Travel Photography: Seaside Road Trip

Course details

A favorite travel destination is the seaside small town—a place with salt air, beaches, shingled houses, and seafood on every menu. And a great way to get there is by car, making stops along the way.

In this course, photographer Mikkel Aaland travels to Mendocino, a classic seaside small town in Northern California, making stops in Mendocino's Anderson Valley and redwood forests along the way. The course details the gear and shooting strategies involved in capturing the personality of a small town and, just as important, its natural setting and the people who live there. Throughout the course, Mikkel emphasizes the importance of putting your own creative stamp on your travel photos through the use of simple props, friends, or family members.

Learning objectives
Shooting along the way, from farm stands to redwoods
Engaging with—and photographing—the locals
Going beyond the postcard shot to personalize your photos
Stopping at a bed and breakfast
Shooting dunes, waves, and beaches
Reviewing the photos from the road trip

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Setting the stage
02 - A roadmap for the course

1. On the Road to the Lighthouse

03 - Driving through the redwoods
04 - A stop at a roadside farm stand
05 - At the lighthouse - A portrait with a creative twist
06 - The late-afternoon light at the Point Cabrillo lighthouse

2. Out and About - People and Places

07 - Visiting a seaside harbor
08 - Engaging with the locals
09 - Shooting at a seaside bed and breakfast
10 - A creative approach to the B&B
11 - Photographing the innkeeper

3. The Seaside Town of Mendocino

12 - Shooting strategies for a seaside town
13 - Capturing the personality of the town
14 - Creative challenges at the sand dunes
15 - Creative approaches to photographing beachgoers
16 - Capturing the drama of the ocean
17 - Shooting portraits in a sea cave

4. Reviewing the Shots

18 - Road trip review

Travel Photography: Seaside Road Trip

Authors

Mikkel Aaland