How to travel solo and still get great photos

Many people view traveling as a great experience that should be shared with others. However there are more and more people traveling solo. So you are on vacation, at a great location and want a great picture to show your friends and family….but you are by yourself… what do you do now?

Believe it or not there are plenty options. I will cover a few below.

1. Don’t under estimate the power of people watching. Most tourist attractions have a vast array of visitors. So who do you ask to take your picture? The friendly mom of 3 who is clicking away… she may be the most approachable, however anyone using a cellphone camera probably doesn’t understand lighting and angles….So that probably is not the best person. Find the person with the professional camera, and ask them.

2. Wait…..While it can be tempting to catch the person before they leave….let them take all of their pictures first. People are more likely to help you, once they have helped themselves.

3. Do your research. Look up your location on apps like Instagram under the search page. See what specific places other people have gotten great pictures at.

If you are a bit shy or still don’t feel comfortable putting your vacation photos in someone else’s hand…. Your answer is here….Tripods and Bluetooth cameras are life-changing. While these pieces of technology are great, it is still important that you understand a few things in order to get a great photo.

1. First you must understand lighting. Most great photo ops are NOT achieved by sleeping in…as sunrise is often the best light to shoot in.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice. Ever find yourself on vacation, stumble on a great backdrop and don’t know how to pose…. Again, I suggest doing your research. Find pictures on social media, magazines, pay attention to body positions, facial expressions. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to have a great photo. Get in the mirror and practice, take test shots at home. Sometimes when you are front of people, you may tense up. But if you have already practiced a few poses it will be second nature and hopefully you will get you photo a lot faster.

Joshua Tree National Park, California

3. Get the right equipment. Utilizing camera timers, Bluetooth remotes and Bluetooth app are very helpful. But they do take some getting used to. The biggest secret to getting a great picture with these devices is have great muscle memory. Having the ability to keep the same pose over and over again, but it does take practice.

4. Utilize your camera timer. This again will take practice. Most cameras have 3, 5 or 10 second timer. Train yourself to strike a pose in this time frame.

Point Mugu State Park, California

5. Find great editing apps. This unfortunately will be a trial and error process. I would suggest Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and Pics Art.

So the next time you are traveling solo, don’t worry about being photo fabulous. You now have the tools to take great travel pics your friends and family will love. Going on vacation is fun, don’t let going solo Reign on your parade.

(I've added some of my favorite tripod pictures. I was by myself on both of these trips.)