Get Paid to Travel – 10 Hot Tips From Paid Travel Photographers

The ultimate dream is to get paid to travel. Even if you’re not a photographer, there is something attractive about a job where you get to see the whole world.
This is definitely not an easy task. Many people want the same thing and technology allows people to travel and shoot with a small budget.
Read our tips to put yourself on the forefront.

10. Love Your Own Backyard

“I was born in Australia but never appreciated the beauty of my own country until I started to travel it with a camera” – Lauren Bath

Travel photography is traveling with your camera, right? It doesn’t mean you have to travel halfway around the world. A 30 min drive could be all you need to find amazing images.
It can be difficult to capture areas you spent your life around. These environments you have seen all the time, and have less interest than those of a distant Indian monument.
You just need to take the time to test the waters and practise. You cant improve unless you take a few shots.

9. Enjoy the Moment

“There’s a fine balance between trying to capture a moment and just enjoying it” – Eric Rubens

What is the point of travel photography if you don’t enjoy the places you visit?
By traveling and only photographing, you put your awesome travel work at risk. It quickly becomes another job that you’ll stop enjoying.
Put that camera down and soak in the sun. It makes it all worth while.

8. Edit on the Go

An advantage that travel photographers have is portability. This can be a blessing and a curse. Luckily, most technology is made with mobility in mind.
Editing on the go is just one way you can get paid to travel. If you capture images and share them to stock photography websites as soon as you can, they are immediately available to download.
Downloads mean earning money straight away. This definitely beats uploading a few weeks later when you get home.
Smartphones are a great way to edit where a laptop isn’t advisable or possible. There are many smartphone apps you can use for editing.
Snapseed is one of these that I can highly recommend.

7. Get Up Close

It was Robert Capa who said that if your images are not good enough, you’re not close enough.
Professional portrait photographers also suggests getting close to your subject.
What you miss when you keep your distance is detail. If you want to make your viewer feel like they are there, take a few steps forward.
If they feel like part of the moment, the image will stay in their head. Shed those fears and inhibitions and step into the frame.

6. Stay in the Moment

“Seeing a destination through a lens makes you acutely aware of what’s going on around you” – Lauren Bath

She is a travel photographer and regarded as Australia’s first professional Instagrammer. She knows what it is like to be out in the field, discovering the chaos of new places.
For her, focusing on capturing the individual pieces of a place is what makes the place. Photographers get a better feeling and appreciation of any given area by capturing the details.
Additionally, if you are getting great shots – don’t stop. Strike while the iron is hot, and keep in mind, you could always beat the last image you took. No matter how good it is.

5. Have a Sunset Plan

“The sunset is everyone’s favorite thing to photograph, so it can be a challenge to make your shots stand out” – Eric Rubens

No matter where you travel, there will always be a sunset. If you are at the beach, keep your eyes on the tides and skies. Low tides allow access to remote areas others didn’t or won’t reach.
You could find coves and caves that were out of bounds. This is where you can grab those special images from unique perspectives.
Wispy clouds offer texture and can emphasize color much better than a clear sky can. If you see low tides and wispy clouds, get your camera out.
It might be the winning recipe for the perfect image.

4. Forget the Perfect Shot

“Once I let go of this pressure to be perfect, my shots became instantly better and more authentic” – Daniel Ernst

We can spend so much of our time trying to get the perfect shot. It starts with research, travel, and ensuring you have the right equipment.
Once you get to your planned destination, one out of hundreds of things can go wrong. And they will. Even using the optimal camera settings and features are second to the speed of getting the shot.
Photographers look for inspiration from images they think they can capture. A perfect image is impressive, but also intimidating.
Grain or flaws in the exposure show the image is more real.

3. Know the Locals

“Whether it’s capturing portraits of your new acquaintances or getting the local scoop on secret spots, communicating with strangers can lead to a whole host of photographic opportunities” – Chase Guttman

It’s true. Better shots come out of connections rather than candids. Getting to know someone allows them to open up to you, showing their best sides.
We all know the story of the sun and the wind fighting to de-coat a traveler. Being warm and kind is much better than flashing a camera in someone’s face and hoping for the best.
As a back-up, there are always cigarettes and coins that you can bargain for smiles or directions.

2. Go With the Flow

“Landscape, travel, and adventure photography are all a bit of ‘you don’t know what you’re going to get’” – Daniel Ernst

He should know, being a famous freelance travel, adventure, and outdoor photographer. He goes on to say that weather conditions can be unpredictable, limiting what you can do.
The best plan is to take it easy and be open. By going with the flow, you allow yourself to gain more and possibly better opportunities. Happy accidents can and will happen.
Personally, I can’t tell you how many times weather, holidays and strikes have changed my plans. I have back up plans, just in case.

1. It’s All About Perspective

“I think it’s very easy for an amateur photographer to come to a travel destination and capture a particular attraction from a default position” – Chase Guttman

The award-winning travel photographer goes on to tell us that the difference between the usual and the unique is a few feet. Play with angles.
Get low and shoot high. By doing this, you accentuate the height of any given subject. Another example is to get up high and shoot down.
This is a great tip on how to get paid to travel and photograph.