One of the misconceptions you might have about solo traveling is that you’ll be forced to post pretty much nothing but selfies since you might not have anyone to take your photos. I often get asked how I manage to take photos of myself when I’m solo traveling – or well, I actually most often get asked who takes my photos. But pretty often, my photos aren’t taken by a person, but instead with my tripod. The tripod really changed my whole photo game, I’ll talk about that in a minute. In this post I’ll give you a few ideas on how to take photos of yourself when solo traveling, hopefully to save you from posting countless selfies 🙂
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1. Find other people with similar plans
When staying in hostels, I can pretty much guarantee that you will find people that are looking to explore the area. So one of your options would be to spend the day with them and you can then take each other’s photos 🙂 You can also meet people through facebook groups and/or instagram.
2. Join organised trips
Many hostels plan events and activities, such as day trips, for their guests. By joining one of these, you’ll most certainly be able to ask a fellow traveler, or even the guide, to take your photos. Or, kinda surprisingly, a lot of guides are super patient with taking photos haha! You could also join some of the amazing group trips with G-Adventures, they offer a wide variety of group trips, all around the world I would highly recommend checking them out if you aren’t an experienced traveler and/or feel uncomfortable about traveling by yourself. This also saves you the hassle of booking and organising everything, as they take care of all of that.
3. Ask someone to take your photo
This one is not my favourite as it’s definitely a hit-or-miss. One of the issues you might run into is that you want to get a photo in a very quiet area where there aren’t a lot of people around. A perhaps bigger issue is that an awful lot of people simply have no idea how to take photos. You’ll be lucky if all your body makes is in the photo. And then there are of course those that take a total of one photo when asked if they can take a photo :))) Like even though you ask for a photo, doesn’t mean you just want a photo :))) Then you can of course be lucky and get some great photos. It really just depends on the person.
I used to do this all the time but I got so tired of how I had basically no control over how the photo turned out. It’s just really a hit and miss.
This photo was taken by a stranger – definitely a hit haha. It was this
really nice Mexican girl that took probably like a 100 photos haha!
photo edited with the Wanderlust preset pack, available here
4. Get yourself a tripod
So the tripod literally changed my life when it comes to taking photos haha. I was somehow very hesitant to get one, I thought it’d be a huge struggle to carry it around and setting it up. Since it was only like 30$, I decided to get one and give it a try. And wow, wish I had done that earlier haha. When using a tripod, you have a couple of options when it comes to shooting the photo. Even when I’m traveling with someone I often prefer to take photos with my tripod as then I can see exactly how they’ll turn out.
In case you don’t have a tripod yet and want to try this, here’s one that works for phones and cameras.
Shooting by using timer mode
So your first option is to mount your phone or camera to the tripod and then shoot using the timer mode, that most phones and cameras will have. Ideally, you’ll want to use the continuous mode, which means that the camera will keep taking photos every second or so. That way you don’t need to go back and press the shutter for every photo. Just a word of advice – if you’re very picky about your photos, this might not be the most efficient option as you might need to do this over and over again before you’re happy with the photos. So with that said, I’ll move on to the next one.
Shooting by using a remote shutter (your phone)
I would say this is the level above using the timer mode, as you’ll be able to see yourself on a screen while taking the photos. A true game changer.
This will require a camera that has wifi capability. You connect the camera to your phone via wifi and then you will be able to see what the photos look like on the screen of your phone while you’re taking them. All of the biggest camera brands (Canon, Sony, Olympus, Nixon…) have their own free app to connect the camera to your phone. Your phone will also serve as a remote shutter as you’ll click a button on the phone screen to shoot.
I even took this one by myself using a tripod and the self timer mode! I just placed my phone next
to the pool (in a waterproof bag just in case) and had my camera on a 10sec timer
edited with the Wanderlust preset pack, available here
This was such a game changer for me as it gave me complete control over how the photo would turn out as I could see myself on the screen. This also save me a lot of time as I’m not waisting time shooting a bunch of photos, only to then look at them and find out that I hate them, haha. Maybe I was standing too close or too far from the camera, and/or just blocking something I wanted to have in the photo. Instead, by seeing yourself on the screen you can move around and see where you want to position yourself.
Through the camera app you can also download the photos right to your phone, it’s really easy to use. The only minor issue is that you need to be a little creative with hiding your phone so that it isn’t visible in the photos. Often I’ll just put it on the ground and then edit it out later. Or if I’m facing the camera sideways I’ll just hold it in the hand that isn’t facing the camera.
If you’re looking to purchase a camera, this is the one I use. I’ve had it for a couple of years and I’m very happy with it.
Shooting by using burst mode
This one is kinda same but different. It’s very similar to the one above, using a timer mode, but a little different. In burst mode, your camera will take multiple photos in a very short time frame, 2 seconds for example. So why would you want to use burst mode rather than the previous options? In burst mode the camera takes photos a lot faster, so if you want to add some motion to your photos (jumping, twirling your skirt/dress around) you’ll want to use burst mode to increase your chances of capturing the right moment :)))
5. Use your phone on a timer mode
If you don’t have a camera and don’t want to buy one, your best option might be to use your phone on a timer mode. Most smartphones will have a timer mode, but in case your doesn’t there are apps for it :))) This isn’t the most efficient option as you’ll have to go back to the phone and press the button for each shot, but it gets the job done. Now if this sounds like an absolute nightmare to you, there is the option of making your life a little easier by purchasing a bluetooth shutter. This will safe you the trouble of going back to your phone to press the button every time. I would argue that a couple of dollars is a small price to pay for that :))))
6. Making your own “tripod” by stacking up a bunch of stuff
While not ideal, sometimes this might be your only option :)) You could simply forget to bring your tripod (been there) or you might be in a place where setting up a tripod isn’t an option. In some instances, tripods aren’t allowed. This is often the case in historical sides, for example in Machu Picchu. That’s where you might need to get a little creative. Here are some ideas:
- Place your camera on stairs, chairs, tables or on top of surfaces in order to gain height
- Use your bag and/or whatever you might have in your bag to stack under your camera/phone
- Get one of those bags and put your phone in it, and you can then use the strap that goes around your neck to hang it on something :)))
I took this photo by placing my camera on one of the steps :)))
edited with the travel blogger preset pack, available here
7. Taking photos and videos in or near water
Having your phone or camera out near, or especially in water, can be kinda risky. Especially if you’re placing it on a tripod or stacking it on something that it might fall off :)) I’ve always been terrified of bringing my phone anywhere near the ocean, so I recently got myself one of those waterproof bags for my phone. I’ll keep my phone in there if I’m anywhere near water, just in case. It’s super handy as you can still use the touch screen and don’t need to worry about it getting wet. The bag also gives you the option to use the neck strap to hang it on something and then taking photos or videos. I’ve used this a lot to create reels, just place the phone in the bag and hang it on something, and then use the hands free mode on instagram to record a video.
Some tips for choosing a tripod
You need to put a little thought into choosing a tripod, or else you might end up with one that weighs 4kg that you won’t wanna bring anywhere. I’d suggest to check to following:
- Make sure that it extends to at the very least 1,40 meters (55 inches)
- Check the weight as some are ridiculously heavy, if it weighs a few kilos you’ll both struggle to carry it around, and when taking it on a plane it will take up a lot of your luggage allowance
- Get one that folds well folds up small
- I’d recommend getting one that comes with a bag so you can easily carry it around
This one is a great option, and even comes with a remote shutter!
I hope this post was helpful in some way and gave you some ideas you can use to take photos of yourself when solo traveling! If you want to get notified when I publish new posts, just click the red bell in the lower right corner or follow me on Instagram where I usually announce new posts :)))
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