An In-Depth Guide to Travel Photography

Written by Keenan Hursh

Traveling the world is one of the most exciting, enlightening, and downright fun activities many of us are fortunate enough to experience. In today's modern world, it's easier than ever to explore far-off destinations, and I think many of us, myself included, often take this for granted. The fact that we can hop on a plane, travel hundreds if not thousands of miles in mere hours, and arrive in a new place with different climates, ecosystems, cultures, and ways of life, is truly incredible and a gift.

While traveling is great by itself, there are many ways to make it more exciting and rewarding. As a lifelong photographer, there's nothing I love more than capturing memorable travel experiences through the lens. Being able to preserve wonderful or exciting moments forever is another modern marvel we often take for granted. Whether you're shooting on a smartphone or high-end mirrorless camera, travel and photography simply go hand in hand.

In this guide, I'll take you through all things travel photography. Drawing from years of experience and lessons learned through trial and error (often the hard way), I'll share tips and tricks that have helped me capture stunning images on my adventures.

Let's get right into it!

Make a Plan – Figure Out Where You Want to Go

The first step of any trip is deciding where to go. Whether you have an ongoing list of must-visit destinations like me, or you've found cheap flights to somewhere that looks incredible, make sure to do your research before heading out.

If photography is part of your plan, look at images others have captured to get an idea of what to expect. Google Images and platforms like Instagram are great places to start. Search for popular spots, discover new places, identify images that catch your attention, and get those creative juices flowing.

When planning trips, I often create a custom Google map with pins for all the locations I want to visit. This helps me see where everything is relative to each other and my lodging, while also making navigation easier once I arrive.

Having a thorough plan sets you up for success, but remember to stay flexible. Once at your destination, be open to new ideas and places you couldn't find in your research.

Figure Out What Gear and Accessories You'll Need

With your trip booked and plan in place, it's time to determine what gear to bring. Maybe all you need is your smartphone. Modern phones double as very capable cameras and often come with multiple lenses so for many travelers this is a great way to capture their experience. But many travelers prefer something more capable and powerful, whether it's a compact travel camera or a full-frame mirrorless body with various lenses and accessories.

To select the right camera gear, ask yourself:

• How much space/weight can I dedicate to camera gear? Is photography a priority or secondary
• Based on my research, what lenses/focal lengths do I need? Will I be photographing animals with a telephoto lens, people with a portrait lens, landscapes with a wide-angle lens, or perhaps all of these?
• Do I want to edit my images while on the trip? If so I might want to bring my computer and a way to transfer images from my camera.
• Do I want to capture longer exposures or maybe timelapses with a tripod?

The gear you bring will differ for everyone, depending on your specific trip, goals, and the images you want to capture. The key is ensuring you have the necessary equipment to get great shots.

Practice With Your Gear Before Heading Out

Now that you've identified your camera gear, make sure you know how to use it effectively. Even with a great camera, you won't capture great images without proper knowledge. Even if you're only using a smartphone or point-and-shoot, take time to understand its capabilities and features so that you’re ready to go on your trip.

One of the best ways to make sure you know how to use your gear is to actually go out and practice with it. Even if you’re just heading out into the backyard or a neighborhood park, a little bit of practice goes a long way and will help you work out any kinks in the system.

If you’re going to be using something a bit more advanced like a camera with interchangeable lenses and lots of dials, buttons, controls, and settings, practice is even more important as there are more things that can go wrong. Make sure you fully understand the settings you can control such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO, autofocus settings, file types, and more. You should also make sure you can quickly and easily navigate through menus and displays. The last thing you want is to be in a beautiful place about to capture a fleeing moment and you’re wasting time trying to figure your camera out. I’ve been there and it’s the worst.

Practice makes perfect. Put in the time and effort to set yourself up for success on that once-in-a-lifetime trip!

Packing Advice

One of the most important aspects of travel photography is packing. This is something that has caused me tons of stress and anxiety and over the years I’ve learned a lot to say the least. If you’re just planning to bring a smartphone or small point and shoot, this isn’t as much of an issue but if you’re bringing expensive and delicate cameras and accessories things can start to get complicated quickly.

First, you’ll need to determine how much room you have for photography gear. If you're heading somewhere warm, you might have plenty of space, but if you're going somewhere cold requiring lots of insulating layers, hats, gloves, and boots, your options may be limited. Assess what you're bringing, how many bags you want, and how important photography is. If it's your trip's primary focus, dedicate more space to camera gear.

I also refuse to check any of my essential and/or expensive camera gear, especially camera bodies and lenses. I’ve seen the way airports treated checked bags and with all the money I’ve invested in my gear it just isn’t worth the risk. Always bring essential photography equipment in your carry-on, and ensure its well-protected either with camera-specific padded storage solutions or by wrapping it in clothing.

This protection and packing advice continues well after you’ve arrived at your destination. Even while you’re on your trip make sure to keep your things organized and protected. When you’re out and about keep your equipment padded and protected within your pack and make sure it’s safe from liquid and the elements. Make sure not to put your water bottle on top of your equipment and maybe bring a rain cover if you think you may need one. A lot of modern camera gear is quite weather/water resistant, but I don’t like taking any chances.

Always store your gear in safe, dry, temperature-controlled places when not in use. Avoid leaving equipment in hot cars for extended periods and keep things warm in cold climates to prevent battery drain.

Advice for Capturing Great Images on Your Trip

Now it's time to start taking photos! Again, you should consider how much you want to focus on photography. If it's a secondary activity, you won't need to stress every detail, but even then, simple techniques can drastically improve your images. If photography is your primary focus, you'll likely plan activities around it, perhaps rising early and staying out late, bringing more equipment, and considering more environmental factors than usual like light, weather, the position of the sun, moon, stars, etc.

Regardless of your focus level, here are some helpful tips to get the most from your camera:

If you're passionate about photography or looking to improve, start studying composition. In the simplest sense, composition is the layout of all of the things in your image. But ultimately, it’s so much more than that. Composition is what controls how someone views and experiences a photograph. It acts as a guide controlling what people see over time. An image with a poor composition will only briefly hold someone’s attention but an image with a strong composition will pull the viewer in and hold their attention as they explore and discover this piece of art. Mastering the art of composition takes lots of time and experience but there are some simple things that photographers of all skill levels can keep in mind while out shooting. You should constantly think about the compositions you’re capturing while out shooting and whether or not they help or hurt your images and the story you’re trying to tell. You may want to zoom with your lens or “zoom with your feet” to alter the composition. Maybe you want to remove distracting elements or incorporate strengthening elements. Composition is incredibly important when producing great images and I encourage everyone to think about it more when shooting. Even if you’re using a smartphone.

Beyond composition, think about the story you want to tell. Is there a specific aspect you want to focus on? Are you trying to convey feelings about the scene? Are you merely documenting or getting creative?

For those of us shooting on mirrorless or DSLR cameras, you’ll want to make sure your camera settings are dialed in. If you’re new to photography or if you simply want less to think about so that you can focus more on composition and capturing the image, there’s nothing wrong with shooting on automatic, aperture priority, or shutter priority. These settings can often achieve great results. If you want more control over the image you’re capturing, consider shooting on full manual but make sure that your settings are achieving the look and feel you’re aiming for.

Another great tip, that I’ve learned the hard way far too many times, is to constantly review your images while you’re out shooting. I’ve often spent entire days out thinking my settings we’re perfect only to come home and realize that a majority of my images simply aren’t usable. After changing any settings, or after capturing several images it’s never a bad idea to review what you just captured. Be sure to zoom and check that things are sharp, make sure your depth of field is ideal for the image you’re capturing, and ensure that your exposure is correct.

Practice the Art of Patience and Be Flexible

Remain flexible during your trip. Things rarely go exactly as planned, and even perfect preparation can be undermined by Mother Nature. Don't get frustrated when opportunities are missed. Always have backup plans in your pocket and adapt to changing circumstances like weather, lighting, or other environmental factors. If you start feeling frustrated when things aren't working out, take a step back, breathe deeply, collect yourself, and move on. Patience and flexibility go a long way on any trip.

Never Stop Learning

Along those same lines, you should constantly remind yourself that photography is a learning experience. I’ve been shooting professionally and guiding workshops for years and I’m still learning all the time. I strongly suggest using a trip or an outing as an opportunity to expand your knowledge and expertise. Maybe you could try to learn a new style of photography, try shooting on manual if you haven’t before, or try out some new and creative styles of photography. Ultimately this is up to you, but traveling is a great time to expand your photography knowledge and level up your expertise.

Edit Your Images with a Purpose

Once you've captured your images, consider editing them. Editing isn't mandatory but can dramatically improve a photograph's impact, especially with mirrorless or DSLR cameras.

A lot of people aren’t aware of this but when you capture an image on an iPhone or any other modern-day smartphone, it is automatically being edited using incredibly advanced and sophisticated algorithms. Your phone is examining the image that was captured and editing it to what it thinks it should look like in a matter of milliseconds. You can even select presets on some phones to achieve a specific look.

If you're shooting with an interchangeable lens camera, especially in RAW format, I highly encourage editing. Don't be intimidated if you've never edited before – there's no time like the present to start. While photo editing might seem overwhelming initially, once you learn the basics, you'll catch on quickly. Remember, practice makes perfect.

One of the most important parts of post processing comes before you even start editing images. I’m talking about culling or deleting. When I first started shooting seriously, I kept a lot of my images and was scared to delete too many of them in case I might second guess myself. This is quite common. I would say that these days, I only end up editing about 10% of my images and only end up exporting about 5% maximum. In order to save yourself valuable time and only focus on the best of the best you shouldn’t be afraid to delete images. This way you can spend time editing the images that have the most impact and tell the best stories.

When it comes to actually editing your images, there are several key things to keep in mind. First and foremost, you need to edit with a purpose. Of course, a good starting place is to edit an image so that it looks “good” but I encourage all photographers to go beyond this and edit with a purpose. Once you’ve dialed in your basic settings you should make conscious decisions that help convey the message you want to send. Try to recreate the way you experienced something or the way it made you feel when editing.

Back Up and Safely Store Your Images

And last but certainly not least, It’s always a good idea to store and back up your images in a safe and effective way. You’ve gone on an awesome trip and now have some great images to remember it for the rest of your life. You’ll want to ensure that you never lose these. I personally keep all my images both on external hard drives and in the cloud. This way even if I lose or damage my computer or hard drives, I still have a way to access and retrieve my favorite images.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, travel photography combines two of life's greatest joys: exploring new places and capturing meaningful moments. With proper planning, the right gear, and thoughtful execution, you can create images that not only document your journey but also tell compelling stories that resonate with viewers and yourself for years to come.

Remember that great travel photography isn't just about technical perfection—it's about authenticity and emotion. The best travel photos transport viewers to that place and moment in time, allowing them to feel everything you experienced.

So, pack your camera, embrace the adventure, and keep your eyes open for those magical moments waiting to be captured on your next trip. Whether you're shooting majestic landscapes, vibrant street scenes, or intimate portraits, each photo becomes a piece of your unique travel story—one that you can revisit and share forever.

Right now is the time to level up your travel photography. So, get out there and start capturing your world, one frame at a time!

Keenan Hursh Bio:

Keenan Hursh is a Photographer, writer, and creative storyteller based out of Bozeman, Montana. He draws inspiration from his frequent excursions into the natural world and always brings his camera along to capture whatever adventures he finds himself in. He is passionate about documenting and sharing fleeting moments from the natural world and focuses primarily on wildlife, landscape, and adventure photography. Keenan is both a Photography Trip Leader and the Website, Copy, and Content Specialist for Backcountry Journeys, the #1 trusted leader in small-group photography workshops, trips, and safaris with well over 100 trips across the globe. You can view Keenan’s portfolio on his website at keenanhurshphoto.com.