In January, I announced my official transformation from fashion photography into travel photography. I removed all the portraits and fashion editorial work from my website, I archived all the old photographs, and put away my old portfolio. I was entering a new phase: travel photography.
What have I accomplished?
In order to be known as a traveler and travel photographer, I decided that I needed to be seen in the travel industry. So I made it a point to get published both online and in print in relevant industry media. To date, I have photographed and written 14 guest blog posts, 2 magazine publications, and 1 newspaper article. I have been featured on 6 online publications as a travel photographer and I became a contributor for Untapped Cities - an online travel guide and magazine, put together by locals, expert photographers, and writers. Whew, not bad!
I also travelled extensively. I went to Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco (half a dozen times), and New York. I photographed Cuba, the ethnic minorities in southern China, and travelled all over Scandinavia. I spent 10 weeks abroad and a total of 15 weeks on the road. I accumulated a collection of images that I'm very proud of.
Oh yeah, I also moved to Toronto.
What should I have done better?
I should have networked more. I am just not good at going out to meet new people. I particularly had a hard time in Toronto when I first moved here, where I would go to a travel or a photography event and know nobody else in the room. But excuses excuses, I should have figured out a way to put myself out there more. If I don’t put myself out there in the industry, in front of the right people, then how else will the right people find me?
What do I hope to accomplish in the next 10 months?
Elevate my work.
Do I miss fashion photography?
Of course, but I miss it in the same way that a photographer who have just done his/her best work can suddenly feel inferior when they look at another photographer’s amazing work.
Artists can get really insecure sometimes and I am victim to that as well. I love travel photography and it is the right place for me. I had always known that I was not meant to be a fashion photographer even when I was photographing models and editorials. But now, when I look at the work of other fashion photographers, somewhere in my heart of hearts, I still miss that crazy world of fashion I left behind.
