With our ever-changing environment, investing in our self-care lifestyle and practices is important to unwind and recharge from the world. Some people invest in numerous activities, like exploring new hobbies, spending time with their loved ones, and traveling on their own.
When talking about traveling as a lifestyle, traveling on your own once in a while can be a self-nurturing activity to engage in. Although the benefits of solo travel have already been a topic of discussion in the realm of travel, there are also downsides to it, such as difficulty taking photos of yourself.
If you are a solo traveler and you find this a hurdle during your solo trips, here are effortless tips you can incorporate into your solo trips to get the best of the best photos of yourself!
Tripod is your best friend
Tripods will be your savior when you travel alone and when you want to take photos of your own. Ensure to bring a good quality tripod that is handy and will fit your travel bag just perfectly. Some solo travelers often leave essentials that are too bulky for their travel bags, so make sure to choose a tripod that is suitable for your travel photography needs.
There are numerous types of tripods available on the market that are being sold everywhere, either online or in physical shops. In terms of choosing the tripod for your solo travel days, consider picking the right size, weight, and tripod head that will fit your travel photography needs.
Consider bringing bluetooth remote shutter
Apart from a tripod being essential for solo travelers, having someone (or something) click the “capture” button to take photos seems handy, doesn’t it? A Bluetooth remote shutter will make your photo-capturing a lot easier, as you won’t have to physically click the “capture” button on your phone or camera.
Once you connect your phone or camera via Bluetooth to the remote, you can place your phone or camera at an angle that you like and press the button from the remote shutter to take photos! Just make sure that when posing for your pictures, you hide the remote in your hand in a position that won’t be seen through the camera.
Utilize self-timer features and applications
If you don’t like the idea of holding a small remote while taking photos, feel free to use your phone or camera’s self-timer feature. However, some solo travelers do not opt to use this feature often because every time new photos are taken, you have to reach your phone or camera again to re-click the timer button for “capture.”
For solo travelers who just use their mobile phones to take photos of themselves, some applications serve the same function as the self-timer feature, and some of these applications are way more convenient to use! There are self-timer mobile applications available out there that already take multiple photos at once and you can customize their settings, like setting your preferred timer and number of shots.
Multifunctional phone grip holders are a life-saver
Another handy tip for some solo travelers who don’t like to bring extra travel photography essentials is to simply use a cool and versatile phone grip holder that can be used as a tripod! These types of phone grip holders can be multipurpose: they can be handy when taking selfies and they can be turned into a mini-tripod.
Fisheye lens, a gamechanger
When you want to take photos of yourself but want your background to be the highlight of the photo, a fisheye lens can be a game-changer! If taking photos like that is your thing, a fisheye lens is a great photography tool that can capture wide angles. Using a fisheye lens is also a popular aesthetic nowadays among social media users.
Ask a stranger as a last resort
When every tip and trick does not work for you, it might be time to finally ask someone to take your photo! Just make sure to approach strangers nicely and communicate well about how you want your photo taken.
The art of traveling alone can bring us a lot of learning. We learn to be independent, confident, street-smart, and empowered, among many other things. Most importantly, we also learn how to be professional at capturing photos on our own! We are our own best photographers, after all.