Photography tips

Turning freelance photography into a paid profession is a dream for many people. While difficult, it’s definitely possible. Here’s how to make money as a successful photographer.

I’ve been working as a professional freelance photographer for the past 10-years or so. Getting paid to travel the world shooting photos of exotic destinations and licensing my images to different organizations is a pretty awesome job.

I’ve even sold some images to National Geographic!

Freelance photography is a profession that’s constantly changing, and to make it work you need to stay on top of all the latest trends — like post-processing techniques, social media skills, networking, and successful business models.

In this guide I’m going to share helpful tips for how to become a freelance photographer and actually make money from your photography.

These are suggestions based on what I’ve learned over the years, along with a few wisdom nuggets from some of my favorite travel & adventure photographers.

Why listen to me? Experience! I’ve been traveling around the world for ten years as a professional travel photographer, licensing images to brands like NatGeo.

Matthew KarstenThe Expert Vagabond

Here’s everything we’re going to cover (if you want to skip around).

What Is Freelance Photography?

Freelance photography is providing photos to clients and licensing them for a fee, or working as a self-employed freelance photographer. You can get hired in advance for specific projects, or shoot the photos first — selling them later.

There are many different types of professional photography jobs out there, like travel photography, landscape photography, commercial photography, portraits, wedding photography, or fine-art photography.

In this guide I’m going to focus on a mix of travel, adventure, commercial, and editorial photography. The quintessential dream photography jobs. However the advice can be relevant for other kinds of photography too.

The Reality Of Photography As A Profession

The life of a professional freelance photographer can be hard. Especially in the beginning of your career. Personally, it took me a few years to earn any money at all. And that’s pretty common.

You’ll often work alone, for long hours, with very little stability (or income). It is a long-term commitment, with no guarantee of success, and many people eventually give up.

Pursuing a freelance photography career is definitely not for everyone…

That said, if you DO find a way to make it work, it’s one of the coolest jobs out there. And the longer you do it, the more you learn, and the more money you can make.

Even after many years working my butt off, for little pay, and occasionally questioning my life choices along the way, I wouldn’t trade working as a freelance travel photographer for anything else!

9 Steps To Professional Photography Success

1: Improve Your Photography Skills

“People start their photography career asking how to make money — not asking how to make a good picture. First you need to make a good picture, then you can think about money.”

Daniel KordanProfessional Photographer

Never stop learning! I get many emails from people asking for tips on how to make money from photography, and after viewing their work, usually my top piece of advice is — to get better at photography.

Which may sound kind of harsh, but often true.

Hey, I’ll be the first to tell you I’m not the best photographer out there. I’m constantly learning new things from others, investing both time & money into training to make that happen.

Owning a nice camera does not make you a great photographer. Practice, experience, and skill do. There is ALWAYS room to get better at composition, lighting, post-processing techniques, creativity, location scouting, and more.

For example, shooting photos is easy, but meticulously planning to be at the right place, at the right time, is far more difficult and requires more patience.

Maybe you know your camera like the back of your hand, but how are your Lightroom & Photoshop skills? Do you understand how to focus stack or create luminosity masks?

So before you start pitching brands for projects, ensure your photography will truly stand out from all the other freelance photographers doing the same. You don’t have to be the best, but you do need to hold your own among other pros.

Online Photography Courses

Want to improve your photography? Fancy gear is nice, but learning from other photographers is a better investment.

Click Here For Free Guide

2. Develop A Focus & Style

“Become a specialist. Hone your skills. Don’t get good at something you don’t want to do.”

Chris BurkardProfessional Photographer

If you’re shooting the same kinds of photos as everyone else, your work won’t stand out and you’ll get lost in the sea of people just trying to copy the most popular photos on Instagram.

While it won’t happen overnight, you need to develop a personal style of photography. Something people will remember you for. Focus on a specialty, like ariel drone photography, or outdoor sports photography, or even fantasy portraits.

While you can certainly practice other kinds of photography, you should try to keep your portfolio narrow and focused, to make it easy to “define” your style. So when someone is looking for an underwater photographer, they can see right away that’s your specialty.

Editing and processing your photos in a certain style can help with this too.

Some clients are looking for realistic images, others want a more dreamy and ephemeral vibe. Just because you CAN do it all, doesn’t mean you should.

The photographers who get regular work often do so because they become known for a particular style.

3. Create A Website

“About 75% of my professional photography clients discover my work through my blog. It’s an important marketing tool for my business.”

Matthew KarstenProfessional Photographer

I’m sure you already have accounts with Instagram, Facebook, maybe 500px too — but do you have an actual photography website & blog yet?

A professional website is what many potential clients will want to see.

Put together a strong portfolio of your best shots (more on that later) and make sure it’s easy to navigate. Buy an actual domain name — using your name or company name if possible.

Include a blog section on the website, where you can post updates about your latest photography projects, photo tips, philosophy on life, whatever. The blog will help people get to know you, and can even attract new clients.

If you want to start a blog, I’d recommend a self-hosted WordPress site. If you want to create a beautiful online photography portfolio of your work, and sell your own prints, I’d also get an account with SmugMug.

This is my personal setup, and it’s worked very well for many years! In fact, I’ve sold many images to companies who’ve discovered my work either on my blog, or on my SmugMug account after a simple Google search for a specific type of image.

Get your work out there online, learn about keywords and SEO, make sure it’s easy for others to find your images — and they eventually will.

4. Build A Portfolio & Media Kit

“Building a strong portfolio is super important because it helps you showcase your best work. While a media kit is a snapshot of who you are and what you can offer as a creative.”

Tiffany NguyenProfessional Photographer

Freelance Photographer Portfolio

One of the most important things you can do as a photographer is invest in personal projects to help build a portfolio of work that will get you noticed by clients. A portfolio is simply a collection of your best photos.

Want to become a travel photographer? Well you’ll probably need to spend your own money on travel to get some amazing shots for your portfolio, which you can then use to pitch travel destinations or travel brands.

Want to work with backpack, tent, and other outdoor gear brands? You’ll need to get out into the mountains and shoot some product photography examples for your portfolio which will match what these kinds of brands are looking for.

There are no shortcuts here. You need to spend money & time building a strong portfolio of work that will “sell” your services to potential clients later.

Your portfolio can be based online, but I highly recommend you also create a PDF version which is easily emailed or printed out and passed around an office.

Creating A Media Kit

You can think of a media kit as the story of you and your work, in PDF form. It contains elements of a portfolio, but with more information that will help clients decide whether to hire you or not.

It’s kind of like a pitch deck (which I’ll describe a bit later), but rather than pitching a specific project, you’re simply pitching yourself.

Generally a media kit starts with an introduction about you, sharing your personal mission statement, a healthy selection of images from your portfolio, and maybe some examples of past clients if applicable — plus contact details of course.

If you have a strong social media presence, many media kits will mention things like follower numbers across different social media platforms too.

Want an example? You can download my media kit here.

5. Promote Your Photos On Social Media

“The 3 key elements to social media growth are great quality content, being social on both your page & others‘, and bringing value. Hold live editing shows, produce destination guides, or show what goes on behind-the-scenes.”

Jord HammondProfessional Photographer

Share your work regularly on social media. Daily if possible. Create & share. Create & share. Rinse & repeat.

Share your work consistently, both for the encouragement & praise you receive from others, as well as to flood the market with your art.

You never know what photo or video will resonate with people, or what will viral on social media. Or when some brand will happen to be searching for a new freelance photographer to hire.

To maximize your chances of discovery, you need to constantly create — and share. Over and over again. They don’t call us “creators” for nothing!

Social Media Growth Tips & Tricks

• Do Interesting Things – The people growing fastest on social media are always creating interesting, unique, and fun content. They aren’t sitting at home worrying about followers, they’re actively creating. Does that mean selling all your stuff and living in a van? Maybe. But it doesn’t have to. Just get out there and do cool stuff on a regular basis!
• Engage With Others – Actually respond to the comments left on your photos. Leave meaningful comments on other people’s content too. Maybe send a direct message asking a follow-up question. This can be time-consuming, but valuable. Set aside an hour or two each day specifically to engage with others.
• Get Featured – The days of easy Instagram & Facebook follower growth have slowed down, but you can still attract new followers when big accounts feature your work. See what hashtags are trending. Reach out to accounts that share other people’s work via direct message to show them you have something that fits their current theme. Do it on a regular basis.
• Provide Tons Of Value – Help other people with their own photography — and your social media accounts will grow much faster. You have to give people a reason to follow your account, more than just pretty pictures. If they get some free lessons from time to time, they are far more likely to stick around.

6. Pitching & Networking To Find Jobs

“If you’re not leveraging LinkedIn to build your professional network, start now. While Instagram is great for attention, LinkedIn gets you professionally connected to editors.”

Lola AkinmadeProfessional Photographer

The truth about becoming a freelance photographer is that you need to put yourself out there to find jobs. Shooting photos is often the easy part!

Networking is the very important business skill that will determine if you make money from your photography or not. Make a list of the people, brands, and agencies that you’d like to work with, and reach out.

Try starting with smaller brands first.

Study the brand and its values. Interact with their online content for a while in a meaningful way. Then, cold call them on the phone, send an email, or reach out with a direct message on social media (Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).

Tell them you like what they do. Don’t be creepy, annoying, or pushy. Then find out if there’s a way you can work together on a future project. Attach that media kit & portfolio you just put together!

Other than individual brands, you may want to try to reach out to “agencies” too. An agency is in charge of managing the marketing for many different brands, often in a particular category. There is potential for much more work if you can build a relationship with an agency.

You may hear a lot of “we’re not looking for anyone right now” at first. Never take it personally, and just remember this is a numbers game.

Some of the most successful freelance photographers are the ones who work the hardest at pitching & networking — day in, and day out.

Preparing A Pitch Deck

A pitch deck is different from your media kit or portfolio mentioned earlier. The purpose of a pitch deck is to “pitch” a specific project idea to a brand.

Some companies will come to you with projects, while others might want you to pitch them a new idea. Learning how to prepare a professional and convincing pitch deck for either of these situations is an art-form in itself.

A convincing pitch deck PDF usually contains the following:

• A project overview that states project objectives, and how you plan to meet those objectives.
• Reference images to support your idea — preferably from your own past work or portfolio. Again, this is why building a strong portfolio is important.
• A bid on the project (how much you’ll charge), which you might send with the pitch deck as a separate document.
• A timeline listing prep days and shooting days, plus any key dates for the agency/client to approve things to stay on schedule.

7. Making Money As A Freelance Photographer

One thing I’ve learned after working for the last 10-years as a freelance travel photographer is that to earn decent money in this business, you really need to diversify your photography income sources.

This will both increase your earning potential, as well as hedge against changes in the market (worldwide pandemics, anyone?). So if one source of income suddenly disappears, you aren’t completely screwed!

Here are the most popular ways to make money from photography.

Editorial Photography

Editorial photography basically means your images are being used in newspapers and magazines to accompany articles about a certain subject. For example, a photo of a camel in the desert published in a travel magazine feature about Morocco.

To sell editorial photos, you generally need to work with a magazine editor who can tell you what kinds of images they are looking for in an upcoming issue of the magazine. This requires networking and sending your portfolio to many different magazines on a regular basis.

Commercial Photography

Commercial photography is when your images are being used by brands for marketing and advertising purposes. It pays much more than editorial photography, but usually requires that you have already built up a name for yourself as a photographer, often through editorial work.

Some examples might include shooting photos for a clothing brand, a car company, or even the tourism board for a country.

Rates for commercial photography are negotiable, and can be based on how many images they license from you, for what use, and for how long. Alternatively, many commercial photography projects might pay a day-rate for your time that also gives them a blanket license to any images you create during the project.

Stock Photography

Licensing images you’ve already shot through stock photography sites or rights management companies is one way freelance photographers can earn money.

Many smaller brands don’t have huge budgets to hire photographers for dedicated projects, so they buy temporary photo licenses for work that’s already been created.

Photographers upload their photos to these sites, tag and organize them, then random companies search for images to license.

If you’re able to build up a large portfolio of the kinds of images that are sought after, you can make “passive” income month after month selling your old images.

There are two main types of stock photography companies out there. Rights Managed Stock Agencies and Microstock Sites.

Rights Managed Stock Agencies pay photographers better, because the quality of the work is generally higher, the clients are pickier, and licenses are stricter/more exclusive.

Microstock Websites might only pay you $0.50 for a Royalty Free photo, but hundreds of different websites could be buying and using that same image.

Rights Managed Stock Examples

• Tandem Stock
• AP Images
• Masterfile
• Offset
• Arcangel

Microstock Website Examples

• Stocksy
• Getty Images
• Adobe Stock
• iStockPhoto
• Shutterstock

Post Licensing & Rights Management Lawyers

A relatively new phenomenon is the launch of post licensing companies that proactively search for your images already being used illegally online, and contacting the copyright infringers on your behalf to demand a licensing fee.

For many photographers, chasing after people who are stealing their images online just isn’t worth the effort. However these new companies, armed with teams of actual lawyers and image tracking software, are MUCH more effective.

They take a large cut of course, but they also do most of the work for you. Here are some examples:

• Ryde One (I use these guys)
• Copytrack
• Binded

Photography Prints & Coffee Table Books

Selling photo prints, coffee table books, calendars, and other “merch” that feature your photography can be a solid way to earn income for many freelance photographers.

Prints can be especially lucrative if you have a strong online following, and it’s also a great way to help raise money for charities and local organizations that you like.

For example, with the ability to set my own prices on SmugMug, I can ensure I have enough profit to also give 10% of any print sales to the National Parks Foundation. Or launch regular free print giveaways to my social media followers, just for fun.

Selling Lightroom Presets

Lightroom Presets are post-processing settings that many photographers use to obtain a certain “look” with their photos. For people who are new to editing photos using software, using presets can help them easily improve their photos with cool colors, tones, and other adjustments. Many photographers develop and sell their own presets to their followers, which can be a decent source of income.

Creating Online Tutorials

There is far more to good photography and editing than most people think, that’s why getting into the education space and teaching other would-be photographers how to improve their images can be a good way to earn extra income.

Online photography classes allow a photographer to share their knowledge with many more people than trying to do it in person.

Some people charge fees for their tutorials, others provide the training for free on platforms like YouTube and then earn money through the advertising.

Leading Photography Workshops

Leading in-person photography workshops can be an excellent source of income if you have a decent following online. Getting paid to hang out with other people while teaching them your photography techniques in exotic locations around the world can be a lot of fun too!

To launch a successful photography workshop, it helps to have already built up a following of people who love your work, and who are ready to spend money learning from you in person.

Affiliate Marketing

What’s the most common question that every photographer gets? What kind of camera do you use!

Why not recommend your favorite gear to others, and get paid for it?

I make a decent portion of my income from affiliate marketing. Photography gear guides, tripod comparisons, camera bag reviews, even photography tutorials. I’m not promoting stuff I don’t use or believe in, only products that I actually love.

You can share these affiliate links on YouTube, Instagram, or your own photography blog which will generate a small commission off each sale.

The more useful your content is, the more it gets shared, and the more people will click on your links. When more people click your links, the more you earn. Everyone wins!

Lots of companies offer affiliate marketing partnerships. Some good photography related ones include:

• Amazon
• Adorama
• Peak Design
• GoPro
• DJI

8. Figuring Out How Much To Charge

“Companies will benefit from our work, and we have to be compensated accordingly. Before you bid a job, take a moment to reflect on what size problem you’re solving for them. Imagine you are in the client’s shoes.”

Alex StrohlProfessional Photographer

How much should you charge for your photography? Well, there are many factors at play here. Editorial photography? Commercial photography? Print sales? Image use? Licensing time-period? What is your time worth to you? What size problem are you solving for the client?

In general, there is a basic path that many photographers end up following:

• Working for “exposure” (or in exchange for gear/accommodation/activities)
• Editorial photography (standard rates set by the industry)
• Commercial photography (pays much more, with room to negotiate)
• Selling prints (to individuals or companies)

I hesitate mentioning working for exposure, because many professional photographers might disagree, but the reality is many of us started by giving images away for little or no money to build up a portfolio of work to show off.

I’ll give you an example. I once let GoPro use an image I shot of a shark underwater on their social media channels during Shark Week in exchange for just a photo credit/link. The buzz around that photo ended up sending me a few thousand new followers on social media, at a time when I didn’t have many.

These days, my strong social media presence helps me attract new photography clients for paying gigs, so I really don’t regret giving some companies free photos all those years ago, when I was hungry to build a name for myself. This is a personal choice and not every photographer will agree with this route.

The Art Of Negotiation

Don’t be afraid to say no. Sick of giving images away for “exposure”? Just say no and move on. There will be other companies who are willing to pay for your images. Along those same lines, if you send over a quote for a job, and they client says yes right away, you probably should have asked for more!

If you do send a quote, and the client comes back with a lower amount they won’t budge on, the other tool you have at your disposal is to lower the deliverables they’ll receive. If they’re taking money away, you get to take something away too.

EXAMPLES:

• “Sure, I’ll license this photo to you for $500 instead of $1000, but the license will only be good for 1 year instead of 2 years.”
• “Yes — I’ll work on this project for $1500 per day instead of $3000 per day, but you won’t get an exclusive license to the images created — I can re-sell the images elsewhere to supplement my income.”

Note that those examples only really work for commercial photography, as editorial photography often has set rates, and there isn’t a ton of negotiation that goes on.

The art of negotiation in freelance photography is a huge topic, one I can’t cover completely here, but if you’d like to learn more I recommend reading the book: Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

9: Defining Photography Success

“Success never comes. There’s always something to strive for. Plus the more people look at you, the more they attack you. Negative words sometimes make you sad. We are not all strong one hundred percent of the time.”

Kristina MakeevaProfessional Photographer

Many people love the idea of making a living with their photography. But eventually you realize just how many other freelance photographers are out there with those same dreams of success.

It’s a crowded field!

Just know that there are many levels of success in freelance photography. For some, getting their first paid gig is a huge success. For others, only the cover of a famous magazine will do.

You have to ask yourself — is photography just going to be a hobby? Or are you ready to treat it like a professional career (with all the work that entails)?

When was the last time you contemplated the ROI (return on investment) of a new gear purchase? Do you have a marketing/PR budget set aside for your photography business?

It’s easy to compare yourself to other “successful” photographers, while not truly understanding the blood, sweat, and tears they’ve put into this industry to get to where they are today.

Years of experience. Hundreds of hours of networking. Thousands (or tens-of-thousands) of dollars spent building a portfolio. The logistics & work involved setting up a functioning business.

It’s not impossible to make a living as a freelance photographer these days, but you also need to manage your expectations for what success looks like… and how long it might take to achieve.

Helpful Tools & Resources For Freelance Photographers

• Wonderful Machine – A professional art production agency that also offers consulting services & representation for up-and-coming photographers who are serious about becoming pros.
• Great Online Photography Courses – A rundown of my personal favorite online tutorials and courses for photographers who want to get better.
• FotoQuote – Industry standard photography pricing guide and quote software for freelance photographers, helping you determine a fair price.
• Getty Images Price Calculator – Free online tool for pricing your photography licenses in different mediums & situations.

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Photography Tips

Want to become a better photographer? Stuck at home in lock-down? Try joining these great online photography classes & courses created by pros to improve your photos.

So, you’ve bought a nice camera. You’ve watched a few YouTube videos.

But why doesn’t your Instagram feed look as good as the professional photographers you follow?

Well, aside from the many years of experience and practice they have under their belts, another likely reason is the hundreds of hours they’ve spent working under mentors, attending workshops, taking college courses, or joining online photography classes.

The key to getting better at something — is to never stop learning.

Even after 10-years working as a freelance travel photographer, I’m still actively learning new techniques to improve my images. Photography classes, courses, and tutorials are a big part of this.

So I wanted to share some of my favorite online photography courses.

These photo tutorials go into extreme detail on topics like planning, composition, advanced techniques (focus stacking, time-lapses, long exposure, etc.) post-processing skills, social media tips, and even making money with your photography.

There are also classes here that are perfect for photography beginners.

There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on a college photography degree when you can study from home using these great online photography courses produced by working professionals.

Hi, I’m Matthew Karsten

I’ve been traveling the world for 10+ years as a professional travel photographer & writer. This is my travel blog. Enjoy!

About The Author

Top Online Photography Classes 2023

1. iPhone Photography School

By Emil Pakarklis

The best camera is the one you have with you. For many people, that means the smartphone in their pocket! Smartphone photography has come a long way over the years, and it’s certainly possible to take great photos with an iPhone — if you know how.

Photographer Emil Pakarklis has put together a wonderful course for people who want to take better photos right now with the phones in their pocket — called iPhone Photography School. It’s perfect for beginner photographers who don’t have a bunch of fancy gear yet.

buy emil pakarklis’ course here →

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2. Adventure Photography Masterclass

By Jimmy Chin

Jimmy Chin has had a long and successful photography career, shooting for National Geographic and other major publications around the world. He even won an Emmy Award for his cinematography work on the documentary “Free Solo”.

Learn about Jimmy’s different creative approaches for commercial shoots, editorial spreads, and passion projects. He also shares tips on gear and perspective in his Adventure Photography Masterclass.

3. Adventure Photography Pro

By Alex Strohl

Alex Strohl is one of my favorite outdoor adventure photographers, so when I learned he created his own online photography class called Adventure Photography Pro, I signed up ASAP! Alex shoots professionally for some HUGE brands, so it was super interesting to learn about this part of his business (along with actual examples on location with clients).

He spends a lot of time going over the storytelling process, the importance of planning & scouting before shooting, reaching out to potential clients, building an audience, his editing techniques, and much more.

DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!

4. The Business Of Photography

By Chris Burkard

Chris Burkard, if you’ve been living under a rock, is one of the most accomplished travel & adventure photographers out there right now. Not only is his photography incredible, his business chops have made him a household name.

From prints, to books, to movies, to huge commercial projects with brands like Apple, Toyota, Sony, The North Face, Patagonia, CitiBank, Microsoft, Volkswagen — Chris seems to do it all!

Well, now you can too, with his Business Of Photography Course that explains when and how to grow your business, diversifying revenue, working with agents, modern marketing techniques, and more.

DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!

5. Wildlife Photography Workshop

By Charly Savely

Professional wildlife photographer Charly Savely captures some of the most incredible photos of animals I’ve ever seen. And, she’s recently decided to share her secrets with the world through her online Wildlife Photography Workshop recorded in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.

Learn how she chooses her lenses, framing for impact, camera settings for handheld or tripod use, using art to influence your style, where to find wildlife, how to photograph animals safely, shooting in the cold, and how she edits her images for an emotional reaction.

DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!

6. Mastering Lightroom & Photoshop

By Andrew Kerns

Every professional photographer uses post-processing techniques to make their images stand out. In fact, editing & post-processing your images is a major part of the photography workflow. You can’t ignore mastering the skills of photography software if you want to make a living with photography!

Luckily Andrew Kerns put together an amazing online class to help you learn the latest Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop techniques that professionals like him use: manipulating luminance, contrast, color, curves, split-toning, re-touching tips and much more.

DISCOUNT CODE: Use my code VAGABOND20 to get 20% off the listed price!

7. A To Z Of Selling Your Photos

By Lola Akinmade

Lola Akinmade is an award-winning travel photographer who’s work is regularly published by brands like: National Geographic Traveller, Travel & Leisure, The New York Times, Vogue, Outside, Smithsonian Journeys, the BBC, and The Telegraph to name just a few.

She’s also put together an excellent online photography class that goes into detail about HOW to sell your photos to these types of organizations. From approaching brands, how to deal with copyrights, working with editors, obtaining model releases, seeking out grants and much more.

8. Photographing The World

By Elia Locardi

Elia Locardi is a very successful landscape photographer who’s been traveling the world for years. His course Photographing The World is packed full of tips & post-processing techniques he uses to create his landscape and travel photography.

With 15 lessons and more than 12 hours of video content, his photography tutorial takes you from the on-location capture (in places like Iceland & New Zealand) all the way through his post-processing techniques in the studio.

9. The Travel Photography Course

By Laurence Norah

Want to learn how to compose a better image while telling a story with your camera? Or the technical side of photography like understanding what aperture, shutter speed and ISO really do? These are just some of the topics travel photographer Laurence Norah goes over in his Travel Photography Course.

The course is structured well for complete beginners to photography, but with helpful tips for the business and professional side of things too. With 10 weeks of content and over 60 individual lessons, you’ll have plenty to keep you busy!

Free YouTube Photography Tutorials?

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for new Adventure Travel Videos!
(Click to watch Northern Lights Photography Tips on YouTube)

Yes, there are thousands of free photography tutorials on YouTube (in fact, here’s one of mine!) While you can certainly learn from them, I find that investing in a paid course provides the highest quality experience.

Maybe I’ll share some of my favorite free photography tutorials in a future article. Because there’s a lot of crap on YouTube too…

The BEST online photography courses demand a TON of time and knowledge to put together, and when done well, they’re just as useful as working under a mentor or taking classes in person.

Developing Your Photography Style

One of the most important aspects of becoming a professional photographer is developing your own personal style of photography. Whether that’s subject matter, editing style, or both.

By learning from other photographers through online classes, you can pick and choose parts of their workflow and style that you like, then adjust for your own use. We all get inspiration from others — it’s just the nature of art.

Learn as much as you can about the craft, then use that knowledge to develop your own signature look and make your work stand out! ★

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READ MORE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best online photography classes! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more photography articles that I recommend you read next:

• How To Photograph The Northern Lights
• Is Instagram Ruining Travel?
• What’s In My Camera Bag Right Now
• Tips For Improving Your Travel Photos
• How To Become A Freelance Photographer
• 15 Unique Gift Ideas For Photographers

Have any questions about these online photo courses? Any good ones I missed? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Photography Tips

Have you ever dreamed about seeing the colorful aurora borealis dancing in the night sky? Here’s how to find & photograph the amazing Northern Lights in Iceland!

Witnessing the magic of the northern lights at least once is a bucket-list experience for most people. I’ve been lucky enough to see and photograph the “Aurora Borealis” multiple times in a few different countries — including Iceland.

The northern lights can transfix you for hours, watching their mysterious green glow dance in the sky over the mountains or the sea.

Tracking down and shooting amazing photos of the northern lights in Iceland is always a top priority when I visit!

However many people don’t realize that this incredible natural phenomenon can often be elusive and unpredictable.

So to help you improve your chances, I’ve put together this guide on how to see and photograph the Northern Lights in Iceland. I’m going to share a few tips on how to find them, where to see them, as well as the camera settings and editing techniques I use.

Northern Lights Photography Guide

How To Find The Northern Lights In Iceland

So why are the northern lights so difficult to see, even in Iceland? Well, it’s because there are many different factors involved.

For the optimal northern lights experience, you need a combination of dark skies, clear weather, and strong aurora activity. Ensuring that all these requirements come together takes some planning.

Seek Out Dark Skies

For the same reason star-gazing is better when it’s dark out, viewing the northern lights is best in the dark too. Light pollution from cities & towns hinders the experience.

Yes, you might be able to see the lights from Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik occasionally. However you’ll have more luck in the countryside away from man-made light sources.

Avoid The Full Moon

If you can, try to avoid seeking out the northern lights during a full moon. The brightness of the moon can make it more difficult to see the aurora in the sky.

Also, remember that the moon rises and sets like the sun. So you can try and time your northern lights hunting when the moon is hidden away below the horizon for maximum darkness.

My favorite smartphone app for checking the moon rise and moon set schedule around the world is called The Photographer’s Ephemeris.

That said, sometimes a little bit of moonlight from a 1/4 moon can light up the background landscape just enough to create some spectacular images too!

Wait For Clear Weather

If the weather is overly cloudy, you won’t be able to find the northern lights. So pay attention to the weather forecast, especially cloud cover (infrared satellite maps help a lot).

While you might still see some aurora lights if it’s only partly cloudy, you’ll have the best chance when there are no clouds at all.

My favorite smartphone app for checking cloud cover conditions around the world is called MeteoEarth.

Check The Aurora Forecast

Because aurora activity comes down from the sun in space, scientists are able to predict how strong it will be by looking at our sun’s solar wind, and the strength of the Earth’s magnetic field. This “KP-Index” ranges from 0-9.

In my experience, you might have some luck seeing the northern lights in Iceland when the KP Index is 3 or 4. If you are lucky enough to be there when a solar storm hits (KP 5+), then you’ll have quite a show!

My favorite smartphone app for predicting the aurora is called My Aurora Forecast Pro.

It gives push notifications when there’s a chance to see the lights near you!

For worldwide aurora predictions, Space Weather Ovation is also good.

Self-Drive vs. Group Tour

You should be able to go hunting for the northern lights on your own by renting a car in Iceland. Another option is renting a camper van, which allows you to get far away from towns and their street-light pollution.

Experience driving in snow is helpful if you’re visiting Iceland in the winter, as conditions can sometimes be very harsh. Big snowstorms are common.

I prefer exploring on my own, as it gives me the freedom to stay out all night or move locations on a whim.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable driving in Iceland at night, there are plenty of organized northern lights tours available too.

Best Time To See Northern Lights

Iceland’s best season to see the northern lights is the fall/winter months from September to April. The absolute darkest months are between November & February, but these months can also have the worst weather.

Remember that you need a combination of darkness away from towns, clear skies, and strong aurora activity to see the northern lights.

Witnessing Iceland’s northern lights during summer months is pretty rare, due to almost 20-hours of sunlight per day near the arctic circle.

The more time you spend in Iceland, the better your chances are of spotting the lights. If you’re only visiting on a 2-day stopover, you’ll need a LOT of luck to see them. I recommend spending at least 7 days in Iceland if you want to find the northern lights.

Even then it can be difficult. Some people can visit Iceland multiple times and never see them!

You probably won’t see the northern lights if you’re bar hopping in Reykjavik.

A primary reason why I was able to capture such great photos of the aurora borealis is that I stayed outside all night, for multiple nights, driving around searching for them. It takes some dedication.

For example, when I visited Iceland’s famous plane wreck in the middle of the night.

Where To Look For The Aurora

The best places to see the northern lights are in the northern latitudes. Think near the Arctic Circle.

The best viewing latitudes are between 68 degrees north to 74 degrees north. This includes Iceland. But some other good locations are the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, and Finland.

Greenland, Russia, Alaska, and Canada are also prime northern lights travel destinations.

Remember To Look North!

While it may seem obvious, remember to look North! The lights dance along the magnetic bands near the arctic circle, so you need to keep your eyes North to see them.

Often the lights start off weak at first, slowly increasing in intensity.

Weak aurora activity will look grey to the naked eye. Much like wispy clouds or fog moving in the wind. They can be easy to miss if you don’t realize it.

Aim your camera at the grey stuff and shoot a long-exposure photo (20 seconds or so). If those “clouds” come out green in your image, they aren’t clouds! You’re witnessing a weaker version of the northern lights.

The stronger the aurora activity, the brighter the colors will be.

The most common northern lights color you’ll see is green. However, if you’re lucky, they can also be blue, red, and orange depending on which atmospheric gasses happen to be prevalent.

Northern Lights Photography Tips

Once you find the Aurora, capturing decent images of it is a whole new challenge. Here are some tips to help you photograph the northern lights in Iceland.

Best Photography Gear

In most photography situations, the quality of your gear doesn’t matter too much. However for northern lights & star photography, it does.

Here’s a list of my recommended photography gear you’ll want to produce some great low-light shots. You can also see all my photography gear here.

• Digital Camera with Manual Mode & High ISO Capability
• Wide Angle Lens (24mm or wider) with Fast Aperture (2.8 – 4.0 minimum)
• Sturdy Tripod
• 2-3 Extra Batteries
• Cold Weather Clothing
• Hand-warmer Heat Packs

You’ll want a quality camera (brand doesn’t really matter) with a large sensor for minimal noise at high ISO settings.

A wide angle lens aids in photographing large landscapes with the night sky.

A fast lens aperture allows the maximum amount of ambient light to enter your lens.

Sturdy travel tripods allow you shoot long exposures without producing camera shake.

Extra batteries give you the flexibility to stay out all night waiting for peak activity — plus cold weather drains them faster.

How To Focus Your Camera At Night

Even with the best camera gear and knowledge of the optimal settings, without proper focus, your northern lights photos won’t come out crisp/clear.

There are a few different methods for focusing your camera at night, but my favorite is to focus on a distant landmark (like mountains) on the horizon.

This is easier to do right before the sun sets, so it isn’t too dark.

Most cameras have an infinity focus setting (∞), but it’s not always accurate. Zoom in as much as possible and adjust the focus manually if needed.

Once you have it locked in, remember to switch “autofocus” off and don’t touch the lens focus ring. Sometimes it helps to “tape” down your focus ring so you don’t move it by accident later.

Northern Lights Camera Settings

Make sure to watch the video above for examples of my camera settings.

Because the intensity of the light and amount of movement is constantly changing, you’ll have to experiment with your settings throughout the night.

Your camera should be set in Manual Mode, giving you the power to change each particular setting on its own.

IMAGE FORMAT
Most professional photographers shoot in RAW format rather than JPG, as it provides the maximum amount of information allowing for greater flexibility with post processing later.

It’s not necessary, but it does give you more wiggle room when editing the images.

APERTURE (F-STOP)
You want to capture as much light as possible, so use the widest (fastest) aperture your lens has. I recommend an aperture between F4.0 and F2.8.

To learn more about aperture, click here.

SHUTTER SPEED
Depending on how fast the lights are moving, or how bright they are, you’ll want to adjust your shutter speed (exposure) accordingly. Anything from 2 seconds to 13 seconds is a good place to start.

The faster the lights are moving, the shorter the shutter speed should be. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a massive blob of the overexposed green sky…

ISO
The last setting you should adjust for northern lights photos is ISO. Increasing ISO allows your sensor to capture more light. The downside is that the higher your ISO is, the more sensor noise you’ll get, resulting in a grainy image.

Generally, I shoot my northern lights photos using an ISO of 1000 – 4000 which seems to work best.

Post-Processing Your Aurora Images

Once you have a decent image, you can enhance your Iceland northern lights photos with post-processing software. I personally use a combination of Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop, but there are others.

They all basically do the same things. How much processing you do to your photos is a matter of preference. Remember, art is subjective! You and I may not like the same things.

Post-processing is a huge topic though, so I’ll just give you a super quick overview of what I did to enhance my northern lights images to really make them pop.

• Adjust White Balance
• Increase Exposure
• Brighten Shadows
• Brighten Whites
• Darken Highlights
• Increase Clarity, Vibrance, and Saturation
• Adjust Curves
• Noise Reduction
• Sharpening

Happy Northern Lights Hunting!

The Iceland northern lights photography featured here was captured in the fall, over multiple trips while driving around Iceland’s famous Ring Road.

The lights would usually start off weak, increasing in intensity over the course of a few hours. The best shots were captured at peak aurora activity, which usually only lasted for about 10-15 minutes.

Patience & dedication is soooo important for northern lights photography… you need to stick around long enough for the good stuff to show itself.

With a little planning, a lot of waiting, and a dash of luck, you too can witness this amazing natural phenomenon in Iceland called the northern lights.

There’s nothing like seeing the northern lights in person! It’s magic. ★

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READ MORE PHOTOGRAPHY & ICELAND TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to photographing the northern lights in Iceland! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

• Check out my ultimate Iceland Ring Road itinerary to learn about all the top highlights along the way.
• Planning a trip to Iceland, but not sure when to go? Here’s the best time to visit Iceland organized by seasons.
• If you only have a few days, a better option is to drive Iceland’s Golden Circle as a day trip instead.
• Did you know that many citizens of Iceland believe in elves? Here are some other strange facts about Iceland.
• Bookmark my favorite Iceland photography locations to get that perfect shot for Instagram!
• Save some money and learn about the best places to stay in Reykjavikwhen you visit the city.
• Want to improve your photos? Read my best travel photography tipsand guide to picking a travel camera.

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Have any questions about seeing the northern lights in Iceland? Or how to photograph them? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Is Social Media Ruining the Travel Experience?

Travel Photography

The massive growth of Instagram, social media, and travel blogs in recent years has had a profound impact on how we travel. Not all of it positive. Has travel changed forever?

As someone who makes a living as a travel blogger and photographer, inspiring others to travel, this topic has been on my mind a lot lately.

Over the last 9 years I’ve witnessed first-hand how travel destinations have become overwhelmed by tourists and Instagram selfie-seekers, many of whom seem to be destroying the places they visit.

In fact, I’m part of the problem. And I don’t know how I feel about that.

As you’ll see below, this is a multi-faceted issue, with many different components involved. Social media isn’t the only culprit.

But how do we fix it? Is it even possible, or are we too late?

Overcrowding at Famous Destinations

Overtourism Is A Problem

Tourism helps drive local economies, and countries spend a great deal of time and money attracting travelers to their destinations for that very reason.

But there can also be too much of a good thing. The phenomenon is called “overtourism”, and it’s beginning to take a toll on local communities, and even entire countries.

Tourism helped save Iceland after its 2008 financial crisis. But now many residents have had enough. Since 2010, the number of visitors has more than quadrupled — putting a ton of strain on infrastructure and the environment.

Just 800 people visited Norway’s picturesque Trolltunga “Troll’s Tongue” viewpoint in 2010, while 80,000 people made the hike in 2016. This massive surge of tourism (and rescue missions for those unprepared for the 10 hour trek) was fueled in a large part by social media.

Recent protests in Venice and Barcelona showcase what unchecked tourism is doing to these popular European cities. Neighborhoods become too expensive for locals as investors buy up apartments to rent out to tourists.

More People Are Traveling

Over the past 10 years tourism in general has surged, driven by a rising middle class around the world. This is especially true for emerging economies like China and India.

With more disposable income to spend, millions of new travelers are hitting the road and collecting photos for their Instagram feeds.

Travel has become more affordable and accessible too, with budget airlines like WOW Air and alternative accommodation options like Airbnb.

Studies have shown that Millennials prioritize experiences over possessions, and 72% of millennials say they are planning to travel more, compared with 59% of Gen Xers and 40% of Baby Boomers.

Travel is just hot right now. While the world saw 500 million international travelers in 1995, it has swelled to a massive 1.3 billion tourists in 2017 — and is growing even faster.

For those of us who’ve been promoting the benefits of travel, hey it’s actually working! But there have been consequences…

Many of these new travelers are visiting the same handful of destinations, creating some massive issues with overcrowding. The tourist experience itself is deteriorating due to long lines and a lack of patience.

Social Media Influences People

The Power Of Social Media

If you still don’t think social media has the power to influence people, you’ve got some catching up to do. A new report by Fullscreen & Shareablee shows just how powerful it is.

“Almost half (42%) of 18-34 report trying a product recommended by an influencer, and more than one-quarter (26%) say they have actually made a purchase based on a recommendation.”

Another study by the University of Georgia highlights the “bandwagon effect” and the “snob effect” that social media has on travel.

Some people choose their destinations based on what’s currently trending, while others try to be “cool” by picking destinations that aren’t as popular. Either way, social media is influencing their decisions.

[su_note note_color=”#DCEFF5″ text_color=”#333333″ radius=”3″ class=””]I personally found this study interesting, because I try to do a combination of these two things as a strategy for my business. Highlighting a mix of popular and “undiscovered” places. LOL![/su_note]

The town of Wanaka, New Zealand saw a massive 14% increase in tourism to its region when it focused on inviting social media influencers to visit, far surpassing traditional marketing methods.

Social media is very effective at inspiring people to purchase plane tickets, book hotels, and visit the same locations as the influencers they follow.

Just Taking a Shark Selfie to Show Off…

Selfish Selfie Culture

When the crusaders reached Jerusalem, they visited the tomb of Jesus at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and proceeded to carve graffiti into the walls in order to say “I was here.”

Humans have always been a selfish bunch. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the tools we use to feed our narcissism.

In the 12th century, it was a medieval dagger. In the 1980’s, it was polaroid cameras and those agonizing family slideshows full of bad travel snapshots.

Just check out photographer Martin Parr’s 1990’s coffee table book Small World if you need reminding what tourism was like before Facebook.

These days, we’re simply using Instagram, Facebook, and selfie-sticks to more effectively indulge in our narcissism, and to a larger audience.

Look at me! I’m so worldly & cultured, right? Like & comment if you agree!

We have to make our mark somehow, to feed those egotistical tendencies — and carving graffiti with daggers is no longer allowed.

Chichen Itza? Check!

A Checklist Mentality

Famous places are famous for a reason. They’re beautiful. Or strange. They have historic or cultural value. You’ll probably want to see them for yourself, and take a photo, just like countless others before you.

This isn’t new to Instagram. As someone who was shooting travel photos before Instagram was a thing, just look at any postcard rack and you’ll see many of the same famous locations on display.

People have been holding up the Leaning Tower Of Pisa for 30+ years.

The only difference is that our travel photos are public now. No longer hidden away in family photo albums.

Instagram has become a publicly accessible bucket-list of places you NEED to visit, fueling a FOMO (fear of missing out) attitude. We’re trying too hard to impress everyone with our list.

Taj Mahal? Chichen Itza? Great Wall Of China?

Been there, done that. Got the t-shirt (and Instagram photo) to prove it.

The Algorithm

Instagram’s algorithm pushes certain types of images to the top of your feed because they naturally get the most attention. Epic landscapes. Colorful sunsets. Famous attractions. Bikini bottoms on white sand beaches.

Even if you want to see other kinds of photography, the algorithm makes it difficult, because those images get buried at the bottom of your feed.

While you can certainly ignore the algorithm, and post whatever the hell you want, those photos most likely won’t be seen by your followers.

So people who are trying to “make it big” on Instagram and get the most likes and followers — keep posting the same damn things over and over again, because they work.

It’s a vicious cycle that leads to the repetition of un-inspiring images that you’ve already seen 100 times before.

Photography is Booming! (Source: Statista)

Everyone’s A Photographer Now

The hobby of photography has grown exponentially over the past few years with technology like digital cameras, smartphones, and online storage and sharing of images through social media.

This means there are simply far more photos of everything now.

It’s estimated that 1.2 trillion digital photos were taken in 2017.

Photography has become more accessible to more people. Everyone and their grandmother is attempting to jockey into position for a memorable shot with their iPhone, iPad, or travel camera.

Countless professionals and non-professionals are sharing free photography how-to YouTube videos online. More of us are getting excited about photography than ever before!

Which is great — as long as we’re following the rules, and not causing a nuisance for others.

Unfortunately, with so many new enthusiasts, there’s a lot of ignorance about common photography etiquette too.

For example, walking directly into other people’s shots, or taking too long to capture a photo when there’s a line of others waiting their turn.

Not Illegal, But Not The Smartest Thing I’ve Done…

Destructive Human Nature

While the rise of Instagram and social media has certainly contributed to the problems, we can’t discount the powerful effects of human nature, ignorance, and our tendency to trash the environment.

Social media has just amplified these consequences to new levels.

When a small sunflower farm in Canada was overwhelmed with visitors due to Instagram, police were called in to shut down the roads and protect the farm from further destruction.

When two women began arguing over a photo-op at Italy’s most famous fountain, it soon escalated into a violent brawl.

Members of a popular group of YouTube/Instagram stars who were jailed for breaking multiple laws in pursuit of fame tragically died while attempting more stunts.

But this has been happening before Instagram too. For years people have been climbing Mount Everest, risking death for bragging rights, all while destroying the mountain with trash and human waste.

Make Money – Make Money, Money

Travel Influencers & Money

The “Rick Steves Effect“. The “Lonely Planet Effect”. Even National Geographic. The ability to make a profit through travel writing and photography has always had both positive and negative outcomes.

Introducing millions of people to a new place and inspiring them to visit can inject a lot of money into a region. It can create new jobs for locals. It can broaden the minds of travelers who make the journey.

But it can also wreak havoc and chaos if the destination isn’t ready for the onslaught of tourism that follows.

The internet broke down barriers to entry into this world, allowing anyone to become a travel photographer, travel writer, or YouTube video host.

It’s how I got started 9 years ago creating this travel blog — chasing a dream, with no professional training.

As the world consumed more news and entertainment online, advertising dollars followed. Myself and many others have been able to make a good living sharing our travel adventures via social media.

Would you believe I’m able to charge up to $4000 for a single Instagram photo? Or $15,000 for a destination marketing campaign? Others with more reach can earn even more…

Suddenly, getting the perfect photo isn’t just a hobby, it’s a job. And more people become fixated on chasing dollar signs than having a real travel experience.

Iceland Before the Crowds

Yes, I’m Part Of The Problem

I’m fully aware of the irony of being a tourist myself, complaining about other tourists. And the further irony that I’m making a living doing it in the process.

While helping to promote these destinations to a wide audience as part of my business, they eventually get overwhelmed.

I’m not so egotistical to think that my content alone created these problems, but I certainly share some of the blame.

Example #1

Back in 2014 I traveled to Iceland for the first time, renting a campervan and driving the country’s Ring Road. I wrote an article about my experience, which has been read over a million times by other travelers.

One location I mentioned was completely altered after my visit. Due to a surge of disrespectful tourists, the Sólheimasandur airplane trail was closed down to vehicles and the plane itself was wrecked by graffiti.

Example #2

Back in 2013 I visited a special monastery in Thailand where monks would give you a traditional Sak Yant tattoo, etched by hand, in exchange for a $3 donation. Filled with locals, and a few tourists, the experience was very authentic and cool.

However after word got around and the activity became super popular, the site turned into a gimmicky tattoo factory, with regular dudes doing the work (no longer monks), and charging upwards of $120 USD.

So What’s The Solution?

Do travelers with “influence” need to be more careful about what they share online? Or will no location remain pristine and undiscovered for long, regardless of what we do?

Do governments need to do a better job managing their tourists, spending more money on enforcing laws, permit systems, sustainability, and infrastructure — rather than tourism marketing?

Or are we just undergoing an unstoppable change in how the world travels — due to a combination of population growth, a rising worldwide middle class, and our already narcissistic nature combined with social media?

I really don’t know. Maybe there isn’t a solution. But I’m hoping that together we can at least acknowledge that there’s something troubling going on, and maybe try to do our own small part to make a difference.

• Pick up some trash on your next adventure.
• Observe posted signs and local customs.
• Read up on travel photography etiquette.
• Put down your camera from time to time.
• Shame & report those who aren’t following rules.
• Learn more about the people and places you visit.
• Don’t treat travel as a competition or checklist.
• Be aware your actions may have negative consequences.

If you agree that something needs to change, please share this article. Awareness and discussion are the first steps! ★

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Do you think Instagram & social media is ruining travel? Can you share any additional examples? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Travel Photography Tips

Looking to improve your travel photography? I’ve spent 10-years shooting photos from destinations around the world. Here are my favorite travel photography tips for beginners.

Some people collect souvenirs when they travel, I prefer to collect beautiful images with my camera.

Travel photography is like a time machine, freezing memories from a journey that you can look back on and enjoy for years. Plus it can help others find new inspiration.

Every travel destination has its own look, culture, history, people, feelings, landscapes, and stories.

Learning how to capture these subjects through photos helps convey the spirit of a place to others, giving them a glimpse of what it might be like to venture there.

I never went to school for photography. And yet here I am now, making my living as a professional travel photographer who regularly licenses images to tourism boards, brands, and occasionally glossy magazines.

I’ve slowly learned the techniques of travel photography over years of reading books, watching online tutorials, and regular practice to improve my craft. You can learn this way too — if you put in the effort!

Below you’ll find my favorite beginner travel photography tips to help improve your images during your next vacation!

Why listen to me? Experience! I’ve been traveling around the world for ten years as a professional travel photographer, licensing images to brands like NatGeo.

Matthew KarstenThe Expert Vagabond

Travel Photography Tips For Beginners

1. Wake Up Early, Stay Out Late

The early bird gets the worm. I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase. Well, it’s also very true for travel photography. Light is the most important ingredient for great photography — and soft, warm, morning light creates amazing images.

Waking up early also means you’ll have to deal with fewer tourists and other photographers. Want an epic postcard shot of a famous landmark like the ruins of Chichen Itza or the Taj Mahal? Just get there early right when it opens and you’ll pretty much have the place to yourself!

Sunrise isn’t the only time to catch good light. Sunsets are also great (check out these shots from Lofoten). The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset are nicknamed “golden hours” because of their soft, warm tones and eye-pleasing shadows. “Blue hour”, is the hour after sunset (or before sunrise) when the sky is still blue, but city lights are turned on.

In comparison, shooting photos at noon on a bright sunny day is probably the absolute worst time for travel photography! In fact sometimes I’ll just take a nap during the middle of the day so I have more energy for early morning and evening photography missions when the light is best.

2. Pre-Trip Location Scouting

Read travel guidebooks about your destination. Scour the internet for articles and blog posts to help give you ideas for photos. Talk to friends who have been there. Reach out to other photographers. Become more knowledgeable about which images will capture the essence of a place.

Some of my favorite tools for travel photography research are Instagram, Pinterest, and Google Image Search. I use them to learn where iconic locations are. Actual postcard racks are also a great tool for helping to create a “shot list”.

Once I know the names of potential photo locations, I’ll do more research. Which time of day has the best light? How difficult is it to reach certain vantage points? What time does an attraction open, and when will tourist traffic be low? What will the weather be like?

Wandering around with no plans has its place, but being well prepared with research beforehand saves time so you can fully commit to producing amazing travel photography once you’re there, and maximize your time.

3. Ask For Permission From Locals

Photographing local people in a foreign country is tough for many photographers. What if they don’t understand you? What if they say no? Will they get offended? It took me a couple years to get comfortable shooting portraits of locals, and even now I still get a bit nervous.

But I’ve learned the key is to talk to people first. Say hello. Ask for directions. Buy a souvenir. Compliment them on something. Chat for a few minutes BEFORE asking for a photo. It’s far less invasive this way.

Always ask permission for close-ups too. Spend 15 minutes learning how to say “can I make a photograph” or “can I take your portrait” in the local language before you arrive. People really appreciate the effort, and it’s a great way to make a new friend.

Some people will say no. Some will ask for money (I sometimes pay, but that’s up to you). It’s not the end of the world. Thank them for their time, smile, and move on to someone else and try again. Actually the more you get rejected, the easier it gets to ask!

4. Never Stop Learning

Enroll in some online photography classes. Invest in a travel photography workshop. Go out and practice on a regular basis. This is how you get better – not because you have the latest gear or use popular Instagram filters.

Even though I’ve been earning money with my photography for many years, there’s always something new to learn. I regularly invest in online courses and books about photography to improve my craft. You should too.

Think you know everything about landscapes? Then go out and challenge yourself shooting portraits of strangers. Stalk animals like a hunter for a taste of how difficult wildlife photography is. Stay up late experimenting with long-exposures of the Milky Way.

You’ll become a more skilled and resourceful travel photographer when you take the time to learn new techniques and skills from other genres of photography.

Online Photography Courses

Want to improve your photography? Fancy gear is nice, but learning from other photographers is a better investment.

Click Here For Free Guide

5. Rule Of Thirds In Photography

One of the most basic and classic of photography tips, understanding the Rule of Thirds will help you create more balanced compositions. Imagine breaking an image down into thirds horizontally and vertically, so it’s split into different sections.

The goal is to place important parts of the photo into those sections and help frame the overall image in a way that’s pleasing to the eye.

For example, placing a person along the left grid line rather than directly in the center. Or keeping your horizon on the bottom third, rather than splitting the image in half. Remember to keep that horizon straight too!

Composing using the Rule of Thirds is easily done by turning on your camera’s “grid” feature, which displays a rule of thirds grid directly on your LCD screen specifically for this purpose.

Now, before you compose a travel photo, you should be asking yourself: What are the key points of interest in this shot? Where should I intentionally place them on the grid? Paying attention to these details will improve the look of your images.

6. Pack A Lightweight Travel Tripod

I think more people should be using lightweight travel tripods. A tripod allows you to set your camera position and keep it there. With the camera fixed, you can then take your time arranging the perfect composition.

You can also adjust exposure settings, focus points, and really spend time paying attention to the image you want to create. Or use advanced techniques like HDR, focus stacking, and panoramas.

Tripods give you the ability to shoot much slower shutter speeds (waterfalls, low-light, stars, etc) without worrying about hand-held camera shake. You can keep your ISO low (for less sensor noise) and use smaller apertures, so more of the image is in focus.

You’ll have greater creative control over your camera’s manual settings when using a tripod. This doesn’t mean you have to lug a tripod around with you absolutely everywhere. I don’t.

But for tack sharp landscapes, low-light photography, self-portraits, flowing water shots, and sunsets/sunrises, a travel tripod makes a huge difference.

7. Experiment With Composition

You can almost always come up with a better photo composition after some experimentation. Sure, take that first shot standing up straight. But then try laying on the ground for a low angle. Maybe climb up something nearby and shoot from a higher angle.

Along with different angles, try shooting from different distances too. Start with a wide shot, then a mid-range version, and finally, get up-close and personal. Never be satisfied with your first idea for an image!

Try to include powerful foreground, mid-ground, and background elements too. If your subject is a mountain range — find a flower, river, animal, or interesting rock to include in the foreground. This gives images a 3-dimensional feel and helps convey scale, drawing a viewer’s eye into the rest of the photo.

Focal compression is another great compositional tactic in travel photography. Compression is when a photographer uses a zoom lens to trick the eye into thinking objects are closer than they really are.

8. Make Travel Photography A Priority

Attempting to take quick snapshots as you rush from one location to another will leave you with the same boring photos everyone else has. Make sure you plan “photography time” into your travel schedule. Good travel photography requires a solid time commitment on your part.

If you’re traveling with friends who aren’t into photography, it can be difficult to find the time necessary to create amazing images. You need to break off on your own for a few hours to make photography your priority. I often prefer to travel alone or with other dedicated photographers for this reason.

Good luck trying to explain to a non-photographer that you’d like to wait around for an extra 30 minutes until the clouds look better. It doesn’t go over well. For organized tours, try waking up early to wander alone for a few hours, getting photos before the tour starts.

Even better, splurge on a rental car for a travel photography road trip. This allows you to control when and where you stop for photos. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a bus while passing an epic photo opportunity, powerless to stop and capture it!

9. Don’t Underestimate The Human Element

People like to live vicariously through human subjects in photos. Especially if the viewer can pretend the person in the photo is them. It adds more emotion to an image, you feel like you’re experiencing the location yourself.

How do you accomplish this? By posing the subject in such a way that they become anonymous. Not showing the subject’s face. This is why Murad Osmann’s “follow me to” Instagram photos went viral. Viewers felt like they were the ones being led around the world by a beautiful woman.

The human element also gives a better sense of scale. By placing your subject in the distance, you can get a better sense of just how big those mountains really are. It’s why photographing “tiny” people in large landscapes does well.

Adding a human element to photos helps tell a story too. Images seem to be more powerful when people are included in them. You can completely change the storyline of a particular photo depending on what type of human element you decide to incorporate.

10. Patience Is Everything

Photography is about really seeing what’s in front of you. Not just with your eyes, but with your heart & mind too. This requires dedicated time and attention. Slow down and make a conscious effort at becoming aware of your surroundings before pressing the shutter.

Pay attention to details. Are the clouds in an eye-pleasing spot? If not, will they look better in 15 minutes? Sit at a photogenic street corner and wait for a photogenic subject to pass by. Then wait some more, because you might get an even better shot. Or not. But if you don’t have the patience to try, you might miss a fantastic photo opportunity!

When shooting the Northern Lights in Iceland, I spent all night camping in the cold at a perfect location, simply waiting for the magical aurora borealis to appear. When it finally did, I waited a few hours more to capture the brightest possible colors.

Good photography takes time. Are you willing to spend a few hours waiting for the perfect shot? Because that’s what professionals do. The more patience you have, the better your travel photography will turn out in the long run.

11. Protect Against Theft

Cameras are small expensive products. As such, they’re a prime target for theft while traveling. I’ve heard many sad theft stories from other travelers. Luckily I’ve never had my camera stolen, but I also take precautions against it.

First of all, buy camera insurance. This is the best way to minimize losses if your camera gear does wind up in the hands of a criminal. Your homeowner or rental insurance might already cover you. If not, organizations like the Professional Photographers of America offer insurance to members.

Keep your gear secured when not shooting, like in a hotel safe or hostel locker. Never check expensive photography gear under a plane, always take it carry-on. Try not to flash your camera around in sketchy or poverty-stricken areas, keep it hidden in a nondescript bag until ready for use.

Register new gear with the manufacturer. Copy down serial numbers and save purchase receipts to help speed up insurance claims. Include your name & camera serial number on image EXIF data, so if your camera is stolen, you can track it down online using StolenCameraFinder.com.

12. Shoot Travel Photos In Manual Mode

You’d think that modern cameras are smart enough to take incredible pictures on their own, in AUTO mode. Well, that’s just not the case. While they do a pretty good job, if you want truly stunning images, you need to learn how to manually control your camera’s settings yourself.

If you’re new to photography, you may not realize all the camera settings that need to be adjusted. These include ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. If you want the best images possible, you need to know the relationship between them, and how to adjust these settings on your own.

To do this, switch your camera’s dial into Manual Mode. This camera mode gives you much more control of the look of your images in different situations. By manually adjusting aperture you’ll have more control over the depth of field in your image.

By manually controlling shutter speed, you’ll be able to capture motion in more creative ways. By manually controlling ISO, you’ll be able to reduce the noise of your images and deal with tricky lighting situations. Here’s a good free online tutorial about Manual Mode.

13. Always Bring A Camera

There is a saying in photography that “the best camera is the one you have with you”. Be ready for anything, and always carry some kind of travel camera around, because luck plays a pretty key role in travel photography.

The difference between an amateur photographer and a pro is that the pro is planning in advance for this luck, ready to take advantage of these special serendipitous moments that will happen from time to time.

You never know what kind of incredible photo opportunity might present itself while you’re traveling. Maybe while out walking you happen to stumble upon a brilliant pink sunset, a rare animal, or some random street performance.

While hiking in Greenland I kept my camera ready and within easy reach with a 70-200mm lens attached. This helped me capture great shots of reindeer, rabbits, an arctic fox, and musk oxen. If it had been packed away in my camera backpack, I would’ve missed these opportunities.

Keep your camera on you, charged up, and ready for action at all times.

14. Get Lost On Purpose

Ok. You’ve visited all the popular photography sites and captured your own version of a destination’s postcard photos. Now what? It’s time to go exploring and get off the beaten tourist path. It’s time to get lost on purpose.

If you want to get images no one else has, you need to wander more. The best way to do this is on foot — without knowing exactly where you’re going. Grab a business card from your hotel so you can catch a taxi back if needed, then just pick a direction and start walking.

Bring your camera, and head out into the unknown. Check with locals to make sure you’re not heading somewhere dangerous, but make a point get lost. Wander down alleys, to the top of a mountain, and around the next bend.

In many places, locals tend to avoid tourist spots. So if you want to capture the true nature of a destination and its people, you’ll need to get away from the crowd and go exploring on your own.

15. Backup Your Travel Photos

Along with camera insurance, I can’t stress enough the importance of both physical and online backups of your travel photos. When my laptop computer was stolen once in Panama, backups of my photography saved the day.

My travel photography backup workflow includes an external hard drive backup of RAW camera files, as well as online backup of select images and another online backup of final edited images.

Sometimes, for important projects, I’ll even mail a small hard drive loaded with images back to the United States if the internet is just too slow for online backup of large RAW files or video. I use Scan Disk Extreme Portable hard drives for physical backup and DropBox for online cloud storage.

16. Get Better At Post Processing

There is a ridiculous myth out there that editing your photos using software is “cheating”. Let’s clear that up right now. All professional photographers edit their digital images using software like Lightroom, Photoshop, or GIMP.

Some do it more than others, but basically, everyone does it.

Post-processing is an integral part of any travel photographer’s workflow. Just like darkroom adjustments are a part of a film photographer’s workflow. Learning how to process your images after they’re taken is FAR more important than what camera you use.

Learn how to improve contrast, sharpen image elements, soften color tones, reduce highlights, boost shadows, minimize sensor noise, and adjust exposure levels (without going overboard) using the software.

If you are going to invest money somewhere, I’d recommend spending it on professional post-processing tutorials before you invest in the latest camera gear. Post-processing knowledge can really improve your travel photography.

17. Don’t Obsess Over Camera Equipment

Want to know what travel photography gear I use? Well, here you go. But if you went out right now and bought all that stuff, not only would it be super expensive, I guarantee it won’t improve your photography skills.

Why? Because the gear you use is not what makes a great photographer. Just like the type of brush a painter uses doesn’t make them a great painter. It’s knowledge, experience, and creativity that makes a great photographer. That’s why photography courses can be a great gift for photographers too!

Professionals use expensive gear because it allows them to produce a greater range of images. For example, extremely low light star photography. Or fast-action wildlife photography. Or because they want to sell large fine-art prints.

Instead of buying the latest equipment, spend time learning how to use your current camera’s settings. It’s a far better investment, and cheaper too!

Best Cameras For Traveling

Looking to upgrade your camera anyway? Check out my review of the best portable cameras for travel photography.

Click Here For Free Guide

18: Look For Leading Lines

Travel photos can be full of cool stuff to look at, but if you can direct the viewer’s attention THROUGH the photo, it makes for a wonderful experience. Framing your image using leading lines can help with this.

Basically, you try to use the land, objects, or other features to send people deeper into your photo, leading them to the main subjects. Some good examples of leading lines are roads, rivers, hiking trails, alleyways, or mountain ridges. The key is to draw the viewer’s eye into the frame.

19: Framing Your Photos

Occasionally I ask a random stranger to take a photo of me when I travel. This is usually pretty risky, because most people aren’t great photographers, even if they think they are. I always laugh when my legs or an arm is completely cut out of the frame! LOL.

Learning to properly frame a photo takes practice. Leave a little buffer space in the sky above that mountain. Make sure the horizon is straight. Don’t cut people’s feet off the bottom of the photo. Does something in the background look out of place? Don’t just focus on the subject, take a moment to glance around the rest of the frame to make double sure you’re about to take great photo!

20: Be Nice & Have Fun!

I’ve seen many travel photographers who take their photography VERY seriously. You probably know the type, usually semi-professionals blocking off famous photography locations with a wall of tripods, ignoring closed off areas, yelling at anyone who gets in their frame.

Try to remember that we’re all sharing these spaces with each other, and we have to learn to get along. Be kind to other photographers, practice patience and common sense. Try not to be the person that ruins everyone else’s photo, but treat other photographers the way you would want to be treated!

More Travel Photography Resources

To go along with my top travel photography tips, here are some of the tools I’ve used to improve my photography over the years. I hope you find them as useful as I did! Remember, never stop learning.

Post Processing Software

• Adobe Creative Cloud – Powerful suite of editing programs (Lightroom & Photoshop) used by most professional travel photographers.
• The Nik Collection – Awesome photography plugins for polishing your final images. Noise reduction, sharpening, color filters and more.

Excellent Photography Tutorials

• Adventure Photography Pro – Learn how to produce incredible images, edit them, and promote them. 20% Off Code: VAGABOND20
• The Business Of Photography – Learn how to turn photography into your career. 20% Off Code: VAGABOND20
• Landscape Photography In Depth – Detailed online course from one of the best landscape photographers out there.

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READ MORE TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to travel photography tips! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more photography related articles that I recommend you read next:

• Tips For Choosing A Travel Camera
• Reviewing The DJI Mavic 2 Pro
• How To Photograph The Northern Lights
• Tips For Starting A Travel Blog
• Best GoPro Accessories For Travel

Have any questions about travel photography tips? What about other suggestions? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

Travel Inspiration

Need some travel inspiration? Follow my favorite Instagram travel photographers as they capture beautiful images of people, landscapes, and animals around the world.

Checking in on my favorite travel Instagramers has become an almost daily routine. They provide me with a little snapshot of their lives.

A compact digital postcard from very different parts of the world!

Keep in mind my list of photographers is completely subjective. We all enjoy different kinds of photography. Some of these accounts are more personality-driven, while others create a steady stream of incredible travel images.

I update this list with my favorite Instagram travel photographers every year, so it’s always changing. There’s no particular order either — they’re all equally awesome!

Check em’ out, and be inspired by some of the best travel photos online!

Best Travel Instagrammers For 2022

Top 20 Instagram Travel Accounts

1. Expert Vagabond | @ExpertVagabond

Yeah, that’s me! Before I share my favorite Instagram travel photographers, I wanted to introduce you to my account first. Shameless self-promotion.

Do you love epic landscapes & adventure photography?

Then you’ll love my account! I’ve been a professional travel photographer & blogger for the past 10 years — sharing crazy adventures like:

• Hitchhiking Across The United States
• Scuba Diving With Bull Sharks
• Backpacking The Mountains Of Afghanistan
• Chasing Iceland’s Northern Lights

follow matt on instagram →

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2. Ever Changing Horizon | @EverChangingHorizon

Quin Schrock shares adventure photos featuring incredibly colorful places from his travels around the world. From mountains to lakes he always manages to capture the most perfect moments. Lots of Vanlife content too.

follow Quin on instagram →

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3. Daniel Kordan | @DanielKordan

Daniel Kordan shoots breathtaking landscape photography from places like Norway, Russia, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and more. I’m always inspired by his feed. He’s surely passionate about ice and frozen things.

follow Daniel on instagram →

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4. Chelsea Kauai | @ChelseaKauai

Chelsea is a definition of an outdoor adventure girl. Although from sunny Hawaii, you can find her camping in the snow, freediving in underwater caves, or performing incredible acts of acroyoga!

follow Chelsea on instagram →

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6. Be My Travel Muse

@bemytravelmuse

Kristin is a former investment banker who got fed up with corporate life, and now travels the world seeking off-the-beaten-path adventures. On her account you can see captures from some of the best hikes around the world.

7. Chris Burkard

@chrisburkard

Chris is one of the most famous surf and adventure photographers on Instagram, featuring remote landscapes and wilderness locations that are far off the beaten path. He seems to frequently enjoy swimming in icy arctic water too…

8. Kirsten Alana | @kirstenalana

@kirstenalana

Not only does Kirsten shoot awesome travel photos, but her updates are like mini blog posts full of information about the area she’s visiting. I could definitely use some of her storytelling tips.

9. Lauren Bath

@laurenepbath

Known as Australia’s first professional Instagrammer, Lauren has been capturing beautiful photos of her travels and sharing them for the rest of us. Her shots are both colorful and dreamy.

10. Young Adventuress

@youngadventuress

I always enjoy Liz’s scenic photo updates as she hikes, flies, and swims her way through Europe, the Middle East, and New Zealand.

11. Le Backpacker

@lebackpacker

Johan is a world explorer with a passion for the outdoors and the wilderness, photographing places like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. He says that he’s ‘a person who notices beauty in the world’ and it does show in his photos.

12. El Jackson

@eljackson

Sam is a Finnish photographer who currently resides in Norway, with his wife @hilvees. Through both of their photos you can see a passion for the outdoor adventures as they capture stunning landscapes of Scandinavia and beyond.

13. EmiToms

@emitoms

Emily will take you for an adventure among the mountains and show you the best sunsets in the US. If you’re a fan of lakes you’ll enjoy her account even more.

14. Tiff Penguin

@tiffpenguin

Tiffany works as a dentist in California, but loves to travel with a camera in her spare time. Her photos are full of colorful adventures in the mountains, national parks and camping spots. She uses small subjects to better demonstrate the immense scale of natural wonders.

15. The Planet D

@theplanetd

Dave & Deb share their adventures around the planet with both beautiful images and humor. Their motto is that adventure is for everyone, at any age. From the arctic to the desert, they travel to photogenic places and are willing to try it all. Kayaking, rock climbing, cycling, and more.

16. The Blonde Abroad

@theblondeabroad

Kiersten’s stream contains fun photos of beautiful places and festivals around the world, with a bit of fashion thrown in. I’m always amazed how her outfits seem to match the backdrop of her shots. She’s a scuba diver too!

17. In A Faraway Land

@InFarAwayLand

Marta is an outdoor lover, who spends a really long time in each destination, getting to know it well and capturing its beauty in a unique way. She seems to have a particularly fondness for the wilderness of New Zealand, Iceland, and Canada.

18. Girl Eat World

@girleatworld

Imagine the #FollowMeTo photo series with food – this would be Mel’s account. She’s showing her favorite local foods in each destination she visits, creating an incredible photo series that gives you a mix of both delicious food and beautiful backdrops.

19. Everything Everywhere

@everythingeverywhere

Gary’s award-winning photography takes you on a virtual tour through some of the many UNESCO World Heritage Sites and National Parks he visits from around the world.

20. Adventures Of Lil Nicki

@adventuresoflilnicki

Nicole travels more off the path than on the path. She always managed to find beautiful places everywhere and captures them perfectly. She’s just returning from Antarctica so tune in for some penguin shots!

21. Fun For Louis

@FunForLouis

Louis shouldn’t need an introduction. He’s a crazy daily vlogger who also happens to be a great photographer too. His shots are natural, often with friends, showcasing the beauty of spontaneous adventure. He’s constantly going on awesome road trips around the world.

22. Brendan Van Son

@BrendanVanSon

Brendan is a Canadian photographer who’s been on the road for a while, it seems he’s always moving. Whether in the city, or out exploring the wilderness, he makes his shots look dreamy and inviting. His photos showcase his love for long-exposure photography.

23. Alex Strohl

@AlexStrohl

Alex is one of the first photographers I followed on Instagram. His epic landscape and adventure images will inspire you to break out your gear and head into the mountains. He spends a lot of time in each destination, which helps him really capture its magic.

24. Anna Everywhere

@Anna.Everywhere

Anna has been exploring the world for over 10 years now, from climbing active volcanoes to touring Europe’s best castles. She’s at home in both the desert and the city, capturing awesome Instagram photos from her diverse experiences to inspire you along the way.

JOIN ME ON INSTAGRAM!

I hope you enjoyed my choices for some of the best Instagram travel photographers to follow! Feel free to share your favorites in the comments, and remember to check out my feed: Instagram.com/expertvagabond

Thanks so much, I hope you enjoyed it, and happy travels! ★

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READ MORE DIGITAL NOMAD TIPS

I hope you enjoyed my guide to the best Instagram travel photographers to follow! Hopefully you found it useful. Here are a few more wanderlust-inducing articles that I recommend you read next:

• How To Make Extra Money On The Side
• Useful Tips For Digital Nomads
• The Best Jobs That Let You Travel
• How To Work From Home
• Becoming A Freelance Photographer

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Who are your favorite travel Instagrammers? Do you prefer landscapes or cultural photos? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to share!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.