A Photo Walk Around Downtown Austin

I feel like every moment at TravelCon was my favorite moment. But if I had to rank, this one makes top five.

When I signed up for the conference in August, the photography and writing workshops were already full. I was a bit bummed since the organizers tapped some incredible talents to lead the workshops, especially the photography ones. As my luck would have it, right before the conference began, a spot opened up for a photo walk with one of my favorite photographers and bloggers, the Minority Nomad Erick Prince.

I found Erick’s YouTube channel before his blog a few years ago from a simple Google search: black travel bloggers. I remember spending hours that day watching his YouTube and reading his posts about his travels. (Clearly, I had time that day.) If you’ve ever seen his photographs, wether on his blog or on Instagram, they’re captivating. They tell a story before you even read the caption or post. Erick even does a  breakdown of the details of a shot from the lens used, the context and what he was trying to capture, as well as his personal recommendations for a destination.

On the day of the photo walk, we had a little over an hour to walk around. After a few days of rain, the day started out overcast and cool-the perfect fall Saturday. Before we set out, Erick gave us universal tips for optimal shooting. Tips that were useful to everyone, wether we were using a cellphone or a Canon Mark 5D. As we walked around, Erick continued to give us tips on how to better compose a shot and how to engage with people we meet as potential subjects…and how to handle rejection if they decline. (Hint: find someone else!) Having resided in Austin for some time, as we walked around Erick pointed out some of his favorite spots, like the Elephant Room for live jazz, and La Peña for breakfast tacos, just like he would on his blog.

Walking around and taking pictures is easily one of my favorite ways to explore a new city. You just never know who or what you are going to encounter along the way. Wether it be a boozy bachelorette party peddling their way through downtown, to a college student conducting a survey in exchange for a traditional Czech pastry, there’s no telling what you will see or learn along the way. Here are some of my favorite shots and moments from the afternoon.