Tip: Finding Travel Locations to Photograph
Tip: Finding Travel Locations to Photograph
As I look through the long dark archway that shines a brightly lit Taj Mahal at the end, an amazing sense of euphoria fills me and I must capture this moment. I lift my camera camera to my face to frame the shot perfectly and think to myself, this shot again? Another shot looking upwards at the structural brilliance Eiffel Tower? How many shots of the Golden Gate Bridge can you have? Yeah it can be tough finding a good location to photograph. It is not a great feeling when you are setting up your tripod and camera and you look around to notice 10 others who are also setting up their tripod and camera. This is how you know your shot will be like any other shot. But how would someone find a new location to photograph. It is not like it is easy to find new hidden amazing places worth photographing. Or is it? Lets get some tips and ideas of places to photograph.
Use The Internet: Google Maps and Flickr Maps
The secret to doing photography is doing research. Believe it or not I start with the internet. After planning my trip of a city or town it is important to find out locations to go to and photograph. Two of my best resources are using Google Maps and Flickr Maps. Google maps makes sense but Flickr Maps you ask? One of the key features of both of these is that you can find photos in a general area based on where you are looking at on a map. I look at the maps locations near my place of stay and locations I have already discovered through my planning. I also move the maps around to the areas outside of town as well as places between cities. This gives me an idea of hidden places away from the tourist spots that I can take amazing photos at. It is like scouting an area by foot, except not having to go there.
Screen Shot of Flickr Maps
Check Tourism Boards
Not every place has a photon a map. Sometimes you have to ask. Check out some of the tourism boards. Yeah I said it, check tourism boards and offices. As a blogger I tend to reach out to tourism boards as they tend to have a plan of places for people to visit. From large places to small places. And sometimes these small places are the more interesting places to visit that no one else really visits. If you do not have the luxury of having the pull of being a travel blogger than just head the tourism website for the location you will be visiting, I have done it plenty of times to get newer fresh ideas. I have gone and walked right into the tourist office and started speaking to the person at the front desk. Through the tourism board I was able to meet Sandra, a tour guide who loves showing off her home town of Cali.
San Francisco Church - Cali Colombia - A place I would have never discovered w/o the help of meeting Sandra through the tourism board.
Get Lost
What? Did you just say get lost? Yes I did. Sometimes all the planning in the world just does not do any justice. Time to wander around and just get lost. On purpose or as planned. For example when going to Old Delhi in India, I was going to head to the Red Fort to take some photos. Upon arriving there I turned the wrong way and ended up in the Chadni Chawk Bizarre, a place I planned on eventually visiting. I got lost in Chadni Chawk and found some interesting places to eat that were also great subjects for a photograph. I eventually found my way again and headed to another bizarre where I got lost again, and found some color wares that people were selling. Sometimes it pays off to just walk around and get lost. Do not worry, I did eventually find my way to Red Fort, but in the process I found some amazing other places.
Chai from a hidden chai shop in Chadni Chawk - Found this place while getting lost
Ask Friends
When I travel I tend to find some amazing places just by exploring. My friends have done the same thing when they have travelled, they find amazing locations just by exploring. Sometimes it is not so wise to get lost. One of the resources I use a lot to find a good location to photograph my friends. Your friends are people you can trust, their word is all that matters at times. I take advantage of Facebook as well as trip planning sites like gogobot and trippy to contact with friends to ask the question, “where are some amazing places to go?” One perfect example is when my good friend who told me about a hidden place in Colombia, a place that not many other Colombians know about. She heard about it from one of her friends. She became my guide to Cabo Tiburon in Sapzurro, an amazingly stunning and relaxing place with a gorgeous secluded beach.
Morning Sunrise on a beach in Sapzurro, Colombia near the border of Panama.
Join A Photowalk
Sometimes your friends do not have all the answers. Joining a photo walk could be one of the solutions. What is a photo walk? A photo walk is a group of photographers who walk and take photos of a location/city. You can find photo walks by just doing an internet search for photo walks and the location you will be in. One of the best resources I use is meetup.com, a resource I used to find language exchanges. One photo group I came across was one located in Bogotá, a group named Bogotá Panaromica, a group that went to locations just outside of the city of Bogota to photograph some amazing spots.
Legend of El Derado - Green Lake of Guatavita, Colombia - Discovered through a photography group on Meetup.com
Ask The Locals
The people who know the area the best are the people who live there. I always try to ask the locals what there is to do around in the area. One of the best ways to do this is to hire a local guide who can show you the hidden places and make sure they have your back when bargaining. If you can not afford to hire a local, look into just asking your front desk clerk at the hotel you are staying with. Or perhaps you can meet up with locals from meetup.com or couchsurfing.com. You will always find someone who is willing to show you how amazing their town is and some of the hidden gems they enjoy visiting as well.
Beach and Cabanas of Puerto Colombia - Barranquilla, Colombia - A local of Barranquilla I meet in Bogota told me about Puerto Colombia
Erick Redcloud
A partially blind Graphic Designer, Freelance Travel Photographer, Artist, Buddhist and Vegetarian who loves to travel. Erick loves traveling by being with the locals and going off the beaten path. He is the founder and owner of Pathlesstravels and loves inspiring others to follow their dreams, whether it is to travel or something completely different. He started Pathlesstravels to hone is photography skills and to meet amazing people, and to help a friend break into journalism. Check out his photography at his link.
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One comments on “Tip: Finding Travel Locations to Photograph”
Nice Times, although you forgot about ShotHotspot! It’s a useful resource for finding places: http://www.shothotspot.com