As someone who’s had a camera in hand since age two and is about to hit the fifth anniversary of publishing her blog this summer, I’m always on the lookout for a good photo opportunity. I’d like to think I have figuring out how to find good photos spots when traveling down to a science. Today, I’m going to share with you some of my tricks of the trade for finding that perfect spot, whether you’re taking photos for your Instagram, sending a “wish you were here!” text, getting blog content, or capturing that shot you know will be featured front and center on this year’s holiday card.
How I Find Photo Opportunities While Traveling:
Search the Location and Look at Images on Instagram
Instagram geotagging has created a treasure trove of photo spots others have already found. Use it. With the ability to now ‘save’ Instagram posts, you can create a collection just for the city/state/area that you’re visiting and save posts to reference later, so you’ll have everything all in one spot. The best part? This works for more than just finding photo spots. Museums, landmarks, restaurants, things to do, shops to visit, you can find it all through geotags!
Look Up Murals in the City
There are murals that I know I’ll be looking for when I eventually make my way to certain cities.
(I’m looking at you, Nashville.)
Looking up murals in the areas you’ll be visiting means that you’ll be able to research the surrounding areas more and see if they’re worth a stop during your visit. Some cities have mural and street art tours, which are bound to present photo opportunities! Philadelphia even has this mural finder website that shows you where they are in the city and gives you more information about the mural, like the artist and sponsor of the project!
Check Calendars of Local Events
Festivals and the like can present photo opportunities you wouldn’t find anywhere else. If a city shuts down certain areas or streets for sporting events, you could end up with cool shots like the one below that I had a family member take in Pittsburgh! The Clemente bridge was closed to vehicles that day for an event at PNC Park.
Check Out City Guides on Pinterest
A quick Pinterest search will likely give you blog posts from locals and travel bloggers familiar with the area. This will give you a wider variety of options than a Google search, and the great thing about blogs is that they have photos. This means that you can read about someone’s experience, get a better idea of a place you saw on Instagram, and maybe get some tips for getting the best time of day to visit or what to expect all in one!
I took my Pinterest research seriously when I knew I was only going to be in Charleston for about four hours on a road trip, and it definitely paid off! I had a great time (you can click here to read all about how I made the most of it) and got tons of photos.
Click here to check out my Charleston, SC photo diary!
Talk to Locals
Whether that’s reaching out to friends and family who live or have lived in the area before your trip or striking up conversations while you’re there, you’ll likely find spots you didn’t see on the internet. I know that if my good friend Julia hadn’t been my tour guide when I was in Saratoga Springs, I wouldn’t have gone to the delicious breakfast spots or found the tranquil (and totally deserted!) gardens she took us to. Having someone familiar with the area to travel with or consult with is a game changer!
Always Keep an Eye Out
The number one way anyone can find good photo opportunities while traveling is to simply always be looking.
You never know when you’ll stumble across a great photo spot. One of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken was leaving a hospital appointment. The garage had been almost completely full, and we’d had to park on the roof. I got an amazing shot of the skyline at sunset, but would never have even known that view existed if I hadn’t been keeping an eye out. Moral of the story: sometimes the good photo spots will find you. Let them.
Remember that it can be fun to be a tourist.
You’re allowed to get the photos with the landmarks that everyone has. Those photos can be really fun!
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[…] you haven’t read part one of the travel photos series, you can click here to find out how I find photo good opportunities when […]
May 14, 2021 at 5:54 pm