The Enthusiast’s Guide to Travel Photography

3 reviews for The Enthusiast’s Guide to Travel Photography

1. 

   Gloria September 1, 2018

   Looks like quite a comprehensive study of travel photography which I can always use. The author covers the gamut from the philosophy of travel photography, choosing which gear to bring, and then talks about not only portraits of people you meet along the way but also wildlife, urban, and landscape photography while you travel.

   Wright states the obvious, that we don’t want to take the same pics other travelers take. Her solution is to create thousand-word pictures — I like it. She says to keep in mind that you want to tell a story with your photos, and that doing that will make a difference in your audience’s perception. She writes that less substantive photographs are more like a “sentence fragment“ than a story:)

   The author recommends, of course, to visit travel websites and to peruse travel magazines before you go to look for ideas. You may want to find your own angle on the idea but at least you have something to start with. She recommends seeking patterns wherever you go, regardless of what lens you have on your camera. She gives, as examples, ocean waves, a brick wall, peeling paint, and cobblestones. The author includes many useful and lovely photos of her own to illustrate the myriad patterns we can find while traveling.

   Later in the book she talks about how to put people at ease either after you photograph them or when you’re about to ask to do so. She has very specific tips that I found very helpful. Since most of us eat out a lot, if not totally, when we’re traveling, this travel photographer gives us a section and food photography. I don’t think I’ve seen that covered in other travel photography books, so yay!

   In her final chapter she talks about the disappointment we can often feel when we get home with our hundreds of photos and see that perhaps they aren’t what we had hoped. She says to understand that you aren’t finished when you snap the photo but instead when you are in front of the computer-and that’s where you can try to realize your original vision.

   And finally, she actually gets some specific tips and post processing of your travel photos. She recommends not multitasking while you were doing that, and focusing just on getting the pictures you want from the ones you took. This is a better travel guide than most for photographers and also quite readable. She’s very conversational in her style. I highly recommend reading it before your next trip.

2. 

   jefforns October 2, 2018

   This is a very interesting book in the way the author, Jordana Wright, writes and illustrates it with a great sense of place and humor. Following her directions and descriptions made for a recent trip a lot
   more enjoyable. For instance her suggestions on the best equipment to take and pack has made traveling a lot easier and less technical.

   I especially enjoyed her chapters on people, street and food photography. Our little travel group competed on photographing our beautifully prepared diner in some great restaurants.

   This book is a must read for the beginner photographer as well as a must for the library of advanced photographers

3. 

   wepsphoto February 6, 2019

   Books on travel photography are either coffee table books for viewing or instructional books for training; unfortunately for the latter, both types are generally written by National Geographic-level photographers who have spent years in the most exotic of locations, using the highest end gear, and dedicating themselves to waking at 3:00am to capture the most pristine moments. This is not the reality of most photographers seeking to better their travel photography.

   Jordana Wright’s The Enthusiast’s Guide to Travel Photography is a different book entirely. Written for the non-professional, this book provides a far more applicable guide to getting far more attainable images.

   Wright begins with a fantastic observation: “Travel photography is perhaps the most sweeping genre of photographic art because it encompasses practically every other genre. …portrait photographer, a nature photographer, …architecture, …landscape” What is immediately apparent is that travel photography offers unique opportunities within the realms that we already shoot in but to take advantage of those opportunities, photographers require special attention and consideration to these fields.

   Wright provides excellent insights into the gear that one should consider, though she only really reports her own choices when it comes to brands- there is no mention of options. She discusses the challenges of accessing power in different countries, safety considerations for self and gear-protection, and minimizing your load, though never exploring the current options in small and low weight mirrorless options.

   True to her initial observation that travel photography requires skills of each genre of photography, she then offers a brief summation of the basic skills required of different genres, all the while relating them to travel- action, urban, night, wildlife, aerial, portrait, etc. She makes recommendations for capturing the spirit of a place, like attending festivals and other cultural celebrations, and considers the best way to connect with the people, avoiding confrontations and securing a legally binding model release. Wright explores methods of ascertaining places to shoot using social media and search tools, considerations for maintaining gear and shooting in varied climates, and ways to access hotels and other exclusive areas despite not being a paying customer.

   The Enthusiast’s Guide to Travel Photography is a well-written and well-illustrated book that can open your eyes to the potential of travel, maximizing the quality of your images while minimizing your potential mistakes or missed opportunities.