Dear Reader,

Let’s say you take a trip to the Loire Valley in France. You decide you’re going to take lots of photos and maybe even write up a story to sell, so you bring along your camera and notebook. While you’re there, you drink a lot of wine, see a lot of chateaux in the countryside, and photograph everything.

But, once you get home, you realize you’ve only got three good photos of one thing, two of another, and a smattering of unrelated shots. You can’t do a story on the entire Loire Valley. And there’s no specific smaller story in your photos.

If only you’d done some pre-trip research...

Yesterday, I showed you photographer Efrain Padro’s story and photos about lighthouses in Puerto Rico... and told you how he thought up the story idea -- and even found two publications for it -- before he left.

Today, scroll down for his four fun tips on what to do before and during your trip to make sure you turn every vacation into an opportunity for selling photos to magazines.

-- Bonnie

Bonnie Caton
AWAI Travel Division

P.S. We did it! Now you can get the low-down on the quickest and easiest ways to get you started selling photos to magazines -- including three no-fail strategies, shortcut tips, and profiles of more than a dozen publications that pay for photos -- in our brand new Quick and Dirty Guide to Magazine Photography. All of the information is there, but it still needs to go through a designer to look pretty. However, that’s good news for you, because you can get a pre-press copy this weekend for 20% off.

And if you pick up a pre-press copy now, we’ll also send you the final version once we get it back from the designer. So you’ll get all of the tips and step-by-step strategies in the guide sooner... plus you’ll have the prettier, final version when it’s ready... at 20% off when you grab one now.

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December 12, 2009
The Right Way to Travel
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The Story in the Haystack: Uncovering Saleable Story Ideas Before and During Your Trip

By Efraín M. Padró in Santa Fe, NM

One of the biggest challenges freelance photographers face when traveling to a location is deciding what to photograph. Your initial inclination, which I strongly suggest you resist, might be to try to shoot everything. This approach is likely to yield a smattering of unrelated images plus a feeling of frustration and disappointment with your photographic efforts.

Instead, I recommend arriving on location with a handful of photo/story themes in mind, while at the same time staying open to the spur-of-the-moment opportunities that are so common when traveling.  

Here are some tips to help you come up with story ideas for your next photo trip and avoid the stress of trying to photograph everything:

** 1. Research the Non-Touristy Aspects of Your Location.

In addition to researching the top tourist destinations of the place you will be visiting, look for interesting cultural or historic details that might provide enough substance for a story. For example, before I visited Puerto Rico a few years ago, I learned that the Spanish constructed 16 lighthouses around the island in the late 1800s/early 1900s. I had read many stories featuring East Coast lighthouses, so I figured a story about Puerto Rico lighthouses would probably be of interest to a variety of publications.

After further research, I selected a handful of lighthouses that were still in good (photogenic) condition, and went about photographing them. After returning home and putting together an article and photo package, I was able to place the story with both a lighthouse-enthusiast magazine and a photography magazine.

** 2. Research While on Location.

As important as pre-trip research is, stay open to developing ideas for a story while on location. Once I am in a destination, I always make a point of talking with locals about “the weather,” which is not only a great source of story ideas but a learning opportunity.

I also pick up a copy of the local newspaper (and look at the pictures if I can’t understand the language), stop by newsstands to see what’s making the headlines, and pick up locally-produced tourist brochures.

The first time I visited Patagonia, about 10 years ago, I noticed that all the tourist brochures focused on the area’s remote, desolate feel. That feeling inspired me to do a story featuring the stark, ruggedly beautiful landscapes of Patagonia, which I titled “Photographing at the End of the World.” I placed the story with a photography magazine.

** 3. Flavor Your Stories with Your Favorite Spice.

If you’re interested in the story you’re telling, chances are a prospective editor or reader will enjoy it. Therefore, write about travel-related things that you like -- whether it’s food or markets or events or architecture. With time you might even develop your own travel article niche.

** 4. Engage Your Creativity When Coming Up with Story Ideas.

As an artistic individual, do not abandon your creativity when you put your camera down. Use your creative juices to come up with story ideas as well. If you’re a foodie, for example, how about a story covering the art of decorating a tajine, the crockery used in much of Moroccan cuisine?

If architecture makes you tick, why not explore how Arab culture influenced the architecture in Southern Spain? And if you’re a nature buff, how about a story of how the tulips in Holland were interbred to create today’s multi-colored beauties? I confess I don’t know much about any of these topics, but I bet there are travel magazines that would be interested in publishing stories about them. Mix your own interests and expertise with your travels and you’re sure to come up with something off-beat and interesting to magazines that have never run those stories before.

[Ed. Note: Once you have a story idea in mind, you’ll still need to take magazine-quality photos if you want them to sell. Slip a set of Photo Tip Cards into your camera bag to make sure that your camera is set correctly and you have everything you need to get the best possible shot. Whether you’re covering a story in a darkened restaurant, out in the commotion of the streets, or on a wet, rainy day, pull out the appropriate Tip Card and immediately know what to do to take a saleable photo. If you don’t have a set of Photo Tip Cards, get them now while they’re 20% off with FREE shipping during our Holiday Sale.

Or check out or entire catalog, where you’ll find holiday savings of up to 50% off, on our best-selling travel writing and photo resources.]

Further Resources:

Selling Photos to Magazines: 5 Steps from eHow
Selling Photos to Magazines: 5 of the Best Magazines for Your Photos

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