Share What You Feel!
Showing what you feel about the moment is the right way of walking on the path of travel photography. Sharing is always beautiful, and clicking a picture the way you see it is what you can do for that! Believe in yourself; when you find a frame fascinating, push the camera shutter, and it will appear spectacular itself.
Photography is about drawing with light without any constraints, so live that freedom and bring life to your photographs. Keep your photographs vague but surreal; you know how to do that once you start practicing!
The Journey is Not Over Yet!
You can walk more miles with your camera and travel bag!
A career in travel photography is bright, beautiful, and lucrative! It is the best way to turn your passion into a profession! So think conventionally, market yourself, engage viewers, and make a picturesque portfolio; every little step will take you in the right direction. Good luck, happy traveling, and keep clicking!
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