Back in the day, I took a photography class (way back!). And I was immediately hooked, but I had no idea what I was doing. And then I discovered travel. And I was hooked with that too. Photography + travel. Yep, as perfect a combination as peanut butter + chocolate if you ask me.

In order to improve my craft, I took a whole heck of a lot of classes, and workshops, and read blog posts, and researched until I was practically cross-eyed. When I jump in, I jump in all the way.

And then? I had a big trip planned. Fiji. Back then, I still had a film camera and had no idea how camera settings really worked. So guess what? My pictures did not really turn out so great. Disappointing to say the least. I mean how many times do you travel to Fiji? Exactly. And since my photos were all on slides, they didn’t even make it through my downsizing, so I can’t share any bad examples with you.

Next trip. Peru. I had a ridiculously uncomfortable camera strap (the one that comes with your camera) that went around my neck. So as we’re trekking along, my camera would bounce, bounce, bounce...unless I would hold onto it to stabilize it. And since we were trekking about 5-6 hours per day? Crazy uncomfortable. I guess it did distract me from the giant blisters developing on my feet though.

And that trip also yielded many many poorly focused photos. Why? I still didn’t understand my camera settings. I did start to get some feedback from people that I had an “interesting perspective”, which was encouraging. But overall I really only ended up with a handful of photos that were truly good.

So why am I telling you all of this? To make you feel better about yourself? No. I’m telling you this, because fast forward a few (or so) years and I’ve learned SO much about traveling with my camera, and making photos. In sharing these ‘lessons learned’ with you, my hope is that you’ll avoid some of the mistakes I made. Or at least not take quite so freaking long to learn this stuff like I did! Some of these you might read and think “I want to do it exactly that way too!”, while others, you might have the thought... “what the hell was she thinking??” Form your own opinions here, but use this as your learning opportunity for the day (or month...it’s a long list).

One of the photos that I was happy with from Peru

Dragging my tripod out for sunrise photos

So imagine you’re staying in Paris, and the alarm goes off at 4 am. Do you drag yourself out of bed, get dressed, grab your photo gear and tripod and head out the door? We did. We being Neal (my hubby) and me. We took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower and set up for the sunrise. Which ended up not being so spectacular. Yeah, that’s one of those things “they” don’t always tell you. Just because you’re up and ready, doesn't mean the sunrise is always going to cooperate and give you some brilliant color.

But do I regret it? Absolutely not! I love getting up early, but usually have to have a reason to do so. Being up at that hour in a city gives you a whole other view of its personality. And the sun coming up at the Louvre, or Eiffel Tower, or anywhere else you are in the world? Spectacular.

Now that’s not to say I do this every morning when I travel. Because I also want to have some leisurely relaxation time. Where I get up slowly, wander to the boulangerie for un café et un croissant. I mix those days in as well. Come on, I’m not THAT hardcore about my photos!

An “action” shot of me setting up for a sunrise photo at the Eiffel Tower. Not such a great sunrise, but who can complain…it’s PARIS!

Ending up with a whole trip of sucky photos because I didn’t understand my camera settings

This I’ve mentioned before. Multiple times. So I’m not going to go into a whole lot of detail here. Suffice to say, a LOT of my photos were blurry because my shutter speed was too slow. Understanding your camera settings is pretty darn important to getting photos that you love.

So stop resisting! If you need a jump start, grab the Camera Settings Cheat Sheet. It’s free, and I made it just to get you started in this area.

Yes it’s that important.

One of the photos from Japan that isn’t quite in focus because of a slow shutter speed, but it still works for me. It kind of has that impressionist look to it - at least that’s what I tell myself…

Carrying multiple lenses but only using one

So part of the research that I did back in the day, was on photo equipment. Specifically travel photography equipment. Well if you want to overwhelm yourself, go ahead down this rabbit hole. It’s a doozy. Which lens, camera, bags… I could go on and on for days. Some photographers are obsessed with the gear aspect of the artform and can’t talk (or write) about it enough. I’m not one of those.

I want gear that I’m comfortable with, and that gives me the outcomes I like. I don’t want to constantly add to my repertoire of gear to lug around. I like to pack as little as possible.

So I had multiple lenses based on the research, recommendations, and reviews. I lugged them all around the world with me. Until I realized that I really only used one. My go-to travel lens for my Sony mirrorless camera (which I LOVE) is the 24-70 zoom. Yes I love to use my prime (fixed focal length) lenses for food, portraits, fun. But when I travel? I don’t want to carry any more equipment than necessary. And I don’t really want to stop and switch out lenses. I’m too wrapped up in the moment, figuring out what photos I want to make, taking in the culture, sights, sounds, and smells.

I thought it made me a better photographer to have more gear. It didn’t. It just made my bag heavier.

Photographing people

I’ve always enjoyed photographing people. I’ve fancied myself an armchair (or tour bus) anthropologist, studying people’s behavior, interactions, patterns. But in the old days, I would just sneak in some photos of people from afar. I didn’t want to be invasive, but I sure as hell didn’t want to ask permission either. The mere thought of doing that made me break out in hives.

But during a Street Portrait workshop in Santa Fe, that is exactly what I had to do. Not break out in hives, but ask people to make their photo. And guess what?? No hives! Sure some said no, but the majority not only said yes but struck up a conversation too. So not only did I get some interesting photos, but I met some interesting people.

So my advice? Don’t be afraid to ask people who you find interesting, to make their photo. Now I don’t ask every single person. If I’m not invading their space, or up in their biz, I don’t interrupt their life to ask them. But if I want to spend some time, get close-up, capture their personality? Then I ask.

It’s still not easy, but ALWAYS worth the effort!

This photo I didn’t ask permission. It’s in a crowded park, there are lots of people around, and I wasn’t all that close. In the U.S. you’re allowed to make photos of people in public places, as long as you don’t use them for commercial use.

I did ask permission from Don here, on the other hand. He was happy to oblige and then proceeded to pose for me. Multiple different ways.

Well, this blog post has gotten crazy long! Sometimes the words just keep on coming. But rather than give you too much in one sitting, let’s divide this post into two parts, shall we? So stay tuned for next week, where I’ll dive into the next 4 lessons learned from traveling with my camera. À bientôt!