Manipulated Reality

Travel and Photography

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Travel Tips
  • Photography
    • Photography Editing
    • Photography Tips
    • Travel Photography Gear
    • Photography Courses
  • Gallery Store
  • About
  • Contact

Top 10 Travel Photography Tips

By Julie Miche Leave a Comment

My Top 10 Travel Photography Tips

Are you planning a trip soon? Here’s my top 10 travel photography tips to help you capture amazing travel photographs.

1. Focus On What You Love To Shoot

One of the best things about travel photography is that it encompasses multiple genres of photography. It can include landscapes, street photography, environmental portraits, food and architectural photographs. Experiment with all of them, and focus on what you love to shoot.

2. Get Up Early

If you’re not a morning person, now is the time to become one! Your reward for crawling out of bed is you the beautiful light of the golden hour. Your photos will be magical! Also, there are less tourists wandering around popular landmarks, so you’ll get cleaner shots!

3. Research Your Destinations

You don’t have to go crazy with research, however it is helpful to have some sort of plan. Travel guides, Pinterest, and Instagram are great for inspiration. Create a must have shot list, so you don’t forget all those important things you wanted photos of.

Manipulated Reality is supported by readers. Product links on Manipulated Reality are referral links for things I like & believe you will too! Read more here.

4. Bring A Travel Tripod

Why should you bring a travel tripod? Well if you want to capture gorgeous sunsets, sunrises, and night scenes they are a must have. When you’re shooting at longer shutters speed and using longer focal lengths, a tripod provides the stability you need.

5. Make Sure To Get Off The Beaten Path

Top 10 Travel Photography Tips

Escape the crowds and wander. Explore areas that are less touristy. Ask the locals where their favorite places are. By venturing away the popular tourist areas, you’ll find unique scenes that often go unnoticed. Plus, your travel photos won’t look like everyone else’s!

6. Don’t Forget To Keep Notes

It’s always a good idea to keep notes to reference places you’ve visited or people you’ve met. Once you’re back at home the details may have slipped away. I like to carry a small journal, but sometimes use my phone for quick notes.

If you think you are going to need a model release, Easy Release offers a model-release app that makes digital releases from your iPhone, iPad or ANDROID devices.

7. Backing Up Your Photos

Sometimes it may seem like a pain to backup your photos, but it’s an absolute necessity. If you took the time to shoot them, you don’t want to lose all those images right? My travel photography backup workflow includes a backup on my laptop, an external hard drive, and an online backup.

Google Drive and Amazon have Online cloud storage for your photographs. Cloud storage is a great option because if your equipment gets stolen, you still have access to your images.

8. Always Have Backup Photography Gear

Equipment can fail, batteries go dead, memory cards can get lost. It’s always a good idea to have a backup camera, extra batteries, extra memory cards, and extra charging cords.

9. Stay Safe

Unfortunately, as a travel photographer, you are an easy target for pickpockets, thieves, and tourist scams. Be sure to check for any travel warnings for the destination you are traveling to.

Stay aware of your surroundings when you are out wandering. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re shooting. Don’t risk your life trying to capture the perfect photo.

10. Have Fun

It’s ok to put the camera down. Getting the shot is important, but so is appreciating where you are. Take some time to just get out and meet the locals. Learn about the local customs. Be social!

Have fun

Need more photography tips? You can find them here.

Subscribe to receive travel & photography tips, and special offers from our sponsors.

Mobile Lightroom Presets

Connect with us on social media.

  • Follow Julie Miche on Instagram.
  • Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Filed Under: Photography, Photography Tips Tagged With: travel photographer, Travel photography, Travel Photography Tips

Gallery Changes

By Julie Miche Leave a Comment

Have you stopped into the Gallery Store lately?  There’s been some big changes!

Images I’ve featured on Instagram are now available for purchase in the gallery.

Gallery of Julie Miche featuring instagram
Come on in & check out the squares!

Subscribe to receive travel & photography tips, and special offers from our sponsors.

Connect me on social media.

  • Follow Julie Miche on Instagram.
  • Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Filed Under: Gallery Tagged With: Art, Gallery, Gallery Store, Instagram, Julie Miche, Manipulated Reality, Photography, Travel photography

Hiking and Camping in Sedona, AZ

By Julie Miche Leave a Comment

Twisty Things & Other Stuff – Sedona, AZ

I recently returned from a camping trip in Sedona, AZ.  It’s one of my favorite places, and it had been far too long since my last visit.   After looking forward to this trip for several weeks, a wildfire broke out in Oak Creek Canyon on May 20, 2014.  Our campground was shut down, the road into the canyon was closed, and people were evacuated.   After much contemplation, my friend and I decided to go anyway.  We were able to find another campground that hadn’t been affected by the fire, and another route into Sedona, AZ.

It was a vacation of contrasts, to say the least…  It was one of the most peaceful I’ve had in a long time, and one that ended with a traumatic injury.  I slipped while hiking, tried to save my camera, and ended up plowing face first into a small boulder.  Thankfully nothing was broken, however, I did end up with a concussion.  It’s been three weeks since the fall, and a very slow recovery.

In the end, the fire was finally contained on June 4, 2014… 21,227 acres had burned.

We arrived at Lo Lo Mai Springs Campground and were happy to find a tent site right along Oak Creek.

Manipulated Reality is supported by readers. Product links on Manipulated Reality are referral links for things I like & believe you will too! Read more here.

Sedona, AZ, Oak Creek, Camping, Travel
Oak Creek Campsite

 After we set up camp, we headed into Sedona, AZ.  This quickly put things into perspective.  Signs of gratitude were everywhere.

Gratitude, Sedona, AZ, Sedona fireman
Thanks Hot Shots!

The next morning we woke up to the smell of a campfire…  Not a good sign since they had been banned countywide!  The wind had shifted, and smoke from the wildfire was hanging low over our campground.  Air quality was poor, so we went back into town to find some sort of air masks.  We ended up with bandanas and goggles!

Sedona, AZ, smoke inhalation protection, Bell Rock hike
Protection From The Smoke

The smoke was so bad, we decided to go kayaking on the Verde River.  We met up with the Sedona Adventure Tours team for a three hour guided tour.  These guys are awesome, and the tour was tons of fun!

Verde River Kayaking, Sedona, AZ, Sedona Adventure Tours, Kayak, Travel
Kayaking on the Verde River

Thankfully the smoke shifted and we were able to go hiking. We chose the Bell Rock Path.

hiking, Bell Rock hikes, Travel
Which Way?

The higher you climb up on Bell Rock, the more twisted the juniper trees become from the vortex energy.

Juniper Tree, Vortex. Bell Rock hike,
Vortex Twist

The views in Sedona are phenomenal.

Sedona Red Rocks
Red Rocks of Sedona

After a four hour hike at Bell Rock, we headed over to the Airport Mesa Vortex. We wanted to grab a couple more photos, and it was a quick hike to the top.

Airport Mesa Vortex
On Top of the World

I was just about at the bottom, when I started sliding on some loose dirt. I landed face first into a small boulder, and my faced swelled up like an inflated balloon! I also had multiple scrapes, and cuts on my legs and arms.

Thankfully the hospital was close, so I was able to get to Emergency Room quickly. By the time I got there, I couldn’t even remember my last name!

The official diagnosis was a concussion. Thankfully nothing was broken, except my sun glasses, and a camera lens.

It definitely was not a good way to end the trip!

Broken glasses and a black eye,

Subscribe to receive travel & photography tips, and special offers from our sponsors.

Connect me on social media.

  • Follow Julie Miche on Instagram.
  • Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Filed Under: Sedona Tagged With: Airport Mesa Vortex, az, Bell Rock Vortex, Camping, Gratitude, Hiking, Juniper Trees, Kayaking, Lo Lo Mai Springs Campground, Oak Creek Canyon, Phenomenal Views, Red Rocks, Sedona Adventure Tours, Sedona Arizona, Slide Rock Wildfire, travel, travel in sedona, Travel photography, Verde River, Vortex

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Sign Up for travel & photography tips & special offers!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.

Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Categories

Recent Posts

  • 26 Best Travel Quotes With Pictures
  • The Most Unique Airbnb’s in the USA
  • Virtual Tours Around Europe – Visit Now!
  • Travel Insurance From World Nomads
  • Flights & Transportation

Enter Gallery Store

Galway, Ireland

Virtual Travel Tours

Virtual tours of Europe

Enjoy Virtual Tours Around Europe Tired of being stuck at … [Read More...]

  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclaimers/Privacy Policy/Terms of Service

Copyright © 2025 Manipulated Reality