Is there anything better than a beautifully captured photograph that would make an exotic travel destination look more entrancing? The perfect shot can melt hearts, speak volumes and all of this in high resolution beauty. We asked a few travel photographers with different styles and experience to share their professional and personal views about traveling and photography. These guys have traveled the world so much that it has become second nature for them to just be on the move.
Let’s check out the answers they gave to our questions.
1. As a travel photographer, what type of camera and lenses do you prefer to use during your journeys?
Dario Endara - While traveling, I take with me the Canon 5D Mark III with the following Canon lenses: 16-35mm f2.8, 24-70mm f2.8, 50mm f1.2, 70-200mm f2.8. During my trip in eastern Africa photographing wildlife, I took with me the Canon 400m f4.0 DO IS.
Andreea Paraschiv - I have a Nikon D90 and I usually use the 50mm 1.8 lens, because I love details and catching little stuff on my camera. Also, it's a light pack (less than 2 kilos) so I can walk all I want without back pains :)
Agness Walewinder - As budget travelers we travel the world for less than $25 a day, we cannot afford professional photography equipment so we mainly focus on capturing the moment and showing emotions in our photos rather than their quality. I'm currently using Sony Alfa Nex3 (16-50mm power zoom lenses) which is small and handy, just perfect for my travels whereas Cez operates Canon 550D (sigma dc 18-200 mm).
Alejandro Tejada - It depends on the region I'm visiting. Generally I travel with a full frame DSLR as my main camera and a cropped sensor DSLR as a backup and/or documentary camera if needed. Q Recently I have incorporated a super zoom or bridge camera to my travel gear, the all terrain fixed lens it has, allows me to travel light and safe when visiting some places where the access is difficult, places where carrying a bag full of expensive and heavy gear would be inconvenient and dangerous. R Regarding my lens "arsenal" I try to take with me the essential, I always carry my nifty fifty (50mm fixed lens), an ultra wide zoom ( A seasoned 15-30mm) and the all terrain 24-120mm lens for the full frame camera. My backup camera has a 18-200mm attached most of the time. Q That would be my basic lens gear. Depending on the work I'm doing I might incorporate a telephoto and a few other prime lenses like the 20mm.
Ania - The camera I chose to use during my travels is tightly linked with the type of travelling I do. If you are a hitchhiker or a backpacker you need to think carefully about every gram of luggage you decide to take with you on your journey. I don’t travel with a big suitcase; everything I have I carry in a rucksack which shouldn’t be too heavy as during hitchhiking I am likely to walk a lot and often not in smooth terrain. Therefore a small and light camera is ideal. Since I’m a passionate photographer, I try to avoid compact cameras and the camera that best works for me in Panasonic Lumix G1, the first digital mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera. I find it nearly as good as the leading DSLR cameras but the fact that it doesn’t have a mirror makes it light and compact. In my small camera bag I also carry two lenses: Lumix 14-45mm and 45-200mm zoom lens.
2. Apart from enthusiasm and passion, which characteristics should a travel photographer possess?
Dario Endara - I always say that if you want to follow the profession of travel photographer, you need to possess these qualities: Patience, Open-mindedness, and Self-sufficiency. Patience will reward you with images you never thought you would be able to achieve. Open-mindedness will help you better understand the world which will help you in your travels. Lastly, self-sufficiency will keep you mostly out of trouble and when there is trouble, you are able to adapt to it and move on.
Andreea Paraschiv - A travel photographer sees the world differently than a normal tourists. Interested in capturing the local treasures, such a photographer will look for details and have specific travelling hours (due to light issues). Curiosity and perseverance are 2 key “ingredients”: you need to want to know everything and take the time to capture the perfect scene. You might sit in a corner and watch passengers go by, for hours. You might sit in a coffee shop and watch people go by. You might not capture accents on camera, but surely you can catch a nice smile for eternity. Another thing would be having comfy shoes, because we walk a lot, climb on various things to get that IT photography.
Agness Walewinder - Definitely curiosity. The more curious you are about the world, people, food and landscape, the more you can observe and experience. Patient goes second in my opinion. You should wait for the right moment to capture what you really want people to see in the photo.
Alejandro Tejada - I think the most important thing is to have an adventurous spirit. Being able to feed and inspire yourself from that fear and excitement you get when starting a new journey is what i find crucial as a travel photographer. Other than that you need good levels of stamina and patience for your "not fixed schedule" shooting sessions.
Ania - In my opinion a good travel photographer should be curious, daring, and always eager to explore new places. Sometimes a good picture can pass in a flash so a travel photographer must be observant, have a sharp eye and even faster reactions. It’s also important to remember that when we travel we should leave the places we visit exactly as we found them and try to minimise our impact on the nature and local people.
3. Which three countries would you recommend for landscape shooting?
Dario Endara - I would have to narrow it down to Scotland, Ecuador, and United States. The Scottish highlands is filled with pristine nature, the Isle of Skye being one of my favorites. Ecuador contains some of the most beautiful landscapes in South America. The United States has unique landscape throughout the national parks out in the west.
Andreea Paraschiv - Landscapes are fabulous in Italy (I’m very fond of this country), especially in Toscana and Umbria. Romania is also fantastic, with various changes between seasons (autumn is gorgeous on Valea Oltului, winter must be seen up in the mountains and summer to be spent in the Danube Delta).Another country that I’d recommend for landscape shooting is France, especially on the Cote d’Azur.
Agness Walewinder - Tibet - Himalayas are just breath-taking, Cambodia - Great for capturing the powerful nature and sunrises. Vietnam - From white sand beaches and turquoise water to black rock forests and mountains that hug the cloud.
Alejandro Tejada - I would recommend two South American countries Chile and Argentina, specially the Andean lake crossing region. I've seen one of the most stunning landscapes over that region. Another place I recommend would be the Italian Tuscany, some may say it's "old news" or even a cliché but personally I could never get tired of such a beautiful scenery.
Ania - I’ve visited Norway as a tourist and I have also lived there for a bit so it would have to be my number one choice. I love its coarseness and the variety of landscapes it offers: dramatic fjords with steep cliffs on each side, thick pine forests, gushing waterfalls and the plain tundra emptiness of the far north. My second choice would be the Republic of Georgia, where you can find almost all types of scenery: the breathtaking soaring mountains of the Caucasus; the beautiful and serene Black Sea coast; the vineyards and half-desert hills of the Kakheti region; and the lush greet forests and springs of the Samtskhe-Javakheti region. And finally if you are looking for unique landscape shots, you shouldn’t miss out Turkey. This friendly country is not only about the beaches. It’s really worth discovering the volcanic peaks and rock-carved houses found in Cappadocia (a UNESCO World Heritage Site); the blue water sedimentary rock terraces of Pamukkale (another UNESCO place) and the picturesque mountains of the Eastern Anatolia region.
4. Can you share with us your travel photography project that you may have planned in the near future?
Dario Endara - For 2014, I have planned to do a two week trip through Iceland, covering most of the island. I am also planning a trip to Madagascar at the end of 2014.
Andreea Paraschiv - Sure I will soon post pictures from my recent trip to Perugia (Umbria Region, in Italy) and some pictures with London’s Christmas markets. In 2014 I intend to visit Istambul again (probably a “Cats of Istambul” project) and Casa Blanca. I have also Valencia on my “must go to” list.
Agness Walewinder - Right now we are living and traveling in China, which is a great country to practice our photography skills. We are surrounded by picturesque temples and amazing mountains and lakes we take photos of every single day. Next year we are planning to do more travels in the Philippines, South Korea, perhaps Malaysia and Taiwan and we are still considering to go for a 6 month journey across South America (planning is still in progress).
Alejandro Tejada - My next journey would definitely be Central America. There is a lot of diversity to explore over there.
Ania - For our next big trip we have planned something special. We are going to hitchhike across Asia, starting in the Baltic States, then visit Russia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. In total that should be over 25,000 km by thumb and we think it would take between 6-9 months. Both Russia and China are in top 4 countries by the biggest number of UNESCO World Natural Heritage, so for a landscape photographer like myself it will be a real treat. What’s more, we are planning to start recording our journey using a camcorder and so learning this new skill will be the next challenge for us.
To check out their work and connect with them, refer to the links below -
Dario Endara -
Website - www.darioendara.com ; Twitter Handle - @darioendara
Andreea Paraschiv -
Website - www.andreeaparaschiv.ro ; Twitter Handle - @andreeaparaschi
Agness Walewinder -
Website - etramping.com ; Twitter Handle - @AgnessTramp
Alejandro Tejada -
Flickr Account - www.flickr.com/photos/atejada
Ania -
Website - hitchhikershandbook.com ; Twitter Handle - @hitchhikershand