I was very lucky to pin down Travis Longmore of travislongmorephotography.com.au for an interview (all-be-it by email). He has given us some great advice and tips on getting that Killer shot while on the road.
Travis is an experienced photo journalist who now spends his time traveling the world and taking amazing photos !
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a photojournalist turned travel photographer and social media consultant. After 6 years taking photos of famous people and lots of government jobs I decided it was time to pursue my passion of travel. With 10 years of photography and video making under my belt when I sat down to figure out how to make a living while I was traveling my skills were the perfect mix. I now have a killer community through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and shoot photos and videos for businesses and tourism agencies around the world!
What is your advice on taking that killer traveling snapshot ?
If nothing else I’d say two main things. Firstly, get up early and go to bed late. Light is a huge part of photography and simply shooting an hour leading in to sunset or during sunrise and an hour after will have a huge impact. I understand some people aren’t as crazy as me chasing sunsets and sunrises so my second piece of advice is to change your perspective. Get high or get low if you can. I have a saying that ‘unless you’re uncomfortable, you’re not getting the shot’. Crouch down to shoot from a low angle and things open up and look amazing. If you can climb a tree or get up high (a hot air balloon is nice!) the perspective looking down is great too. The idea is that every single other person is seeing things at eye level (duh!) and usually shooting at eye level. If you want a better shot, change your perspective!
What is the best way to capture the emotion or sprite of the moment ?
Be prepared! You can’t catch that fleeting moment if you don’t know how to use your camera. That doesn’t mean knowing every button and every switch on the camera (because there are a LOT on new digital cameras!) but it does mean learning a few very crucial ones. Learning how to shoot in Aperture or Shutter Priority is crucial. They let you set just one setting and the camera chooses the rest. Handy for a quick shot! The next one is learning how your focussing system works. There’s no point in getting a nicely exposed shot of a lifetime and it’s out of focus! They’re two easy things to learn but if you do you’ll end up with some amazing shots!
What photography equipment should the novice photographer have when when traveling about ?
This is where the advice is overwhelming. There are thousands of cameras to choose from, hundreds of lenses and tens of thousands of accessories. There’s never going to be a one size fits all kit that is perfect for everyone. That’s no fun anyway! If you’re serious about getting good photos you should focus your money on good quality lenses. They allow you to shoot in lower light (which means less blurry photos!) and will last a lifetime. I still have lenses I bought with my very first digital camera! Once you settle on a camera kit don’t focus on the gear. I can still shoot on a 7 year old digital camera and get shots comparable to my current camera. The difference is my current one makes it easier, not better in most respects.
If you’re traveling a lot look at the Micro 4/3’s systems (I like the Sony series). They’re light and are very close to a DSLR system. They’re not quite there yet but I think they’re the future for cameras.
What are the most common mistakes you see the average Joe make when trying to capture their travels ?
Not understanding the exposure triangle. There are really only 3 important settings on any camera – Shutter Speed, ISO and Aperture. They each effect the photo differently but without understand what they do and how they affect it you can’t be creative. It doesn’t take long to learn so start now and by the time you head off on your next trip you’ll be a pro!
You can find Travis on his FB page https://www.facebook.com/travislongmorephotography/
On Twitter
https://twitter.com/Travis_Longmore
On Pinterest
https://in.pinterest.com/travislongmore/
and on Intagram
https://instagram.com/travislongmore/
