It’s 8.00 a.m. on a Friday morning and I’m in Gouyave, on the west coast of Grenada. The beach is crowded with fishermen at work. Some are fixing their nets and sharing stories. Others are already out in the water in their canoes.
While on a working vacation in France, I decided to take a week-long side-trip to Spain. I had some friends from the Catalonian region in the north of the country and they invited me to visit. I’d never been there before, so I jumped at the chance to see a new part of the world.
The West of Ireland, away from the bustle of Dublin, is a stunning part of the world. On my latest trip, I decided to use Killarney as my travel hub—it put me within reach of must-see locations like the Ring of Kerry, Ross Castle and The Gap of Dunlow. Killarney also comes with bags of small-town charm and friendly locals eager to make visitors feel at home.
Straddling the border between Argentina and Brazil, the Iguazú Falls are one of the world’s most dramatic waterfalls. I got to see them up close recently—but I wasn’t there just to admire the sights. These massive waterfalls, combined with the lush subtropical vegetation and varied local fauna, makes this UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site a top-tier photo destination.
I love to travel to exotic destinations—like on my last trip to Panama. I trekked in Cerro Azul in the majestic mountains overlooking Panama City and visited Santa Fe—one of the country’s hilly frontiers. The rugged natural beauty of these places begs to have a camera pointed at it. Bring a camera with you, and you can start making money right away.
I knew very little about Chile—I had an idea of a long, thin country full of lamas, Spanish colonial architecture and Indians dressed in homespun wool. But, I was about to find out a whole lot more about the South American nation—I had just agreed to accompany a friend on a trip there.
An Irish breakfast is something to behold; and something to photograph. A lovely array of oatmeal, toast, eggs, black pudding, white pudding (not the sweet treat it sounds), Irish bacon (really more like a slab of ham), grilled tomatoes and tea—lots of tea.
It’s always good to have a theme or two in mind before you set off on a photography trip. Take my last visit to Puerto Rico. I had seen a number of articles about the famous lighthouses of Maine and other parts of the East coast in various publications. I was also aware that Puerto Rico happened to have its own string of colonial-era lighthouses along its coastline—but I had never seen anything written about them. Since editors were keen to publish articles and photographs about the Maine lighthouses, I was willing to bet they would go for something similar from Puerto Rico.
Like many photographers, I had a dream that one day someone would pay me to travel around the world and take photos. I never thought this “someone” would be me. I learned about stock photography early in my career. It works like this—when a newspaper, magazine, website or advertising company needs a photo of something they go to stock websites to find it.
Zanzibar is one of those places we’ve all heard of, but don’t know where to find on a map. The name conjures up visions of exotic tropical beaches and trading ports that haven’t changed much since the heyday of the spice trade. When my sister accepted a one-year assignment in East Africa, my wife and I booked a trip to see her. It was a great opportunity to visit this fabled island just off Tanzania’s coast.
After dinner one night, Simon and his wife Lisa decided to take on a massive fund-raising expedition—they would ride around the world raising money for charity and taking photographs and documenting their story online as they went. In 2002, they sold their house and all of their possessions—and bought two BMW motorbikes.
There are so many different ways to make money from photography. Needless to say, not all efforts are well rewarded – but many are.
I’ve wandered into a spa in Shanghai, China, and managed to arrange a manicure. No English has been spoken. Instead, I relied on the universal sign for a manicure—wiggling my fingers with a smile. Suddenly, my neighbor awakes with a start—he seems surprised to find me here. I’ve come to China to visit a place called Yuanyang.
For me, with my own company doing project management for large Information Technology infrastructure deployments, my job was a means to an end. I worked to earn money to travel and take photos of interesting and exotic places. But I longed for a job I could do from anywhere, which would permit me to travel as I worked.
I used to work like a sled dog, traipsing around the planet as assistant to a tantrum-prone boss. Believe me, it was far from glamorous. I rarely saw anything of the countries I visited, I lived out of a suitcase and I missed every important family event for years. Then one morning it all changed. I watched the steam rise from a cup of coffee…and decided to photograph it.
Howard earned a good salary as an I.T. engineer, but he knew deep down that this was never his calling. Howard wanted to be a photographer. His nine-to-five was so far removed from his dream job that he thought he would never be able to make the switch. Aged 32, he decided he needed a change.
You probably already take lots of photos when you’re on vacation…or when you’re scouting a second-home location overseas. But did you know you might be able to sell those photos, too? That’s what Dave Morgan did. When he traveled to Asia, he took pictures of the native people, monuments, and scenery.
I’m not a professional photographer, but for over five years now I’ve used stock photography to supplement my income and help cover travel expenses. One of my favorite trips in recent years was to La Paz, Bolivia.
For one of the most breathtaking experiences in the Scottish Highlands, take the A87 highway from Fort William to the Isle of Skye and descend into Glen Shiel to Loch Duich. A few miles farther along the lakeshore, you’ll suddenly come across the iconic sight of Eilean Donan Castle sitting on an island at the point where three of the great Scottish sea lochs meet.
The afternoon sun beat down on the concrete building radiating heat around the pool, making it mandatory to take a dip in the cool refreshing water and to enjoy the extraordinary view across Mexico’s Zihuatenejo Bay. It provided me with a great opportunity to take some photos from the pool to sell on one of the Micro-Stock agencies I post to.
Fog clung to our clothes. The air smelled of wet wood smoke. The wind chilled our bones. We were on our way down Mount Misen, on the Japanese island of Miyajima. We’d ridden two ropeways to the top, cameras in hand, to photograph the famous panoramic view of the Inland Sea. Sadly, visibility was poor and it was starting to look like we would be heading back empty handed.
Several years ago, my wife and I took a quick trip to Calgary, Alberta to visit some close friends who had recently given birth to twins. As an avid photographer, and someone who was breaking in the world of stock photography at the time, I couldn’t go without my camera.
Andrea Gingerich started out as a world-traveling biologist. But she had much more fun taking photos of turtles in Belize…and snaps of insects in Costa Rica. Better yet—these are photos she can sell. In fact, Andrea spent most of last year traveling and living off of the royalties from her photos.
I choose most of the countries I visit based on factors such as cost, available subjects, and the likelihood of selling my images once I return. But often, a chance to travel crops up and taking my camera means I can make money from it. In the case of Holland, I saved on food and lodging by tagging along with my wife, who was attending a business conference near Amsterdam.
There is something magical about encountering dolphins. Perhaps it is the mammal connection between the two species or maybe it is the thrill of seeing such wonderful creatures in their natural environment. There is no doubt a dolphin encounter lifts the soul and provides an awe inspiring experience.
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