Key Travel Tip: Speak Spanish, Get in with the Locals
Efrain Padro finds that speaking Spanish to locals not only makes his trip smoother… it literally opens doors for his photography, too.
Efraín M. Padró is a full-time professional photographer specializing in nature and travel subjects. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Efraín speaks fluent Spanish and has led numerous photography expeditions to destinations including Spain, India, Morocco and Turkey.
Efraín’s work has appeared in Travel+Leisure.com, Geographic Expeditions catalogs, Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine, and many other publications. He is also the author of The Photographer’s Guide to New Mexico and The Beginner's Guide to Magazine Photography: Professional Secrets for Fast Results, which ranked as a Kindle best-seller last year.
When not behind the camera or leading workshops, Efraín likes reading about history, art, and philosophy, and collecting antique maps (copies!). As a former bicycle racer, he still exercises every day and follows Le Tour every July.
Today: I travel to beautiful places to take pictures, teach or on assignment. I also teach locally. I am my own boss and enjoy my daily commute to the basement.
Love to: Get up early in the morning when nobody else is around.
Hate: Writers who use fancy-pants words when a simple one will do (For example, instead of “Know All Men by These Presents”, just say “Hey!”).
Favorite book: Selling the Invisible, by Harry Beckwith, was very helpful when I started my photography career.
Efrain Padro finds that speaking Spanish to locals not only makes his trip smoother… it literally opens doors for his photography, too.
How much are your photos worth? It’s all about knowing who to contact, what to say and a few camera tricks to make your saleable.
Some things are getting easier. And, if you haven’t yet sold your first travel photo to a magazine, scroll down for Efrain’s three tips on doing it right.
How much editing is too much for some publications? If you’re interested in selling your photos to magazines, newspapers, and textbooks, you should read this.
Professional photographer Efrain Padro tells us how photo-based stories are especially lucrative. Read on for Efrain’s step-by-step plan on submitting your photo-based article to an editor…
Tips from professional photographer Efrain Padro on how to capture reflections in rippled water.
Tips from professional photographer Efrain Padro on how to add some movement to a static object.
The most coveted photo among editorial photographers is the cover shot. It commands the highest fee in a magazine and offers the most exposure to the photographer. To take a saleable cover shot, you have to think about it in a special way.
Professional photographer Efraín Padró’s advice on photographing your hometown for magazines
Professional photographer Efraín Padró’s advice on photographing your next vacation and selling photos to magazines