How to Scout for the Best Travel Photography Locations in Advance
Your next travel adventure will likely provide you with the perfect opportunity to take photos of locations that you normally wouldn’t have immediate access to. But with that opportunity comes the special challenge of choosing particular spots to take photos in—as well as ensuring that you actually have permission to be in those places and take shots according to your specifications.
As you’re likely to only stay within a certain area for a limited period, it would do you well to scout ahead and see which locations you’ll want to visit specifically for the purpose of taking photos. Considering that there are multiple famous spots to choose from in just one city—let alone a whole country—this may take more time than you originally thought.
Make it a goal to plan your photo itinerary ahead, and be open to visiting locations that are not as popular, but no less beautiful than common tourist spots. Here are some expert scouting tips that over travel photographers have put to good use:
1) Flip Through Travel Guides
To get an idea of what the country or city you’ll be heading to is like, you can browse through travel guides or travel books. These materials will compile general information about the area as well as popular spots for travelers to visit, allowing you to gauge what kinds of locations you can expect. For instance, if you’re interested in taking photos of old buildings in particular, then you may be able to find a mention in a travel guide about which neighborhoods in the country have been able to preserve the historical look of their structures.
Travel guides can also help you with the logistics of reaching the location, with info about what form of transportation you should take, if there are any entrance fees or tickets you should pay for in advance, and if the location has opening and closing times. This info will allow you to plan ahead and ensure that when you show up, you can start taking photos right away with no hassle on your end.
2) Follow Photographers Located in the Area
Weeks before your travel date, do a quick search of photographers who reside in the area you’re visiting and follow their social media accounts. You can then use the professional photos they post on their socials as references on locations you may want to visit. Likewise, if you’re looking for curated spots—for instance, a photography studio Manchester visitors book during their visits to the city—a fellow photographer may be able to lead you to the right place.
You also don’t have to stick to just photographers. Even content creators who live in the area and are actively showing their viewers places around their city in their videos or posts can serve as great references. Essentially, this approach allows you to scout locations in advance through the eyes of other creatives, and their input can be invaluable when it comes to achieving the perfect snapshot.
3) Read Travel Blogs
In addition to the sources listed above, travel blogs can offer you some great insights on hidden gems or locations that aren’t popular enough to land spots in official travel guides. Travel bloggers are more likely to scout the area for those hidden spots because they wouldn’t want to post about the common tourist spots already. Moreover, they usually post photos to go with their entries, thus allowing you to gauge whether you can see yourself taking photos in a recommended location.
The personalized format of travel blogs also means you get to hear a blogger’s opinions of the location and potentially save yourself the trouble of heading somewhere that looks beautiful in photos—only to find out that it doesn’t live up to your expectations.
4) Use Online Maps
It’s also possible to scout for locations in advance using online mapping technologies like Google Maps or OpenStreetMap. These will allow you to spot anything that might be interesting to take photos of, such as unique buildings, structures, or landforms. Since you’re already on a map, you can easily note down the coordinates of those areas so that it won’t be hard to visit them once you’ve arrived.
This approach will be perfect for getting a better feel of the area even if you aren’t there yet. Features like Google’s Street View will make it even easier to scout for locations and plan where you should stand as you take your photos.
5) Ask the Locals for Recommendations
Few things beat the knowledge and perspective of locals when it comes to getting to know a place. If you’re doing travel photography, there are two good ways to ask locals for their recommended spots in their city. One would be to join forums specific to that location or just travel forums in general, then soliciting opinions from locals who are part of the forums. If you want leads before you even land at your destination, this may prove a very effective approach.
And It’s Wrap-Up!
However, if you don’t mind scouting only after your arrival, then you can ask locals directly for ideal photography locations. You may emphasize as well that you’d want to know more about the less popular spots, which will help them recommend more relevant options.
As long as you’re willing to put in the research and effort beforehand, it may not be as hard to draw up your ideal photo itinerary. But while scouting beforehand may allow you to narrow down your choices and make better use of your limited time while traveling, don’t hesitate to also explore on your own and to exercise creativity, resourcefulness, and spontaneity in your craft, too.
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