The Mystery Of
Travel Photography
Travel Photography
By Cliff Hollenbeck
Advance Notes: Subscriber Cliff Hollenbeck, widely-traveled stock photographer and author, shares his hard-earned knowledge with readers of PhotoStockNotes. In this two-part series, he gives you insights into what pitfalls to avoid and what
Travel photography has always been considered something of a mystery to the rest of our colleagues, who specialize in other facets of the photo business. The mystery is not in what we shoot. That's always been easy for our brethren to figure. They already know we shoot the best subjects in the world. Beautiful beaches, stately scenes, interesting people, exotic cultures, and the airlines, resorts and attractions surrounding these subjects.
The real mystery is how we manage to stay in business. Never has it been so easy to make good photos. Never has it been so hard to travel, sell travel images at a profit and stay ahead of the competition. The jury is still out for travel photography regarding sales over the Internet and with Photo CD Libraries.
So where does all of this leave us regarding the current state and future of travel photography? Is it a profitable business? Does it still offer opportunities for creativity? What happens next? Should I quit my day job? How do I become a successful travel photographer?
TRAVELING
I can remember when whole families of Hawaiians went out to the airport and stood on the aircraft ramp to greet someone arriving from the Mainland. They would sing and bestow kisses and flower leis on just about anyone coming close enough to enjoy the music. The whole process was fun and made great photos, which told a wonderful story of travel. The only kisses we photographers see at airports today are good-byes to those memories. Sadly, this is often true for many of the world's most popular travel photo subjects.
Traveling in general isn't much fun these days and it's a major effort for photographers. It's impossible to park close to the terminal, and you can't get into a parking place quickly because a thousand people are walking ahead of you carrying all their worldly possessions. If that isn't bad enough, three times as many people are waiting in line to check bags and get information at the ticket counters. Why can't the airlines come up with a simple system of checking in for a flight, that takes less than an hour?
No longer can we hand-carry our primary shooting kit onboard flights, even though our fellow passengers have brought all those worldly possessions on board and want to put them over your head and under your feet. We must now check our equipment point to point, preferably in securely locked metal cases that hopefully won't be stolen by those same minimum wage security people who pretend to examine us before we get to the gate.
Remember those crazy college students who tried to stuff as many people in a telephone booth as possible? They now work for Boeing and have perfected getting three people seated where only two would fit in the real world. By the time we finally reach a destination, a vacation is needed just to recover from our flight. Do any of those airplane company moguls ever ride coach?
Solutions: Don't travel during any holiday or at peak passenger times. Try to fly non-stop to your destination and avoid the large airport hubs. Check in for major flights at least two hours early, and fly business or first class. You will pay dearly in discomfort by taking the lowest cost flight on the lowest cost airline, just to save twenty-five bucks. Fly with an airline that still cares about its passengers, and in all fairness there are still a few very good ones around. Alaska and American seem to be the best in the United States. Hands down, British Air, Singapore Airlines and Asiana are the best in the world. Use an experienced travel agency...they know the secrets of making business travel easier. It's fine to book via the web, but photographers generally have a few problems to solve that require a human connection. Most important, consider air travel an adventure and go with the flow.
CREATIVITY
Making beautiful travel pictures will always present the same creative opportunities and challenges. We still have to make the beaches of Puerto Vallarta, Miami and Waikiki look deserted, despite their popularity with sunbathers. Fortunately, there are still a number of beautiful beaches around the world that really are deserted. I'm just not telling where they are located.
If there has been any change in the creative area of travel photography, it comes with the growing pollution of
In order to make commercial images now days, we must often obtain shooting permits, pay fees, have liability insurance, and, at times, employ some sort of security, in order to shoot on "public" beaches, parks and at national landmarks. That doesn't even take into account getting through customs with expensive photo gear.
Solutions: Do what successful travel photographers have always done. Be resourceful. Plan all the details of your location shoots well in advance. Talk with someone who has been there before. Garner contacts in the tourist organizations, airlines and resorts you plan to deal with. Ask them for help. And always scout the location first thing after arrival. Consider travel photography an adventure, which it is, and remember: the worst day shooting on the beach is still better than the best day working on the assembly line in a tire manufacturing plant.
Cliff Hollenbeck is a leading international photographer and film producer. He is the author of a dozen books on photography, travel and business, including Big Bucks Selling Your Photography; the novel, Acapulco Goodbye; and the pictorial book, MEXICO, with introduction by James A. Michener. Cliff has twice been named "Travel Photographer of the Year" by the Society of American Travel Writers, and his film company has received gold medals at the New York and Chicago Film Festivals, and Telly's for Travel Commercials and Videos. His clients include international airlines, cruise lines, advertising agencies, magazines and book publishers. You can see Cliff's work at: www.hollenbeckproductions.com
 Tommy Thompson |
 Kerry Kolb |
 Jon Saban |
 Jake Nelson |