What you see on blogs and social media is everything the author wants you to see. If you strip it all away, what is left is the most captivating shot and a headline written to get you to click on the post. The story, visually-appealing photos, and cinematic 4K videos for each article take an incredible amount of time to curate and produce what you read.
This article provides a peek inside the effort it takes to photograph, write, edit and produce curated content for DESTINATIONS UNKNOWN.
Travel blog inspiration begins with you
What intrigues you about travel? The beauty of destination? The mystery around it? Whatever your answer is, people, share the same passion as you.
For me, the primary focus of DESTINATIONS UNKNOWN is to showcase Earth’s beauty, history, and raw power. Therefore, tourist traps are largely avoided unless they have a significant “wow factor.”
The logistics of travel
Everything you hate about traveling – I do too. Traveling to a far-off destination requires time, money, and patience. Because travel bloggers are generally familiar with a lot of the day-to-day travel shenanigans, we appear to handle the stress better; In no way are we immune to last-minute changes, flight delays, COVID-19 requirements, and unexpected challenges upon arrival.
Since the 2009 start of DESTINATIONS UNKNOWN, I’ve experienced many mishaps; everything from outrunning severe weather to losing my wallet in a foreign country to unbelievable flight delays/cancellations. Each of these stories is unique and has turned out to become some of the most amazing stories throughout my travels.
A Lion ate my camera!
I hunted the "Big Five," not with a weapon but a backpack full of cameras. This is the unforgettable story of the Lion that ate my camera!
The day the military border patrol detained me in Jordan
The events that led to my interrogation and detention by the Jordanian Military over something that we all carry with us.
The longest journey home
The events of a nationwide grounding of aircraft that turned a simple trip into days of missed connections and delays getting home.
The things I’ll do (and not do) for a good photo
While the story is essential, having supporting photos and videos is what draws the reader into the adventure. Photography and cinematography are two critical pieces; Unfortunately, both are incredibly complex and time-consuming.
Getting the perfect shot isn’t a point-and-click adventure, and getting “that perfect shot” usually requires a bit of craziness, requiring me to step outside of my comfort zone. Yes, some of the photos look dangerous, but I don’t get as close as you may think to the edge of cliffs. Safety is always my top priority, and I don’t condone or promote reckless or illegal behaviors.
It’s not as glamorous as you think
Jet lag and waking up at ungodly hours are the most glamor-killing reality of the start of the day. Language barriers and technology challenges further compound logistics as the journey to the destination begins. Camera gear is heavy, and the ideal photography locations are not (usually) readily accessible.
There’s a lot of sweat, bruises, and sometimes free-falling blood at the end of the day very long days exploring.
The content nightmare of a travel blog
Producing a travel blog article involves three key pieces: The story, the photos, and a professionally produced video. The race to create content begins once the journey to the destination has concluded – in most cases, this starts on the trip home.