The Travel Photography Book

7 reviews for The Travel Photography Book

1. 

   Gloria February 14, 2022

   I have read several photography books by this author, and, in my experience, Scott Kelby does not disappoint. I’m looking forward to reading his take on travel photography. His introductory chapter he tells of a research website where a “worldwide community of serious photographers“ give tips on good shooting locations around the world. What a great tip! Like I said, Kelby exceeds expectations. I think it would be fun to explore this site even if one is not traveling :-).

   So, the author continues to come up with ideas for travel photography that I don’t recall seeing in other books I’ve read on the same subject: for example, he tells us to log onto stock photo websites to get some ideas of what to shoot in specific places. Not that we want to precisely duplicate other photos, but to give us ideas of where to hang out and when to shoot. Kelby is making much of the preparation stage for trips and I think he’s right. I know that it helps in nature photography to know where the birds hang out, and which species are there each season. Much more likely to score some keepers that way.

   He reminds us to check our white balance setting often to make sure we don’t have green or blue people! And, speaking of people, Kelby also tells us that we should include people in our travelogue photos even if it’s the architecture or the landscape we are emphasizing. Reminds me of my parents‘ 1950s slides which are almost all devoid of people and just full of mountain and forest scenes. Nothing I need to keep there! What we want is to see people in travel photos. Tells more of a story, even gives scale and perspective.

   This book is as useful for a beginner as it is for someone who’s been shooting for many years. Kelby talks about the basics we need to know for settings and travel photography such as which f-stop to use, how to avoid blurry shots, and which lenses to bring and where to use them. Even though I have been shooting for several years, never hurts to go over the basics! He also includes plenty of information for the more advanced photographer. And I think it’s very useful to have that information in a book and travel photography because I’m guessing a variety of photogs read books like these, not just beginners.

   Kelby stops along the way to suggest an app or two such as the PhotoPills app which he says packs a lot of information that’s helpful when you’re traveling. For example, the precise time of sunrise, or the blue hour. I will definitely be checking that out. I appreciate that Kelby doesn’t gloss over things and really goes into useful detail on just about any topic I can imagine having to do with travel photography. And then the author suggests something most professionals never suggest in their how-to books: when using your phone camera instead of your more “serious” camera makes more sense! For example, he suggests shooting any panoramas you might want with your phone because it’s so much more convenient. Glad to hear it, because I do that with certain wildlife landscapes. I applaud Kelby‘s humility and practicality in making smartphone camera suggestions. And sometimes Kelby’s sense of humor shows even in his headings. One chapter he entitled “what to shoot and what you can skip :-). For example, he advises us to skip shots filled with tourists — indeed!

   In the concluding chapters Kelby not only tells us about post-processing in very useful detail, he also tells us something quite necessary in today’s world: how to share images with other people. His tips include not only sharing on the obvious social media platforms, such as Instagram, but also that you might want to create a photo book, print some of your photos, and even create a portfolio of your trip.

   There is nothing about Kelby‘s book on travel photography that is not useful and so much that I have not seen elsewhere. He is also a good and efficient writer as well as occasionally and appropriately humorous. It is a manual I will re-read when once again I travel, after our pandemic is over.

2. 

   mds1214 (verified owner) March 14, 2022

   I have followed Scott Kelby for over 20 years and consider him one of the foremost teachers for professional and hobby photographers. After having taken his Travel Photography Tips course on the KelbyOne website, I needed to collect and consolidate all the information that Scott packed into the course. Seeing the book available, I knew I had to have it. It does not disappoint! All the tips and tricks from the course are collected right in this little book. I can now avail myself of the many tips from the course at any time just by opening the book. As photographers, we all are constantly looking for new ways to create unique scenes in our cameras and process them to gain that “wow” factor. This book is jam packed with the information to enable any photographer at any experience level to do just that. I’ve been a photographer for over 50 years, and yet I always learn from Scott Kelby. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to engage in continuous learning.

3. 

   gej3rd (verified owner) March 14, 2022

   Good morning Scott.

   I’d be happy to write a review. Before I write a review I want you to know that I found a ‘dust spot’ on page 21. (This one always makes be a bit queasy because I never want to get in a situation where I can’t have my camera gear with me on the plane.)

   Kelby has done it again! The Travel Photography Book is well written and a terrific resource. It gives the traveler excellent comprehensive information as to How, Where and When to capture the very best photos from your travels. I particularly liked how Kelby gives you examples of his photos and the recipes as to how they were taken. The recipes include the Gear, Settings, Key Techniques that were used. He also writes about Editing/Post-Processing your photos after your return.

   The end result of reading this book should take the traveler from shooting just snapshots to shooting incredible photos that will become Wall-Hangers.

   All in all, I would give this book 5 Stars.

4. 

   atgee1960 (verified owner) April 11, 2022

   Scott Kelby is the best photography book author around! I have bought every book he has published and will continue too. His writing style is easy to comprehend and is something you can use immediately. Love his books!!

5. 

   John Dukes (verified owner) May 16, 2022

   I have always loved Scott Kelby’s books. I find them not only educational but also entertaining for Scott’s sense of humor and wonderful personality always come through on every page. On each of Scott’s books, he always refers to his teaching style as one that if he was giving advice to a friend who was out shooting with him, this is how he would encourage and teach them. It makes all of his books such an enjoyable read, and each and every time Rocky Nook publishes one of his books, I am usually one of the first in line to grab a pre-order or a copy.

   Scott’s Travel Photography book was no exception and I enjoyed every page and will continue to enjoy it as I most definitely will be referring back to several sections of the book. Ordering through Rocky Nook was was also such a wonderful experience. The book came quickly and in perfect condition and I loved being introduced to other books published by Rocky Nook from other photographers and authors, too. I actually ordered this one after watching one of his evening live webcasts in which he talks about the book and gives Travel Photography Tips. I loved the discount that was offered in the live webinar, and jumped on my opportunity to grab the book at a discounted rate and what a bargain it was!

   I am a KelbyOne member for many years and not only do I enjoy Scott’s books, but I also love the conferences and training I receive from being a member. My photography skills have dramatically increased as a result of Scott’s teachings and I look so forward to learning more and more about photography. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to share my experience and my thoughts on such a wonderful book! Cannot wait for the next one!

6. 

   Luis Mazier (verified owner) June 2, 2022

   The book is a solid entry to my collection. It is chock full of tips and settings for different scenarios. For me, I use the settings as a starting point. Scott K. covers a wide range of topics in this book. If you are looking for a good and handy guide, pick this book up!

7. 

   wepsphoto June 11, 2022

   I’ve never been one to enjoy “how-to” travel books- they tend to show off spectacular images of exciting places captured without the horde of tourists that the rest of us must deal with in the real world. These professional travel photographers are often given access and opportunities not afforded the everyday tourist, so despite the promise to help teach the art of travel photography, they’re often little more than coffee table books of beautiful images.

   Kelby breaks through this style and presents a truly “for the rest of us” text filled with tips, tricks and methodologies that anyone can employ to improve their travel photography, whether to a spectacular and popular tourist site or to any new place where one can develop an eye for capturing images that communicate the essence of locales to others.

   The book’s first chapter explores the many ways that pros plan their travel photography- it’s more than just showing up and shooting what you happen to stumble upon. From pre-travel research to “paying off” a concierge, Kelby’s tips demonstrate a considered plan that is professionally executed to open doors to unique opportunities to shoot in new places with efficiency. Of all the chapters in the text, this most reveals the professional’s tips for travel photography. Many of these tips will extend beyond what a non-professional may choose to do (they take time, effort and sometimes money), but these are the efforts that provide the opportunities that the travel photographer may want.

   Chapters 2 explores the elements of an image that makes it a quality travel photo- and Chapter 9 identifies things that your should Shoot versus those that you should Skip- that’s an amusing list that makes one somewhat self-conscious about the trite and uninspired shots that we often seek to shoot when in overly photographed locations. Finding unique shots in common places is a challenge well-covered in this book.

   Chapter 7’s Other Cool Stuff to Shoot challenges the travel photographer with advanced techniques that can transform even a commonly shot subject into one being viewed through a new perspective- HDR, night shots, panoramas, time lapses and long exposure are best practiced before the trip, and they can result in greatly enhanced imagery.

   The most surprising chapter is Chapter 8- When to Shoot with Your Phone Instead. Few authors of photography books for the serious photographer, or even pro, would suggest your phone be a viable option, but Kelby provides solid advice for times that the phone is a preferred shooting device- and he offers tips of shooting with it as well.

   And as Kelby always provides in his book, there are chapters that explore or reinforce the shooting, post production and sharing of images. For many this will be either unnecessary or a simple review, but there are always little gems of information that come through when this experienced photographer provides a class in basics.

   This is an outstanding book, and as a photography educator myself, I can’t think of a better gift for the photo enthusiast planning a trip or more perfect required text by a photography tour guide to assist photographers in preparing for an outing in a new locale.