Best and worst value for money photography destinations

My response to Roman Fox’s blog post on this topic. My criteria are similar to Roman’s: is the location photogenic, did I come away with strong images, how affordable is it, etc.

My list is based on many years of part time travel, whereas Roman’s is based on three years of full time travel.

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Best Value Photography Destinations

In no particular order:

Japan

Not considering flights to these locations as readers might be based in different parts of the world, Japan was a country I avoided for many years due to my perception of it being expensive. In reality, staying in smaller guesthouses it was no more expensive than Europe. I came back with many great shots that made this trip so worthwhile. There is so much to photograph, it really was a dream to visit and photograph.

Thailand

Again not considering flights, Thailand is a country of great diversity from north to south, and shooting here resulted in many good photos. If I was in the region, it’s certainly somewhere I would return to and accommodation was very reasonable. The locals were friendly and getting around was reasonably priced. Be careful taking photos of locals though, it’s probably best to ask or you might get adverse reactions.

Portugal

Agreeing with Roman on this country. There’s a lot to photograph and many regions worth visiting. Start with the Lisbon area and the Algarve and move into less visited regions for more interesting locations. Portugal is slightly cheaper than Spain and certainly cheaper than the UK. The light and colours are beautiful and this is a country I hope to return to many times.

Australia

Australia is such a vast country with so many different landscapes and incredible light, I would go back just to photograph landscapes alone. The cities are ok if you like cities, but getting out into the country is why I would photograph there more. You could spend months photographing there, or have several trips in a lifetime. Costs can be kept down by hostelling or ‘swagging’ it when in the bush.

Azores

The Azores seem kind of remote, but flying through Portugal they can be reached fairly easily. Each island has its own landscapes but even photographing one of the islands can give many good shots. The volcanic landscapes are particularly photographic, and a place I would be happy to go to again. Not overly expensive once there.

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Worst Value Photography Destinations

Like Roman I wouldn’t rule out returning to these locations, but based on my experience there I might be returning for reasons other than photography.

Ireland

Agreeing with Roman on this one, Ireland didn’t give me many great shots. I have visited around 5 times in the last 10 years and the photography wasn’t what made these trips special. That isn’t to say you can’t get good photographs, but you might have to work harder to do this and get more out into the country to find interesting shots. Accommodation was quite expensive, maybe even more expensive than the UK but may be cheaper once you get out of the main cities.

Germany

I’ve visited Germany a few times, and while there are photographs to be taken especially in the countryside, I’ve struggled to get many shots I liked. The cities don’t really do it for me, so unless you like the German styles of architecture I wouldn’t go for the cities. Of course it’s a big country, so if you’re prepared to get out into it in some depth you might find good shots, but for short visits it was a struggle for me.

Gran Canaria

I visited Gran Canaria in the winter and maybe my view on this location is down to that. Las Palmas didn’t grab me, and the photos I took were all pretty grungy. Of course, if that suits your style of photography you might have a different view, but for me, I wouldn’t rush back there. It wasn’t in the most expensive bracket of Europe for costs but still not cheap.

Poland

I think maybe my issue with Poland was I didn’t really understand the culture. I don’t see how you can photograph a country without some understanding of its culture, and I think this is especially true of a country like Poland. It’s not to say I wouldn’t return, but in terms of value for money, I didn’t get many good shots and I was paying average costs for Europe on the trip.

Slovakia

Like some of the other countries in this part of the article, Slovakia was a country I had to work hard on to get even semi-good shots. I only came back with a handful of interesting shots. Maybe if you spent a fortnight or longer there, you might have more success. Costs wise it was reasonable but this didn’t balance out the lack of subject matter to photograph.

So, that’s my list. What does yours look like?