8 Travel Photography Tips For Solo Travelers

This post may contain affiliate links. We may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase. Read Disclosure.

When you travel alone, the hardest part is getting a good photo of yourself in front of all the iconic landmarks. Hey, you want to prove you’ve been, right?

We’re always being asked what our best travel photography tips for solo travelers is, especially when you’re too shy to ask a stranger to help you.

I don’t market myself as a professional travel photographer by any means, Instagrammer maybe, but that being said, I do try and improve my photos where I can and I like to have a nice photo of me when I travel.

So, that’s why I’ve written this guide, so you can bring some great shots home with you as a travel souvenir, and not a blurry photo that’s half covered with someone’s thumb!

Solo Travel Photography Tips

1. Offer to take photos for strangers, and ask for one back

Personally, I’ve found that as a social solo female traveler, people find me non-threatening and approachable, which is so awesome and works both ways.

If there are people around, I would usually go up to someone and ask if they wouldn’t mind taking my picture.

I do it in the friendliest, nicest way possible, in that I offer to take someone’s photo for them and then ask if they would do the same for me.

If they are a couple or with someone else, or solo too, it’s a nice gesture to offer take their photo for them before asking for reciprocation as they will probably want a photo together.

And, obviously, I give them the sneaky once-over and mentally weigh out the chances that they will run away with my camera and/or if I can outrun them to get it back.

Teach them how to use your camera

The majority of people might not know how to operate your camera if you have a DSLR, so carefully explain to them how to use it and set up the settings first, so they can just fling the strap over their neck, point and shoot.

I use a big SLR camera, which can be intimidating, so by making sure I have the settings right and the zoom in the right place before handing it over, it means I get a decent shot at the end.

Depending on how friendly and open they are, you might tell them how you would like the shot composed, such as where to aim, how to frame it, different angles, where to focus etc, but I don’t like to push my luck.

2. Use a Tripod and self-timer for epic travel photos

If you’re…