Travel photography is a popular niche that many aspiring photographers want to break into. With so many talented travel photographers out there, it can be difficult to stand out and get your work seen. Effective promotion is key if you want to be successful as a travel photographer. Here are some tips on how to effectively promote your travel photography.
Have a strong online presence
The internet is one of the main ways that people consume and discover photography these days. Having a strong online presence where people can view and access your work is crucial. Some important elements of an online presence include:
- A professional website showcasing your best travel images
- An active photography blog where you share travel tips, behind-the-scenes stories, and photo essays
- Accounts on major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter where you regularly share new images
Make sure you have a consistent visual theme and branding across all your platforms. Update your accounts frequently with fresh content to keep people engaged. Use relevant hashtags and location tags so your images are discoverable by those interested in specific places.
Get published
Publishing your travel photography in magazines, newspapers, and websites is a great way to gain exposure and credibility. Some options to get your work published include:
- Local and regional publications in the places you visit and live
- Travel magazines like Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, and Lonely Planet Magazine
- International newspapers’ travel sections
- Popular online photography and travel blogs that accept contributor submissions
Research your target publications thoroughly and tailor your submissions to their aesthetic and audiences. Personalized pitches tend to do better than generic ones. Building relationships with editors over time can lead to ongoing publication opportunities.
Sell prints and commercial licensing
Selling prints and licensing your images commercially provides additional income streams and gets your work seen. Ways to do this include:
- Offer fine art prints in your online store or through a print-on-demand service
- Have a presence on a stock photo site where people can license your images
- Market to tourism organizations who may want to use your destination photos for brochures, websites, etc.
- See if local businesses like hotels, restaurants, and shops are interested in displaying your prints
The more exposure your images get through commercial channels, the more recognition you will gain as a travel photographer.
Participate in photo contests
Photo contests offer great opportunities to get your work viewed by large audiences and industry experts. The visibility and accolades from winning or placing in contests can significantly boost your reputation. Some major contests to consider entering include:
- National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year
- Travel Photographer of the Year by TPOTY
- International Landscape Photographer of the Year
- International Garden Photographer of the Year
- Siena International Photo Awards
Research and target contests that align with your photographic strengths and specialty. Keep an eye out for smaller contests hosted by tourism boards, guidebook publishers, gear companies, etc. as well.
Collaborate with travel brands
Partnering creatively with reputable travel and tourism companies can get your work promoted to new audiences. Collaboration opportunities include:
- Working on photographic projects sponsored by destination marketing organizations or tourism boards
- Teaming up with a tour operator to photograph a trip and provide images for their marketing materials
- Shooting for hotel or specialty travel guides like boutique inns, Michelin restaurants, etc.
- Holding exhibitions of your images at hospitality venues, transportation hubs, etc.
This type of brand alignment allows you to tap into an established audience and have your work prominently displayed and distributed. The key is finding brands whose visual identity aligns with your photographic style.
Hold public exhibitions
Holding public photography exhibitions is a great promotional activity for a travel photographer. Ideal venues include:
- Local cafes, restaurants, breweries, wineries, bookstores, etc. that have wall space for art
- Galleries, community arts centers, libraries, co-working spaces, and other public venues
- Outdoor festivals and street fairs
- Tourism hotspots and attractions with space for photo displays
The benefits of exhibiting include engaging directly with your audience, selling prints on location, garnering media coverage, and working with new venues. Make sure to promote your show through email lists, social media, and local event calendars.
Teach travel photography workshops
If you have in-depth travel photography knowledge to share, teaching workshops can be a fulfilling and profitable endeavor. You can offer workshops:
- Privately to individual students or small groups
- Through an established photography organization
- As part of photography tourism offerings at destinations you have photographed extensively
- At photo festivals and conferences
Position yourself as an expert by focusing your instruction on your niche areas of expertise. For example, teach a workshop exclusively on landscape photography techniques or documenting cultural festivals. Update your workshop offerings regularly to attract repeat and new students.
Get involved in the photography community
Being an active part of the broader photography community allows you to network, collaborate, and stay inspired. Ways to get involved include:
- Joining photography associations like PPA (Professional Photographers of America) or APA (American Photographic Artists)
- Entering photo contests and awards
- Attending photo festivals, conferences, and events as a participant
- Volunteering to judge photo competitions
- Joining or forming local photography groups
- Offering mentoring to aspiring photographers
The connections and relationships you build through community involvement can lead to new opportunities and exposure for your work.
Use social media strategically
While having a presence on major social media platforms is necessary, truly using them strategically takes some finesse. Some tips for effectively promoting your travel photography on social media include:
- Post at optimal times when your target audience is most active.
- Use relevant hashtags, especially branded ones around campaigns or contests you want to get involved with.
- Share a mix of image sizes optimized for each platform.
- Utilize Stories features to share bite-sized, casual content and behind-the-scenes glimpses.
- Collaborate with influential accounts through reposts, quotes, and tagging.
- Run targeted ads to reach new demographics interested in travel.
Analyze your social media data and performance metrics regularly. Identify what types of content, post times, hashtags, etc. resonate best with your audience and do more of that. Stay on top of emerging social media trends and features.
Brand and market yourself effectively
Your personal brand as a travel photographer is just as important as the quality of your images. Some branding tips include:
- Creating a logo and consistent visual style for your website, portfolio, social channels, etc.
- Crafting a compelling narrative around your photographic point of view, vision, and specialty
- Producing promotional materials like postcards and brochures to share
- Having professional headshots and bio materials available
- Dressing and conducting yourself professionally at all times
The more polished and put together your personal branding is, the more likely prospective clients, publishers, and partners will take you seriously as a professional travel photographer.
Keep costs low
Taking on all the promotion techniques outlined above takes time and money. Some tips for minimizing your marketing costs include:
- Learning DIY skills like building your own website, designing promotional materials, and editing your photos
- Bartering services with other creatives like graphic designers, writers, videographers etc.
- Sticking to free social media platforms and using their built-in analytics
- Taking advantage of free publicity through interviews, publications, and exhibitions
- Collaborating on projects where brands provide complimentary accommodation or travel in exchange for photos
While you may choose to invest in paid advertising or hire expert assistance in some cases, boosting your skills in free marketing tactics will maximize your reach while keeping costs down.
| Promotional Activity | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|
| Website hosting | $100-300 per year |
| Printing portfolios and promotional materials | $50-300 per major printing |
| Paid advertising on social media | $5-50 per day, depending on platform and targeting |
| Photo contest entry fees | $5-100 per contest entered |
| Booth fees for festivals and fairs | $50-500 depending on size and event prominence |
This table provides estimated costs for some common promotional activities for travel photographers. Keeping these expenses as low as possible through DIY skills and negotiating barter deals allows for maximum marketing impact within a set budget.
Track and measure your efforts
It’s important to track the performance of your promotional strategies so you know what is working and what isn’t. Some metrics to monitor include:
- Website traffic from different sources
- Social media engagement rates
- Sales numbers for prints and commercial licensing
- Open and click-through rates on email newsletters
- Increases in followers and subscribers
Set specific goals and benchmarks for each campaign and initiative. Use tools like Google Analytics for your website and platforms’ built-in analytics for social media. Continuously optimize your efforts based on performance data.
Create diverse content
Having diverse content allows you to appeal to a wider audience and show off various photographic capabilities. Some types of content to produce include:
- Striking landscape and nature photos from your travels
- Intimate cultural portraits and scenes
- Food and drink photography from restaurants or markets
- Bright architectural details and streetscapes
- Narrative series documenting particular themes and stories
- Behind-the-scenes photos and videos bringing viewers along on the journey
Shoot both horizontal and vertical orientations to provide media outlets and brands with composition flexibility. Capture images suitable for websites, print magazines, billboards, brochures, and more.
Guest post on photography blogs
Reaching out to photography and travel blogs to contribute guest posts is a great promotion tactic. Benefits include:
- Backlinks to your website, portfolio, and online store
- Exposure to new and relevant audiences passionate about photography and travel
- Positioning yourself as an expert by providing value through your guest post content
- Building relationships with blog editors who may share your other work in the future
When pitching, provide ideas tailored to the blog’s niche and audience. Offer to include a few of your powerful, complementary images. Writing educational, informative posts allows you to show off your knowledge while supporting the blog’s content goals.
Guest Post Ideas
- The Essential Gear Every Travel Photographer Needs
- How to Compose Better Landscape Travel Photos
- Tips for Photographing [Destination] Like a Local
- 7 Key Photo Editing Tips for Travel Imagery
Leverage awards and accolades
Any awards, prizes, features, or accolades you receive should be incorporated into your promotional strategy. Ways to get mileage from achievements include:
- Adding award badges to your website and portfolio
- Putting out press releases announcing major wins
- Mentioning distinctions in your email signature and bio
- Sharing news through social media and email newsletters
- Highlighting plaques, ribbons, and trophies in your exhibition booth
Awards act as social proof that give you more credibility. But they only have promotional power if you actively spread the news far and wide.
Conclusion
Promoting travel photography effectively involves a multi-pronged strategy across a variety of platforms and channels. The most important elements are having a strong online presence, regularly publishing new work, participating in contests and community events, and collaborating with relevant brands. Tracking and optimizing your efforts based on concrete metrics allows you to maximize the return from your promotional activities. With persistence and creativity in getting your travel photography in front of audiences near and far, you can build your reputation in this exciting field.