Travelling solo gives you a particular kind of freedom.
You can change your plans on a whim, linger over breakfast, take the bus just because you like the look of a neighbourhood, or spend an afternoon wandering without having to follow anyone else’s schedule.
I love bringing other voices to 50 and Rising, and today that voice belongs to Aurélie Lenoir, a photographer based in Dublin. I’ll let her take it from here. Marguerite.
Photography can become part of that experience too, as a simple and lovely way to stay curious and notice what is happening around you.
The goal is not to come home with hundreds of photographs of famous landmarks, but to return with a small collection of images that reminds you what it was actually like to be there, and why you took that trip in the first place.
When you travel alone, taking photographs can give you a reason to slow down and look a little more closely.
You might notice the colours of a row of doors, the way the morning light falls across your hotel room, an interesting shop window or a tiny café you would otherwise have walked straight past.
Photography encourages you to look for things that catch your attention. It can turn an ordinary walk through a city into a little treasure hunt, simply because you start asking yourself what is worth remembering.
You do not need to be a photographer to do this, and your phone is enough. The important part is not getting the technically perfect image, but noticing something that makes you think, “This is nice, I want to remember it.”
A good travel journal is not made up entirely of the biggest moments. As a photographer who loves documenting my holidays, I believe the small details are what bring the experience back to life.
Photograph the room where you stayed, the messy bed with the sunrise light shining through the window. The coffee you had on your first morning. A meal you particularly enjoyed. The view from the train window, the book you read on your way.
And of course, photograph the places you traveled to. A wide photograph of a landscape or city street can give you a sense of place. Then look for the smaller details that make that place feel special to you. A market stall, a bicycle leaning against a wall, a colourful building, a table outside a restaurant.
Think of your photographs as little pieces of a feel good movie. Some images establish where you are, while others bring you closer to what you noticed along the way.
Together, they can tell much more than a gallery filled with the same kind of landmark photograph repeated twenty times (and that everybody else will have). Make your vacation album unique!
Some of the photographs you treasure most may not look particularly impressive when you take them.
The bus ride into town, or waiting for a train. Sitting by a window with a cup of coffee, or walking back to your accommodation at the end of the day. Your suitcase sitting beside the bed. The shoes you wore all week. They might seem ordinary, but these are the details that give a trip its personality.
Before taking a photograph, it can help to ask yourself a simple question: What do I want this picture to say about this moment?
You are not simply photographing what you saw, you are creating a record of what the experience was like for you.
When you travel solo, it is surprisingly easy to come home with beautiful photographs of everywhere you went and almost none of yourself.
Selfies can be part of the story, but you do not have to hold your phone at arm’s length in front of every landmark. There are a few simple ways to make photographs of yourself feel more natural:
Ask someone to take a photograph. Instead of handing over your phone and asking for a standard holiday snapshot, tell them what you would like included in the frame. And remember, you don’t have to stand still and pose! You can keep walking, looking around or enjoying the view rather than staring directly at the camera. The person helping you will certainly enjoy the creativity.
Use your phone’s timer. Put your phone somewhere secure, step back and give yourself a little space. You can include the surroundings, rather than making yourself the entire picture. Do not feel awkward: no one cares, I promise you. And once you’ve tried it a few times, it’ll start to feel completely natural. You can also use the reflection trick and take a self-portrait in a mirror or shop window!
Let the surroundings be part of the photograph. You do not always need to look at the camera and smile.
Acting like yourself rather than posing will not only feel more natural in the moment, but it will also create photographs where you actually like the way you look. Posing isn’t easy because, well, we don’t really do it in everyday life, do we? And that’s why so many people believe they aren’t photogenic. It’s not them. It’s the way they think they’re supposed to act in front of a camera.
Sometimes you want more than a few self-portraits from your trip, you want photographs that genuinely place you within the destination. This is where booking a local photographer can be a lovely part of travelling solo.
A local photographer knows the area from everyday life rather than simply as a tourist. They can help you discover streets, viewpoints or corners you might not have found by yourself. They may also point you towards a café, restaurant or neighbourhood worth exploring afterwards.
This also lets you enjoy being in the moment and not have to think about the photos, while having a great time meeting someone local.
For a solo trip to Dublin, a vacation photography session can be a relaxed way to explore the city while creating a set of photographs that feels personal to you.
When you get home, resist the temptation to leave your holiday photographs buried in your phone.
Choose a collection that bring the trip back to you. Include the big views, but also the little details, the meals, the journeys and the photographs of yourself. Put them together in a small photo book or print a few favourites as frames for your home.
Years from now, those photographs will do more than remind you which places you visited. They will bring back the particular feeling of that journey: the streets you walked, the coffee you drank, the places you discovered and the feeling of having been there.
I have photos from a restaurant I went to in Sweden, where I had a wonderful time and the absolute best milkshake of my life, and I’m so glad I took the time to preserve that moment. It’s like a free trip back every time I look at my album.
That is what makes photography such a wonderful companion for solo travel. You are not simply collecting pictures of a destination for yourself. You are creating a visual record of your experience of being there. Your photos will say “this was the experience” rather than just “I was there”.
Marguerite Beaty, Blogger, Photographer & Artist
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