"I’m now far more thoughtful and observant with a camera by my side every day. I see the world through a lens, sure, but I also see it in so much more detail because of this" -
Nothing struck me more than these words and how true they are. I am a big fan of this amazing photographer, travel writer and Blogger and I am so happy to start this photography inspiration interview series with my first Instagram friend - Claire from The Restlessbeans. If you still haven't checked out this blog and love to travel and photograph the world, then you are definitely missing out on something.
This interview series is designed for photographers, travel writers and bloggers who will learn from those who are carving their beautiful journey while traversing the world. This is designed to inspire you, motivate you and to fall in love with your camera and your travels. So go ahead, give it a read and let me know in the comments your take away.
1. How did your love for travel and photography start? Is any particular trip that
was a turning point?
I wasn’t born a travel enthusiast.
My first trip, outside random excursions to filthy music festivals in Europe and dull family holidays, was to Hawaii. It was a typical vacation, but it provided an odd, mental detachment from my tragically depressing, purposeless job. I remember constantly thinking, ‘what is this world?’ because everything I experienced was so foreign to me.
I then undertook several two-month camping road trips through the United States national parks (I don’t even remember planning these, or how or why I decided to do them). This taught me that extended, slower, more intentional travel was my jam.
However, it was my first major backpacking adventure that really sparked my travel enthusiasm. After graduating, I headed to Central America for four months – on a seriously grim, can-hardly-afford-to-eat kind of budget. I departed with three sets of clothes, zero Spanish language skills and a hairbrush (which I didn’t use). I don’t have many photos from then, luckily, because they’re all abysmal and likely taken on some ancient Nokia relic.
With photography, I’ve loved capturing moments my whole life. As soon as I owned a phone with a camera, I was off (mainly taking blackmail material of my drunken friends).
However, a very unromantic moment that had a huge impact on my trajectory was in Oman, when I dropped my reliable little point-and-click Panasonic camera, destroying the lens. This catastrophic mishap left me with just my Fuji mirrorless camera, which I had always avoided using because it had no obvious auto functions. It forced me to tackle my camera’s manual settings for the first time which prompted me to examine how much better my travel photography could be.
2. What has been your favorite work so far? Can you walk through how that
picture was captured?
I don’t have a favorite.
I’m an opportunistic photographer, so I tend not to have a strategy for anything. I meander around while hoping to find something noteworthy.
I don’t need to try and recreate the same images as everyone else - I never check Google and Instagram before visiting a destination. So, for example, I didn’t Google where the best places to take photos around Lake Bled were – we just wandered and looked for opportunities. It’s risky but generally works out well.
The only time I plan (very slightly) is around sunrise and sunset.
I also tend to photograph a location as a ‘project’, so I create collections of images that I feel work well together to accurately represent a destination.
If I had to choose some of my recent favorite singular shots, they’d mostly be in the American Southwest:
Goblin Valley, in Utah, right before sunset. There’s a section of the park that few people photograph, and it looks astoundingly beautiful late in the day.
Goblin Valley, Utah Another favorite photography destination of mine is Buckskin Gulch, in Utah again. It’s the longest slot canyon in the world and has the same scenery as the busier slots, like Antelope Canyon, but with practically none of the crowds.
One of the most astoundingly scenic places I’ve been recently is the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. There are endless blue lakes, snowy peaks, inexpressibly demanding hikes and idyllic camping spots. It’s a landscape photographer’s dream
The Grand Canyon is always a little bit special to capture. After so many repeat visits, I’m all about finding ways of seeing it from a different perspective, since it’s one of the most photographed places in the United States.
Outside of the southwest:
Most recently, I went on a little photography mission to a few of Bangkok’s famous temples – this produced some superb opportunities for a bit of creative editing. We arrived first thing in the morning, so there were lots of magical angles and shadows.
Over in Japan, Mount Fuji was another truly epic moment for me – we totally lucked out with clear weather for nearly three entire days there.
3. What are four important lessons you’ve learned along your personal and
professional photography journey?
1. Timing is everything | even the best photographer only snaps an award-winning shot with a little luck. Sometimes, you simply need a smidge of fortune from the camera gods.
However, a bit of solid preparation and patience never hurt your chances.
2. Never take a photo at the expense of somebody else | Decades ago, only the best, most artistic, thoughtful travel photographs were published on the glossy National Geographic covers. Now, lazy, thoughtless pictures are everywhere on the internet, and it’s concerning that so few people realize that every image can have such a potentially harmful impact.
Whether it’s a private moment, a child who is unable to consent, or simply a one-sided shot that perpetuates harmful stereotypes, we should all be more wary of what we publish. This is something I’ve personally been guilty of in the past, having not really considered how detrimental a single image could be.
3. Photography editing is an essential skill | I spent years wondering why my travel photos didn’t look like the professional, polished, slick shots I saw in the media. I’d take the same photos, but they always looked like low-grade holiday snaps in comparison. Well, part of this was because I was a terrible photographer, but also because I had no idea how to edit a photo artistically and aesthetically. It’s such a vital skill.
4. I see things differently | acquaintances have said that by taking photos, I’m missing out on what’s around me (it’s always something about ‘not living in the moment’). I personally feel that it is the opposite, and I’m now far more thoughtful and observant with a camera by my side every day. I see the world through a lens, sure, but I also see it in so much more detail because of this.
4. What did you guys do before you became full-time travel bloggers and
photographers? How did that career influence the present one?
I was a bewildered child and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, so ended up working miserable 9-5 sadness office jobs around the U.K. during my late teens and a chunk of my twenties.
During this time, a few close friends went on customary ‘round the world’ gap-year style jaunts, which challenged my closed-minded view of countries that I knew little about. I remember being that person and genuinely questioning my friend – ‘isn’t Vietnam dangerous?’.
It’s all highly cringe when I look back on it.
However, as I followed their experiences from afar, reading emails sent from remote internet cafes across the globe, I recognized that their freedom and adventure was something I desperately wanted too.
So, over a few years, I plotted my escape from the traditional 9-5 tedium and went to university, studying the most dry, boring subjects known to man (not realizing that it was creative endeavors that sparked my enthusiasm). I just thought that having more skills could mean that maybe I could work abroad.
However, despite it being a terrible decision, university did provide me with five months free of classes every year - a chance to do lots of budget travel. It also allowed me to study abroad for a year.
Then, after 10 years at university, I finally concluded that I disliked my subject choice, along with the culture and cut-throat environment that industry and research nurtured in turn. It just really wasn’t for me.
In my 30s, covid bowled its ugly way into all our lives. Nick and I felt trapped and bored, impulsively picked a random name for a blog, and paid for a domain name. It was a bit of a laugh, really.
So, our little blog was really born from detesting everything else in our lives, which I guess is not an overly motivating story. However, if somebody as incapable as me can randomly pivot career towards a potentially dying business and be mildly successful during a global pandemic, anyone can. So, maybe, that can be some source of inspiration?
5. Your photographs often highlight simple things but in great focus. Can you
share a specific moment or subject that particularly moved you and how you
captured it?
I never feel moved in a typical way (that I can recall). That, I guess, is something that I’m still figuring out about my own emotions.
For me, I prefer post-processing to actual photography, so my happy time is in front of my screen figuring out what magic I can perform with the multitude of photos that I’ve taken!
My attention to detail is purely down to my favourite lens – a 70-300mm (full frame equivalent of 105-450mm). This long lens is definitely not a traditional choice for most travel photographers! However, the alternative perspective allows me to take some really thoughtful, distinctive shots that would be missed by the traditional 16-55mm type range (although I do use this lens as well).
6. Your absolute favorite country to travel and photograph and why?
I don’t have a favourite country to photograph, because it’s all about individual moments within each place for me.
For landscapes, if I had to choose, it would be one of the Gulf States, like Oman, or the deserts and canyons of the southwestern United States. The light is always magical in both these destinations and the terrain is simply unparalleled.
For street shots, my favourite places have been Morocco, Tunisia, and most of southeast Asia. I particularly loved Hong Kong. That city was a photographer’s dream.
For architecture, I love anything Arabic – it’s the curves, the elegance, the colours. The most beautiful buildings I have seen in my life are mosques! Also, Rome, because Rome is Rome, you know?
For wildlife, I love Sri Lanka. That country is crazy for wild animals (and it’s extra great because you don’t need to go on expensive safaris to see them).
7. Your top 3 tips for beginner photographers, content creators and bloggers
1. Photography - aim for perfection. Average won’t succeed in a competitive field. Having said that, nobody is flawless, and that’s okay. Just always aim for it!
Also, never leave a horizon wonky, ever.
2. Content creators – aesthetics matter, but value matters more. This ties into the previous point, but how the content looks is super important (unless you’re one of the few people in the world that just has all the rizz – and I am not one of those people). However, even more essential is the value that the content actually provides to your audience. If it lacks usefulness, then nobody will be coming back for more.
3. Mostly for bloggers (but also everyone) – your integrity should matter more than money. If you can’t make an income in an ethical manner, choose a different field/niche/career.
So, for example: if you need to use your kids to sell things, or maybe you just hawk expensive affiliate products that you don’t actually use, it’s probably not a good fit.
It’s a harsh perspective, I know, but I feel there are too many so-called ’experts’ in the world who really shouldn’t be teaching or recommending anything to anyone.
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