Special Feature: Travel Photography Mark Chamberlain LPSNZ
Travel photography is probably the most diverse of all photographic genres. It is also one of the most popular forms of photography because we all love to travel and photograph the places we visit.
Travel photographers for inspiration
In Wikipedia definition, travel photography is a broad genre that may involve the documentation of an area's landscape, people, cultures, customs, and history. Many people associate travel photography with exotic overseas destinations, but this is often not the case. Travel may be within one's own country, and the best photographic images are often from domestic travel in areas we already know well.
There are a plethora of inspiring photographers whose work falls under the broad umbrella of travel photography. For me, some of the best National Geographic magazine freelance photographers come to mind — Steve McCurry, Michael Yamashita, and Jim Richardson. These photographers are photojournalists by training, having started their careers with newspapers or magazines. Steve McCurry made his name as a hard-bitten photojournalist during the 1990s Afghanistan wars before capturing the beauty of South Asia for National Geographic.
The travel photographer is a "Jack of all trades" and requires basic skill sets from other mainstream photography genres. Notably, the travel photographer is trying to capture "a sense of place" and tell a story. Standalone images or a combination of images and writing may represent our journey or a place. So, let's dig a little deeper.
Other travel photographers include Australians Richard L'Anson from Lonely Planet and Nick Rains. Finally, here in New Zealand, we have Mike Langford and his wife Jackie Rankin, both NZIPP Grand Masters and prominent travel and landscape photographers. Mike has kindly contributed two articles for this issue of CameraTalk.
Genres within travel photography Travel photography includes: • Photo documentary / reportage • Street photography • People and portraiture photography • Landscape photography • Culture and religion • Lifestyle – resorts, restaurants, outdoor activities • Food photography 16
