Where to Stay in Kyoto: Finding the Right Base for Photographing Historic Kyoto
A Guide to the Best Areas to Stay in Kyoto Kyoto will be sitting pretty as a highlight on most itineraries to Japan, whether you’re visiting for the first time, or like me, try to visit annually. I’ve photographed in and around Kyoto for over 20 years now; it’s a city I find so culturally […]
Exploring the Photogenic Green Spaces of Singapore
There’s a smell in the air once you land at Changi Airport, for me, it represents the blend of humidity and tropical landscapes. It smells ‘green‘, I guess, and I’m always so excited to see the lush foliage along the ECP into the city. For photographers visiting Singapore, the green spaces and environments are worth […]
The Intersection of Creativity and Wellbeing: Finding Presence Through Nature, Creativity and Sound
Creativity has become an increasingly visible part of the wellbeing conversation. by Lisa Michele Burns Alongside yoga retreats, forest bathing and guided meditation, a growing number of travellers are seeking experiences centred around photography, painting, writing and other creative pursuits. While these retreats often promise new skills, they also offer something less tangible: an opportunity […]
Light, Nature and Design: A Visual Hotel Review of PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore
Where Architecture and Nature Meet There are very few hotels where I find myself reaching for my camera before I’ve even checked in. Stepping into the soaring atrium of PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, my attention was immediately drawn upwards as I walked toward reception after my flight from Brisbane. Sunlight streamed through the vast sky-lit […]
Behind the Lens: Hokkaido Drift Ice Swimming
Some people say their happy place is lying by a resort pool with a cocktail, mine is floating amongst icebergs like a puffer fish. The location doesn’t bother me too much; I’d be just as happy among the 50ft icebergs off the coast of Greenland, as I would be doing a cold plunge in Antarctica; […]
Photographing the Steller’s Sea Eagle in Eastern Hokkaido
Winter Wildlife Photography Experience in Japan These feathered friends, endemic to the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sea of Okhotsk, and other parts of Siberia in Russia, are the very reason I’ve had Eastern Hokkaido on my wish list for many years. On par with drift ice, a fascinating environmental process I’ve tracked and wanted to photograph since […]
A Photographer’s Guide to Winter in Eastern Hokkaido
Exploring the Wildlife and Natural Wonders of Eastern Hokkaido For photographers seeking quiet landscapes and wildlife opportunities, there’s a different pace to winter in Eastern Hokkaido, Beyond the ski fields and busier resorts of the western side of Japan’s northern island, the landscape opens into something far more spacious. Frozen lakes sit beneath low winter […]
The Creative Benefits of Solo Travel for Photographers
Why Solo Travel Can Transform Your Photography (and How It Changes the Way You See a Place) There’s something different about travelling alone with a camera. Without meaning to offend everyone I’ve ever travelled with, solo travel is, as far as I’m concerned, the best way to immerse yourself in the experience of travel, while […]
How to Understand Camera Settings When You’re Travelling (Without Overthinking It)
If camera settings feel overwhelming, you’re not alone. There’s often a moment when you arrive somewhere new, camera in hand, and everything feels right. The light is soft, the scene has depth, and you can already imagine the photo you want to take. But when you look at the result, something doesn’t quite match. It […]
Beyond the Bamboo Grove: Photographing the Quieter Side of Arashiyama
A Photographer’s Guide to Arashiyama, Japan Arashiyama is one of Kyoto’s most photographed areas, and for many visitors, it begins and ends with a short walk through the Bamboo Grove. It’s an iconic scene, tall green stalks arching overhead and light filtering through the dense forest, but it’s also one of the most crowded stretches […]
What I’ve Learned One Year After Building a Travel Photography Community
Reflections on community, confidence, and finding creative connections When I first created The Travel Photography Club as an extension of The Wandering Lens, I thought I had a fairly clear idea of what photographers would want. From years of guiding photo tours, running online courses, and mentoring photographers, I assumed the next logical step would […]
Travel Photography for Beginners: Where to Start (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)
Photographing your Travels – A Quick Guide to Getting Started Starting to focus on photographing your travels can feel exciting and intimidating in equal measure. There is so much advice available, so many images to compare yourself to, and an endless list of things you could learn. It is no surprise that many beginners feel […]