Travel

Writing and
Photograhy

Jhonel P. Patague
INSIDE THE GUIDE
TOPICS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Introduction
Definition of Travel and Tourism
What is travel writing
What is travel photography
The course will help students to be equipped
with knowledgeand skills to produce travel
write-ups based on destination research for

A guide for travelers and tourists

printed andonline media. Basic photography
concepts will be taught and marketing
travelcontent and products via online media
will be specifically highlighted.
Travel Writing & Photography introduces and
equips students with relevant skills and techniques
for writing publishable travel feature articles.
Finding a compelling story, researching for a story,
interviewing skills, writing techniques, and pitching

A guide for travelers and tourists

story ideas are all important topics covered in this
unit. The complimentary vital component is taking
powerful images to accompany the travel feature
piece. Students will learn how to take a compelling
image and how to compose and frame photographs
that are relevant to the article.
WHAT?
Travel refers to the activity of travelers. A traveler is someone who moves between
different geographic locations, for any purpose and any duration.

A visitor is a traveler taking a trip to a main destination outside his/her usual

environment, for less than a year, for any main purpose (business, leisure or other
personal purpose) other than to be employed by a resident entity in the country or
place visited. These trips taken by visitors qualify as tourism trips. Tourism refers to
the activity of visitors.
WHAT?
Tourism is therefore a subset of travel and visitors are a subset of travelers. These
distinctions are crucial for the compilation of data on flows of travelers and
visitors and for the credibility of tourism statistics.
 TRAVEL IS WRITING???

Travel writing, by definition, is writing that

describes places the author has visited
and the experiences they had while
travelling.

While more traditional travel writing

follows a narrative of one person’s travels,
modern travel writing has started to blur
into a blog-style format, with a focus on
advice, tips, and must-sees.
 Modern travel writing has more voices than ever
before, and is becoming slowly more inclusive than
ever before, which is important. The “good old days”
of travel writing are laced with power imbalances, as
much of the writing was done through a lens of
colonialism and exoticism. Traditionally, white, male
writers from the Western world would share their
biased views of people and places with their
audience at home.
Most travel narratives—perhaps all of them, the
classics anyway—describe the miseries and
splendors of going from one remote place to
another. The quest, the getting there, the
difficulty of the road is the story; the journey,
not the arrival, matters, and most of the time
the traveler—the traveler’s mood, especially—is
the subject of the whole business.”
 PURPOSE???

Travel writing introduces us to new places, people

and ideas. Truly great travel writing can transport us;
give us a glimpse of far-flung places and provide
inspiration or escapism. I like to think that travel
writing, much like travel itself,

can open our minds to different cultures

and possible ways of living, fostering more
empathy for others and curiosity about the
world around us.
Travel writing can make us dream, of packing up our
belongings, scooping up our passports, and spending
a week, a month, a year in a place anywhere other
than home. Or it can simply transport us through
words to places we might otherwise never see.

There is also a deeply practical element to

travel writing. Legendary guidebooks have
long provided succinct and actionable
advice on travel – as well as the eloquent
and poetic descriptions of destinations, I
have used Lonely Planet’s books to find
small cafes, places to stay, and train
stations.
Much travel writing has evolved with online media.
A lot of this type of travel writing is now what
takes up most travel websites; where to find the
best places to eat, stay, and wonder.

People travel more, and they consume more

media than ever before. With the sheer volume
of social media posts, blogs, YouTube videos
and television series centred around travel,
your average consumer no longer needs to be
told by a travel writer what a country on the
other side of the world is like. There’s not much
mystery left in the world when you can watch
TikToks from anywhere.
 We’re also now conditioned to consume fast-
moving content saturated with visuals. Few people
sit down to scroll through several thousand words
about a national park in New Zealand when they
can just search the relevant hashtag and be
inundated with images.

We’re also now conditioned to consume fast-

moving content saturated with visuals. Few
people sit down to scroll through several
thousand words about a national park in New
Zealand when they can just search the
relevant hashtag and be inundated with
images.
Today, people are more likely to seek out a ‘top 10
things to do’ list – a quick and dirty highlight reel
they can replicate, rather than a moving and
thought-provoking piece of literature.

Add to this the fact that much of the travel

content you now see online is geared toward
marketing a product, or raising the profile of a
brand, rather than selling a publication.
That doesn’t mean online travel content is bad. On
the contrary, Lonely Planet has excellent free,
online resources for travellers - their website just
also happens to be an outstanding example of
content marketing, maintaining their position as an
authority on travel while gently steering people
toward purchasing their guidebooks.

“Great travel writing consists of equal parts curiosity, vulnerability and

vocabulary. It is not a terrain for know-it-alls or the indecisive. The best of the
genre can simply be an elegant natural history essay, a nicely writ sports piece,
or a well-turned profile of a bar band and its music. A well-grounded sense of
place is the challenge for the writer. We observe, we calculate, we inquire, we
look for a link between what we already know and what we’re about to learn.
The finest travel writing describes what’s going on when nobody’s looking.”
Examples of Travel Writing

JRNY MAGAZINE NATIONAL TRAVEL + PATAGONIA’S

The award-winning JRNY GEOGRAPHIC LEISURE JOURNAL
magazine is a beautiful TRAVEL is a beautiful mix of is an epic example of
ode to the art of travel is a forever iconic roundups and service content marketing –
writing and photography. pieces, as well as genuine, beautiful stories of
publication, featuring
It’s a gorgeous print inspiration. adventure around the world.
stories that explore
publication, a bit of a I like to think this is where a
rarity which makes it even
travel through the lens
of science, culture, lot of travel content will
more of a treasure.
history, or environment– return to; it can be

like my story on hut highlighting a brand and a

hiking in New Zealand. purpose, while still staying
true to inspiring narratives.
JRNY
MAGAZINE
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
TRAVEL
TRAVEL + LEISURE
PATAGONIA’S JOURNAL
WHAT IS TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY (ΦΩΤΟΓΡ ΑΦΊΑ IN GR EEK) IS A
COMPOUND OF THE GRE EK WOR DS ΦΩΣ ( L IGHT)
AND ΓΡΆΦΩ (WRITE OR DRAW ) . WIKIPEDIA DEFINES
PHOTOGRAPHY AS THE ART, APPL ICATION, AND
PRACTICE OF CREATING DUR ABL E IMAGES BY
RECORDING L IGHT. IT’S CRAZ Y TO THINK THAT ALL
WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT PHOTOS IS L IGHT.
CRAZY YET FASCINATING.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE DOCUMENTATION OF ALL
THOSE COMPONENTS THAT MAKE UP ANY GIVEN
DESTINATION. THESE INCLUDE THE LANDSCAPE, BOTH
NATURAL AND HUMAN-MADE, THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE,
THE FOOD, AND, ULTIMATELY, THE VERY HISTORY OF THIS
PLACE.
OF COURSE, TOURISM PHOTOGRAPHY IS PART OF THE
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GENRE, TOO. IT FOCUSES ON
SHOOTING HOTELS, RESORTS, RESTAURANTS, AND ANY
OTHER BUSINESSES IN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY DIFFERS FROM OTHER
SUBCATEGORIES OF PHOTOGRAPHY. IT IS A GENRE THAT
HAS FEW LIMITATIONS TO ITS IMAGE QUALIFIERS, BUT WILL
ALSO TEST THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO GREAT LENGTHS DUE
TO THE ABUNDANCE OF CHALLENGES FACED. WITHIN THE
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GENRE, ONE CAN EXPECT TO SEE A
VAST RANGE OF IMAGES AIMED TO CAPTURE ANYTHING
FROM THE COMBINATION OF LANDSCAPES, PORTRAIT,
STREET, CULTURE, FOOD, UNDERWATER SCENES AND
MORE.
HOWEVER, THE UNIQUE COMPONENT AT THE HEART OF
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY, IS THAT THE IMAGES FROM THE
VAST RANGE OF SUBCATEGORIES ARE AIMED TO CAPTURE
AND SHARE MOMENTS IN TIME FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES,
AN ALTERNATE WAY OF LIFE, AND VARIED GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATIONS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY GOES FURTHER THAN JUST

CAPTURING A GREAT IMAGE. IT’S THERE TO TELL A STORY,
EDUCATE AND INSPIRE.
SO WHAT EXACTLY IS TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY? IN THIS
ARTICLE, I' LL SHARE WITH YOU MY OWN PERSPECTIVE AS A
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER, WHY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS
IMPORTANT, WHAT YOU' LL NEED TO GET STARTED AND
ABOVE ALL, HOW TO STAY SAFE ON YOUR TRAVELS.
“PHOTOGRAPHY IS A FORM OF TIME TRAVEL.”
ABOUT TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHY AS A
GENRE

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE BROADEST

PHOTOGRAPHY GENRE IN TER MS OF AL L THE
DIFFERENT SUBJECTS IT COVERS. IT
ENCOMPASSES NUMEROUS OTHER AR EAS OF
PHOTOGRAPHY, SUCH AS STR EET, L ANDSCAPE, OR
ARCHITECTURE PHOT OGRAPHY. THIS IS WHY IT
TAKES A LOT MORE T HAN M ERE PHOTOGRAPHIC
KNOWLEDGE T O EXCEL AS A TR AVEL
PHOTOGRAPHER.
A GOOD TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER MUST BE FLEXIBLE, WELL-
ORGANISED AND OUTGOING. FLEXIBLE TO ADAPT TO TIME-
RELATED CHALLENGES (E.G. WAKING UP EARLY, STAYING
UP LATE). WELL-ORGANISED TO PLAN PHOTOGRAPHIC
TRIPS TO THE LAST DETAIL. OUTGOING BECAUSE, WELL,
YOU CAN GO A LONG WAY WITH A SMILE IF YOU PLAN TO,
SAY, TAKE PORTRAITS OF TOTAL STRANGERS IN FARAWAY
LANDS. LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE OR THREE
WOULDN’T HURT EITHER.
HOWEVER, THERE’S SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHY THAT MAKES IT STAND OUT FROM ALL
OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY GENRES. THE PURPOSE OF TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHY GOES BEYOND JUST SHOOTING A
SPECTACULAR IMAGE. TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS A MEANS
TO TELL A STORY, TO INSPIRE, AND, ABOVE ALL, TO
EDUCATE PEOPLE ON THE DIVERSITY OF OUR BEAUTIFUL
WORLD.
A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
FROM TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHER

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY T R ANSCENDS JUST

“LANDSCAPE” OR “ PORTR AIT” PHOTOGRAPHY.
IT’S ABOUT CAPTURING AND DOCUM ENTING
THAT DISTANT PL ACE IN A SINGL E FR AM E,
PULLING THE VIEWER INTO THE SHOT AND
MAKING THEM WISH THAT THEY W ERE THERE.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
A GOOD TRAVEL PHOT O WIL L BE M OR E THAN
JUST A SLICE OF TIME CAPTURED IN A
RECTANGLE. IT WILL TEL L A STOR Y AND CONVEY
EMOTION. TRAVEL PHOT OGRAPHY IS A SOUR CE
OF INSPIRAT ION AND DRI VER TO SEE AND
EXPERIENCE T HE BEST OUR W OR L D HAS TO
OFFER. SUBSEQUENTL Y, IT BR INGS OUT THE
BEST IN ME.
IMPORTANCE OF TRAVEL

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
PHOTOGRAPHY

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY IS AL L ABOUT BR INGING

THE WORLD TO PEOPL E AND EXPOSING TO THEM
WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE. IT’S ABOUT
EDUCATING PEOPLE ABOUT THE CUSTOMS OF
OTHER CULTURES, SHOWING THEM HOW THEY
DIFFER FROM THEIR OWN.
The world is far grander and more exquisite
with beautiful differences than just the area
that surrounds us. Bringing nature's majesty to
the people, inspires and promotes the
diversity of this planet and helps encourage
others to explore and see the great outdoors.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
THE PHOTOGRAPHER

ANYONE CAN DO A BIT OF TRAVEL

PHOTOGRAPHY, JUST AS ANYONE CAN DO
LANDSCAPE OR PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE DEFINITION OF
“PROFESSIONAL ” IS.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
THERE ARE ESSENTIAL L Y TWO M AIN GR OUPS OF
PEOPLE ENGAGING IN TR AVEL PHOTOGRAPHY.
ONE GROUP CONSISTS OF THOSE WHO TRAVEL
FOR THE PURPOSE OF PHOTOGRAPHY, AND THE
OTHER GROUP CONSISTS OF PEOPL E WHO
TRAVEL FOR T HE SAKE OF TRAVEL AND TAKE
PHOTOS TO COMPLIMENT THEIR TRAVEL S.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
WHILE THERE IS NO REASON TO PR OMOTE ONE
GROUP OVER ANOT HER, IT IS STIL L A GOOD
IDEA TO PRIORITISE YOUR INTENDED SCOPE
PRIOR TO PLANNING YOUR TRIP, AS THE
EXPERIENCE WIL L BE SOMEW HAT DIFFERENT.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
PROACTIVE AND
REACTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY

THERE ARE TWO MAIN CATEGOR IES FOR W HICH

ONE NEEDS TO FOCUS THEIR SKIL L
DEVELOPMENT AND PREP ARATION W ITHIN. THESE
CONSIST OF PROACTIVE AND REACTIVE
PHOTOGRAPHY.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
REACTIVE PHOT OGRAPHY BECOMES
SIGNIFICANTL Y EVIDENT W HEN ENGAGING IN
STREET, CUL TURAL OR WI L DL IFE SHOOTS. THESE
UNPREDICTABL E AND DYNAMIC SCENES TEND
TO PRESENT GOLDEN OPPOR TUNITIES, W HICH
SEEM TO COME AND GO IN THE BL INK OF AN
EYE. PHOTOGRAPHERS NEED TO BE INCR EDIBL Y
QUICK AND DEMONSTRATE THE SKIL L S TO M AKE
THE MOST OF THESE OPPOR TUNITIES AND
CAPTURE THE IMAGES IN AN EFFICIENT AND
EFFECTIVE MANNER.
Proactive photography in essence is being
“proactive” about your next photo shoot, by
doing things in preparation (like researching
your upcoming location) prior to arriving.
Of course, no matter where a photographer
goes and what he shoots, being proactive is
always encouraged. However, there are more
prevalent and anticipated situations where
proactive photography will be much more
beneficial.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
LANDSCAPE PHOT OGRAPHY IS A GR EAT
EXAMPLE OF T HIS, AS THE SUCCESS OF SUCH
PHOTOS CAN HEAVIL Y DEPEND ON THE
PREPARATION GONE INTO THE SHOOT.
ADDITIONALLY, THESE SCENES AL SO REQUIR E
QUITE A BIT OF REACTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY W HEN
ON SITE, IN AREAS SUCH AS L IGHTING AND
NEWLY DISCOVERED COM POSITION
OPPORTUNITIES.
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
GEAR

WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT EQUIPMENT TO TAKE,

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY HAS ITS OWN UNIQUE
CONSIDERATIONS IN CONTR AST TO OTHER
PHOTOGRAPHY CATEGOR IES. WHAT TO PACK
WILL ALSO DEPEND ON THE TRIP ITSEL F. AS A
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER, IF I COUL D GIVE ONE
IMPERATIVE TIP; IT WOUL D BE TO ‘GO L IGHT’!
As mentioned previously, much of travel
photography is reactive. This means, being in
the right place at the right time, and NOT
missing that golden opportunity. For this,
being ready with equipment that is not going
to slow you down, is vital.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
QUICK ACCESS BAG

FIRST OF ALL, YOU'L L NEED A BAG THAT’S

GOING TO AL L OW YOU TO GET YOUR GEAR IN
AND OUT QUICKL Y. WHEN THAT OPPOR TUNITY
PRESENTS IT SEL F, YOU NEED TO BE ABL E TO
ACCESS YOUR CAMERA EXTREM EL Y FAST.
LIGHTER WEIGHT CAMERA

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
BODY

A LIGHTER BODY WITH FEWER L ENSES THAN

NORMAL, GIVES YOU THE OPPOR TUNITY TO GO
FURTHER WIT H EASE AND AL L OWS Y OU TO GET
YOUR CAMERA OUT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT,
ESPECIALLY IN THOSE TIM ES WHEN YOU M IGHT
THINK TWICE. SO SHEL F THAT HEFTY CAM ERA
BODY, AND TAKE SOMETHING MUCH L IGHTER .
LENS CHOICE

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
THE TYPE OF L ENSES YOU TAKE IS AL SO KEY TO
GETTING GREAT PHOT OGR APHS. WHIL E TAKING
ENOUGH LENSES TO CATER FOR AL L
SITUATIONS, GOING OVE R BOARD WITH TOO
MUCH LENSES ONL Y WORKS AGAINST THE
PHOTOGRAPHER. I RECOMMEND TAKING
NOMORE THAN FOUR LENSES FOR SHOR T TRIPS,
AND NO MORE THAN 3 L ENSES FOR L ONGER
TRIPS.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
FOR LANDSCAPE L OVERS, AN ULTRA-WIDE
ANGLE LENS IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY.
A NICE STANDARD ZOOM FOR A W AL K AR OUND
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY LENS IS VERY USEFUL ,
COMBINED WIT H A FAST PRIM E FOR NICE L OW
DEPTH OF FIELD SHOT S TO REAL L Y ENHANCE
FAVOURITE SUBJECTS.
TELEPHOTOS AREN’T GENER AL L Y REQUIR ED FOR
STANDARD TRAVEL PHOT OGRAPHY ( DEPENDING
ON THE TRIP) , BUT IS SOMETHING TO BE
CONSIDERED BASED ON PHOTOGRAPHIC
INTENTIONS.
TRAVEL TRIPOD

tourists
travelers and
A guide for
ONE GOOD THING ABOUT GOING L IGHT W ITH
YOUR CAMERA BODY AND L ENSES IS THE FACT
THAT IT’S NOW POSSIBL E TO DOWNSIZ E THE
TRIPOD. A SMAL L ER SMAL L ER ( OR L IGHTER)
BODY AND LENS COMBINATION M EANS A
LIGHTER WEIGHT TRIPOD AND AL L OF THIS
TOGETHER WILL CUT DOWN THE WEIGHT
REQUIRED TO CARRY ON THE SHOUL DERS.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
IT’S ALSO QUITE HEL PFUL TO HAVE A TR IPOD
THAT FOLDS UP SMAL L TO FIT IN Y OUR DAY
BAG. THIS MEANS ONE WITH 4 L EG SECTIONS.
 tourists
travelers and
A guide for
SAFETY AND SECURITY

CARING FOR BOT H YOU AND YOUR EQUIPMENT

IS PARAMOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO TRAVEL L ING
IN A FOREIGN ENVIRONM ENT. DEPENDING ON
THE LOCATION VISITED, T HER E MAY BE AREAS
WHICH SHOUL D NOT BE VENTUR ED INTO.
Walking around at night, or even walking
around with your expensive equipment during
the day, may put you and your possessions in
danger. Always seek local advice for do’s and
don’ts in the area, and take them seriously.
 TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

KNOW YOUR GEAR REDUCE NOISE IS BETTER

COMPLEXITY AND THAN A BLURRY
KEEP THINGS IMAGE
SIMPLE

TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

GET LOST RESPECT LOCAL MIX UP YOUR

CUSTOMS & SHOTS

WILDLIFE

 TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

TAKE THE TIME T O MAINTAIN YOUR BACKUP YOUR

POST PROCESS GEAR PHOTOS
YOUR PHOTOS/EDIT

 TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

RESEARCH YOUR KEEP PRACTI SING & ALWAYS CARRY

LOCATION BE PATIENT YOUR CAMERA


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FROM HOBBY TO DREAM JOB:

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PROFESSIONAL TRAVEL
PHOTOGRAPHER

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