TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR ARTISTS
I have had a little recess from social over these warmer months! When I started working for myself again, one of my main goals was to have more flexibility when my kids were off of school. Summer is a a great time to connect with family and friends and also to fill these months with experiences that can inspire your artwork throughout the year.
As I take trips or enjoy time out and about, I am often taking photographs. These photos document moments in our personal lives as well as inspire my artwork.
I thought it may be helpful to put together some travel photography tips that you can use on your journeys or through the summer to inspire your artwork. Photography is my hobby but it is such a useful tool to have in your art box! These tips can be implemented in both your photography as well as your art.I hope they guide or inspire you through your art process!
Travel photography is my favorite kind of photography! Not only are you on the go experiencing a new place but you get to document your memories along the way.
In travel photography, you must let go of perfectionism because you don’t always have the perfect light, or the right pose, or the ideal background. You have to learn to adapt and get creative on the fly. For this reason, there is no better place to learn as an aspiring or seasoned photographer as it forces you to experiment. You have the opportunity to dabble in different types of photography from portraits, landscapes, nature, architecture, or detail shots.
Below I have compiled some tips that I hope help you along your creative process. As an artist, I use my photography not only to document our own life’s adventures but to inspire my pieces. These tips can also be implemented into your art. I hope you find something that inspires you!
MY CURRENT SETUP
iPhone 13 Pro
Sony Lens 3.6-5.6/16-50 (this lens came with my camera) - Great lens when starting out and for taking photos of a variety of subjects. Since it is very compact, you can easily travel with this lens. I added on my next lens to get better portrait and detail shots that I felt this lens didn’t provide.
Sony E-Mount Lens E 1.8/50 - I use this lens the VERY most! This gives you an amazing Bokeh effect and is great for portraits, details shots, or photos of my studio or art process. NOTE: this is a prime lens so you can’t zoom in and out with it so you physically have to move backward or forward from your subject.
Sony 4.5-6.3/55-210 - I purchased this for a trip to photograph wildlife. When you can’t get close to a subject (ex: lions in Africa) this is a great lens to get a distant shot. Telephoto lenses can get very expensive. For me, this was a decent priced telephoto lens but certainly doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other telephoto lenses on the market.
Other Travel Photography Gear to Consider:
Waterproof Case or Bag, Backup Batteries and Chargers, Computer, External Hard Drives for Storage, Extra Memory Cards, Lens Covers, Cleaners, Editing Software (Lightroom, PicMonkey, Photoshop), Preset Filters