Episode 64: The Big Picture - Solo Travel Photography

Take a journey with me, Alessia Tenebruso, as I unravel the intimate connection between solo travel and the lens of a camera. It all began when I discovered the transformative power of professional photography in Paris, not just in capturing breathtaking views but in immortalizing my own narrative within this city of light. In today's episode, I am sharing my personal awakening through the eye of a professional photographer and how an unexpected boudoir session unveiled a deep sense of empowerment. 

I know that standing in front of a camera can be stressful, but I'm here to guide you through the self-judgment and hopefully lead you to a sense of confidence. I'll share my journey of stepping out from behind the lens to become the focal point of my travels, urging you to do the same. Capture the essence of self-love and document your presence with conviction, no matter where you are or who you're with. With the February edition of the One Girl Travel Manifesto in your back pocket, which includes my top 10 travel photography tips, you'll be well-equipped to capture not just sights, but the beauty of your spirit. You also have the option of joining the One Girl Travel Club if you want to go deeper into this work, where you will receive my Solo Selfie Masterclass when you join as an annual member along with insightful monthly lessons—February's highlight being the art of travel photography. Join me, embrace the camera, and let's become the stars of our own extraordinary visual stories.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, episode number 64.

Speaker 2: 0:06

Welcome to the One Girl Travel Podcast, your passport to the world of solo travel With certified life and travel coach, alessia Tenebruso. Join Alessia as she shares her own journey of self-discovery through solo travel, while also focusing on topics such as life coaching insights and travel tips along the way. Now here's your host, alessia Tenebruso.

Speaker 1: 0:32

Welcome my friends to episode number 64 of the One Girl Travel Podcast. Today, I want to talk to you about the importance of photography Now in the One Girl Travel Club. That is my monthly membership, where every month there's new lessons, and this month February 2024, happens to be on the topic of travel photography. Now, I am not a professional photographer. I highly respect professional photographers. I love them, I utilize them as much as possible, but sometimes that adds up. So I had to learn how to take my own photos. And if you didn't know, when you become an annual member of the One Girl Travel Club, you get my solo selfie masterclass, and that is only available to my members that are annual members. So if you want to learn how to take the most incredible photographs of yourself, then join as an annual member and you get that masterclass included in your price. And then, on top of that, this month I'm teaching everybody how to take amazing travel photos.

Speaker 1: 1:45

And the thing with photography is I wasn't always into it. I didn't know how to take good photos, especially of myself, or feel confident or comfortable in the photos, and that's something I struggled with most of my life until I began solo traveling. Now, when you're traveling by yourself. You want to capture the moments and, for me, I want to actually be present in those photos. Yes, there's beautiful places I'm going to. There's all this gorgeous scenery, but I wanted to show. I was there, and the first time I ever booked a professional photographer was in Paris in 2019. That was a very significant trip for me. That's where the epiphany for One Girl Travel happened. I did a lot of things for the first time there and it was just an incredible experience. But one of the things I wanted to do for myself because I knew in my soul that it was going to be a really special trip, that I wanted to capture it and I really wanted to have this fantastic Sylvanier to bring home with me. And I did that by booking a professional photographer.

Speaker 1: 3:06

And at that point, I have been traveling for a while by myself. I learned how to take, you know decent pictures of myself and pose and all that. I thought I had it down pretty well, but I never had professional photos. So when I went to Paris and I showed up in this gorgeous gown which I rented rent the runway. That is a great option when you want to do these photo shoots and you want a gown or just for any event, but I wore this beautiful gown and I arrived at the Eiffel Tower and we took these photos and it was early in the day and it just felt so special and I knew I knew like those pictures were going to come back and I was going to feel really, really good about them. And they did not disappoint. When I received those photos, I wrote to the photographer and told him that this was the first time I truly saw myself and I loved I love the image looking back at me, like I truly appreciated myself and my body and the experience and my emotion. I was so happy to be there and he captured all of that through these photos. And not only that I had so much fun taking the photos as well. The whole photo shoot experience was so much fun and that really got me hooked on professional photography when I'm traveling. And I actually had a second opportunity during that trip to do a professional photo shoot and it was actually a Boudoir photo shoot.

Speaker 1: 4:52

Now, this one I was not prepared for. I didn't know it was happening, it was a surprise and at first I cried. When I was told I'm going first, I started crying immediately. It scared me so much to think that, okay, I'm going to be my lingerie and having my photo taken. And as soon as I did it well, as soon as I started the session with the photographer, I let him know. I'm like, okay, I want to take photos as if I'm the lady in the matter.

Speaker 1: 5:28

We were in this gorgeous Parisian flat. It was beautiful, it was overlooking the sun, it was so special. And I decided I'm like, okay, I'm going to embody the woman that lives in this flat. How is she going to show up? And I got into character and I'm in this lingerie body suit and this sheer lace robe and I'm taking these pictures. And I started really enjoying myself. I got more comfortable Once we were taking photos that I felt powerful in where I'm standing on the balcony, in the window frame and I'm standing by the fireplace, I just felt so empowered.

Speaker 1: 6:10

I felt really confident to the point where I was standing in my lingerie on the balcony saying bonjour to everybody passing by. So the morning commuter has gotten eye full, that's for sure, but I had fun. It was truly a fun experience. At first I was in my head about it, but then I overcame it and I got into it and I really enjoyed it. And when I tell you, when I got those photos back, I couldn't believe it. I felt so sexy, felt so beautiful, I felt so confident and empowered and a lot of those photos I posted on my Instagram and going into it.

Speaker 1: 6:49

I never thought anybody would see those photos. But I don't look at them as these sexy photos. I look at them as these powerful photos of me embracing my body, embracing my curves, loving who I am, showing up as a woman I wanted to be and the woman I was. And I shared those photos with thousands and thousands of people without any shame or embarrassment. I felt proud of those. I also want to inspire other women to just love their bodies as they are and to have that confidence in themselves, because when you do, it just shows up wherever you go, it shows up in your energy and it comes through in photos.

Speaker 1: 7:36

So that's why I believe that photography and getting professional photos done is such a great tool to really learning how to love yourself and appreciate yourself. Plus, it's great to have, it's a great memory, it's a great thing to have for your social media or for your private life, whatever you want to do with it. It's just really nice to have it. And now I book professional photo shoots whenever I can, especially since I do have a social media where I like to take nice photos. So now that I'm telling you how great hiring a photographer is, let me tell you how to hire that photographer, because you might be wondering okay, how do I find a photographer, especially when you're traveling?

Speaker 1: 8:23

So what I like to do is I love social media. Social media and I are very good friends and I utilize social media as much as possible, and the way I do that for photography is I look up where I am traveling to. For instance, I was traveling to Paris. So you look up Paris, look up Paris photographers, look up Eiffel Tower. You're going to see pictures of people that are they're tagging the Eiffel Tower, they're tagging Paris, they're tagging Paris photographers, whatever and you're going to scroll through those photos and find a photo that you like that looks professional. Then you're going to see who the photographer tagged is. You're going to go to their page. You're going to see, oh, are they local, are they for hire, what are their prices? And then you just investigate further. But that's how I personally like to do it, because then I'm visually seeing their online portfolio just by scrolling social media.

Speaker 1: 9:25

Now, it's easier when you have a destination Like, for instance, I went to Miami and I stayed at the National Hotel, so I knew I was staying there and I wanted to take photos when I was there. So I looked up the National Hotel and I looked at the photos that were tagged, that they were tagged in, and I scrolled through and I looked for the professional looking photos and that's how I found my photographer, who I loved. I had so much fun with him. I'm so glad I found him. But all I did I found him by scrolling and finding what I liked. What I like is going to be different from what you like, and all you're going to do is scroll through it and find something that appeals to you, that's your style, your vibe, and then you're going to look at their profile and that's where you get their pricing. You can email them all of that. So that's how I recommend getting a professional photographer when you're traveling.

Speaker 1: 10:18

Now there's also Airbnb experiences, where you can hire a professional photographer through Airbnb experiences, and that's based on the destination, so that's an option for you as well. And then there's also Flytographer, and so that's based on your location and they have travel photographers there also. And what's great about hiring a photographer when you're traveling is that they're familiar with the area. They're local, so they know all the cool places take photos. They know the best lighting, the best timing, when there's going to be crowds, when you know whatever. So they have insight that you don't have. So it's such a great way just to be in touch with the local, have them guide you through the experience. Plus, they're professional, they're good at what they do and that's how you do it. It's very simple, you don't need to overthink it. Definitely book in advance, because their schedules get filled up, especially during different times of the year, and have fun with it.

Speaker 1: 11:22

Now, when you're taking your professional photographs, don't have to worry about how you're going to pose, because they're going to help you with your posing. They're going to tell you okay, put your foot here, put your hand here, put your chin here. They're going to tell you everything you need to know. But then we're going to get into taking your own photos, when maybe you don't want to hire a professional photographer for whatever the reason whether it be the cost or you want to take it on your own, whatever it is, but being able to take your own photos is really empowering. I believe it goes hand in hand with solar travel and just the solo travel lifestyle of being able to do whatever it is you want to do on your own, without depending on anybody else.

Speaker 1: 12:14

Now there are a few options for you if you want to get your photograph taken when you're traveling, which are ask somebody to take your photo of you, which my big tip for that is to look for somebody that seems like they're tech savvy, maybe somebody in their 20s 30s. Look for somebody also that has a professional camera around their neck, because they're the ones you want to talk to. You know they're going to know what they're doing, so I do ask the people that have a big professional camera around their neck to take my photo for them. Another thing I do is look for a solo traveler that's taking their selfies, and then I'll ask them like, hey, do you want me to take a picture of you? And then I'll ask for them to take a picture of me, which they never mind, and they appreciate being asked, also because then they're getting a photo of themselves.

Speaker 1: 13:07

The next thing you can do is bring a tripod with you. So you might feel a little iffy on the tripod thing, but if you want photos of yourself, you just have to not care. You can't worry about what other people think of you. If you want to pull out a tripod, pull out the tripod and I have pulled out tripods all over the place, including at EPCOT in Disney. I bought a little tripod that fits in my little purse and I pulled it out. And, funny enough, as soon as I pulled it out, people just asked me if they wanted to take the photo for me and I'm like, yeah, sure, no problem. So you can't worry about the looks that you might receive, because why are you taking the photo? You're taking it so you can capture a moment that you can have this memory or you can have this really cool photo for social media.

Speaker 1: 13:58

Whatever it is, the reason why you're doing it needs to outweigh the reasons why you're scared of doing it. So if you're worried about what other people think of you, you need to dig a little deeper and wonder okay, why am I so worried about what other people think of me? Why do I care? And honestly, you don't even know what those people are thinking they might be envious of you like look at her, she's pulling out her tripod. I wish I could do that. I wish I could have that confidence. Or, oh man, I should have brought a tripod. I completely forgot. You don't know what they're thinking.

Speaker 1: 14:32

Don't always go to the worst case scenario when you're worried about what other people are judging you or not judging you. So pack your confidence, pack your I don't give any F's attitude and just do it anyway, because it's your life. You get to do it however you want to do it, and it's also fun. So that brings me to the third thing is to have fun. No matter how you're doing a photo shoot, just enjoy it, because it's going to show up on your face, your energy. The whole photo is going to show.

Speaker 1: 15:05

If you're tense, your body language, you need to just relax, embrace it, laugh at yourself. That's something I really learned how to do when I began solo traveling. It's just laugh at myself. It's okay if I mess up. It's okay if I feel silly. It's okay if I trip and fall, which I've done many, many times. I'll just pop back up and laugh it off. Who cares? You're only human and you're not going to be perfect. So enjoy it, have fun and then we're going to get into posing.

Speaker 1: 15:40

A lot of us don't know how to pose because a lot of us are the ones hiding behind the camera. So often I see women volunteering to take the photo and not be in the photo, and it breaks my heart. When you look back on your life, don't you want to have these visuals of yourself enjoying your life, being with your friends and your family? Don't you want to be a part of those memories that can be passed on to your children, your children's children? Whoever you need to be in the photos, hand the phone or the camera to somebody else, to a stranger, whoever, get in the photo and stop hiding in the back of the photo. That's another thing I see and oh it's just. It's so hard to see that To see somebody wanting to hide, voluntarily trying to hide themselves in a photo when it's supposed to be fun.

Speaker 1: 17:17

Taking photos should be a good time, unless it's like a mugshot or something Like it's a photo. You're having fun with people. Enjoy it. Don't make it stressful for yourself, don't overthink it. Be present and just be okay with who you are. Enough to just be in the photo and not hide, and to smile and to enjoy the people you're with or the surroundings you're in. It makes such a difference when you do that and you know, sometimes a reason for people hiding or not being in the photo is because of the lack of self-confidence with. It's understandable.

Speaker 1: 18:03

A lot of us go through that where we're unsure of ourselves or you know we wish a part of us was smaller or toned or bigger, whatever. But you can't hate yourself to your goal. You can't be mean to yourself and talk down to yourself to get you to be thinner or toned or, you know, bare-breasted, whatever. You need to appreciate who you are now and then just take the steps to get to whatever goal you have in mind for yourself, but just appreciate who you are. Appreciate who you are now. You are allowed to love yourself as you are, even if it's 50 pounds overweight or whatever. Dry skin, frizzy hair, whatever it is, you're allowed to love yourself as you are. You don't have to wait until you reach that goal to love yourself. You can love yourself through the journey. So love yourself enough to get in the photo and just feel good.

Speaker 1: 19:13

And then, when it comes to just physically posing in those photos, practice. That is my biggest piece of advice for you Practice in the mirror First. Find your angles, you know. Check your sides, go up down all over the place with your face. Go, you know. Put one foot out, one foot back, one hand on your hip, the other hand on your hip. Do all the different poses. Do it in the mirror. Then pull out your phone. I recommend everybody having a tripod. If you don't have a tripod, use a stack of books or a shelf, something. Prop your phone on it, put it on self timer mode. Get a Bluetooth remote to take photos. If you have an eye watch, there's a feature on there that you can use as a Bluetooth remote or just put it in video mode and let it ride, and then you can always take a screenshot of the angles you like. But practice, practice in the privacy of your own bedroom or your house, wherever, and then start moving it outside. And that's what I was telling my members of the One Girl Travel Club today during our live lesson is to go out and practice taking these photos outside.

Speaker 1: 20:27

Because if you want to feel comfortable taking photos of yourself when you're traveling where there's going to be thousands of people around, you need to get comfortable taking it locally, taking it in your backyard, moving to the front yard, moving it down to your local city or town, wherever. You have to start doing it in order to learn how to do it, how to get better, and you just keep going and then you're going to get more comfortable doing it and you're going to get better at taking the photo as well. You're going to have better quality images and it's going to show in your body and your face that you're actually comfortable doing it. And so many of us are not comfortable taking photos. That's because you're avoiding it, you're not embracing it. You need to embrace it in order to feel good about it. So start practicing.

Speaker 1: 21:19

And in the One Girl Travel newsletter I'm sorry it's now called the Manifesto, the February Manifesto I actually included a guide on 10 tips for travel photography and I provided this for you so you can feel confident taking your own photos. So if you are not signed up for the One Girl Travel Manifesto, what are you waiting for? Go to OneGirlTravelcom, sign up. I will say get my free beam, because you're also getting my 10 tips on how to begin solo traveling guide along with this month's Manifesto. So be sure to grab that, because once the new month comes, the Manifesto gets archived and it will never be seen again, unless you're a member of the One Girl Travel Club, where they have access to the entire library of every Manifesto slash newsletter that ever existed. So even more incentive to join me.

Speaker 1: 22:17

And if you want just intensive, practical training on this, where you want to overcome your fear of being in photos or your limiting beliefs about yourself or the feeling of self consciousness, and you want to start feeling confident and you want to enjoy your life, then I can also work with you one on one, and I'd be happy to, because this is something I've personally went through and I've gotten over, and I did that with a lot of work, with over a decade's worth of work and together with one on one coaching, you really get to overcome whatever is holding you back and you get that support and you get to do it quickly. It's like a slipstream of just knowledge and work and just transformation, because you're dedicating your time to your goal and I would love to get you there because it's really important. I want everybody to feel confident in photos. I want you all to want to be in the photos and actually enjoy the process.

Speaker 1: 23:36

So that's what I'm going to share with you today and I hope it inspires you to go out and book yourself a professional photographer and do a little photo shoot, however you want to do it, or go get a tripod and go take your own selfie photo shoot, because it's a lot of fun and it's just so freeing to be able to capture a great photo of yourself whenever and wherever you want. So that, my friends, is it for today. I can't wait to talk to you next week. Have a wonderful day. Bye.

Speaker 2: 24:11

Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the One Girl Travel Podcast. If you're enjoying the show, please feel free to rate, subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find out more about your host on our website, onegirltravelcom, or follow her on Instagram, facebook, pinterest and TikTok. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode.