Travel Photography for Beginners

LEFT: A candid photo, like this picture from Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, has more appeal than an artificial pose. (Olympus XA II pocket rangefinder camera, 35mm fixed lens, Kodachrome 64 film.)

by Durant Imboden

Travel photographers come in three varieties: 

• Professionals, who burden themselves with heavy, expensive equipment and travel because it's part of the job.

• Serious amateurs, for whom every trip is a cornucopia of photo opportunities.

• The rest of us, who travel by choice and take pictures out of habit or family obligation.

This article is for travelers who fall into the third category--those who carry cameras but refuse to let photography become the guiding purpose of their trips.

On the following pages, I'll try to answer the most common questions that I hear from beginning (and, in some cases, reluctant) travel photographers. My goal isn't to turn you into a staff photographer for The National Geographic, but to help you make sensible decisions about what equipment and film to take along on your next European trip. I'll also point you to Web sites and newsgroups that provide in-depth information for travel photographers and camera buyers.

To get started, click the links in the navigation table below or use the "next page" links at the bottom of the page.

Next Page > 35 mm and APS formats > Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

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