Travel Photography: Creative Storytelling with Ian Shive

If you are interested in shooting a travel story for publication, this is a helpful class. Ian breaks down the elements of storytelling through photography. He shows you what to look for in building that story and how to shoot it. This is a journalistic documentary viewpoint, not a go on a family vacation and take great photos class. In addition to the story-telling education, I also found it helpful to learn about the technical details; how he uses ISO, shutter speed, Aperture priority (Av), how to shoot into windows, and the importance of shooting both in portrait and landscape. If I were to add to this class, I would include segments on how to pitch your travel photos to publications and perhaps an interview with an editor to find out what they like to see from photographers. I would love to see more locations as well. I've taken some of Ian's other classes, and I think he's a great instructor. This class was definitely helpful.

I felt this class was informative, but overkill at times. Ian is a great photographer and his work speaks for itself. Overall, I learned what to look for in "Travel Photography" if I were to be submitting my photos to a magazine for an assignment. And that's what storytelling for publications is all about; telling a visual story through your images. This class is more for someone who wants to tell a story if they want to sell it to a publication.

This was exactly what I needed for an upcoming assignment.

I really enjoyed this course. I know some folks have criticized it as not being “travel,” but I would disagree. I think Mr. Shive offered us a look at how to go into a setting - in this case an restaurant - and pull the pieces together to find the images to best tell its story. In the way Mr. Shive demonstrates his method, I feel like I can go into a number of travel scenarios and come away with photos that really show the story. I can focus on single businesses or locations, or pull back and get a more comprehensive piece for a town or section of a town. With a little adjustment, I can see this providing a marketable service to local businesses.

I really enjoyed this class, it was a great expose on what to shoot and why, how communication and developing ideas on the fly and the need to think on your feet with speed and flexibility.

I guess travel photography means different things to different people. I understood exactly where Ian Shive was coming from in this presentation and I found the information was extremely useful. I guess if you are looking for a video on how to photograph the Eiffel Tower, when traveling with family, this is not for you. If you wish to take back a deeper memory of a place, or wish to submit an article for travel publications, this series of videos would be more to your liking. I enjoyed watching Mr. Shive go through the process of documenting the cafe, its owner and its patrons. His general advice and strategies were useful to hear and see in action. He did provide some technical information on settings, although I did note he was in a well lit establishment. It would have been interesting to see how he would handle a place with less than ideal light. Overall, that is a small criticism. I very much enjoyed the flow of the videos and recommend them to anyone who is interested in seriously documenting the interesting locations they come across in their travels.

as the title is "travel photography" what came to my mind is walking through the street of a city, but it wasn't ... Ian Shive took "Salmon Bay Cafe" as a case study for traveling photography, through which he gave good tips for traveling/ magazine essay / telling a story in general. I've learned a lot about the effect of ISO and "handholding" the camera, tips for how to get the authentic story of a place and tell it with photo... It's not all you need about traveling photography, but it gives a good start and lots of valuble tips