Travel and Photography always go together. You probably won't find a travel blog that didn't include a single travel photo on each and every published article or post.
Photos are important to give readers a better perspective of a blog author's travels.
Photos being essential to travel blogging doesn't mean that it is alright to upload all 800 shots you took in one single trip or travel.
Just include photos that are essential to a particular post. Make sure you have a point in posting a particular photo.
If what you want is to publish each and every photo you've taken on one of your trips, it is probably better to use a different blogging platform. A Photo Blog is probably what you need. And there are sites like Flicker or Tabblo which will give you ample storage space to publish hundreds of photos on a single trip.
And as much as you'd like to post photos of yourself, keep in mind that travel photos posted on a blog should serve as a guide and source of information about the places you've traveled to. Travel photos should inspire others to also visit the places you've been to or, at least, give them ideas on whether or not these places are actually worth visiting.
Travel photos should never serve as as hard-copy proofs that you've been everywhere. It is better to shy away from posting photos of yourself all the time, unless, you're blogging about your personal life and not, specifically, Travels or Traveling.
Lakwatsera and I carry three different cameras when we go out on trips: a Nikon D40 SLR, a Canon DIGITAL IXUS 75, and a Canon S400 with Canon Waterproof Case WP-DC800 for underwater photography.
If you are planning on publishing a travel blog, do you really need all these? NO. You don't need different types of cameras, you don't need expensive, high-end SLRs, and you don't need the latest point-and-shoot digicam. All you need is a decent, not-so-expensive camera and, probably, a good eye for photography.
The photos you see on this post are shots taken by Lakwatsera and myself on some of the places we've been to. This is to demonstrate that you can take decent photos using any type of camera. Taking photographs of the places you travel to doesn't have to be expensive:
Canon DIGITAL IXUS 75 Photos:
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| Mt Pinatubo Crater |
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| Magellans' Cross |
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| On Top of Mt Pinatubo |
The quality of your photos depend on the type of camera you use. If what you want is to post quality travel photos but you're not really keen on the technical aspects of photography, then just invest on a good quality point-and-shoot digital camera. If you want to have more control on the overall quality of your photographs, a digital SLR is probably what you need. Digital SLRs though require a bit of technical skill. It is pointless to invest on a very expensive digital SLR if you're just gonna shoot on auto all the time.
There is nothing wrong shooting on auto mode, of course. But it can be very limiting, especially, if you want to produce good photographs. Even the simplest digital camera has different features, controls, and settings. And, learning, at least, the basics on how your camera works will help you take better pictures. Make an effort to know your camera a little bit. Familiarize yourself with all the buttons, toggle switches, and knobs. There's a reason they're there.
NIKON D40 Digital SLR Photos:
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| Anawangin Cove |
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| Pundakit Zambales |
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| Guimaras Beach |
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| Mayon Volcano |
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| Villa Acosta Resort-Sto Domingo ALBAY |
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| Calatagn Beach |
Experiment with the camera's different functions. Try taking pictures using manual settings and see how different settings affect the quality of your pictures.
One simple way to see how these different settings work-- aside from reading the manual-- is by taking several shots of one subject using different camera settings. Use a tripod so you get the same distance and angle every time on each shot. You'll be able to determine which setting works best and see how each setting affect the overall look and quality of your picture by photographing the same subject using different settings. Also, try taking pictures at different times of the day to get an idea about the effect of different light exposures on your photographs.
Canon S400 with Canon Waterproof case WP-DC800 Photos:
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| Under the Sea- Boracay |
I am not an expert when it comes to photography. Lakwatsera is a better photographer than I am. She has the "better eye", so to speak. But if photography is something you would like to take seriously, starting with an entry level D-SLR, like the NikonD40, would be worth considering.
Unlike ordinary digital point-and shoot cams, D-SLR cams provide the option of shooting with a variety of lenses. Fact is, some shots are just impossible to achieve when you're stuck with the default lens of your cam, no matter how expensive it is.
The original draft of this post included some shots Lakwatsera and I took on some of our trips using a 55-300mm zoom lens. The usual maximum zoom-in capability of a default lens from a Digital SLR is around 18-55mm.
I wanted to post some paparazzi shots to demonstrate the 55-300mm lens's zoom capability. These were pictures taken using subjects that were very very far from us-- other people perfectly unaware they were being photographed.
Lakwatsera insisted that I refrain from posting those photos.Which is why you don't see them on this post.She said that I didn't have the right to post any photos of other people unless I had their permission. I believe she has a point, but I guess, my point is, those pictures were good images of other people caught in our camera, the shots were taken without any bad intention and none of it put anyone under compromising situations.All pictures looked nice and flattering, to say the least.
I know how to respect other people's privacy and, therefore, I would never post pictures that would put other people in trouble.
By the way, all pictures on this post were uploaded without post processing. They came straight from the camera. There is nothing wrong with using a post processing software to improve the quality of your pictures. The only reason I pointed it out is because I wanted to show that even if you lack any editing skills, or your not tech savvy enough to take advantage of the latest in Adobe Photoshop, and whatnot, photos can be posted the way you shot them. No post processing necessary. Just take that camera and start shooting. Remember, practice makes perfect.
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