How To Get Strangers To Take Epic Travel Photos Of You

Travel and photos go hand in hand. After all, photos help keep the memories of your travels alive, plus there’s this thing called Instagram.

Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, you can usually get some pretty epic photographs on your own.

All you need is some practice and some excellent travel photography gear!

But sometimes you need someone else to take photos of you, so you end up relying on the strangers around you.

Only problem is, you have no idea if the person you’ve asked to take photos of you is actually any good at taking them. Raise your hand if you’ve ever looked at a photo taken by a stranger only to find that it’s super crooked, or blurry, or that half the shot is covered by a rogue thumb?!

That’s where this article comes in! Here, we break down exactly how you can get strangers to take epic travel photos of you. So keep reading, and say goodbye to those crooked, blurry, rogue thumb covered travel photos for good.

1. Know How You Want Your Photos To Look And Frame Your Shot

Having a really clear idea of what your photos need to look like will benefit both you and the stranger taking your photos. 

Taking a few test shots will help you work out where you need to stand or sit for the most epic travel photographs. 

Which, in turn, will mean that you won’t be asking a stranger to take a few thousand photos of you until the perfect one is taken. Trust us, not everyone has the patience of an Insta-Husband!

2. Check your settings

And we mean all your settings (especially if you have a camera and use it on manual)! Before asking someone to take photos of you, make sure you set the lighting and check the display brightness and the focal area. 

Alternatively, you can use the auto settings on your camera, which will also help with taking epic photos. 

Setting the zoom amount you want is also a good idea. Pro tip – leave a little bit of extra room in your shot. You can always crop later, but it’s hard to adjust the surroundings if they haven’t been captured in the first place!

3. Find the appropriate person to take your photos!

Yes, there is a strategy to finding a stranger to take your photos! 

At popular tourist spots in particular, you’ll likely be spoilt for choice in terms of the number of people around you.

Our tips include:

• Look out for solo travelers (as they’ll get asking a stranger for assistance with photographs), friendly locals or relaxed-looking tourists (as they’re likely to be willing to take the time to help out).
• Look for people who have cameras, and ideally people with a DSLR camera. For two reasons: they’re more likely to understand how to use your camera, and they’re also unlikely to run off with your camera (a genuine concern when handing expensive gear over to someone).

So now that you’ve identified the right person, it’s time to talk to them!

4. Establish Rapport With Your Fellow Photo-Taking Stranger

One of the best ways to guarantee someone will take epic travel photos of you is to actually take a little bit of time to get to know them.

Introduce yourself to them and ask them a little bit about themselves before asking them to take your photos.

Pro-tip: offer to take photos of the person first (especially if they are a traveler too).  Once they see the amazing photos you take of them, they’ll be likely to make more of an effort for your photos. 

5. Give Them A Whole Lot Of Direction

This is why you figured out what your photo should look like, right. Talk the person through what you want your shot to look like – and show them your test shots!

Show the person exactly where you would like them to stand, and how they need to hold the camera (e.g. at what height). Let them know they don’t need to adjust the settings!

Also explain where you will be sitting/standing in the context of the shot. For example, “I will be standing in the centre-right of the photo, with my back to camera. The photo should capture the mountains and scenery so people can see what I am looking at as I look out towards the mountains”.

6. Ask Them To Take A Few Photos

You know the drill – it’s pretty rare to get the perfect photo on the first go, no matter how much of a pro you are!

Ask your new photographer friend to take at least 10 photos of you. Alternatively, use high-speed or burst mode on your camera or phone. That way all they have to do is hold the button down while you strike a pose a few hundred times (okay, maybe not a few hundred, but close to!)

7. Always Say Thank You

Because it’s nice to be polite! Let the person know that you really appreciate them taking the time to take some epic travel photos of you. They’ll likely feel the same way if you took some for them.

Plus, you never know, this photo-friendly encounter could lead to a whole new friendship – aka, one of the perks of traveling!

So there you have it. Follow these tips and you’ll have some amazing travel photos, and maybe even some great new friends, to share.

Of course, you’ve alway got one other great option when it comes to getting epic travel photos with you in them: become a selfietographer!!

As you know, basically all of Alyssa’s photos are taken by her and her alone. Want to know more about selfietography? Check out some of Alyssa’s top solo travel photography tips.

Have you tried any of these tips before? Share your experiences in the comments below!