The Best Travel Photos Might Be the Ones You Never Planned to Take

Travel photography can make it tempting to plan a trip around photographs that have already gone viral. Save enough Instagram posts and your itinerary can quickly fill with famous viewpoints, popular cafés, and street corners that have been photographed thousands of times. 

But photographer Mitch Lally argues that the best travel photos often come from doing the opposite: slowing down, staying longer, and giving yourself enough time to notice something nobody told you to photograph.

In a YouTube video, Lally reflects on lessons from more than 20 international photography trips and explains how those experiences changed his approach to travel photography. His advice is less about finding the perfect camera or lens and more about changing how you move through a destination. For Lally, leaving space for spontaneity can lead to photographs that feel more personal than carefully planned shots from famous locations.

Slow down to improve your travel photography

One of the easiest mistakes in travel photography is trying to fit too much into one trip. Lally says he used to move quickly between cities and attractions, only to discover that flights, train journeys, hotel checkouts, packing, and other logistics could consume valuable time that could have been spent photographing.

His solution is to spend more time in fewer places.

Staying in one neighborhood for longer gives photographers the opportunity to see how it changes throughout the day. The same street can look completely different in the morning, afternoon, and blue hour. Extra time also provides another opportunity when the weather does not cooperate.

Instead of simply collecting destinations, photographers can start paying attention to smaller details, local routines, changing light, and unexpected moments. That can result in a more varied travel photography portfolio, even when the trip covers fewer places.

Look beyond the famous photography spots

Lally also recalls visiting popular photography locations in Japan where photographers lined up for the same composition. The experience made him reconsider what he actually valued in his own travel photography.

The images he remembered most fondly were often not the photographs taken at the famous viewpoints. They came from quieter shrines, overlooked streets, and unexpected encounters discovered while wandering.

That does not mean iconic locations are not worth photographing. They can still be important parts of a trip. But Lally suggests treating them as starting points rather than the entire photographic experience.

After taking the obvious photograph, try walking another block or turning down a quieter street. A less recognizable location can produce a photograph that feels more connected to your own experience instead of resembling an image already filling social media feeds.

Carry less camera gear and leave room for spontaneity

Lally has also changed how he approaches camera gear while traveling. Rather than carrying everything throughout the day, he separates his equipment into a larger travel bag and a smaller sling for daily shooting. He may bring several options on the overall trip, but usually carries only one or two lenses while exploring.

The lighter setup makes it easier to walk for longer and stay focused on the destination rather than the weight of the camera bag.

Perhaps his most important lesson is that not every day needs to produce a portfolio photograph. Some of Lally’s favorite memories came from ordinary activities such as eating at local restaurants, shopping, or walking around with friends. Having a camera nearby without the pressure to create something exceptional can make those moments easier to photograph naturally.

For anyone planning a photography trip, Lally’s advice offers a useful alternative to the usual checklist: spend less time chasing the photographs everyone already knows and more time finding the ones only you could have taken.

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