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Home  >  China • Traveling  >  The Art of Taking Pictures of Yourself While Traveling Alone
Posted inChina Traveling

The Art of Taking Pictures of Yourself While Traveling Alone

Posted By Becky Ances Posted on February 22, 2016
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For the past four years now, I have traveled almost entirely alone. In fact, I insist on it, refusing any invitations or requests to travel from other people. (I’m kinda bitchy like that.) On my own I’ve been to several countries, and all parts of China and I have never had any major problems that I couldn’t deal with myself.

Almost.

You see, there are still two problems I have when traveling alone. One is going to the bathroom when you have all your luggage with you, and the other is taking pictures of yourself, your whole body, when at an interesting place.

Everyone can take a selfie, but sometimes a selfie doesn’t accomplish what you want. So what to do when you want a picture of you but don’t want to take a selfie?

Here are some tips:

Find the Selfie Queen
You know that annoying young girl taking 100 million pictures of herself drinking at Starbucks? Ask her to take a picture for you, especially if your camera is your phone. She will not only know how to work it, but she’ll know the best angles and places for you to stand. She’ll even notice the light and position you out of the shadows. These Selfie Queens have spent countless hours making sure they know how to take a good picture of themselves, so use their knowledge to let them take a good picture of you.

The selfie Queen. This girl knows how to take a photo!

Even Better, Find Her Boyfriend
This is the guy that has taken 100 thousand pictures of his girlfriend being cute in the snow, cute at dinner, cute when she is just waking up. His muse is his girlfriend, but she is a demanding muse, and through her tantrums and pouts at bad pics, he has learned a thing or two about taking pictures of people. Wait till he is finishes taking pictures of his girlfriend and then ask him to take one for you.

Selfie Queen Boyfriend
Find the guy that is often next to the selfie queen.

Look for the Person with the Nicest Equipment

If you are at a tourist destination, chances are there are several other people around who are happy to take your picture. No one has ever refused a lone traveler looking for some help. But, the ability of these tourists vary greatly. If I can’t find a selfie queen I prefer to ask people with the nicest camera, assuming that they care a bit more about photography and composition then the average phone/camera user. These are aspiring amateur photographers and they might even feel proud that you asked them to do it.

See that guy using $3000 equipment to take a picture of a reflection of a leaf on the snow? He's a good candidate to take a picture of you.
See that guy using $3000 equipment to take a picture of a shadow of a tree on the snow? He’s a good candidate to take a picture of you.

Think Creatively

Sure, we all want a picture of ourselves standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, but what about some more creative, interesting photos of yourself? Find a reflecting surface and stand in front of that, or use your shadow falling across something interesting to show where you are. While technically a selfies it doesn’t just have to be your big face in front of something. You can take some more unique pictures of yourself by yourself while out and about.
Taking pics while traveling
Don’t ask the Waiter
I don’t know why, but I have never had a good picture of me taken by a waiter. They seem to stand back as far as they can, and take the biggest, widest picture possible usually getting a finger, or a piece of clothing in the way. You think they get asked all the time to take pictures of a group of friends eating together, and yet every time a waiter takes a picture, it always needs to be edited to make it at all worthwhile.

I had to zoom in and crop this photo to make it even slightly presentable. The waiter basically took a picture of the entire restaurant, and we were only one small part.

Ask the Person to Take Several
Most people tend to naturally take at least two or three, but if they don’t, ask them. It’s free and easy and there is really no reason not to. You blink, maybe you move your mouth weird. One picture almost never works. Get them to take several.

In a cooking class in Thailand I just passed my camera to another participant and told him to go crazy as I made spring rolls. Now I have the whole process on camera and I even used it once to remind myself how to make it when I did it at home.

Always, Always Check Your Picture

Sometimes you feel a bit imposing when asking others to take pictures of you, so when they hand back the camera you put it in your pocket immediately, thanking them. I’ve done that a few times and it has always gone wrong. Make sure to check the photo and if the fault is you, blinking, or a strange look on your face, usually the person is happy to take it again. (In fact, most people feel a responsibility when taking a picture of you and usually ask “is it okay?” when handing back the camera.)

If the fault is theirs, bad composition, holding the camera strange, then just say “great! Thanks!” and hang back and wait until they leave and ask someone else to take a picture again.

At a recent professional badminton game I asked my friend to take a picture of me standing in front of the court. I was thinking it would be a great profile picture for my badminton site. As it was my friend who took the picture, I trusted her and didn't check. When I finally looked, long after we were out of the stadium, I freaked out at my poor friend. But really I have no one else to blame as I should have known better and checked immediately.
At a recent professional badminton game I asked my friend to take a picture of me standing in front of the court. I was thinking it would be a great profile picture for my badminton site. As it was my friend who took the picture, I trusted her and didn’t check. When I finally looked, long after we were out of the stadium, I freaked out at my poor friend. But really I have no one else to blame as I should have known better and checked immediately.

Sometimes You Just Need to Live Without the Picture
Sometimes, none of these tricks work. Maybe you are totally by yourself with no way to set the camera timer, or maybe that perfect picture you want is just a bit too difficult to ask a stranger (specific composition, or something in which you would have to move far away and it would take time). Then you just go without.

Sometimes you just have to forget sticking your face in every picture and just sit back and enjoy the scenery.

Everyone loves to have some nice pictures of themselves in cool places, but really, pictures should be an afterthought. We don’t travel just for the pictures. We travel for the experiences, for the feelings for the chance to see these things with our own eyes. So if you can’t take a picture of yourself standing in front of a beautiful mountain view, or standing admiring a piece of art, so be it. You got to walk in the mountain yourself, and you got to look at the piece of art with your own eyes. That’s the important part. The picture is just gravy and isn’t necessary when it comes down to it. So, if you have a good idea for a picture of yourself but no method to do it, then just let it go and move on.

As for the other problem I have, going to the bathroom with my luggage, well, I’ve just learned how to use a squat toilet while keeping a 20 pound backpack on and hope that I can raise myself without support and don’t slip. So far so good. But if you figure out a good hack for dealing with asian squat toilets with all your luggage, please let me know.

Tags: advice help pictures selfie strangers travel
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7 Comments

  1. Susan Blumberg-Kason
    February 22, 2016 at 4:37 pm

    This is great! I traveled by myself all the time in my early 20s, way before camera phones and selfies or even digital cameras foe that matter were around. I loved it and didn’t want to be bogged down by anyone else’s plans. It was usually easy to meet other people when I traveled alone, and some would ask if I wanted a photo taken at a famous landmark. I also had a 20 pound backpack and found it easier to use the squatter toilets than western ones. There was more room for the backpack in the squatters. I’ve been doing more independent travel now that my kids are getting older.

    Reply
    • Becky
      February 22, 2016 at 11:29 pm

      I remember when selfies were called “self portraits” and you would just take one in faith and then wait a week, or two, or three, till you got the film developed to see if it was successful or not. Usually it was not, haha, but that was part of the fun.
      And that’s true about squatters having more space, I didn’t think about that. It’s just a bitch standing up with no support with the extra weight. They should have, like, hand holds or something on a toilet wall. 😉

      Reply
  2. Nicki Chen
    February 22, 2016 at 9:21 pm

    Becky, you’re the queen of selfie advice. You’ve really thought this out. I don’t take many selfies, and when I have asked someone to take my picture, I haven’t put much thought into it. Not surprisingly, the results have been so-so at best.

    Reply
    • Becky
      February 22, 2016 at 11:26 pm

      It helps that I look terrible in selfies when it’s just my big face so close to the camera. So I’ve had to come up with other techniques, haha.

      Reply
  3. Ed
    February 22, 2016 at 11:13 pm

    For me , I like to use Single len camera while I was travelling. It is hard for a normal stranger to take a pictures with my camera for me. Becuase most strangers are not famliar with Single -Len camear.It makes me really disappointed for the pictures they made. So I will wait and ask someone with nicest camera. But sometimes, the place I visited I waited for a long time,there was still no one past. What a pity!

    Reply
    • Becky
      February 22, 2016 at 11:30 pm

      Ah, that’s true If you have a special camera it must be harder. I just use my phone so luckily it’s easy. Everyone can just press the button.

      Reply
  4. Simona
    March 23, 2016 at 4:55 pm

    very good tips. i don;t know why i haven’t thought of them.:D
    http://velvetberry.blogspot.com./

    Reply

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I’m an American who has been living in China for more than a decade! This is my blog where I muse about all things China. Please also check out my YouTube channel “Badminton Becky” and my other badminton blog at www.badmintonbecky.com

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