Q & A with Brittany Butterworth Photography: Advice on Travel Photography, Camera Equipment, & More

Have you ever seen a photo of a place on social media that caught your eye and made you want to add that place to your bucket list? Well for me, that place is San Sebastian, Spain. What’s even cooler is that the person posting those pictures happens to be a dear friend of mine – who recently visited Spain and France on her honeymoon.

Bilbao, Spain and San Sebastian, Spain photos by Brittany Butterworth Photography

As a professional photographer, all her pictures are obviously outstanding, but travel photos particularly resonate with me! This got me thinking though…how did she relax as a newlywed and still photograph such beautiful places in depth while she was there – especially being in a new country.

So I sought her out and asked if she’d be willing to do an interview of sorts for the blog, to answer all of my questions – ranging from what type of equipment she uses and her favorite places to travel, to how she manages her time on trips!

Table of Contents

About Brittany Butterworth Photography

If you’ve been following along for a while, you may recognize this friend of mine as no other than the amazing Brittany Butterworth Robin of Brittany Butterworth Photography. While her main focus is wedding photography, everything she photographs is golden and deserves a medal. If you check out her Instagram page, you’ll see that she has a repertoire of images to appeal to a variety of followers. Her Daily 365 project where she posts one documentary photo from the “happenings” in her life each day sharing many photos of her travels, personal horses, home projects, local events, and more has been one of my favorite things to follow along to.

Brittany has photographed many of my important life events – college graduation, brother and sister family sessions, bridal portraits, and the latest – my wedding. She wrote a beautiful post along with the best of our wedding day pictures, which you can check out here.

Learning from BB Photography

Since living overseas, I have reached out to her many times, especially once I received a camera of my own for Christmas! We were headed to see the Northern Lights in Norway and I needed all the advice I could get on what to do with my new camera. With a few (okay, like 10000 messages) I pretty much knew everything about my camera by the time we got to Norway. I think I did an okay job capturing the aurora borealis, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide over here!

So, enough blabbing. Let’s get to the good part! Below you’ll find all the questions I could think of to ask Brittany about her camera, tips, traveling, and more. Hope you enjoy!

The Interview

Q: What type of camera(s) do you use?

A: Canon 5D Mark III

Q: Do you carry a different camera when traveling?

A: I do not.

Q: Do you have any tips for travel photographers? Such as taking landscape/architecture/food photos?

A: I could give a lot of tips but a universal tip would be know your way around your camera before you go on your trip. Know your buttons and proper settings for the different types of lighting situations you will be in, whether it is indoors-low lit, indoors-fluorescent, outdoors-sunny, outdoors-snowy, etc. All light conditions will alter the outcome of your photos. The biggest thing would be regretting not taking better photos because you may not have been as prepared. Plus, when traveling, you don’t want to spend so much time fiddling with your camera that you either miss the “shot” or you aren’t really enjoying your travels and all that there’s to see.

Q: What has been your favorite destination abroad?

A: That is a toss up. Each place we have visited internationally holds a special place in our hearts for their own unique reasons. It is hard to choose just one! I’d say Sweden for the Scandinavian culture. Spain for the delicious food, siestas, and vibrant culture. France for the rich history in growing grapes and their delicious wine. Norway for their pristine fjords and picturesque views. Ireland for their limestone, green grass, and cliffs. Really, I could keep going on and on! I appreciate each location for what it has physically and culturally.

Related post: Norway in 3 Days – fjords, hiking, reindeer & more

Q: How do you balance being a professional photographer and traveling for fun, like during your recent honeymoon? As in the need to always capture great content but not wanting to miss what’s going on around you.

A: Balance is key! When traveling, there is a fine line between enjoying the sites and culture, and capturing everything around you with a camera. I do a little research beforehand of the places I’ll be visiting then plan accordingly to which shots I have to get while there. Mostly I always have my camera on hand because you never know when you might stumble upon something you want to photograph. Whether it be a monument, neat architecture, a piece of history, or an elaborate breakfast you’re eating. There’s always a time and place to photograph. Knowing the country you’re in, their cultural norms, and respect of people. For example, if we are out to a nice sit-down dinner, I don’t usually pull out my camera to photograph my meal. I have a very understanding husband who supports my professional business and the need/desire to capture our travels together. We get a lot of joy reviewing the photos together once we are back home. Many of the images hang on our walls now!

Related post: Serenity in Sardinia – read more about Outside This Small Town’s honeymoon on the island of Sardinia, Italy

Q: Speaking of those images that hang in your home, you have a large canvas of a photograph you captured in Norway… Are pictures like those available to buy? If so, where could an interested reader purchase a canvas or photos that you have taken of certain places, subjects, etc.

A: Most definitely! I love to share my travel images with people! I create a separate gallery on my website for each trip we take. Just follow the link to my website here. Prints and canvas prints of all sizes are available in addition to digital downloads and other specialized products.

Q: Any recommendations on photography classes or lessons/tutorials available online to rookie travel photographers, like myself?

A: Most definitely! Check out creativelive.com. They have some AWESOME classes taught by top professionals. I still take them from time to time to hone in on my photography and editing skills. Photography is a learned skill by practice, diligence, and time. There’s always something to learn. I also suggest following travel/documentary photographer blogs and social media sites. They will give tips, provide inspiration, and sometimes do giveaways for equipment and subscriptions. But really, they always post interesting photo content in neat places that make you drool and want to add them to your bucket list.

Q: When I’m out hiking or traveling in general, my camera tends to get dirt and specks on the lens a lot. Any tips on keeping the lens clean and to prevent damage to a camera when traveling, especially in the outdoors?

A: Great question! Dust particles, lint, and dirt always somehow finds its way onto lens, lens caps, and even inside your camera on the mirror. When you use your camera, it is inevitably going to get dirty. There are few ways to minimize this while out shooting. Like, try to change your lenses in a dry, less dusty area if you can. Check for dust before attached the lens. For the lens cap, it is easy to put it in your pocket but that is where is collects lint and more dust particles which is then transferred back to the front of the lens when you put it on. You can put your cap in your pocket, but if you have a ziplock baggie or plastic protector, that will help minimize dust. Always carry a clean sense cloth, pocket soft bristled lens brush, lens cleaning solution and a blower with you. Dust can affect your overall images but so can incorrectly cleaning your equipment. I find my biggest issue is fingerprints when I go to grab my camera to take a photo and accidentally grab the front leaving oily smudges. This is where the lens cloth and lens cleaning solution comes in handy. Just a few drops on the cloth and you’re good to go. Try to avoid blowing air from your mouth to remove dust. Although it is the easiest, least expensive thing to do, you can spray saliva which is an equivalent problem. This is where a blower is used and is a must for your camera bag.

For more in-depth cleaning techniques and information, I recommend reading the following:

Q: Would you say that you have a style of photographing? If I looked at your Instagram page, for example, what would be the theme of your feed?

A: Colorful, true to light, lifestyle. I tend to teeter between light and airy and colorful contrast.

See Outside This Small Town’s Instagram here & Brittany Butterworth Photography’s Instagram here

Q: Would you travel to Italy for a photo shoot to expand your photography portfolio??

A: Of course, yes!!! It is on my list to visit, mostly because of all your beautiful photos and places you’ve highlighted there. It is a magical country with so many picturesque places.

Q: Where’s the coolest places that your business has taken you around the world as a photographer?

A: I’ve only been paid to go to New York and California, and then destination weddings in Florida.

So you’re saying that Italy would easily top these places, right?!

I hope you’ve learned something about photography and can use these tips the next time you’re traveling – whether you’re using an iPhone or a digital camera. It’s so fun to be able to collaborate on projects like these and learn from each other’s niches. If you enjoyed this or found it useful, please share or let me know by commenting below!