Travel photography is one of those catch-all genres in the creative world. Unlike wedding, portrait, or fashion photographers, the travel photographer captures many different subjects. I can think of 5 travel photographers off the top of my head that all specialize in photographing completely different subjects, yet would all be considered travel photographers. Let’s explore what some common references of travel photography include:
Portraits
Cultural portraits and general documentary-type portraits fall under this type of work. This is not the family portraits or engagement shots. This is photographing a farmer in Cuba or a waitress at a lone diner on a long stretch of highway in the US. Travel portraits position the subject - people - in their natural elements, by choosing to capture the people, the photographer also says something about the place in the picture.
Landscapes
This one is fairly straightforward. Waterfalls, canyons, mountains, and the sea at the magic hour - landscape photographers capture the natural scenery of a place.
Interiors
While I’ve never been much of an interior photographer, there are tons of photographers who shoots the layout and interior design of indoor locations. The perfect example of this would be commercial photographers who capture different hotel rooms. Another popular series include photographers who capture creatives in their homes.
Food
I envy food photographers - they photograph delicious meals, sugary desserts, and fresh produce. They travel to different parts of the world to document cuisines from all sorts of cultures. They make my mouth, and probably yours, water with their images.
Street
Street photography is similar to travel photography in that, depending on who you ask, people will give you different definitions of this genre of work. I’m taking a page out of street photographer Eric Kim’s blog: street photography is capturing people candidly in their urban elements. Street photography is not posed, but takes seemingly everyday subjects like pedestrians and shopkeepers and composes them in such a way that produces an expected image.
Documentary
Very early on in my photography career, I thought about being a photojournalist and doing documentary work for media outlets. This type of work would take put me in the middle of the news, perhaps to capture an earthquake in Asia or to document the disputes of the middle east. Whereas portraits, interiors and food are sometimes posed, documentary photography is meant to capture the world unstaged.
Humanitarian
A lot of the photographers I currently follow do this type of work. They travel the world, producing images for different NGOs and charities. David duChemin, for example, is working for the BOMA project - an organization that supports women entrepreneurship in Africa. The images are meant to reflect the work of the organization and are put to commercial use by the NGOs.
Travel photography is a broad topic. Even as I come to the end of this blog post, I’m realizing that I haven’t included Architecture or Lifestyle photography. And how could I have forgotten Adventure Sports! Some of the most successful photographers specialize in one or two of these areas, finding that their niche focus gives them a heads up in a specific area. In 2013, I personally hope to hone my skills in Portrait work. And that’s the beauty of this genre; it provides opportunities to explore a myriad of subjects and styles.
Portraits
Cultural portraits and general documentary-type portraits fall under this type of work. This is not the family portraits or engagement shots. This is photographing a farmer in Cuba or a waitress at a lone diner on a long stretch of highway in the US. Travel portraits position the subject - people - in their natural elements, by choosing to capture the people, the photographer also says something about the place in the picture.
Landscapes
This one is fairly straightforward. Waterfalls, canyons, mountains, and the sea at the magic hour - landscape photographers capture the natural scenery of a place.
Interiors
While I’ve never been much of an interior photographer, there are tons of photographers who shoots the layout and interior design of indoor locations. The perfect example of this would be commercial photographers who capture different hotel rooms. Another popular series include photographers who capture creatives in their homes.
Food
I envy food photographers - they photograph delicious meals, sugary desserts, and fresh produce. They travel to different parts of the world to document cuisines from all sorts of cultures. They make my mouth, and probably yours, water with their images.
Street
Street photography is similar to travel photography in that, depending on who you ask, people will give you different definitions of this genre of work. I’m taking a page out of street photographer Eric Kim’s blog: street photography is capturing people candidly in their urban elements. Street photography is not posed, but takes seemingly everyday subjects like pedestrians and shopkeepers and composes them in such a way that produces an expected image.
Documentary
Very early on in my photography career, I thought about being a photojournalist and doing documentary work for media outlets. This type of work would take put me in the middle of the news, perhaps to capture an earthquake in Asia or to document the disputes of the middle east. Whereas portraits, interiors and food are sometimes posed, documentary photography is meant to capture the world unstaged.
Humanitarian
A lot of the photographers I currently follow do this type of work. They travel the world, producing images for different NGOs and charities. David duChemin, for example, is working for the BOMA project - an organization that supports women entrepreneurship in Africa. The images are meant to reflect the work of the organization and are put to commercial use by the NGOs.
Travel photography is a broad topic. Even as I come to the end of this blog post, I’m realizing that I haven’t included Architecture or Lifestyle photography. And how could I have forgotten Adventure Sports! Some of the most successful photographers specialize in one or two of these areas, finding that their niche focus gives them a heads up in a specific area. In 2013, I personally hope to hone my skills in Portrait work. And that’s the beauty of this genre; it provides opportunities to explore a myriad of subjects and styles.
Last week I read an article called the Five Emerging Traveler Types and realized that I'm #5 - the female business traveler. Although the article was references travelers in Asia, I have been finding myself on frequent business trips in the last 6 months. Most of the time, these trips involve traveling to New York and San Francisco, but occasionally I have gotten to go to more exotic places like New Orleans.
One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to sample different hotels. In San Francisco, I have stayed at Harbor Court - a Kimpton Hotel - and Hotel Whitcomb. On my recent trip to San Francisco, I stayed at the Clift Hotel. The Clift is an upscale accommodation close to Union Square and the shopping centre of San Francisco. The ground floor lounge and bar is a popular spot for travelers on weekends. Although the crowd at the lounge was a bit older for me, I did like my deluxe room. The view made me feel like I was right at the heart of San Francisco.
Of all the places I've travelled to in Europe, Hungary has left the biggest impression on me. I could use this post to tell you about the grand St. Stephen's basilica, the enchanting Chain Bridge, the relaxing baths, but you can find all that on any tourist website.
Instead, I want to tell you about the people.
While France, Italy, and Spain receive much praise from tourists, Central European countries are often overlooked. I'm ashamed to admit I knew little of Hungary before my visit. I didn't even know where Hungarians came from.
"Mongolia", the owner of the hostel where I was staying educated me on my second day in the city; he quickly became my first friend there. Born on horses, Hungarians are traditionally known to be relentless and skilled fighters who mastered infamous archery techniques on horseback.
"My country used to be much bigger" my friend mourned one night over dinner, not knowing that he was echoing the exact words my tour guide had said earlier that day. Hungarians can recount their country's history with passion and precision, including the powerful days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the dark periods of the Nazi and Soviet occupations.
At first glance, Hungarians appear to be closed and very private individuals; their stern faces seem to show the suppression of the previous Soviet rule. Although the last Soviet soldier left about two decades ago, the country is still recovering from the whiplash of the Communist government. Walking around Pest area, across the water from the Buda castle, I saw numerous beautiful apartments up for sale; their neo-Renaissance facades damaged from years of abandonment. The country has had a difficult past; its present shows both signs of uncertainty and recovery.
Having learned about the history of Hungary from locals, I was particularly sensitive to life in Budapest during my sightseeing. Museums were time capsules of pain and suffering; churches became memorials of monarchy and tradition. I'm very thankful to have befriended locals here, for no other accounts of Hungarian history would have been quite as intimate as the ones I received.I also learned that while Hungarians seem reserved on the outside, if you are lucky enough to form a friendship with any of them, they will open their homes and hearts to you with smiles bright enough to warm a cold Hungarian winter day.
Inside St. Stephen's Basilica
Watching a baker make Hungarian pastries. He invited me inside and let me watch while he explained how the bread was made.
Inside the Jewish synagogue.
People enjoying their evening in an outdoor sauna at the Széchenyi Bath.
Budapest sights, lit up at night.
Instead, I want to tell you about the people.
While France, Italy, and Spain receive much praise from tourists, Central European countries are often overlooked. I'm ashamed to admit I knew little of Hungary before my visit. I didn't even know where Hungarians came from.
"Mongolia", the owner of the hostel where I was staying educated me on my second day in the city; he quickly became my first friend there. Born on horses, Hungarians are traditionally known to be relentless and skilled fighters who mastered infamous archery techniques on horseback.
"My country used to be much bigger" my friend mourned one night over dinner, not knowing that he was echoing the exact words my tour guide had said earlier that day. Hungarians can recount their country's history with passion and precision, including the powerful days of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the dark periods of the Nazi and Soviet occupations.
At first glance, Hungarians appear to be closed and very private individuals; their stern faces seem to show the suppression of the previous Soviet rule. Although the last Soviet soldier left about two decades ago, the country is still recovering from the whiplash of the Communist government. Walking around Pest area, across the water from the Buda castle, I saw numerous beautiful apartments up for sale; their neo-Renaissance facades damaged from years of abandonment. The country has had a difficult past; its present shows both signs of uncertainty and recovery.
Having learned about the history of Hungary from locals, I was particularly sensitive to life in Budapest during my sightseeing. Museums were time capsules of pain and suffering; churches became memorials of monarchy and tradition. I'm very thankful to have befriended locals here, for no other accounts of Hungarian history would have been quite as intimate as the ones I received.I also learned that while Hungarians seem reserved on the outside, if you are lucky enough to form a friendship with any of them, they will open their homes and hearts to you with smiles bright enough to warm a cold Hungarian winter day.
On my second day there, it snowed in Budapest, which I thought was very fitting weather since I wanted to see how locals saw Hungary.
Locals lined up outside the Mayor's office on Monday morning to meet Tarlós István, the current city mayor.
An entertainer and his eagle, by the Buda castle. 
People leaving St. Stephen's Basilica
Inside St. Stephen's Basilica
Watching a baker make Hungarian pastries. He invited me inside and let me watch while he explained how the bread was made.
Inside the Jewish synagogue.
People enjoying their evening in an outdoor sauna at the Széchenyi Bath.
Budapest sights, lit up at night.
