"This doesn't look like the photos?!" How to see beyond the “filtered” travel photos.
There's nothing that gets me more excited to travel than seeing other people's travel photos. And don't get me wrong, I love a beautifully shot travel photo as much as the next person. But something I've noticed when looking at these exotic travel destinations online, is that often the photo or video is misleading. It's been edited, curated or modified in a way to look the best it can, which doesn’t accurately reflect the reality.
In this blog post, I’ll try explain why that might be, and how you can begin to see beyond the “filters” to manage a more realistic travel expectation.
How are travel photos “filtered”?
When I talk about misleading travel images, I'm talking about enhancing colours to look extra nice. Or a photo of someone in a magical, secluded destination, where the viewer doesn’t know that they actually took that photo at 5am before all of the tourists arrived. Or selecting specific photo shots or angles to hide unappealing features, like rubbish, construction or again, tourists. The person who took the photo has specifically taken steps in order to create a more appealing, more attractive and aesthetically pleasing image. Therefore — they’ve either knowingly (or maybe unknowingly) “filtered” their content for their audience.
"But what does it matter if these photos are portraying the best version of a travel destination?"
Totally valid question. Because the fact is, this curated content isn't hurting anybody. And it might even be commissioned by local tourism departments to encourage travellers to visit a certain city or country. So if anything, it's good advertising for the country or destination — right?
But imagine you’ve booked a holiday (and you don’t get many holidays), and you really want to make the most of it. So you’re researching online and have started to look for images on the Internet of beautiful cities. Maybe you’ve watched “Emily in Paris” and now your feed is filled with images of the iconic Eiffel tower, picnics with French baguettes, wine and cheese, or high fashion photography in the art-filled Louvre.
And if you haven’t done your research, and have only seen curated content, then you might have a little reality check when you actually visit Paris. Unfortunately, the more we’re flooded with fake or misleading content, the more we'll begin to believe it. Unless of course, we see it with our own eyes. So when it comes to visual travel content, how can you see through the "travel filter" and work out what's real and not real?
Me at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. This piece is opposite the famous “Mona Lisa” so the room is packed with tourists. Painting: The Wedding Feast at Cana (Nozze di Cana, 1562–1563), by Paolo Veronese.
My tips for seeing through the travel “filters” and curated content so you don’t get caught out:
1. Do your research.
I know you’re probably keen to book your flights and go on your well-overdue holiday. But before you do, make sure you’ve done a little research about the city/country you plan to visit. Especially if you’re visiting that city to see a specific sight. Start by Googling photos, then stalking the location on Instagram by using the “places” search filter.
For extra points, you’ll also generally want to do some research on the following:
The top sights and best things to see / do (this way you can make sure you spend more or less time in a city depending on how many things you want to see or do).
The best time of year to visit (including the best season, peak seasons, and whether there’s any national/local holidays where the city might shut-down).
Cultural differences, religion and any laws which might differ from your home country (you’ll want to avoid offending any locals or potentially going to jail for a law you weren’t aware of).
Practical things like how you’ll travel from your home country to the destination. Are there direct flights or will it be 2 days travel just to arrive in the city, which might chew into your 2 weeks of holiday time.
Use Instagram to research a city, its sights and popular tourist destinations.
2. Take each photo with a grain of salt.
If you look at travel photos knowing that they’re likely to be modified, edited or curated to look a certain way, then you’ll be more prepared for the reality — or even better, pleasantly surprised when you do visit. Take each photo, video and Reel with a grain of salt. Yes, the destination might look exactly like the photo, but I wouldn’t base my entire holiday around someone else’s travel photos.
3. Your travel experience will be unique to you.
Everyone’s travel experience is different. In fact, we all travel differently. We all have different interests — some people like to backpack on low budgets and explore the nightlife, while others prefer private jets, luxury shopping and indulgent experiences. Asking your friends and family for their travel experience can also be helpful if you want insider tips or to hear about the things they enjoyed. But remember, they might absolutely love exploring a city’s architecture, and that just might not be your thing.
Looking at travel photos from other people, and hearing/seeing photos from their experiences can be helpful, but to truly appreciate a city, you’ll have to see it for yourself and travel it how you want to travel it.
Final thoughts…
Travelling for me is much more than the pretty pictures. It’s about experiencing another culture and way of life. About appreciating all of the little differences and similarities between my hometown and the city I’m in. A photo can say a thousand words, but nothing can describe the feeling of travelling and exploring a city yourself.
If you’re a photographer, marketer, influencer, or enthusiastic traveller, please know this wasn’t written to try and persuade you from editing your photos and content. Take your travel photos, modify them if you want, but I hope you can experience the true beauty of each place as you travel.
