An Idea for Travel Photography
Flynn Marr 14 November 2025
One certain rule when photographing a vacation is to take lots of pictures with you and your partner in them. But how to do this without a tripod? We’ll get into that later. Here is Susan and I arriving at the departure level at YVR.
I have an idea. Back in 2014 my wife and I spent several weeks in Europe and of course I took many pictures to document our holiday. Like most enthusiastic photographers I will never be, and don’t aspire to be, a professional or to take pictures for National Geographic. It is a hobby which I pursue for personal pleasure. But I do wonder now and then what to do with the thousands of images in my library.
It occurs to me that the pictures from our excursion could form the subject of an extended series on photography and particularly on travel photography while at the same time taking you on a tour of Europe. We could discuss the journey,
look at the pictures, examine what you need for the trip, and consider what constitutes good travel photography and, more importantly, how to do it.
And so it is my thought to post photographs and write about our journey chronologically. As we look at the pictures we can talk about what are good, and not good, pictures and why I took them. And we can talk about what to do with those pictures once we come home. There is so much to talk about and so much to see.
My goal is to post here once a week and to also post to Instagram, “@thecanoncollector”. How long the series will go on I can’t say. But, the trip involved a cruise on the Baltic Sea, a drive from Berlin to Switzerland, a few days in the Alps, the train to Venice and then a few weeks in Tuscany. It might take a while to cover all of that.
Each post will appear here in “The Joy of Light” and also be accessible via the Travelogue Menu on the right side of each post. Following our progress will be easiest using the Menu as it will show graphically where we are. As each new page is added the Menu will be updated.
This will be Home Page for the project and it will have a Menu down the right side of each post which will grow as the posts accumulate. And subjects we cover will be added to the Index page as they come up. The Index page is a feature of ‘The Collection’ but it does have references to some portions of the overall website. You will see it is the last item on the Travel Menu on the right.
One more thing. I am going to allow comments on these posts. I normally don’t because I don’t appreciate much of the conversation on the internet. I will be reading every comment and will delete anything rude, demeaning or inappropriate. Other than that, we can have a good conversation. So, let’s get started.
Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
YVR is a beautiful airport. The theme of the interior design is native West Coast indiginous art and the collection is huge and spread throughout the building. One could do a photo essay on that collection alone.
We left from YVR on the 14th of August and would not see it again until the 10th of October. Our flight on KLM was direct to Amsterdam where our adventure was to begin. However, from the point of view of our travel pictures, the trip begins with the airport terminal. After all it is a part of our trip and anyone not familiar with YVR might well be
interested in seeing the airport.
Once we cleared the security checkpoint the path to the Departure Lounge was through the Duty Free Shop. An interesting arrangement! The picture above is of my Susan trying a perfume. The image is interesting because of the contrasting colors and converging perspective lines. Look for features like this and try to include your partner in them when you can. Notice the picture on the left. Susan is standing behind a “Face Cutout”. Watch for these. Use them. They are interesting and they add a sense of fun to your pictures.
The Duty Free and other shops at YVR are really interesting and some are very exclusive and expensive. Most are found once you clear security and enter the international departure area.
Throughout the airport are carvings, wall art, waterfalls, aquariums and creeks to simulate the First Nations experience. And it works. Airports are frustrating and annoying but YVR has an over riding sense of tranguility above the usual clamour of modern air travel. This airport has won awards for its artistic uniqueness. Vancouver is blessed with a world class airport that is a worthy destination in itself.
From the moment you walk in you see this airport is different. It is full of beautiful and interesting artworks based on West Coast aboriginal culture. The centerpiece of the collection is the magnificent “Spirit of Haida Gwaii” located in the public concorse area. This is a truly awsome bronze sculpture worthy of a trip to YVR just to see it!
The airport has an extensive collection of aboriginal art that makes your visit most interesting. This is a large lounge in the departure area with examples of the art collection in the foreground and on the far side of the lounge.
So, let’s begin by talking about any trip you might take. I write presuming that you will be on holiday and probably have the love of your life with you. OK, then Rule Number 1: don’t let your picture taking ruin the holiday for either of you! Your partner wants to spend the time with you. Don’t let her, or him, down. Youare not a professional, you are on holiday, and you want a good time with your partner. Somehow you have to take your pictures while keeping all of this in mind. That is one of the things we will discuss in some detail as we travel.
“The Spirit of Haida Gwaii” is a bronze sculpture by famous native artist Bill Reid. This truly magnificent artwork is in the public area at YVR where people can walk around it and up to it and even touch it. It is cast in bronz with a patina of deep green representing British Columbia’s native gemstone. You can see where people have touched it and worn off the deep green to show the bronze underneath. It represents a Haida canoe filled with characters from native folklore.
A Word about Cameras
So what camera do we use that will take excellent pictures, has enough features to allow its use in low light or fast moving situations, and yet is small and unobtrusive and can be with you all the time without being a distraction. Fortunately for us the choice is wide. And it does not have to be Canon. I am a Canon user and because I want all my gear to be interchangeable I stay within the Canon world. However, if you go with any of the major brands, Fuji, Sony, Nikon, any camera will do the job.
First let’s look at image size. Look at the picture above, “The Spirit of Haida Gwaii”. I took this picture in 2008 when I was shooting a Canon Rebel XTi. Not only did this camera have a 10 mpx sensor but I shot the image in JPG format. And yet look at the image. If all your images turn out like this you should be a happy photographer. So first recommendation. You want a camera with at least a 10 mpx sensor. I do not recommend shooting JPG’s but they do give good images. However, shoot your images in RAW. They are more forgiving and allow better post processing. An XTi is an older camera introduced in September of 2006 and can be purchased on E-bay for under $100.00. So you don’t have to spend a lot of money!
The kit lens that comes with the XTi is generally dismissed as a poor lens but that is not so. It is an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 autofocus lens. It is actually a good lens for travel photography but I would recommend spending a little more.
Most of the pictures you will see on this trip were taken with my Canon 60D, (if not I will say so), introduced in September of 2010, is another APS-C sensor 18 mpx camera. It is a step up from the XTi but still reasonably compact. I paired it with an EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens which is also a step up from the kit lens. This outfit can be found on E-bay in the $250.00 range.
The 60D with this lens is a reasonably large DSLR but I am used to carrying this camera slung over my shoulder. I seldom walk with a camera bag. Too cumbersome and a tempting target for thieves. In a subsequent post we will talk about camera security when you travel.
Of course there are many other camera options out there and you can spend lots of money if you want. There are certainly more compact cameras. But, stay over 10 mpx sensors that shoot RAW image files. Stay with known brands and buy from reputable dealers.
And a Final Word About the Photographs
It is time to board our flight but before we do a quick word about the photographs you see here. Look at these pictures, and all of those to follow. Decide which you like and look at the way they are composed and how they are colored. Do this always and you will develop your own sense of what is pleasing to you and that is the beginning of your own style. Don’t be afraid to copy. All students copy at first. It is a first step to developing your own style.
The deep saturated colors will take some explaination which we will get to on our journey. They did not look like this when they first came out of the camera. not in the least ! That is where the “art” comes in and we will talk about that as we proceed.
The image sensors / film does not see what your eye sees. What your eye sees is heavily interpreted, post processed if you will, by your brain. But when you shoot in RAW, which I always do, there is no processing. The sensor counts photons falling on each pixel and reports on the numbers. But to get an image that conveys the feeling of what you saw you have to “develop” the image. We will discuss that too. But for this week, that is enough. Next week, Amsterdam.
Don’t forget a picture of your airplane. It is part of the voyage and people are interested to see how you travelled. There is usually a window in the departure lounge at your Gate where you can get a good image of your ride.
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