Travel photographer (Reisfotograaf)
Information on this skill...
A travel photographer is a professional photographer or blogger who takes travel photos, which can relate to a variety of fields, such as nature photos, animal photos, or general travel photos. As a travel photographer you can be busy as a hobby or you are professionally employed. Professional travel photographers are usually self-employed, who are hired to take certain photos. Think, for example, of photos that are placed in a travel guide, such as of a hotel, or of environmental photos, which are used in a travel guide. In addition, a travel photographer can independently take unique photos and offer them to interested parties. Especially special nature photos or animal photos are often taken from travel photographers, if they are special or unique. As a travel photographer, it is important that you have a lot of perseverance and creativity, because taking special photos is usually not easy. In addition, it is important to appeal to the right target group if you want to sell travel photos. The profession of travel photographer should also be seen as fairly general, because every travel photographer can make special travel photos in his own way for different purposes. Becoming a professional travel photographer will not be for everyone, because it is a very specific profession, which is only reserved for good photographers who have the necessary knowledge and experience in the field of travel photography. Not every photographer can just become a travel photographer, because it is important that a travel photographer can take impressive photos. Working as a travel photographer appeals to many people, because a lot of traveling has to be done for the work. Nevertheless, the profession of travel photographer is not suitable for everyone, because you usually work as an independent entrepreneur. This means that without a client you are responsible for the expenses, such as air travel and hotel stays.
A travel photographer is therefore a photographer who specializes in travel photography. Travel photography has a great attraction for people, because it usually concerns special photos. It is not the case that all travel photographers work on commission, because most travel photographers work at their own discretion. In addition, making good travel photos, which can possibly be sold to magazines or to travel organizations, is not easy. As described earlier, travel photographers can work in different ways. Think, for example, of bloggers, who take travel photos as a supplement to content articles. Good travel photos are very valuable with regard to the findability of blogs. In addition, taking travel photos can simply be regarded as a special hobby. Working professionally as a travel photographer is not very common. It is true that hotels attach great importance to good photos to attract tourists. In that case, a travel photographer may be responsible for taking special environmental photos. In that case, a travel photographer is also eligible for expense reimbursement, such as airline tickets, food and hotel stays.
TAKE SPECIAL TRAVEL PHOTOS
Special travel photos usually relate to photos that cannot be taken by everyone just like that. Think, for example, of photos taken at the South Pole, of photos of mountaineers or photos of special natural phenomena, such as a volcano. Other special photography as a travel photographer is underwater photography. Special underwater photos can generally be sold well, because they are difficult to make. As a travel photographer, it is generally important that you have a good condition, because you come to special places for your work. In addition, as a travel photographer you will usually have a lot of photo equipment with you, to be able to take that one unique photo. Another field as a travel photographer is participating in expeditions of groups of people. These are often organized trips, in which the travel photographer can play a special role in capturing the expedition. By hiring a travel photographer, the participants do not have to take photos themselves during the expedition. In that case, you can usually also be considered a guide.
FREE TRAVEL AS A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
The free travel as a travel photographer and / or as a blogger is a dream of quite a lot of people. In practice, this is almost non-existent. It is only the really well-known influencers, who have a lot of followers, who in some cases qualify for free travel. These types of offers are generally only made if the travel photographer and/or blogger is also advertising an organization. In a general sense, there is therefore no question of free travel, because a quid pro quo is expected. In that case, the travel photographer and/or blogger will have to share a number of catchy photos via social media. As described earlier, most travel photographers should be considered hobbyists, who take travel photos for pleasure. Think, for example, of special photos of birds and nature, and of general environmental photos.
WHAT DOES A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
There are no specific training opportunities to work as a travel photographer. However, there are training opportunities for the profession of photographer at both MBO level and hbo level. At Mbo you can start with the photography employee training at level two, and then follow the MBO photography course at level four. The training to become a photographer through the Mbo school will usually take four years, and prepares you as a photographer. If you want to learn even more afterwards, it is best to follow a higher professional education. The direction of photographic design can be followed both in a two-year study and in a four-year study. During the programme you will also work and, depending on the chosen study, go to school one or two days a week for the theory. During the photographer training, attention is paid to the following subjects: portrait photography, lighting, editing, analog techniques, digital techniques, camera technique and creativity. But of course you also learn to work with the most famous photo programs to be able to edit your photos. After your education, there are various specializations possible as a photographer that you can focus on, depending on your own wishes as a photographer. There are also plenty of courses in the field of photography. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER CAN WORK
A professional travel photographer will in most cases have to be regarded as an entrepreneur. Nowadays, the profession of photographer is almost non-existent in paid employment. In addition, a travel photographer can simply be active as a hobby. There are not many travel photographers who work professionally. In some cases, a travel photographer can also be regarded as a marketer or editorial assistant. Photographers who combine holidays with work can be considered digital nomads.
COMPETENCES TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
As a travel photographer, the most important competence is the general professional knowledge of travel photography. Travel photography is a special specialization, because travel photography also relates to cultures, history and geology. Displaying images in the right way is therefore important as a travel photographer. In addition, a travel photographer must have a lot of creativity and inspiration to be able to take high-profile photos. If you work professionally as a travel photographer, you will also have to have a commercial attitude. In that case, networking can also be important to get to know the right people. Generally important words are trends, guts, styling, passion, motivation, perseverance, planning, organizing and performing.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
The labour market perspective of a travel photographer is not good, because most travel photographers have to be regarded as entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur will have to determine his own labour market perspective by winning sufficient assignments. In addition, it is true that not all travel photographers are professionally active. Taking travel photos can also just be a fun hobby for people. The career opportunities of a travel photographer must be seen in building a good name, which will increase the number of assignments. Think, for example, of the profession of travel blogger. In practice, not all travel photographers have to deal with possible career opportunities.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER
There are no specific employment conditions for the profession of travel photographer, because most photographers nowadays will work as an independent entrepreneur and as an independent photographer you will of course determine your own employment conditions. An employed photographer will usually earn between 2000 and 2800 euros gross per month, depending on his age, education, fame and responsibilities. An independently working travel photographer usually works on commission, for a fixed fee.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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