Travel & Adventure Photography School

This week we are talking about a few pieces of gear I find critical to doing travel and adventure photography. We won't talk about specific cameras or lenses, but give you recommendations for you to go and look at. Because buying gear is a highly personal choice that comes down to what you are shooting, what you want to carry and your budget.
Lenses

• A semi-wide to semi-telephoto lens like the 24-105mm.
  • One of the reasons I love the 24-105 focal range for a walk around travel lens is that you can photograph most subjects in most situations you will come across. The other reason I love this focal length is the lenses aren’t too big and heavy, meaning they aren’t really a burden to carry around for a day.
• An ultra-wide and fast prime lens like a 14mm f/2.8
  • They give you a sweeping look of the world around you with about a 115-degree field of view.
  • The low light capabilities, let you take photos inside buildings without worrying about needing to crank your ISO or drop your shutter speed.
  • These ultra-wide angle lenses are great for getting photos inside cathedrals and other old buildings as well as landscapes and cityscapes.

Carrying System

• A proper daypack
  • This means a backpack with an internal frame, waist strap, and proper shoulder straps.
  • The size you need will vary depending on what you are doing. I need a 35L for day-hikes but only a 15-20L for city explorations.
• Get rid of your over the neck camera strap. It hurts the body, throws your posture off, and is generally terrible for you.
• The Peak Design Capture Camera Clip
  • Carry your camera on a belt or on your backpack strap, taking the weight off your body
  • Easier and more secure than a strap

Accessories

1. A Tripod
   1. Look for something lightweight and easy to move that gives you some flexibility.
   2. I use a Vanguard VEO and a Joby Gorrilapod.
   3. Check out this amazing new, lightweight travel tripod from Peak Design. It's one of my new favourites.
2. Polarizing Filter
   1. Circular polarizers are filters that mount to the front of a lens.
   2. They allow you to reduce reflections in water and on glass and make the sky more or less blue.
3. Neutral Density Filter
   1. Dark filters you put on your lens (typically on the front) that block light from entering your camera. This allows you to decrease your shutter speed and drag out the way time and light enters your camera.
   2. Smooth out water and clouds, but also blur away tourists in popular tourist destinations.
   3. Do not buy cheap ones, they will reduce your image quality drastically.
4. Microfibre Cleaning Cloths and Cleaner
   1. Keep your lens free and clean from grime so you don't miss any photos.
5. Memory Card Holders
   1. Get two of them to be able to keep your cards in two separate spots.
   2. Really helpful if your camera can shoot to two differ

Join us bi-weekly as we explore the world through the lens, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing insider tips to elevate your photography game. From capturing breathtaking landscapes to immersive cultural portraits, each episode is packed with practical hacks, creative ideas, and inspiring stories to fuel your wanderlust and unleash your creative potential.

Subscribe now and join our global community of adventure seekers and photography enthusiasts on the Travel and Adventure Photography School!

Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

For the first episode back, I want to get into something that could significantly impact your photography business. Something that should help you land more clients and have some money rolling in the door, regardless of if you are working full time or just doing this on the side. I'm going to help you pitch your work to content managers, creative directors, and anyone in charge of making beautiful things at brands around the world. I've taken on this role at a tourism board and couldn't be more thrilled that I get to work with incredible creatives to help promote the destination I work for. And in the now seven months I've been in this position, I've learned a lot about pitching, what works, and what just irritates me. So today, I'm going to give you four tips to help get your pitch through the door and make it more likely that you will get a callback. This is coming from the perspective of someone working in the tourism industry. Still, I think it applies across a broad spectrum of brands and businesses.

As we get going, there are a few things that I'm taking for granted here with you, the listener. You are interested in working with brands to make content - if you're not, this information really won't help you. You can consistently create fantastic images, and you are ready to put in the work. Because working with brands can be a lot of fun; but it is also a lot of time, energy and effort.
You can follow along with Robert’s adventures on Instagram @RobertMasseyPhotography.

Join us bi-weekly as we explore the world through the lens, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing insider tips to elevate your photography game. From capturing breathtaking landscapes to immersive cultural portraits, each episode is packed with practical hacks, creative ideas, and inspiring stories to fuel your wanderlust and unleash your creative potential.

Subscribe now and join our global community of adventure seekers and photography enthusiasts on the Travel and Adventure Photography School!

Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

In episode 10 we are talking about 10 things Robert has learned in 10 years of photography. Robert has a long history in journalism and outdoor photography. There are some great nuggets of information here that can help advance your photography.
Tip 1 Be the Director

• Don't just let people be ‘natural’ or do ‘what feels right.' You are going to need to give subjects a little bit of direction to feel more comfortable
• Get your subject to relax by telling a few jokes or talking to them about the things they love
• What your subject is thinking about will come across on their face in the image
• Don’t ask your subjects to ‘say cheese’ get them to say something like ‘mocha’ that ends in an ‘uh’ sound because that leaves your face in a more natural position
• Be ready to fail. Sometimes poses just don’t work for whatever reason

Tip 2: Capturing Authentic Smiles

• This works way better once you’ve gotten your subject to relax as we talked about in tip 1
• Firstly, get your subject to pose however you want
• Next, get them to smile (remember, ‘uh’ sounds like mocha)
• Take a couple of frames with this smile and then say something like, ‘ok that looks great’ take a few more frames right as you say this. Your subjects should relax a bit, giving them less tense smiles and more real smiles

Tip 3: The 3-shot method

• This works well when you don't have a tripod
• Fire off 3 frames. The first image will have some shake in it by pressing the shutter button, the middle frame will be the most stable because you won’t move anything, and the last frame will have shake in it by you removing your finger from the shutter.
• You need to ensure you are standing in a stable way. Plant your feet, soften your knees, bring your elbows in against your torso (or brace them on an object in front of you), and take a couple of deep breaths to relax. Then take one big breath and hold it until after you have shot

Tip 4: Watch for Small Moments

• Catching tiny moments comes from consistency.
  • Set habits include:
    • Planning for shots in advance
    • Being attentive
    • Not being afraid

Tip 5: Gear shouldn’t limit you

• Yes, certain gear can make shots easier, but don’t let not having a fancy dSLR or mirrorless stop you from making great photos. You can create great work as long as you are will to explore and fail a bit.

Tip 6: Take Care of your Gear

• Your gear takes care of you so do it a favour and take care of it. Clean your lenses and cameras regularly, along with your whole kit

Tip 7: Find a Community

• Creative people build off each other and help each other to grow. They can help you see new places to take your photography and new ways to take images

Tip 8: Learn skills unrelated to Photography

• This grows your mind and helps you to see the world in new ways. And you will likely find new fun things to photograph by doing this.
• It will also help you avoid photography burnout. Because we all need multiple outlets and hobbies. Let your bra

Join us bi-weekly as we explore the world through the lens, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing insider tips to elevate your photography game. From capturing breathtaking landscapes to immersive cultural portraits, each episode is packed with practical hacks, creative ideas, and inspiring stories to fuel your wanderlust and unleash your creative potential.

Subscribe now and join our global community of adventure seekers and photography enthusiasts on the Travel and Adventure Photography School!

Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

Welcome to episode 7 of the podcast!
This was supposed to be part 2 of our 3 part series on learning from the masters. But, in light of recent global events, I wanted something more hands-on than what that series was offering. Something that can provide you with things to do in and around your home because, as we know, lots of people are or will need to be at home for extended periods of time. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still improve your photography as there are lots of awesome photography related things you can do right in your home.
It’s 10 Ways to Improve your Photography from Home
The 10 tips:

1. Practice your lighting through self-portraits
   • Set up a photoshoot to practice your lighting, and you don’t need a subject except yourself. This gives you the chance to play with different light setups, different styles and learn your gear in a no-pressure environment.
   • You don’t need speed lights or studio lights either, you can use natural light, flashlights, or even candles (just make sure not to set anything on fire).
2. Pick an object, and create 100 different images of it
   • Put it in different locations, different poses, different lighting styles.
   • Get creative!
3. DIY your own light modifiers and other photo modifiers
   • You can build reflectors, flags, snoots, grids, barn doors, and lots more at home. (descriptions of what these all are will be below our tips).
4. Read your camera manual and get to know your camera inside out
   • Get to know how to use your camera with your eyes closed
5. Pick a room in your house and find unusual angles
   • Treat this like it is a photo shoot. Get in there and take as many unique images of the space as you can
6. Create a photostory of a day-in-your-life
   • Pick a day that is just like any other
   • Teaches you about the importance of documenting the whole story not just the photo at the end (like we talked about in episode 1)
7. Create some forced perspective photos
   • Make small objects look huge in your space or vice versa
8. Create some flat lays of your gear or common travel items
   • This is where you layout your gear (climbing, hiking, travel, photography, etc...) in a nice pattern on your floor/table and take a photo of it all
   • This is great to have ready for your insta feed so you don’t need to make it before heading out
9. Do some composite photography
   • Composite photography is where you combine elements from different images into one image to create a new piece of art
   • Try re-creating scenes from a movie or your favourite book.
   • Ensure that you are shooting each subject in such a way that it is easy to remove the subject from the photo in photoshop (like don’t wear white clothing against a white wall)
10. Read some amazing photobooks
    • Most public libraries have books available online
    • Google Books has a few available as well
11. Get to know all your cameras
    • If you have

Join us bi-weekly as we explore the world through the lens, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing insider tips to elevate your photography game. From capturing breathtaking landscapes to immersive cultural portraits, each episode is packed with practical hacks, creative ideas, and inspiring stories to fuel your wanderlust and unleash your creative potential.

Subscribe now and join our global community of adventure seekers and photography enthusiasts on the Travel and Adventure Photography School!

Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography

Welcome to the podcast!
This week, we are talking to creator, influencer and short-form video specialist Sam Reid (@SamanthaLReid) about creating content, staying authentic, and how you can make the best short-form videos. Sam is a 2-time Olympian in synchronized swimming turned mountain athlete and content creator with an incredible journey from Australia to Banff. Tune in to hear all of her tips for creating the best content, staying passionate and finding a balance between the side hustle and the full-time job.
Show Highlights:

• Learn how Sam has used short-form video to drive engagement, grow an audience and build brand partnerships.
• Delve into the best tips for making short-form videos (including music choice and scene selection).
• Understand the differences between TikTok and Instagram and how to create content for both platforms.
• Explore Sam's decision-making process when considering brand partnerships. Learn why authenticity and alignment with her lifestyle play a crucial role in her choices.
• Discover how Sam balances a full-time job, her influencer side hustle, and ensures that she can still have time to hike and explore the great outdoors.
• Hear Sam's top secrets for capturing the best content no matter where you are in the world, even in a busy place like Banff National Park.

Follow Sam:
Instagram: @SamanthaLReid
TikTok: @SamanthaLReid

Join us bi-weekly as we explore the world through the lens, uncovering hidden gems, and sharing insider tips to elevate your photography game. From capturing breathtaking landscapes to immersive cultural portraits, each episode is packed with practical hacks, creative ideas, and inspiring stories to fuel your wanderlust and unleash your creative potential.

Subscribe now and join our global community of adventure seekers and photography enthusiasts on the Travel and Adventure Photography School!

Find all the show notes and connect with Robert:
Website: robertmasseyphotography.ca
Instagram: @robertmasseyphotography