One trip to South Africa, 700 photographs

In South Africa last month, I spent more than 26 hours on safari, took more than 700 photos… and gained 10 pounds.
One of the things I like best about photography as a hobby is that it can be so physically active.  When I travel, I usually explore the places I visit on foot. Instead of taking buses or taxis, I walk everywhere, taking my camera with me and discovering great photo opportunities along the way.
But in South Africa, we couldn’t walk. While on safari, we were required to stay inside the Jeep.  We weren’t even allowed to stand up or hang an arm outside to get a better picture.  So maybe I can blame the 10 pounds on that…
Still, I came home with hundreds of photos.  Photos of all kinds that I can use in many different ways…
1. Fine art photos for my wall
When we say “fine art” photos, we usually mean photos deemed worthy to hang on a wall.
Taking such photos is the specialty of professional photographer Rich Wagner. He says that many people like to buy interesting photos of their own cities to hang in their homes – so, not surprisingly, his best selling fine art photos are those that he has taken locally in his hometown.
But fine art photos can be taken anywhere. I like these two images that I took in South Africa because they remind me of the great experiences I had on safari.  I’m going to frame them and hang them in my office:


2. Photos for my scrapbook
While on safari, we started before the sun came up and were back at the hotel before breakfast.  We would go out again just before sunset to watch the nocturnal animals creep out looking for prey. Since you need good light to take a saleable photograph, many of my photos from those early morning and evening hours won’t earn me any money. They will, however, be great additions to the scrapbook I’m putting together on my South African trip.
This is often true of photos you take while traveling.  Just because it won’t be good enough to hang on a wall or sell to a stock agency doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the shot.
Here are a few I’m putting aside for my scrapbook:


3. Photos for sale
Of the 700 photos I took in South Africa, there are probably less than a dozen that I’ll be able to sell. That doesn’t mean the other 690 are useless.  But the bulk of my time will be spent sifting through the images to find my favorites and process them for sale.
If I want to sell a photo as editorial, I’ll need a story or some text to go with it.  It could be an article for first-time travelers to Africa about the best way to book and plan a trip.  It could be a profile of the resort we stayed at. Or it could be a “know before you go” article – maybe something like what to wear on safari. (No bright colors, blues, whites or blacks – so what’s left?)
Here’s one of my photos that could work as editorial:

It might also work as a stock or fine art photo.
These are just a few examples of what you can do with the hundreds of photos you’re likely to take on just one trip. But the options (and the photo markets) are endless. So don’t hold back. Every shot is worth taking… even if it’s just for practice.
Happy Shooting!
[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]