My favourite tips for getting unusual and alternative travel photos

Global travel continues to break records with more and more people moving worldwide. 2025 will be no exception. In the age of mass tourism combined with social media, there’s an increasing glut of the same type of travel photos. Particularly those from hotspots and popular places.

If, like me, the type of photography you get the most joy out of is when you’re on your travels, then you might be thinking about how you can take images that aren’t the same as everyone else. In turn, making your images more memorable, and helping you get better at your craft, too.

Over the years, I've taken thousands of photos during my trips and found that applying specific techniques helps me capture more unusual and interesting images. These tips come from my own experiences, and I hope you find them useful.

You'll see the five tips below, along with a couple of bonus tips. Accompanying these are pictures from my most recent trip, to Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro. All of these images have been taken using my Fujifilm X-T30, which I find is a brilliant companion for travel photography.

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1 Find something you love to photograph, and incorporate that into every trip

Whatever you like photographing, whether that’s the local cats, fresh food markets, unusual doorways, hidden coves, ornate foundations, or so on, try to keep that theme consistent on every trip. You’ll soon find you have a unique series of photographs spanning multiple places, that’ll also be very personal to you.

For example, whenever I visit former Yugoslavian countries, which are among my favourite destinations. I make an effort to photograph Spomeniks (historic Brutalist Monuments) scattered across the country. In my opinion, they are incredible works of art. Some are hard to reach (making it a fun challenge), and many are off the beaten path. This makes it exciting for me to photograph them on my trips and also makes the photography from the trip, in my opinion, unique from others.

Here are three images of different Spomeniks I photographed on my recent trip. It's a series I'm continuing to build on:

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So, if you’re creating a unique series for yourself, it’ll likely be something nobody else is photographing. You’ll have a wholly original set of photographs that you’ll love on a personal level, too. You’ll not only come home with unique photos, you’ll also have a project that reflects you. So next time you travel, think about what draws your eye, and see how you can weave that into your photography practice.

2 Photograph your transit and time on the move, not just your destination

One of the other things I love to do, which makes great pictures, is to document my journey. So, not just when I get to a destination, but the moments in transit in between.

I highly recommend taking photos of the buses, trains, stations, views from the window, and so on. Anything involved with getting from A to B.

Not only will it give you some unforgettable images (views from the window can be some of the most memorable moments of your trip), but you’ll also have a unique perspective from your travels, and they’ll be different from everyone else's shots.

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You don’t need to carry your complete camera kit for this; sometimes a quick snap on your phone from a train window is enough. Some of my favourite travel images have been captured this way, often just in the moment.

Photographing your time on the move will tell a richer story of your travels, and you may find that, like me, those in-between moments might turn out to be some of your best images. Like the images below, I love these shots from the empty carriage of the Pristina - Peja train in Kosovo and the memory of that trip they evoke. It also comes with an interesting story; only four train services run daily in the country, and only on this line!

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3 Discover unique locations to photograph that are relevant to your travel destination.

Every destination has its popular photo spots, but if you want to make your photography of that place different, take pictures of somewhere that’s a little bit off the beaten track, but still tells a story about where you are.

For example, on a recent trip to Shkodër, Albania, I photographed the old train station and its parked locomotives. It might not be a typical tourist photo, but it said so much about the place. I felt it spoke much about the area and the decline of the Albanian railways compared to other developments currently booming in the country. It was quiet and fascinating, and I was able to photograph without crowds.

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Think about what makes a place unique beyond its famous landmarks. For example, where you’re going might have a fascinating industrial past, which could include some interesting factories, or maybe there are some overlooked abandoned spaces or a quirky park (I remember Manas Park in Bishkek very well for this aspect and it was fantastic to photograph).

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An excellent tool for finding more lesser-known pr unusual places is Atlas Obscura. I highly recommend you explore and see what you discover.

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Bonus tip: Always take the picture, even if the light isn’t great - you might not get another chance

Wherever you go, always take some photos in the moment, even if the lighting conditions aren’t ideal or other obstacles prevent you from getting that perfect shot.

My reasoning is simple: it’s easy to convince yourself, “Oh, I’ll come back later to capture better photos in optimal light.” However, when you’re travelling, things can be unpredictable. You never know what might happen later, whether later in the afternoon or much further down the line. You might find yourself unable to return to that location. I’ve missed out on lots from exactly that happening.

For example, ideally I'd have liked to have taken these pictures below in less bright sunshine, maybe during the golden hour. However, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that due to my itinerary, so I worked with what I had.

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So, always take pictures when you have the opportunity. If you think you might want to return for better photos (and, most importantly, if you can), that’s great. But always capture images when the opportunity arises, especially as you might not have another chance to return.

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4 Look up, look down, look behind, and don’t forget about interiors

So much of travel photography involves taking pictures of what you’re seeing right in front of you, and while what you’re seeing may be incredible and that quintessential shot, or really wherever you are, rather than just taking a picture in front of you, have a look around you, look up at the sky, look down, and look behind you. You could get a different perspective that others might not have considered.

When I was in Pristina, Kosovo, I surprisingly found myself looking up much more, at the new buildings under construction but also some of other fascinating architecture from other periods. It changed the way I saw (and originally planned to photograph) the city.

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Also, don’t forget about interiors; not every great travel photo happens outdoors. Inside a library, shop, café, etc. can tell a story too. I love photographing small details inside spaces, such as an unusual patterned floor, a window curtain, or a quirky object in a corner. Also, the interior of famous buildings is often hugely overlooked, compared to photographing them from the outside.

I also usually photograph the places I’m staying in, or incorporate them into my travel photography in one way or another. Again, that gives you a very personal recollection of your trip. It doesn’t have to be full rooms, either; it can also be an intimate little detail from a place.

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Including interiors gives your travel photos a richer, more layered feel, and they can be just as meaningful to look back on as your outdoor shots.

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5 Do research well in advance to get the best shots

This tip has saved me many times!

You can apply this tip to any trip; whatever you’re doing or where you’re going, take some time to research beforehand! It’s hugely beneficial. Even 30 minutes of research can make a considerable difference.

Usually, I like to look at Google Maps, as well as travel, architecture, and photo blogs, books, and websites. Then I make a list of ‘photo spots’ I'd like to visit in a particular place. I make a brief plan on how I can see them all. You don’t need to stick to it, as plans can always change (and spontaneity can be great) but it’s always worth doing.

Researching in advance means you’ll be aware of what’s around, you can learn how to get there, how work out much time you should spend at each place.

While I always try to do this, but I must admit I failed a little on my last trip–and paid for it. I did some research for a day trip to Nikšić, Montenegro, but it was not enough. Soon after my trip, after reading up on the city again, I found that I missed some spectacular brutalist buildings that I would have had a field day photographing. It’s super disappointing, but it’s what it is.

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The moral of the story is: wherever you’re going, spend some time researching the place in advance, and you can really reap the rewards from doing that.

Bonus tip: Go vertical

While so much travel photography takes place in landscape format, give yourself a challenge and try photographing somewhere typically captured in landscape format, but take it in portrait format.

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This way, you’ll give the scene a different look than usual, and it will challenge you to be slightly more considerate with your composition. On my recent trip, I did this and found myself getting much better versed in vertical compositions, giving my images a unique feel.

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Final thoughts and next steps

These five (plus a couple of bonus) tips have helped me create travel photos that feel more personal, unusual, and meaningful. I hope they inspire you to try something different next time you travel, too, and I guarantee you’ll feel more fulfilled when taking photos.

A final piece of advice, too: You should never just take images for social media likes, for algorithms or the gratification of others. Do it for yourself. You’ll get so much more joy out of your photography from the actual process of taking pictures. Also, you’ll look back on those images and remember just how much of a fabulous time you had, and how you felt at the time you took that photo and that’s what counts.
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If you need a bit more inspiration to get you started, maybe look back at your older travel photos and see if you can identify a pattern in the subjects you’ve been photographing. Or if you want to take it further, consider printing your images. You could make a photo book or a display wall.

Lastly, don’t forget to create an album in your Picfair Store and share your travel shots! You never know who may be interested in purchasing your alternative and unusual images. If you haven’t started a Picfair Store yet, you can sign up here.