A Field Guide to Travel Photography: Lessons from 15 Years on the Road

Over the past 15 years as a photojournalist, I’ve traveled to 76 countries, carrying my camera from the high Arctic to the deserts of the Middle East, from the Incan ruins of the Andes to the savannas of Sub-Saharan Africa. Along the way, I’ve taught photography workshops all around the world, helping photographers work on their technical skills and develop their eye, all while capturing the essence of wherever we may be.

No matter the destination, the lessons have been consistent: understand light, anticipate moments, and compose with purpose.

Below are some of the main core principles I rely on and teach in the field to help create more intentional and compelling travel images.

A person standing with Vatnajökull in the background, outside Jökulsárlón, Iceland

Chase Good Light: Wake up Early, Stay up Late

The most interesting natural light tends to be in the hours right before and after sunrise and sunset. Many of us have heard about “golden hour,” the soft, warm light that tends to come right after sunrise and before sunset. But even at dawn and dusk, a pre-rising sun or blue, dusky sky can make for interesting images and unusual scenes.

Good light creates texture in landscapes and depth in portraits: a glacier glows pink in the setting sun, black shadows ripple across red dunes, streetlamps glow against a dimly lit cobblestone alley.

Waking up early also has advantages beyond light: you evade the crowds. Photographing a castle in Bavaria before sunrise, or the plazas of Cusco in the blue hour before dawn, gives you atmosphere and stillness that disappear once tour buses arrive. You might see locals commuting to work, farmers tending to their fields in the mist, or animals drinking water by the river before the heat of the day arrives. This is often how you photograph the true heart of a destination before most of the world wakes up.

Remember to avoid using flash whenever possible. It flattens your subject and often destroys the mood of a scene. Instead, learn to work with available light. Position your subject near a window. Use a doorway as side light. Embrace silhouettes at sunset. Even artificial light can be beautiful if you use it intentionally, such as a single hanging bulb illuminating a market vendor at dusk.

Go Beyond the Postcard

A postcard image serves its purpose: it simply shows where you are, and travelers often mimic its style. If someone wants to elevate their photography, I encourage them to look beyond the postcard image and seek elements that can suspend their photo in a specific moment in time.

This often comes in the form of movement: a penguin leaping into the water off a glacier, or elephants greeting each other with intertwined trunks, or a street musician mid-laughter between songs.

It can also take the form of something unusual or a scene that feels atypical. Look for anything out of place, something unique or playful, or something that surprises you.

A giraffe flicks up a spray of water as it drinks from a floodplain in Botswana

If you’re traveling during a spell of bad weather, realize that it can actually be your ally. Dramatic conditions can create drama in your photos. A lightning storm rolling over the Masai Mara is more unusual than the typical sunny scene, and rain puddles reflecting the neon signs of Tokyo offer a different way to show a classic Japanese city scene. Don’t be discouraged by a cloudy day – get out there and see what you can create!

A hiker is dwarfed by the mountains on a stormy day in the Italian Dolomites

When photographing people, seek authenticity. Instead of asking someone to stand stiffly and smile, watch for real moments: a shopkeeper arranging produce, a chef stoking a fire, or a gaucho tending to his horses. Use their surroundings to create a sense of place. And remember that the longer you’re there, the more people tend to get used to your presence, go back to what they were doing, and let their guard down; and that tends to be when the real special moments are captured. Just always be respectful and make sure people are comfortable with you photographing them, and if you are photographing children, speak to their parent or guardian.

Understand a Few Core Composition Principles

You do not need to master every technical detail to take strong travel photos, but knowing a few composition fundamentals can make a significant difference.

Sense of Scale

Landscapes often look smaller in photos than they feel in real life. To communicate scale, try to include something recognizable – like a person, an animal, or a building – in the frame.

This could be a person hiking beneath towering peaks, or a small house sitting alone in a sprawling valley, or a vehicle dwarfed by migrating wildebeest. These elements help viewers understand the size and power of a place, and also tend to elevate a standard scene.

A farmhouse in Franschhoek, South Africa

Rule of Thirds

Imagine your frame divided into a grid of nine equal rectangles, with two horizontal and two vertical lines. The rule of thirds suggests placing important elements along these lines or at their intersections.

When a subject is centered, the image can feel static and predictable. Placing your subject slightly off-center introduces visual tension and encourages the viewer’s eye to move through the frame. It creates a more natural sense of balance, similar to how we tend to scan scenes in real life rather than staring at the exact middle of what we see.

For landscapes, try positioning the horizon along the top third or bottom third instead of cutting the frame in half. For portraits or wildlife, place the subject’s eyes or head near one of the upper intersection points. These small adjustments often make a significant difference in how dynamic and intentional an image feels.

Many cameras and phones allow you to turn on a grid in the viewfinder if you want guidance while out shooting.

The rule of thirds: try to keep your subject and horizon lines out of the center of the frame

Eliminate Distractions

Before pressing the shutter, scan the edges of your frame.

Are there stray tree branches creeping in from the side? Is there a partial arm of someone outside the frame? Is there a bright sign pulling attention away from your subject? Is everyone in your frame clearly visible? Is everything included on purpose?

If not, move your feet, change your angle, zoom in or out, and try to be aware of everything entering your image. Get low and get high: stand on a rock, crouch down, move out from behind a distracting object. Small adjustments can completely transform a photograph.

Use Your Surroundings to Frame the Shot

Composition is about guiding the viewer’s eye. Use natural frames, such as shooting through a window frame, a doorway, or the arch of an ancient ruin. If there’s a mirror, play around with shooting through it or incorporating it into your image.

Look for leading lines and ways to frame your subject. Imagine a hiking trail that curves toward a distant peak, a row of trees leading to a hilltop castle, or a shadow stretching toward your subject in late afternoon light. Rivers, fences, bridges, pathways, footprints, patterns, and even other people, animals, flora, or objects can lead the viewer directly where you want them to look.

Using your surroundings to create layers in an image is an endlessly fun way to elevate your photography.

Be Patient

Patience may be the most important skill in travel photography. Wait until the fisherman drifts into better light, or until the hiker completely silhouettes himself against the glacial landscape. Wait until the herd of elephants finally crosses the river, or until the café door swings open and warm light spills onto the street.

When photographing people or wildlife, wait for a moment of expression or action. A subtle shift in posture, a glance into the light, a step away from distracting clutter, or a brief interaction can elevate an image from ordinary to memorable.

Patience also means putting the camera down. Watch how light moves across a scene, see how locals interact, and pay attention to a place’s patterns and rhythms. When you observe first and shoot second, you begin to anticipate moments, and the process encourages a more thoughtful, immersive way of traveling.

Waiting for the right moment while on assignment in Peru