We have 3 tips for better travel photography in this episode of The Photo Flunky Show. Unlike most of the tips you hear about travel photography, we aren't lecturing about composition, rule of thirds or anything technical.

Instead, the topics we discuss have more to do with your preparation and you're state of mind so you can communicate something special about your destination to your viewer.

3 Tips for Better Travel Photography

When you think about travel photography, there are a couple of ways you can go about planning and practicing your photography.

The first method is to adopt the “Let's just go and see what's there” approach. I enjoy this approach because it's full of discovery of the unknown. You may or may not do some research, but the idea is to capture what you experience and bring your photos back for others to enjoy.

The second method is to visit a destination with a theme in mind. Maybe you go to Havana for the old cars or the colors. You could visit New York for the architecture, fashion or food. Miami is a great place for nightlight and beach life.

In fact, you may choose your theme first and then decide your destination. For example, New York is a great photo destination, but it's not the place I'd choose if I were shooting for color. Instead, I may want to go to the American Southwest for color.

These three tips come from a larger collection of travel principles we use, and we wanted to share something that's outside of the typical composition tips you get find when researching travel photography.

If you would like to add to the list, we hope you can share them in the comments below so other readers can benefit from your experiences, too.

Only Take What You Need

This is a hard lesson for me, because I was raised to “Be Prepared.” It's a Boy Scout thing. The problem with always being prepared is that you end up lugging a lot of stuff around that you never use.

My wife likes to say, “I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.” It's kind of the same message from a different point of view.

When I advise you to only take what you need, that includes a warning to be cautious with your expectations. In other words, plan to get the bulk out of your photography needs with a minimal collection of gear.

While I may have the Nikon Holy Trinity of zoom lenses, those suckers add a lot of weight to a camera bag. Do I really need all of them?

Chances are good that I don't. After analyzing several years worth of my travel photos, I found that the majority of them were taken with my Nikon 24-70mm lens.

I can use that lens to go wide or to a short telephoto for an occasional portrait. It's a fast lens with a constant f/2.8 aperture. To be honest, it could be the only lens I need.

Sometimes there are special occasions. I shot the interior of the United States Capitol and Library of Congress using just the Nikon 14-24mm lens. Most of the travel photos I sell were from that trip. I needed that lens.

When I visited the Wormsloe Estate near Savannah, GA, I needed a longer focal length to get some compression on the rows of trees on each side of the row. My Nikon 70-200mm lens was the right tool for the job.

Despite a few examples where I went to an ultra-wide to telephoto, I find that most of my travel photos fit within the 24-70mm focal range.

If you know that you're going to be on the move for travel photography,