Hiking Guides - Shalee Wanders Travel Blog

Four Reasons Why Everyone Should Visit Scandinavia

By Shalee Wanders | Jun 6, 2017

FOUR REASONS EVERYONE SHOULD VISIT SCANDINAVIA Scandinavia might have words like menneskerettighetsorganisasjonene, and the winters might be brutal, but if you’re looking for awe-inspiring landscapes, friendly people, and saunas with beer, it’s a region not to be missed. Consisting of Finland (which I did not visit), Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, the Scandinavian region is…

underrated places in the United States - Utah

The Epic Five: Road Trip Utah’s National Parks

By Shalee Wanders | Mar 20, 2017

The Epic Five: Road Trip Utah National Parks Guide 2021 Updated: June 23, 2021 Utah National Parks: Sunrise in Arches National Park Everything to Know About the Five Utah National Parks Utah is the state that holds the third most national parks, standing just behind California (nine) and Alaska (eight). Although often overlooked by…

I take travel photos. I've never put on make-up for a photo. Usually, I'm hiking, sweating, probably unshowered and may or may not have shaved my armpits in the last three days. I have a decent camera, but about 50% of my Instagram photos are shot with my iPhone 5s because I'm too lazy to carry all my camera equipment up a mountain. My travel snapshots include being in a beautiful place, taking some photos, and hoping one turns out decent enough to make it to my Instagram page. So are photos on Instagram fake? Depends on who you ask. But not mine. The world of photo-sharing is an interesting one. There are those who share solely for the 'likes', there are those who tell stories, those who share memories, those who share pets, landscapes, selfies, and inspiration cartoon quotes. In the world of Instagram, it is arguable that pictures are fake. "Travel" Instagrams are nothing more than a posed, glamorized, over-edited photo that completely diminishes that reality of a destination. True? Eh, for some people. However, sharing travel photos that aren't posed, glamorized, or over-edited but that are still breathtakingly beautiful is still completely do-able. Take photos, as you are, with who you're with, without wearing designer clothes or doing your makeup. So how do you take simple travel photos and turn them into travel photography? 1) Rule of Thirds Having the subject constantly in the middle of the photo is boring. In photography, the "Rule of Thirds" can be best described as a grid that overlays a photo and pinpoints where in the frame the subject is. In the above photo, you can see the subject is in the bottom-right corner. What is in the middle? Absolutely nothing, but that's what makes the photo more appealing to the viewer's eye. 2) Don't over-pose Looking stiff and overly posed is usually a photo-killer. Truth is, there are way too many people in the Instagram world that like to try and become Instagram-models. We are not Instagram-models. I eat way too much ice cream for that shit. 3) Be natural This goes hand-in-hand with posing. If you are on the beach watching a sunset, have a friend or self-timer catch you standing in the waves. This is something you would naturally do, which gives the photo a sense of "realism". When you are getting your photo taken, you usually know your photo is being taken. This can make it hard to "be natural". How do you overcome it? Laugh. Let your friends call you out on your pose. Be the picture taker that takes the picture when your friend laughs at themselves. A real picture is always better than a yoga-pose. 4) Take it easy on the filters Instagram filters are great for selfies, but lack appeal with natural photos. Unless a skilled editor in Lightroom or Photoshop, playing around with filters can lessen your photos appeal and the realness of the moment. 5) Avoid other people Photos are more dramatic and appealing when there aren't dozens of other tourists in the photo. Get creative with angles or wait for a break in the crowd. While visiting Annecy, France I was attempting to get a beautiful person-free photo. After waiting a few minutes and realizing the streets weren't clearing of crowds like this: I turned my attention to a small riverwalk about five steps away and shot this: 6) Be a little crazy Sometimes you've got to risk it to get the biscuit. The photo below is the perfect example. What you see: me balancing on the edge of a cliff (not always recommended). What you don't see: Josh hanging off the cliff to get the photo. I'm not saying you should risk your life for an Instagram shot, although I'm sure news outlets would love another story of social media killing a millennial. What I am saying is pay attention to shots and angles that will create a sense of "awe". 7) Communicate with your photographer Both Josh and I love travel photos, but we are unique in how we like to edit/shoot. We communicate with each other the angle and direction of the photo we want. Don't hand your camera to someone assuming they'll see the same photo you see. Hold the phone in the exact spot and position you want it before handing it off to assure it's exactly what you've envisioned. 8) Learn to edit Capturing the photo is step number one. Editing the photo is the second (but still equally as important) step. However, you don't need to purchase fancy-editing software. Editing a photo simply in Instagram is enough. Here is an unedited photo: Here is the same photo after editing on Instagram:

How to Take Good Instagram Photos

By Shalee Wanders | Dec 5, 2016

How to Take Good Instagram Photos March 19, 2022 Let me start this article off by saying I am the furthest thing from an “Instagram model.” In fact, this is what I look like on 90% of my travels: But when it comes to how to take good Instagram photos, all you really need to…

What Happens in Europe…

By Shalee Wanders | Sep 25, 2016

WHAT HAPPENS IN EUROPE… Three months in Europe comes with a lot of memories (and mishaps). When beginning a journey of such magnitude, you know that along the way you will create stories both good and bad, and come back with a few “pinch me” moments. Since returning home, many people want to know…

How to Travel Europe on a Budget (25 Countries for Under $3,500)

By Shalee Wanders | Sep 6, 2016

How to Travel Europe on a Budget (25 Countries on $3,500) Updated March 23, 2020 Here is a map of everywhere we stopped and traveled to during 90 days with $3,500 each while traveling Europe on a budget: I think “backpacking Europe” is on a lot of people’s bucket lists. I know it was…

Mount Olympus: A Trek up Greece’s Highest Mountain

By Shalee Wanders | Aug 8, 2016

MOUNT OLYMPUS: A TREK UP GREECE’S HIGHEST MOUNTAIN And I peeked over the edge, only to realize that a thousand-foot cliff waited for me on the other side. I was roughly 400 vertical feet from the summit of Mount Olympus, the tallest mountain in Greece and the heart of Greek mythology. I had yet…

The Island of Cies

By Shalee Wanders | Jun 15, 2016

THE ISLAND OF CIES Arriving in Europe on June 2nd with no plans, no itinerary, and a limited budget was probably one of the scarier things I’ve done while traveling. I’ll admit that although I’m not a planner (or a good one at that), I was more than intimidated arriving on an entirely new…

8 Tips for Tight Budget Travel

By Shalee Wanders | Mar 4, 2016

8 TIPS FOR TIGHT BUDGET TRAVEL Some of us are visual learners (myself included). This week I decided to take a different approach to share some of my tips while traveling on a budget. What is the twist? AN INFOGRAPHIC. Recently, I’ve had a bit of an obsession with infographics and I just created…

Iceland’s Ring Road: The Adventurers Dream

By Shalee Wanders | Sep 2, 2015

ICELAND’S RING ROAD: THE ADVENTURERS DREAM Iceland is like a nature IMAX film on steroids that is also the supermodel of life’s landscapes. It is simply stunning, almost to a point where I forgot I was actually living. It’s where that 200ft waterfall to your left is suddenly going unnoticed because it probably doesn’t even have…

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