archives: Travel Writing, Photo, and Video

You Got Your Pens Moving: Food Stories from the Matador Community

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The results of our first "get your pen moving" excercise: a doomed iguana, mummified pigs' legs, and more food stories from the Matador community.   More »

Reporters’ Center Helps Citizen Journalists Find and Tell Great Stories

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Reporters' Center: "The first rule of reporting is to make sure you come back alive."  More »

10 Online Literary Magazines that Publish Great Travel Writing

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Read great writing--for free.   More »

What Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation Can Teach About Bad Storytelling

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It’s no secret, Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2 are flimsy, mind-numbing movies. So what can be learned from their storytelling failures?  More »

4 Travel Writing Contests You Should Enter Right Now

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Boring contest postings aside, here are some places where your writing can earn a bit of cash.   More »

Get Your Pen Moving: FOOD

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New this week: we give you a prompt, you give us your writing, we publish the highlights.   More »

Advice for Writers: How to Handle Rejection

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Nobody likes rejection, but it's possible to handle the inevitable more effectively.   More »

Kelsey Timmerman: So You Want to Be an Author?

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"Everyone knew my desire to write, not because I was talking about it all of the time, but because I was doing it. "  More »

Do You Need a Writing Degree to Be a Professional Writer?

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Some things to consider before you take the plunge into a writing program.   More »

Big Up Jenny Williams, Finalist for Story South

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Matadorian Jenny Williams is writing award-winning fiction and travel writing. Here's what she has to say.   More »

Tips for Travel Video: How to Get Engaging Interviews

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If you genuinely strive for an authentic connection, your subject just might open up and reveal some jewel about themselves that can be a powerful and  More »

10 Words and Phrases We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again

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These words and phrases have been used too much in travel writing. They're tired. Let them rest. Please.  More »

23 of the Most Relevant Travel Twitterers

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23 Twitterers of all different ages, places, and professions who aren't just out there selling themselves, but making genuine connections and engagin  More »

Tips for Travel Video: Framing the Action

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What's the easiest technique you can use while filming for a stronger travel video?  More »

How to Increase Traffic and Monetize Your Blog

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No one wants to run a website that doesn’t get read. So how do yo get lots of traffic and readers? And once you have that traffic, how can you begin  More »

Writing Tips: Tricky Words to Use Correctly and Make an Editor Smile

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The English language is full of traps for writers--here are some to avoid in your professional writing.  More »

Help (and Funds) For Writers: an Interview with Hope Clark

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Tips from freelance writing guru Hope Clark.   More »

Writing Tips: How to Avoid Sounding Ridiculous When Using Quotes

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Quotes can add dynamic elements to your story, or kill it almost instantly.  More »

How Writing Saved Me from Myself

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Lessons learned from the writing life.   More »

How to Write Narrative Essays Using Scenes

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Like movies, narrative essays are built out of scenes. Here's how.  More »

5 Techniques for Writing Bilingual Dialogue

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Suggestions for recreating dialogue that ocurred in more than one language.   More »

How to Write an Attention-Getting Query

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These two queries show all you have to do to get an editor's attention.  More »

3 Things You Should NEVER Tell an Editor

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Editors have all the work they need. Don't give them any more.   More »

Studies in Travel Photography: A podcast by Ryan Libre

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Join Ryan Libre for this 2-minute podcast that discusses the technical aspects of this photo including aperture, shutter speed, context, and how they   More »

How to Use a Submission Log to Publish More of Your Travel Writing

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Submission logs can be very quick and simple, and you'll find that using them encourages you to keep sending out more stories.  More »

Four Ways To Sound Like A Jerk In Your Travel Writing (And How To Avoid Them)

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How can you write about your amazing adventures without sounding like a showoff?  More »

How to Write Better: 2 Thoughts on Self Awareness

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As a writer I'm sometimes wondering what editors are thinking. As an editor, I'm often wondering what writers are thinking. Here are a few thoughts on  More »

Marketing Language and Youth: 2 Thoughts on Travel Writing Style

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Here's how you can avoid sounding like your travel writing came up through the marketing dept at your local ad agency.   More »

8 Useful Online Tools for Traveling Filmmakers

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Certain travel situations, such as cyber-cafes with fast connections but sluggish operating system, call for online video tools  More »

Controlling Light: A Photography Lesson from Myanmar

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"If you start experimenting with exposure compensation, it opens the door to creative photography."  More »

12 Resolutions for Travelers in 2009

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Lose weight? Stop procrastinating? Those are hum-drum resolutions....  More »

Exit Visa from the Cubicle: An Interview wih Michelle Goodman

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". . .there was no plan. I just did it."  More »

Big Bolivian Sunsets: Interview with Photographer Ron Dubin

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Photograph Ron Dubin discusses coca leaves, 27-pound camera bags, and a Bolivian karaoke bar.   More »

How to Get a Knockout Soundtrack for Your Travel Film

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The right soundtrack can make your travel film compelling and dynamic.   More »

8 In-Flight Magazines that Pay Well for Travel Writing

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Great-paying markets and thousands of readers for your next story.   More »

The A-B-C-D-E of Travel Photography

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Action, Balance, Composition, Depth of Field, Evocation . . .get ready for your photography to dramatically improve.   More »

When and How to Correctly Use Fast Lenses and High ISO

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Learn how to take good photos in low light conditions without a flash.   More »

3 Considerations For Hosting Your Own Travel vBlog

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From tricks to help you look natural on camera to key questions to ask before you get started, Erin Granat breaks it down.   More »

How to Become a Backpack Filmmaker

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Being paid to travel with your camera sounds great, but what's the reality of travel filmmaking? How do you get started, and can you make money doing  More »

How to Get the Most Mileage Out of Your Travel Writing

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From concept to pitch to publication, maximizing readership is about reaching out personally through the internet.  More »

How to Produce Great Podcasts Part 2: Polishing Audio Files

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Use these recording tricks and free software to optimize your podcasts.  More »

What’s The Longest You’ve Ever Spent Trying To Get A Photo?

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Think photography is only about technical skills and equipment?   More »

The 6 Best Free Photo Sharing Sites on the Web

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Photo sharing websites are competing for our attention with free accounts and a wide array of features. Learn here which ones work best for you.   More »

Top 7 Market Leads for Beginning Travel Writers

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Once you're done your homework and are ready to make your first travel writing pitches and submissions, try these 7 market leads first.   More »

5 Essential Tips for the Budding Travel Photographer

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From equipment choices to resources on photo editing, here's everything you need to do more with your travel photography.  More »

5 Tips For Writing Better Group Emails About Your Travels

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Don't send another mass email until you've read this.   More »

The 10 Steps to Becoming a Successful Travel Writer

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If you're reading this and following these steps, you're already on the way.  More »

The Top 10 Travel Writing Anthologies

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A good travel story can provide a smile, a moment of reflection, or even a radical shift in the reader's dreams and goals.  More »

Top 5 Secrets Travel Writers Won’t Tell You

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Think that being a travel writer isn't really all it's cracked up to be? Think again.  More »

Studies in Travel Photography: Perspective, Timing, and Themes

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"The easiest way to take a bad photo of something is to look down on it."   More »

How to Photograph Children During Your Travels

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Being sensitive to how you approach and interact with local people is crucial to photographing children.   More »

Notebook Picks of the Week: Visual Media Innovators


From High Dynamic Range Video to editing tips in Photoshop, check these worldwide innovators in visual media.   More »

Studies in Travel Photography: “What Makes A Place Special?”


"What makes a place special? If you can come up with a good answer, a good photograph is sure to follow."   More »

How To Take Better Notes For Your Travel Blog

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By organizing ahead and focusing on how you listen and record, you'll take better notes and create better travel blogs  More »

5 Tips for Taking Better Photos of Landmarks

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With these simple changes of perspective and equipment, you can capture fresh images of even the most iconic landmarks.  More »

Use Hemingway to Improve Your Travel Writing

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How Hemingway's Iceberg model of a good story will improve your travel writing.   More »

Studies in Travel Photography 2: A podcast by Ryan Libre

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Join Ryan Libre for this 2-minute discussion on how to tell better stories with your travel photography.   More »

How To Store Your Photography Safely

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With the advent of digital cameras and online media storage portals, hard cover albums are rapidly becoming things of the past. Nowadays, sharing thos  More »

How to Promote Your Travel Photography Online

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As with many crafts such as writing and fine art, the world of photography is fiercely competitive. It can take years to stand out from the mass of ta  More »

How To Take Better Travel Portraits

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Ever perused the pages of National Geographic and wondered how those amazing personal moments were captured? From tribal chiefs in Papua New Guinea to  More »

9 Tips for the Self-Taught Travel Photographer

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You know you secretly want to be a National Geographic photographer. But it takes a lot more than hoping. Self-learning is fun and cheap, but it has p  More »

Worth Buying a DSLR for Your Travel Photography? Take this Quiz

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Digital SLRs are very popular items these days, especially among travelers. This article will explore the fundamental differences between a DSLR and a  More »

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