For those who travel and follow the mantra “the camera eats first,” during vacations, trips and hangouts it’s time to take your photos and videos to the next level. With vacation season in full swing, optimizing your travels to curate fun and informational content is a great way to sharpen your skills.
People are turning to social media to decide where to travel, and your videos or photos may be the content that influences them. Studies show that about 35 percent of American TikTok users, around 52.5 million people, have traveled to a new destination after seeing a video about it on the app, and that number is predicted to increase. Now is the time to take shooting your whereabouts seriously!
Travel influencer Morgan Fitzpatrick optimistically shares her best tips for our readers. At the end of this story, you’ll have the tools to capture your best footage to date. Fitzpatrick influences over 20,000 people across her platforms to visit local, domestic, and international destinations. As someone who collaborates with travel brands because of her appealing content, who better to learn from?
Get Your Gadgets
First things first, decide what you’re shooting with. As an experienced creator, Fitzpatrick’s go-tos are her “iPhone, Canon G 7x, one tripod, a travel selfie light, and a suction cup phone holder.” You don’t have to endlessly scroll TikTok searching ‘content creator must-haves,’ dishing out hundreds of dollars on equipment you may not need yet. Though she has a professional camera, Fitzpatrick says she uses her phone for most footage. To our surprise, Fitzpatrick revealed that “sometimes brands even prefer content to be shot on iPhone over a camera.” Therefore, learning your smartphone’s camera features, taking advantage of a tool you already have, and buying supporting equipment is all that’s really needed.
Hit Them With Your Best Shot(s)
People listen to excellent storytellers. Take Reesa Teesa, for example. The masses were captivated by every twist and turn of her love life. What she did verbally, you have to do through your content. Walk people through your vacation; the little details matter. What was your itinerary? What did you eat? Where did you shop? What excursions did you participate in? Share details of your days so viewers can picture themselves doing the same thing. That’s how they’ll stay engaged. Fitzpatrick says her followers usually request “a room tour, specifics on the hotel, details on her excursions and safety recommendations for those activities.” Now that you know what viewers seek from an influencer, incorporate those details into your vacation content.
Angles & Aesthetics
Any influencer will tell you that editing is the most time-consuming aspect of creating. So many elements—from lighting to the aesthetic—must be considered before pressing publish. Therefore, finding software and techniques that speed up this process is helpful. Fitzpatrick uses InShot and Capcut to edit her videos, calling them her “holy grails.” For photo editing, she uses Lightroom and Tezza. She prefers those platforms because you can set presets, so you don’t have to edit each photo. You can apply your settings for one photo to all, saving time, effort, and energy. Her favorite hack to get the best imagery, with minimal edits needed, is simply shooting before dawn. “I always say the sun is always my favorite filter. I love shooting in natural lighting.”
Putting yourself out there can be scary, but the fact that you’ve read this far proves that you are willing and bold enough to release fantastic content. Everyone is unique–no one can storytell, edit, or curate just like you. “Continue to remain authentically yourself,” Fitzpatrick encourages. The right people will find your work. There’s someone out there waiting to consume what you edit that will influence their travel experience.
About the Author: Shelby Denise Smith is a Social Media Editor and Freelance Writer. She’s passionate about lifestyle, wellness, travel, and culture. Smith enjoys packaging the insight she receives into stories that can positively impact the livelihood of others.