11 Travel Photography Mistakes and How to Easily Fix Them

Travel Photography Mistakes

Making mistakes is how we learn, right? There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes—unless you don’t realize you’re making them.

That’s why I thought it would be helpful to explore some common travel photography mistakes you might be making.

After all, becoming aware of these mistakes is the first step toward improving your skills.

Want to capture the wonderful memories of your adventures with meaningful photography? Avoid these common travel photography mistakes, and you’re good to go!

#1 You’re Not Prepared

A little preparation goes a long way, and it starts at home. Researching the places you plan to visit is a great way to begin your adventure—and it’s fun too!

You can look up locations on platforms like Instagram and 500px. Reading books or watching movies can also help you get into the right mindset.

Of course, knowing how to use your camera is essential. Download your camera manual and save it to your phone so you can refresh your memory if needed. Also, bring enough memory cards and always carry a spare battery!

Most importantly, have your camera ready at all times. You never know when a great photo opportunity will arise. Invest in a comfortable camera strap and avoid stuffing your camera at the bottom of your backpack.

Prepare your trip by researching the area, knowing your gear, having enough memory cards and spare batteries. Have your camera ready at all times. Invest in a good camera strap!

Go here to check out this post chockful of Travel Photography Safety Tips.

#2 Bringing Way Too Much Gear

Remember, you have to carry everything you bring. Most people have a tendency to overpack, not only with photography equipment. How many times did you come home realizing: “Oh, I never wore that dress and I really didn’t need 5 pairs of shoes!”

The same applies to your photography gear. If you bring it all, it’s very likely you’re not going to use all of it. I get it, you want to bring everything because you’re worried you’re gonna miss shots. I know, I’ve been there. But guess what! There’s power in constraint.

Limiting yourself in the gear you bring actually makes you more creative. Because it encourages you to think of alternative ways to get the photo you want.

Constraining yourself in the gear you bring not only saves your back but also enhances your creativity.

#3 You Think the Camera Takes the Picture

A camera is just a tool. Yet, how many times have you heard someone say, “That’s a great camera! It takes amazing pictures”?

It is a common misunderstanding that the camera is the most important tool in taking a photograph. Be honest, you probably think this as well. But deep down you also know it’s not true.

Because the truth is, you are the most important tool in making photos. 

You are the defining factor! You are the creator of every single image your camera produces. The camera is merely a humble servant to your craft and creativity.

Become aware of the huge influence you have when you’re making pictures and work on developing your skills and vision.

Read More: The Most Powerful Tool in a Travel Photographers Toolbox

#4 Being a Static Photographer

A static photographer takes every picture from eye level and from the place she or he happens to be standing when the photo opportunity presents itself. The sad and simple truth is that a static photographer is a limited and uninspired photographer.

This may sound harsh to you, but there’s no way around it. Static photographers settle for the obvious shot, the one everybody is taking. 

So what can you do about it? There’s a simple solution! You become an active photographer. Move around your subject, explore different angles, get closer, kneel down, or climb higher. This approach will add variety and uniqueness to your shots.

Being a dynamic photographer involves going deeper into the thing you’re photographing, by observing your surroundings. Take the time and have the perseverance to look for something different than everybody else is shooting. Most of all, be curious!

Make the change from being a static and limited photographer to being a dynamic and active photographer by moving around and exploring different points of view.

#5 You’re Not Connecting

The static photographer is usually the photographer that doesn’t connect to the people and the places she or he is photographing. 

When you’re taking quick, distant shots like a drive-by shooter, your images may feel empty and impersonal.

But if you want your photos to tell a story, you need to take the time to observe and connect first.

If you are like most people you find it a lot easier to connect to a place than to make a connection with the people you’d like to photograph. Often this comes out of fear that people might not want to be photographed so you try to do it quickly and sort of sneaky so people will not notice you.

Read More: 15 Badass Street Photography Ideas To Get You Started

The truth is that if people don’t want to be photographed you should not do it. You’re not entitled to take pictures of everyone that catches your eye. It might feel a little scary to walk up to people and start a conversation before you ask if you can take their photo. But here’s the thing, once you do you’ll discover it’s not scary at all. The photos you take during those encounters will be more meaningful than the drive-by shootings.

Of course, it’s not always necessary to talk to people first. But don’t be sneaky about it. Quite often a smile and showing you’re taking pictures is enough.

Observe and connect to your surroundings first, then start photographing.

Read More: You Think The Best Spot Is Behind Your Camera?

#6 Thinking Now is Not the Right Time

There could be a lot of reasons why you might think, “Now is not the right time, I’ll come back tomorrow”. Maybe you didn’t bring the right lens, maybe the light is ‘wrong’, maybe you’re tired or strapped for time.

But the thing is, there’s no better time than right now. If you don’t have the right lens, make it work with the one you have. If the light is wrong, make the shot anyway and work with what you’ve got.

If you come back tomorrow, the scene might be completely different. Don’t postpone—take the shot now!

Get in the now mindset and don’t postpone until tomorrow what you can shoot today.

#7 Shooting in Packs

Always photographing with the people you’re traveling with is another big travel photography mistake. Because the best time to deepen your skill and vision is when you’re able to follow your curiosity and creative instincts.

And let’s be honest that’s not possible when you’re walking around with a lot of other people. I know, I’ve been there myself. It’s unsettling when you wanna take the time to go deeper into your subject when you have a couple of people waiting for you. The first few times they might be understanding and accommodating but after a while, it gets on their nerves.

Frankly, I can’t blame them, I understand completely. It’s not the most exciting thing to watch someone taking pictures. Which is why you should carve out time to explore on your own.

It’s way better when you’re alone and don’t have to take other people’s interests into account. Then you can go with your own creative flow and turn another corner and another one just because you want to.

Set aside some time to go out shooting by yourself and make sure your travel buddies understand why you want to do that.

#8 Your Subject isn’t Clear

Failing to make the subject stand out is another common travel photography mistake caused by being a static photographer.

Quite often a photo doesn’t work because there’s too much going on and it’s not clear what the photo is about. You have to make sure it’s clear what the picture is about by making your subject stand out. The key to achieving this is by focusing on your composition.

How to create a compelling composition? By moving your body. Do you see where I’m getting at?

You carefully determine what’s in the frame and what’s out. What’s going to contribute to the photo and what’s going to be distracting.

Make your subject stand out by creating a strong composition. You achieve that by being an active and dynamic photographer.

Go here to discover what it takes to create a strong Composition in Photography.

#9 Thinking Too Little of Your Phone Camera

Hey, I get it, I love shooting with my DSLR as well. It’s the best! But when I come across an interesting photo opportunity and I don’t have my DSLR with me what do you think I do? Yep, I take out my smartphone!

I actually invested a lot of time to become a better smartphone photographer because it’s the only camera I have with me all the time.

Investing in the skill and knowledge to know how to take great photos with a smartphone is time and/or money well spent. Understanding its strengths and limitations will help you capture amazing shots even without a DSLR or mirrorless.

Don’t underestimate your phone camera. Invest in knowledge and skills to improve your phone photography.

#10 Not Culling Your Pics

Ever came home from a wonderful adventure and you’re excited to show every single frame to your friends and family? Yeah, I guess we all love to show our work, especially after a trip.

I wonder, did you notice the glazed over looks after 20 images of the same thing? This happens when you’re not culling.

Go in-depth with culling your pics in this tutorial about the Library Module in Lightroom.

When I come back from a trip, the selection process takes a lot of time. Let me tell you something—not every photo you take will be brilliant. In fact, you often need to take many shots to capture that one standout image. The rest are rough sketches, exercises, and improvisations.

Culling is the process of taking out the weed, the sketches, the photos you took to get to that one good photo.

When you take away the lesser photos you give space to the better photos. So they can take their rightful place in the spotlight and shine!

Make a selection of your photos that will leave your viewers begging for more instead of patiently waiting for the end of an endless stream of photos.

#11 Not Editing Your Pics

Every photo needs a little aftercare. Especially when you’re shooting in raw, which I highly recommend you do!

During the editing phase, you aim to elevate your photo to a higher level. Editing can enhance your story and vision, but it can also be as simple as straightening a crooked horizon.

Check out this post on How to Edit Photos in Lightroom and discover it’s not really that complicated!

Editing is like dotting all your I’s. It’s the phase where everything is coming together. It is a very important step in the entire process of creating strong and compelling photographs and should not be overlooked.

After culling your pics give them the aftercare they deserve in the editing phase.

Fixing these travel photography mistakes will greatly improve your travel pics. Especially becoming a more active, observing and curious photographer will do your photos a lot of good!

Tell me, what’s one travel photography mistake you’ve been making and gonna stop making now that you know how to fix it?

Did you try one of the tips? Share your photos on Instagram and mention @photography_playground!