What is Your Biggest Travel Photography Challenge?
Image by Stuck in Customs
Yesterday on the dPS Facebook page we asked readers whether they use their cameras MORE or LESS when they go on vacation/travel.
The resounding response was MORE.
We followed up with another travel photography question – What is your biggest challenge when doing Travel Photography?
The responses are still coming in but I thought I’d open up the question to the full dPS community because we’re getting close to releasing a travel photography e-book and while we’re still putting the finishing touches on it we wanted to make sure that we covered as many of the challenges and problems that you face as possible.
So what challenges or problems have you faced with your photography when travelling? What would you like to see covered in the upcoming eBook?
PS: the travel photography eBook is on schedule for release next week. To get early notification of it make sure you’re subscribed to our weekly newsletter, Twitter stream and/or Facebook page.
70 Responses to “What is Your Biggest Travel Photography Challenge?” - Add Yours
May 26th, 2010 at 6:45 am
being non-intrusive while still getting the shots, plus more and more countries are putting insane restrictions on photograhphy (think France and the UK)
May 26th, 2010 at 6:53 am
Finding out the laws of photography in other countries. And asking to photograph somebody who lives there.
May 26th, 2010 at 7:02 am
Working with sub-optimal lighting (since you can’t plan to see everything during the Golden Hour).
Also, trying to take pictures while some travel companion or tour guide is insisting that you rush through everything at breakneck speed.
May 26th, 2010 at 7:04 am
What kind of restriction are you thinking for France ?
I’m leaving near Paris and i really don’t see any restriction.
Just the usual restriction like maybe not shoot the policemen, kid (but it’s the same to all developed country i guess) and the subway.
Well for me the challenge on a foreign country maybe is to shoot some great candid photo, some picture about their culture/tradition and finally some sweet landscape
That will for sure a great travel photography for me.
But i’m a little shy so i’m always afraid to be to intrusive if i shoot the people.
May 26th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Taking candid pictures with a big, white lens.
May 26th, 2010 at 7:29 am
Two main challenges for me:
1. Being mindful of customs when shooting abroad. I love to capture candid shots of the locals behaving as if I wasn’t there, but I do not want to offend anyone, or find myself in a hostile situation.
2. Heading out to a location to capture scenes near dusk, only to find out that the neighborhood is not as peaceful and pleasant at night – especially when carrying thousands of dollars of gear on my back. This one is especially applicable in locations where I may not have a rented vehicle – where I am at the mercy of taxis or public transportation.
Brad
May 26th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Remembering to actually see the city rather than spending hours in a couple of spots trying to get that shot.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:02 am
Getting cameras, tripods and other equipment onto and off of the airplane without having examiners want to tear everything apart. And since I shoot film, as well as digital, it is getting more and more difficult to get past inspectors who seem to have no idea exactly what film (in various sizes) is all about.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:02 am
My biggest challenge is getting together enough money to go traveling.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Yikes, I’m going to France next month and had no idea they had photography restrictions. I guess I’ll be doing a lot of asking (even though I don’t speak french, I’ll find a way) It would be great if the e-book had a section regarding laws.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Keeping batteries charged and finding compatible electric sources!
May 26th, 2010 at 8:42 am
My biggest challenge is limiting the gear I wan’t to carry with me. If it was up to me I would have a pack mule carrying all my gear, but unfortunately that isn’t practical. So I really need to learn to discipline myself better on keeping things to a minimum.
May 26th, 2010 at 8:56 am
How to get by on one lens…maybe two…or at times just a little pocket camera. I.e. how to maximize more severe gear limitations than at home.
Also, I worry about weather proofing but many of the waterproof cases I know of are very bulky. Tips for photography while sea kayaking…or just visiting rainy places in general?
May 26th, 2010 at 8:56 am
I think the biggest challenge for me is being street-wise about the gear. For example, making sure my bag doesn’t look like a camera bag and knowing where and when to pull out the expensive camera.
May 26th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Travelling with a companion who doesn’t always appreciate you doing a lot of photography.
May 26th, 2010 at 9:37 am
One of the main issues is to me downloading the images on a safe place. While ideally a rich collection of memory cards could be a solution, it turned out that devices like the HyperDrive can be very useful indeed.
May 26th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Travel companions who do not appreciate photography.
May 26th, 2010 at 10:43 am
my biggest challenge would be to carry around the heavy d700 with the lenses. Therefore, next time I travel, some lightweight point and shoot would be preferable
and as @kirpi said, downloading the images is also an issue, and I solved it by getting a cheap netbook which purpose is to save the images only. it has around 250gb harddrive for 400 bucks. not bad
May 26th, 2010 at 11:08 am
Finding the time to not have to rush taking photos. I would like to spend weeks in each location to really get to know it and have plenty of time to get the best shots. Having to consider other traveller’s wishes & time restrictions mean I usually am taking photos more as a tourist and don’t have the luxury of photographing at my own pace.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:13 am
I was roundly lectured in Paris for photograping an undercover policeman. Duh. He was undercover -he looked just like any other Parisian man!
HS
May 26th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
My biggest trouble is just getting vacation…nothing in the last 6 years…joys of having a business!
But when I get away for a weekend, weather seems to go against what I’m aiming for and I have to switch my plans around. And then trying to get the shot I want while letting others enjoy the view at the same time.
May 26th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
When visiting America from the UK, convincing customs that all my expensive camera equipment wasn’t evidence of my intentions to set up a business in the States.
In general getting a grasp of a culture of which you know little in order to find that one shot that sums the whole place up; and not irritating travelling companions with your constant calls of ‘wait, this shot is perfect I just need to change lenses’
May 26th, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Finding the time to shoot and spend time with the family
May 26th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I haven’t found any trouble photographing in France, even taken policemen (in Nice). In Paris they expect tourists to have cameras so I don’t think it is a big deal, no more than anywhere else. Trying to avoid other photographers getting in your way was more of a hassle!
May 26th, 2010 at 12:43 pm
Like several others, my problems are, choosing equipment to take with me, lugging it around and trying to take a picture without being obvious and upsetting people.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
@ian mckenzie: One advice about France, don’t try to ask people for their permission if you are taking pictures in a city. They will most likely not answer you and you will miss your shot. In remote / private areas you may want to ask just to be polite.
I don’t think there are restrictions for taking pictures of policemen (besides maybe guards at Elysées or sensitive location but then again they will just let you know). Kids pictures should not be a problem neither.
I did pull out my camera in the subway without problem but you may want to be careful, thefts are more likely to approach you than cops.
May 26th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Talking to people I don’t know.
Ideally to start a relationship to find out more about them, thus drawing inspiration and emotion from them for a good photograph. but even just asking if I can take their photograph.
May 26th, 2010 at 2:24 pm
@Boris
Thanks for the tips! I’m so exited for the trip
May 26th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
1) packing the gear, do I leave this lens? what if I need this lens? tough dilemma…
2) I worry about theft, I like to have my tripod, so yeah, I stand out. I haven’t figured out how to hide…
3) the pack mule mentioned earlier… how much do you think they charge on airlines to have him flown with you, cargo of course?
But really, security is first and foremost, I have read many horror stories
May 26th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Reiterating on what people have already said above,
a) Deciding on what gear to take along – And since I shoot film, the choice of which and how many rolls to take along adds to the confusion.
b) Trying to manage with available lighting – With only so much time in a city and so many places to see, you end up going to some gorgeous places during the wrong time of the day and you have to try to get the best shot you can with what light there is.
c) Spending too much time at one place – This probably sounds silly but its happened to me too many times. You see one place which is fantastic and end up hanging around and waiting for good light, and realize that you’ve just spent about twice the planned amount of time there.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
It would have to be choosing the right kit to take, the best bag to carry it in and hence solving the trade-off between portability and kit choice. Things that have helped me massively are:
1. The 5d Mk II with it’s full frame sensor and great ISO range – similar case for Nikon users with recent models
2. Having the 24-105mm f4L IS lens. Good travel range, good quality and stabilisation.
3. The gorillapod slr-zoom with ball head. Won’t help in every situation but for most trips a tripod can be too much kit – think touring around a city then maybe travelling to somewhere outside. Krakow and Auschwitz being a good example where a tripod would have been too much without a hire car.
4. Battery grip.
Haven’t got the bag sorted yet. Thinking Slingshot 200 as a better alternative to my toploader zoom or mini trekker classic.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
Taking candid shot really is the biggest challenge for me. I don’t want to be intrusive and usually I don’t want people to pose or turn away from the camera.
May 26th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
In Northern Europe? Weather for sure. I’m an American living in Stockholm and Scandinavia’s notorious weather makes capturing those idyllic shots elusive, even when you live here!
May 26th, 2010 at 7:25 pm
that would be photographing local people here in Saudi Arabia….
May 26th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
My 2 cents: The U.S. Embassy in Paris, France is nestled behind some trees and beautiful landscaping. I was fairly young with camera in tow, excited and thrilled to be in Paris until I made the mistake of pointing my camera in the direction of the U.S. Embassy. It was unintentional and I didn’t even know it was the Embassy until I saw the herd of Parisian Police running towards me screaming No No No!!!!
May 26th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
1. I prefer to sleep in and get back before evening when I’m on vacation. As a result of that, I tend to miss the golden hours of the day.
2. Some cities in Europe have trams with aerial power cables. It’s just so difficult to get a nice, clean shot when there’s a mess above you!
May 26th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Abiding by local laws and customs.
Funny about that isn’t it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 26th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Just completed a cross country drive with my husband from Vermont to San Francisco. Lots of riding shotgun with my camera on my lap and taking photos out of the car window – you can’t stop everywhere. Many of the photos came out well, but lots were not great. Any suggestions?
May 26th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
This is from my trip to Japan in 2006 (back then had a point and shoot)
- Saving images I see as being the biggest issue now. Back then I’d maybe have a couple hundred megs of photos since all I could take were jpgs. I was able to transfer them to my server in the US every night. Now with a dSLR and raw’s I’m looking at GBs of images a day. Simplest option is go into the country with two external hard drives. Copy files to both and then mail one of them home on last day. Or depending on what country you’re visiting and the internet access can just leave the netbook at the hotel uploading gb’s of pictures all day.
- Also trying to take pictures of people. Especially if you don’t know the native language and even then trying to read the body language of someone in another country so as not to offend them. Case in point, I went to several temples in Japan and had monks chanting. I debated if I can take pictures, till I saw everyone else–including japanese–taking pictures. I just kept the flash off to be respectful (plus the monk was 30-50 feet away so the flash wouldn’t help much)
- Only other one I could possibly see is carrying around too much stuff. My current day pack I consider small with the camera and 17-55mm lens, a 100mm macro lens, and a flash. I could probably leave the flash at home and replace the 100mm with a cheaper tele-zoom if I need to zoom in somewhere.
- I wouldn’t really consider this a challenge WHILE on vacation, but before you leave search online for the photography laws for that country. FWIW in Japan if you are at a museum or something where they don’t want you to take pictures they make it very clear, forming an “X” with their fingers and saying “no camera”
May 26th, 2010 at 10:56 pm
@Jeff – Did you know that you can actually buy a solar panel to use as a charger? I have a friend who travels over seas alot and like you said- finding compatible charging sources is tough. It’s worked for her so far. It just takes a little longer than normal to get a full charge.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:21 am
Same as many of you: knowing what to carry on and still be comfortable with the weight on my back.
May 27th, 2010 at 3:27 am
Not bringing the right equipment. I find it hard to take multiple lens with me when traveling.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:13 am
1. Clicking candid photos of people. Im always hesitant for the fear of offending someone.
2. Trying to capture the essence of a place in just a shot or two.
May 27th, 2010 at 4:19 am
Seems like most people and the article are talking about doing street photography of people when traveling, which presents some of the same challenges as if you were in your home country as well. If you are looking for a comfortable place to do this kind of photography, Tokyo I’d say is probably the easiest to do street photography in:
http://jasoncollinphotography.com/blog/2010/2/13/street-photography-tokyo-skateboarder.html
Travel photography is not just people though. To me it’s capturing the place, so that years later when I look at the photos, I can feel like I am returning to that place.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:01 am
I think my biggest issue is getting through airport security with electronic devices. I normally have two laptops and two cameras (SX20 and T2i). My trust in the airport system and baggage engineers isn’t high when it comes to my electronics, so all this stays with me. Too many memories and opportunities have the potential of being lost. Its much cheaper to replace clothes and bare necessities.
May 27th, 2010 at 5:16 am
My biggest challenge tends to be awkwardness when photographing people. I don’t want to intrude yet I love capturing a candid shot in the moment.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Hi!!! everyone:
Well i haven’t been able to travel with my camera because i just bought it but my real problem was how to get someone to take the picture for me so that i can appear in the photo with my family…
Also can someone help me?? I’m traveling to europe and i’m affraid to take pictures becausei don’t want to get my camera stolen because people see me as a tourist!!! and they can take advantage of it!!!
Can anyone email me at: carlosdts14@gmail.com with your tips… it’s my first time in europe and you know, i’m from mexico and ther is a lot of insecurity in here!!!!!
Thank You!!!! =D
May 27th, 2010 at 6:22 am
Finding the money to travel. The places I’d like to go and photo are so far out of reach financially. Never really worried about anything else when I get there.
May 27th, 2010 at 6:35 am
When I travel, a big problem I have with photography is not being “there” at the right time of day. I can’t be at every photo op during the golden hours. I will be driving along and see what I think would make a great shot. Problem is, it may be high noon, but I can’t wait a few hours for the light to be “right”. It’s take the shot now or just keep driving. Any ideas on taking photos during the “non-golden hours”?
Robert M.
May 27th, 2010 at 7:26 am
Trying to get pics while the people I’m with are wanting to rush off somewhere else. And lugging all my equipment through security at the airports…….
May 27th, 2010 at 7:28 am
1) deciding on the right gear to take (more is good, but you gotta travel light!)
2) shooting local people
3) finding a balance between photography and actually experiencing the travel
4) knowing when to stop photographing at a place
May 27th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Number One issue Battiers being charged, even with an adapter, some places it worked others didn’t; take extra. Was in a large group and they don’t stop, you didn’t keep up they left you behind. Sling pack was the best buy I made,
kept it in front of me mostly on the subways. And don’t forget your musuem setting. I just tried to enjoy the moment, I have gotten the best photos on a last second shot. The Effial Tower just as we where leaving they turned on the lights, crained my neck and took a shot toward the sky.
May 27th, 2010 at 8:46 am
Striking the balance between bringing enough gear and traveling light.
May 27th, 2010 at 7:20 pm
Being here in Uganda, I’d say one of the toughest is comfort. I’ve found that in most places around the world where I’m the minority, getting people to feel comfortable with the presence of my and my camera is a huge challenge. It can make it very hard to get permission to take pictures and even harder to get great candid photos. I have found that by hanging around a bit, and really trying to interact with the older people in the area, permission becomes easier.
May 27th, 2010 at 8:12 pm
My biggest challenge is weight: what do I take with me, and what do I leave at home? Which bag will I take? Will it be comfortable to wear the bag when I’m also lugging around a big backpack with my clothes, tent and sleeping bag?
May 27th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Keeping my equipment clean in “harsh” areas.
May 28th, 2010 at 12:15 am
Browsing through the replies, it’s been mentioned a lot, but finding a way to take my time to take shots without being a bother to the people I’m traveling with or seeming anti-social because I want to lag back / run off to take a photo, or because I enjoy taking pictures slightly more than I enjoy being in them.
I also find that the sheer amount of photos I take is sometimes a problem. When I get home and finally get a chance to upload them and edit them I’m overwhelmed by the amount of photos and it takes me a long time to get through them. (A more portable laptop might solve this problem)
May 28th, 2010 at 3:20 am
@Anne “Nancy” Merolle: “Just completed a cross country drive….. Lots of riding shotgun with my camera on my lap and taking photos out of the car window…. Many of the photos came out well, but lots were not great.” I’ve made a similar trip last summer driving through the North-West USA and British Columbia. Many times I had put on the polarizing filter, especially when driving ‘towards’ the sun, the glare of the windows disappeared and it gave me many (unexpected) great pictures. Happy to have spent the money before going to this gorgeous area. Yep, I wished we had more time!!
Another hint for this kind of trip: clean the windows of the car each morning before you leave.
May 28th, 2010 at 7:13 am
trying to stay and take the perfect picture when the rest of the group wants to move on. Being social, with my friends, but also doing what I love, photographing.
May 29th, 2010 at 3:54 am
My biggest problem with tourism photography is getting a clear shot. How do you navigate around so many people, and/or how do you give in and just include people? I am not into asking people to be in my shots.
My second biggest problem (esp. in the US) is ELECTRICAL CABLE WIRES!!!!!! Do you have any tips for getting around these dangling nightmares?
I would love to get more insight into general etiquette for public photography. In the absence of specific regulations, when is it appropriate to break out full gear, and when should I use a less conspicuous point-and-shoot?
May 29th, 2010 at 4:37 am
I adore Japan for photos!
And I was surprised that Yodabashi, the electronics paradise in Tokyo, did the X with the fingers thing when I was shooting their 10000000000000 varieties of cell phones.
I was mind-boggled at the variety and quantity.
I was noticing too that I was about to be asked to stop while shooting some pottery in a big-name store.
It surprised me, since when the Japanese come to Canada they shoot every conceivable thing!
But knowing local laws (though that doesn’t help in knowing individual preferences) would be helpful, and that candid photo thing too – being a bit shy to ask, how to ask… and not ruin the moment.
May 29th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
First problem is while taking candid shots in streets is being invisible i mean not being noticed by people, you don’t know how they feel or react after taking their photos.
Second one is keeping cameras clean and safe by dust, taking many lens for one camera is not good while on foot, lens changing is not good in dust or sand as someone discussed above……
I prefer to use wide angle prime lens like 35mm( or 50 mm), or my 18-55 mm.
Use single lens with good range like 18-70mm , 18-105,18-135..
Have a small point and shoot in your pocket.. While your DSLR in the bag u can use that for quick shots.
***
***I need tips how to react or reply to the people after taking their photos on streets…
May 29th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Everyone has absolutely covered what I was going to say.
However, i will say, I have learned what is really essential, tried to stay light and travel photography is becoming one of my most fave types of photo experiences. In fact, my photography totally sold a resort on sponsoring us for a visit to Puerto Rico recently. So, looking forward to more of that!
May 29th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
@ Kirp and Victor, what about the eye-fi card. The new 8GB with endless memory and Ad-hoc should banish your upload problem. I recently bought the 4GB, Im not a pro, just a hobbyist, but it works wonders!!!
As a newbie, my challenge is feeling comfortable about taking out my huge camera and shooting.
May 30th, 2010 at 1:33 am
@Anne: Window down whenever you can, maybe with the lens really close if it’s up so the lens doesn’t pick up the passenger window. And your shutter speed needs to be fast enough to freeze the car’s motion outside the window.
@ Carlos: Have a really, really cheap camera that you can hand someone. Just be subtle. Try to belong, I guess. Never actually had any experience, just $.01 for ya.
May 31st, 2010 at 4:23 am
These have probably already been mentioned but I have three challenges: getting candid shots of strangers, not taking too much gear but still having enough, taking the time to get the shot while my wife is waiting (but she’s been very patient over the years.)
July 30th, 2010 at 7:50 am
-Wanting to be free as a bird, but after hours of walking with gear (only a body and max 3 lenses) – having sore feet and an even sorer back.
-Sudden weather changes (think: Northern Ireland)
-Snapping quality candids with an SLR (point and shoot is much less invasive and obvious)
August 13th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I am not offering anything specifically here, not at this particular time, but have a question in connection with Brad’s no. 2 point, regarding travelling to a “sketchy” spot later in the evening or during and after sunset with expensive gear, in a taxi perhaps, I would be most interested in hearing from the DPS community about how to photograph say the flavelas of Rio or Dharavi in Mumbai?? I heard about a photographer/journalist who made arrangements through a contact who made a connection with one of the “lords” of the flavelas in Rio who would ensure his safety. Does this sound true to form or is this just a story or possibly a myth travel tale? I have it in me to shoot some of the slum dwellings in upcoming travels and would relish hearing how to do this task, hear any cautions or comments, etc.
Otherwise, I think this site is amazing and want Darren, as well as other participating parties, for their contributions to helping me along in discovering how to improve my photography. Once I feel more comfortable, I will contribute more substantively, though in the meantime, will read, learn and listen to you all.
Later
August 16th, 2010 at 4:16 am
I agree with Osborne and Brad’s point above. Forget shooting in Rio or Dharavi in Mumbai? that just sounds like asking for lots of trouble.
))
Good article. I’ve been guilty of being stuck behind my camera and not “stopping to smell the roses”. But it would be very hard for me to just leave my camera home, because I would be forever worried about missing out on a photo op, which defeats the purpose of leaving the camera behind in the first place
One compromise that seems to work for me is to carry the camera but put it in a hard to get place in my backpack. That way, the camera is out of sight and hand most of the time, but is there if I really need it….
September 3rd, 2010 at 3:12 pm
For me, photographing people with very different cultural backgrounds than my own is one of the hardest things to do without offending someone. Traveling to Timbuktu, in Republic of Mali, I had a wide variety of reactions from the local people to having their picture taken. There are Christians, Muslims, and Animists with a predominance of grinding poverty. Some people think you are stealing their soul, some would love for you to take their picture and would you send them a copy, and no they don’t have email. You may have to take down addresses, so you have to be careful not to mix up who is who. Some people will let you photograph them but you have to pay, and who can blame them. Even a small child wanted to charge me for looking at the homework she shoved under my face. Bring lots of small change, small gifts like pens, paper, post cards of scenes of where you live. Be prepared to buy things you don’t want, and have enough money to buy things you never dreamed would be there. The markets are amazing scenes. If you can find someone local to go around with you it can make things much easier. Most important of all is to show respect. Be quick to back down if someone objects to you photographing a building, or object. I had more people admiring my boots than my camera.
Egypt is another place where local customs such as who goes through the doorway first, the man, and where flashing a smile at a man can lead to great dilemmas. It can be very stressful so reading up ahead of time can make your trip more enjoyable.
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