8 Tips to Evoke Emotion in Your Travel Photography – Unusual Places

The best travel photography entails more than just documenting one’s adventures or capturing beautiful locations; more often than not, it also involves telling a story and making an emotional connection with the viewer. Think of how good your favourite photos are at evoking the nostalgia of a sunlit alleyway, the awe of a towering mountain, or the intimacy of a candid moment between two strangers that you wouldn’t be able to see—or revisit—in your city or town.

But what does it take to do it yourself and bring out genuine human emotions in your own photos? If you’re an aspiring travel photographer, here are some tips that should help you:  

1) Learn How Lighting Can Alter the Mood

Lighting is one of the first things you should aim to master as a travel photographer, as it can dramatically change the mood and emotion expressed through your photography. Observe how soft golden light during sunrise or sunset evokes warmth and sentimentality, for example, while the cooler tones of twilight suggest calm and mystery. Meanwhile, overcast weather, with its diffused light, can add a sense of introspection or melancholy to an otherwise unremarkable photo. 

Try shooting a bridge that’s shrouded in the golden glow of dawn. The interplay of light and shadow will highlight the structure’s architectural details while also infusing the image with serenity. Being more perceptive of the feelings different lighting conditions can elicit will give you a better sense of how to take advantage of light to capture moving images. Experiment with natural lighting conditions, but also explore using neutral density filters or reflectors to control and manipulate lighting effectively.

2) Observe Genuine Human Interactions

In many cases, the best photos are those that show natural and unposed moments. Many photographers believe that this also applies for travel photography. Candid snaps of human interaction lend authenticity and relatability to the story a photographer is trying to tell, and they can impart some of the most evocative insights about connection, joy, or even solitude. 

Busy moments in a marketplace, a street performance, or friends laughing over coffee are examples of how capturing people through their natural, uninterrupted expressions adds an emotional…