Travel Photography Curriculum

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Photo: Lola Akinmade

A complete breakdown of the Travel Photography curriculum.

We start with an overview of the invention and development of travel photography. From there we move to protecting and storing your images, and then on to the craft of travel photography. The latter portions of the course go into business specifics, how to build your personal brand, and pitch editors.

Course Modules

1.Travel Photography: From Early Origins to Today’s Innovations and Opportunities

  • A Brief History of Travel Photography
  • Enter the Professional Travel Photographer
  • Managing Your Portfolio
  • Opportunities Off & Online
  • Magazines, Newspapers & Websites
  • Libraries, Stock, Competitions & Art Sales
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

2. Equipment

  • Camera Types & Formats
  • Lenses
  • Filters
  • Flash Units
  • Tripods & Other Camera Accessories
  • Laptops and External Storage Devices
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

3. The Basics: Aperture, Shutter, Film Speed, Exposure, Focus

  • General Camera Settings
  • The Shutter
  • Apertures & DoF
  • ISO / Film Speeds
  • Focal Length and Focusing
  • Exposure & Metering
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

4. Composition, Lighting, Colour, Filters

  • Composition
  • Light
  • Artificial Light / Flash
  • Colour Temperature
  • Shooting in Color
  • Filters
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

5. Types of Travel Photography

  • Outdoor / Landscape Photography
  • Night Photography
  • People / Portraits
  • Nature / Wildlife Photography
  • Documentary Photography
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

6. Editing: Post Processing & Image Enhancing Software

  • Lightroom & Aperture: Working With RAW files
  • Photoshop & Elements
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

7. How to get Paid Photography Assignments and Manage them for Maximum Productivity

  • Understanding how the Publishing Industry is Evolving
  • Getting a Publication Mindset
  • Essential Skills and Tactics for Pitching
  • Three Successful Pitches and Why They Worked
  • Getting the Most Out of Matador Market Leads
  • Publishing Vs. Self-Publishing, Money, and Legal Matters
  • Introduction to Guidebooks and Press Trips
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

8. How to Plan and Prepare for a Photography Assignment

  • Planning and Research
  • Cleaning & Maintenance
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

9. Myths vs. Realities: How To Make Photography Your Career

  • The Main Qualities
  • Matador Success Stories: The Glamor versus the Hard Work
  • In-House Versus Freelancing and How to Deal with Burnout
  • Straight Talk About Earnings
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

10. Building and Keeping an Audience Online by Mastering Social Media

  • What is Social Media?
  • Tackling Twitter And Attracting Followers
  • Analytics, Alexa Rankings, and Number Crunching
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

11. How to Capitalize on New Media, SEO, and Ads to Monetize your Blog and Pay for Your Travels

  • Monetizing Your Blog & Why You Should Avoid Google Adsense
  • How to Sell Your Own Ads
  • 8 Steps to Building a Profitable Blog that Funds Your Travels
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

12. Living the Dream: How to Launch, Sustain, and Advance Your Travel Photography Career for the Long Term

  • Putting it All Together and Making The Leap
  • Sources of Funding (grants, competitions, etc)
  • Couchsurfing / Volunteering / Hospitality Club: How to Extend Your Travel Time
  • Managing Mail, Taxes, Finances, and Healthcare On the Road
  • Assignment & Recommended Reading

Next steps

  • Pricing - Review what you get with your enrollment.
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