The Insta-verse is an interesting place. It’s envy, aspiration, and depression all rolled into one. Why aren’t I in (insert fabulous place here) ? I want to do / have this one day. Ugh my life sucks compared to (insert trendy person here). As a travel junkie (I get a rush every time I click “buy” on a flight, I find a lot of these posts inspiring. Instagram helps me figure out where I want to go, what the weather might be like when I get there and more. The downside is that it sets you up for specific expectations that more likely than not aren’t met.
For example: when I went to the Fushimi Inari-taisha Temple in Kyoto, I had some major expectations of how great it would be. While I’ll admit that it was cool, I was pretty disappointed when I got there at 7 AM. But it’s fine because the pictures looked great right?
Photography by Amy O’Brien
But I get it – when you get that award winning travel photo, the pride of capturing the moment is a drug itself. My Arc de Triomphe picnic photo below was the beginning of me trying to really “travel for the ‘gram.” It’s my favorite photo ever and I’m not sure anything can ever measure up to that again.
Photography by Amy O’Brien
If I’m being honest, it’s been a long time since I had a traditional trip. Most of my travel includes being in a place for a couple of weeks, not rushed. I’d have time to wake up at 4AM and go shoot because I’d already seen everything to see. The idea for this post was sparked recently after my trip to Japan. I had 5 days, a crammed itinerary, and was stressed as can be about “getting the shot” and “finding the right outfit.” Most of what I remember about that trip was temples, eating good sushi, not sleeping… and INSTAGRAM.
Want to have an Instagrammable trip without Instagram? Keep reading for my tips below.
Tip 1: Take a Social Media Detox
While traveling, it’s natural to want to document everything you see, eat, and do. DO IT. But consider it a great time to take a social media detox. Focus on being in the moment, taking photos, and shooting video. But don’t rush to download, edit, and post. That where you’ll waste time trying to figure out the time zone situation, editing and captions. That’s all time you could be out and about touristing.
Tip 2: Have a vision & plan
Unless you’re on a literal Instagram trip (yes those actually exist), more likely than not you’ll be with people who don’t want to waste the whole day shooting. That’s where having a vision & plan comes in handy. I typically create a Pinterest board, and a saved folder on Instagram for pose inspiration or where I want my photos. It really saves time which leads to my next point…
Tip 3: Prepare your travel buddies
This tip is really 2 tips. I like to tell my travel companions (and whoever the designated photographer is – who fyi I determine ahead of the trip) that once we get the photos (which I try to get in 10 minutes or so), that I’ll be done with photos for that location. That way they know I won’t be handing them a camera the entire trip. I also make a point of getting the pictures out of the way as soon as we arrive at each location. That way we spend a couple of minutes at the beginning, and everyone (including me) can go back to enjoying the surroundings.
As I head off to Peru today, I’ll be for sure following these tips, and can’t wait to share my trip and content with you (when I get back)!
Enjoy your traveling!
