Scott Kelby's The Travel Photography Book Offers Useful Photo Tips and Tricks

July 14, 2022

Photographer/author Scott Kelby returns with a new guide for budding and intermediate-level photographers: The Travel Photography Book.

For those familiar with his books (and he’s written over 100!), you’ll recognize his quirky brand of humour included in each chapter intro, designed as a “mental break” from the numerous chapters filled with tips, techniques and advice on getting the best shots possible.

Kelby’s tone is very casual and is void of too much tech talk, so that readers can really get to the heart of each topic being covered.

This is a very easy-to-follow guide, broken down into 13 chapters, each tip neatly displayed on a single page. You also don’t have to follow the book from cover to cover; feel free to just jump in anywhere!

Kelby includes locations for every shot in the book, offering inspiration for travel planning, as well as:
– What makes a great travel photo
– Which lenses/accessories will get you the best results (including when to use them and why)
– How to post-process your images in Lightroom or Photoshop to get incredible results
– Tips for getting great portraits of the locals and even how to get them to pose for your shots
– When it makes more sense to use your cell phone’s camera instead

Kelby’s final chapter in this book is geared towards getting the shot, with 18 “photo recipes” that cover gear, settings, technique and post-processing, which is a great way to gain a “behind the scenes” view of how he captures some of these images.

My favourite chapter is simply titled “What to Shoot And What You Can Skip”, a great reminder that there are settings, objects and details worthy of telling a story, while others are overdone and are therefore less compelling. In addition, Kelby reminds us (in Chapter 6) that deciding what enters our frame (and what is left out) literally tells the story. You have the power, as a photographer, to choose what appears in the frame, so use that power to tell your own tale!

In the end, it’s all about working smarter, faster and better, while keeping your gear safe and getting the most out of your journeys.