Key Takeaways
- Today, professional photographer Laurence Norah of Finding the Universe continues his five-part series on taking better travel photos. In this post, h
- One of the challenges we face as travelers is that so many of the places we visit have already been photographed extensively.
- In today’s post, I want to share with you some advanced techniques that will help you get more creative with your travel photography. These build upon
Last Updated: 10/16/20 | October 16th, 2020
Today, professional photographer Laurence Norah of Finding the Universe continues his five-part series on taking better travel photos. In this post, he takes it up a notch to give some advanced travel photography techniques, such as long-exposure shots, HDR, star shooting, and more!
One of the challenges we face as travelers is that so many of the places we visit have already been photographed extensively.
In today’s post, I want to share with you some advanced techniques that will help you get more creative with your travel photography. These build upon the ideas in the first three posts in this series.
I’m going to cover four topics that will open up new creative possibilities for when you’re out and about:
Just click on the links above to jump directly to that section.
Part 1: Long-Exposure Photography
Have you ever seen a photo of a waterfall where the water looks white and fluffy? Or a shot of a street at night where the cars have been replaced by streaks of light? Here’s an example of a waterfall to give you an idea of what I’m talking about:
This was shot in Glencoe, a stunning part of the Scottish highlands. As you can see, the water’s surface has a silky, flat look, and the waterfall itself looks more like cotton than water. Additionally, the clouds in the sky have a sense of motion.
Here’s another shot, of the Dubai Marina at night, where you can see the cars have been replaced by streaks of light:
Both of these shots were achieved using the same technique: long-exposure photography.
I talked a little about using shutter speed in the second post in this series, and how too low a shutter speed can result in blurry images due your hand movement. Long-exposure photography is all about taking advantage of that blurry effect, but as a result of the objects in the scene instead.
You are going to need a tripod to make this work, as otherwise your images will be blurry everywhere rather than just where you want them to be.
The secret to long-exposure photography is to put your camera in either shutter-priority or manual mode, which will allow you to set how long the camera’s shutter is open for. This will be marked as “S,” “Tv,” or “T” mode on the mode dial if your camera has one. If you’re shooting using a smartphone, many recent models, such as the LG G4, also let you manually set the shutter speed via the camera app.
For waterfall shots, you’re looking at any shutter speed slower than 1/15 of a second. For traffic, it will depend on the speed of the traffic, but you’ll need to shoot at speeds slower than one second. Both of the long-exposure shots I’ve shared above were shot with a 30-second exposure.
If you are shooting in the daytime, you might need a neutral density filter in order to compensate for the amount of light available (see the travel photography gear post, the third in the series, for more information). If you’re shooting in manual mode, you’ll have to set the aperture to get the correct exposure. Try to avoid apertures higher than f/16 though, as they often result in lower-quality images.
Long-exposure photography will have you looking at the world and motion in new ways, and it opens up all sorts of creative possibilities. Have fun with it!
Part 2: Night Photography
When I travel, one of my favorite things is getting far away, to the middle of nowhere, and just looking up at the night sky. Away from the city lights, it’s is one of the most spectacular views available to us, and gazing up at it always helps me gain a sense of perspective.
Of course, once I’m done looking at it, I want to try and capture it as a photo. This isn’t as hard as you might think and, apart from a tripod, doesn’t need a great deal of expensive equipment to achieve. But shooting star trails does require more thinking than just pointing your camera at the sky and hitting the “expose” button.
There are two main types of star photography. First, you can do a long-exposure shot and turn the stars into streaks of light, like this:
This was a two-hour exposure I shot while camping in the Western Australian outback. Yes, two hours! (You need a lot of patience and a decent battery for long-exposure star photography.)
You can also do multiple long exposures lasting from 30 seconds to a minute and then stack the results — a technique known as image stacking — to create sharp, noise-free starry skies without streaks. This method preserves pinpoint stars while brightening fainter ones, ideal for Milky Way photography.
Part 3: High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography
HDR is a powerful technique for capturing scenes with extreme contrast — like sunrises over mountains or interiors with bright windows. It involves taking several bracketed shots (e.g., underexposed, correctly exposed, and overexposed) and merging them in post-processing software.
Most modern DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, and even smartphones offer automatic HDR modes — but for best results, shoot in RAW and manually bracket exposures (typically ±1 to ±2 stops). Use a tripod to ensure alignment, especially in low light.
When editing, aim for natural-looking results: avoid oversaturation or halos around edges. Subtle HDR enhances detail in shadows and highlights without sacrificing realism — perfect for architectural and landscape travel shots.
Part 4: Creative Composition & Post-Processing Workflow
Beyond technical settings, strong composition remains foundational. Experiment with leading lines, symmetry, foreground interest, and the rule of thirds — but don’t be afraid to break them intentionally for impact.
Post-processing is where your vision truly emerges. Use non-destructive editing tools (e.g., Lightroom, Capture One, or Affinity Photo) to fine-tune exposure, color grade, sharpen details, and reduce noise. Always shoot in RAW for maximum flexibility.
Finally, develop a consistent editing style — not to imitate others, but to express your unique perspective. Your portfolio should reflect your voice, not trends.
Whether you're photographing misty temples in Kyoto, neon-lit alleys in Tokyo, or silent deserts in Namibia, these techniques empower you to move beyond snapshots and create evocative, technically refined travel imagery.
