Mastering Solo Travel Photography (Tips & Tricks)

They said, traveling solo is lonely. I just laugh.
They said, you can't have perfect photos if traveling solo. I laugh so hard!

It's not about being lonely, it's about enjoying your own company.
It's not just about the photos, it's more about the exprerience!

Hello Steemit 👋

I'm back for another travel related post.
Last year, when some people I know who never tried solo traveling yet and found out that I was traveling solo on my previous travels (which I'm going to share soon), their reaction and questions are like, "are you not scared?" , "who's taking you the pictures??"

Unexpected questions such as "did you hire a Flytographer"??😱🤑 and I was like, "a flying whoooat??" and one even joke "maybe you have a secret affair taking the pictures". (LMAO!) 😂

So without further ado, here are some of my Solo Travel Photography tips & tricks ideas that I would love to share.

Do Your Research

Do a research of what your destination landscape look like and check what kind of photos other travellers have taken specially in a crowded touristy cities, not to plagiarize their poses! but to give you an idea of the perfect spot to take photos.

Trip advisor, Pinterest, the location's official Facebook where you can see latest photos through "community photos" section and my solo travel group. I always find these sites very helpful.

Camera

Do a research on how to have a quality solo travel photos by choosing your gears. When buying a camera, get the best one which suit your budget and learn how it works.

As the saying goes:

"Invest on photographs, they last for a lifetime."

I'm starting to use my husband's NIKON D3100 lately because I'm starting to have issues with my IPhone. The camera is a bit heavy but it's really worthy.

Handy Tripod

A tripod can be pain in the ars but it's a must for amazing photos even if you’re not traveling solo.

Nowadays, there are different types of handy & affordable tripods on the market. One good example is the "gorillapod" type that can either serve as a tripod or wrap around objects.

If I'm not travelling with anyone, my Fotopro is my travel buddy.

Fotopro is a selfie stick, monopad that extends from 30cm to 95cm with removable tripod holder and Bluetooth remote control. It's compatible with smartphone, Gopro and cameras. It also comes with a bluetooth remote control and compatible with Android and IOS system.

Bluetooth Camera Remote Work Wonders!

The bluetooth control could also be used to make pause when making a video.
The cheapest one in amazon is less than $10.

I also prefer using the remote than the timer because it's more convenient.
The Bluetooth remote also gives those people an impression that you're not alone. 😉👌🏻

I don't want my face on the photos all the time as I don't want to spoil a beautiful scenery but At the same time, I want to be on it (come again joy?? 😅) and when I do, I prefer the whole body photos with the landscape and the remote really work wonders for me!

Some pictures on my hiking using my fotopro where I'm holding the remote invisibly and just click3x!

The Infamous Selfie Stick

Thanks to Wayne Fromm
where selfiesticks originally came fromM!

While selfiestick is a good idea, it's not really my cup of tea. Like I said, I don't want my face to spoil the scenery and I find it annoying most of the time specially if your in a crowded touristy place. I have this feeling that the stick might hurt someone else face when I lift it and those judgmental stares from people that makes me uncomfortable but later on I've realize that the less I give a da**, the better my photos turn out! (LOL).

This is what I do with fotopro selfie stick sometimes if I'm not on a selfie mode. I lift it up behind me, put it in an angle that my arm won't show up on the camera and it will look like a stolen shot.

This also works fine when your taking a video walking and the selfie stick is behind you. It will look like someone is taking a video behind you. So it's a must have if traveling solo.

No Selfistick, No Tripod, No problem! Be Imaginative! You can use your travel accessories like what I do.

Glasses & Earphones

Glasses can be use as a phone holder. You can also use your headphone as a shutter which is more convenient than a timer.

A good book-glasses-earphone = perfect! if I want to take apicture of myself during a flight, bench or in a restautant. No awkward selfie stick moment, lol.

Travelling Bag

I use my bag not just to support the camera but as a tripod as well instead of just putting it on the floor if I want to get an interesting angle of the landscape and if it's too windy to use the tripod.

Ask For A Helping Hand

It could be the travel guide, a couple or a total stranger. You can ask someone nicely to take you a photo and return the favor.

There are pro and cons also when asking a stranger.
Chances are; your photos would be perfect, not what you expected or worse you'll end up loosing your camera to a thief. Here is what I do:

Take Your Time, Explore and Observe.
I don't rush on taking pictures when I arrived at my destination. While seeing the landscape with my own eyes in reality, I also observe my surroundings (for a prospect photographer 🙊).

Good Judgement
A person carrying a DSLR .
If that person is using such type of camera, this person must know how to use it properly.

A couple or family.
I usually ask a couple or a person who is part of a family group and offer to take theirs in return.

With these two types of strangers, I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna end up with a theif. We're not being judgemental here folks, ofcourse we don't want to ruin our travel, right?

Before approaching a person to take me a picture, I always prepare my camera first and set the settings and tell the person in a nice way on how I want the photo to look like.

The first photo above is taken by the couple behind me who's in the picture below and this picture is taken using my monopad shot with the wireless remote which is on my left hand.

Th same couple take some of my photos on my previous solo travel blog of the breathtaking Guadalest .

Talk To Locals
If traveling on a foreign land, it's nice to make an attempt to speak the native language. Even if your speaking the language badly, but at least being able to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you and excuse is a good start to break the ice and the locals are more helpful when they notice that you are trying and then you start a conversation and leads to exchange of "don't you mind if you take me a photo with the beautiful landscape behind? Gracias!

This happens almost all the time for me.

Do you have other solo travel photography tips or tricks? I would love to hear it.

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