Have
you ever seen a travel article without photos,
or at least some drawings? Photos are the
essence of travel writing, and the first
question an editor will ask when you submit
a story is "Where can I get photographs?"
Your job, then, is to answer the question. The
best way is to take photos yourself,
for two reasons. First, because it answers
the editor's question and makes her/his
job easier. Second, because most publications
pay extra for photos, so you'll earn fees
for both the writing and the illustrations.
You needn't be a professional photographer to
shoot for most publications (especially newspapers),
but you must be better than an amateur. You
don't need fancy equipment. What you need
is an acquaintance with the basics of photography:
looking at scenes as patterns of light and contrast,
shooting with the sun at your back, filling the
frame so there's not a lot of blank space around
your chosen image--that sort of thing. Take a
quick photography course, or simply buy a beginner's
photography manual and study it. Look at travel
photos in newspapers and magazines, and see what
the photographers do.
If you really don't want to get involved in
photography, there's another way: locate available
photos. The editor wants to know where to get
the photos, and if you can't provide them, you
can at least provide the name and phone number
of a chamber of commerce, state tourism office,
national tourism office or stock photo house
which can provide them.
Your job as a writer is to make the editor's
job easy. Do it, and editors will always
buy your stuff.
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