I’m not sure where my door fascination began, but I distinctly remember being in Greece a few years ago and noticing that every house had a different front door design.
That’s when I started taking pictures of doors.
Why doors? Well, I suppose they are the first impression you get from a home or building. In a street full of similar terrace houses, each door is different giving you a glimpse into the personality of the owner. They also let you look back in time with different historical styles.
After that Greece trip, I was looking at my photos at home and was a bit disappointed. They were ok but I hadn’t taken as many as I thought I had. I remember feeling a bit awkward taking some of door photos.
My sneaky photo taking attempts meant some shots were blurry and not very well framed.
So on our next trip to Italy I decided to create a more formal photo series of doors. I decided I would stand directly in front of the door for every photo. I would also frame each shot so that I captured the whole door but not much else.
With this in mind, I explored every little village and town for the most interesting doors, and what was behind them. It became a game that Mr Romance also joined in with. When we were travelling with his parents for a week, they thought it was very odd but they soon joined in and kept spotting amazing doors for me to shoot.
With the same passion as a collector, I created a photo series I called ‘Doors of Tuscany’.
Back at home after that trip, I loved looking through all my photos and created a coffee table book of all the images.
Looking for detail makes you more stylistically aware. At first I would shoot every door I saw, but then I started to choose only the more unique and unusual doors to shoot. The more worn and aged, the better too.
I’ve also broadened my series and taken a series of Doors of New York, Provence and Paris. In fact I can’t stop taking pictures of doors wherever I am.
What creating a photo series has taught me
- By constantly taking photos, my photography skills have improved every trip and I am refining my style with every shot.
- I’m also becoming more comfortable taking photos in the street, and it has taught me the patience to wait for that perfect shot instead of clicking and just walking away.
- Focusing in on one detail has had this amazing effect where I began to notice more around me than ever before. You see the beauty in the ordinary.
Do you want to start your own travel photo series? Here are some ideas to get you started:
Travel photography series ideas
- Doors – of course, my favourite
- Windows – I have started shooting these now too, as there are so many beautiful windows and architectural details
- Signs – I love fonts and you can create a series of different signs and graphics that you see
- Cafes / bars – Where do the locals hang out? Create a series of the shopfronts or bars that you discover in your travels
- Drinks – Take a photo of the different coffees, juices and cocktails you try as you travel
- Breakfasts – Similarly, take a snapshot of your breakfast each day that you travel
- Transport – Planes, trains and automobiles – capture how you travel and how the locals travel
- You – take a photo of yourself in the same pose every where you go. My tip is to take these photos in landscape so you can create a short film with them when you get home!
The great thing with each of these themes is that they don’t have to be limited to your travels. Start seeing the beauty in your own neighbourhood. Walk a different way home and try a new café. You’ll be surprised at what you discover just a few minutes from where you live.
Have you ever created a travel photography series?
Daisy
Love this idea Christina! Creating a photo series definitely makes you more aware of your surroundings when you travel and allows you to appreciate the beauty around you rather than just stopping to click and walk away as you say. You’ve got me thinking about what kind of series I can start now!!
Daisy xo
Mrs Romance
Thanks Daisy! I hope you do start a series. They’re especially fun when you’re travelling slower, as you can take the time to really craft it. However I have been known to take door photos from the car window as we’re driving past too 😉
Sonia
This is such a cool idea! I have to say, our photography skills improved the longer we were away because we eventually worked out that we could take our time, think outside the square and try and capture the magic we were experiencing in that moment. I wonder what my next photography series could be…?
Mrs Romance
Thanks Sonia! It’s all about capturing the magic, isn’t it? That really takes time and I think it’s so worth it. Then you have beautiful mementos when you get home x
What to do with your holiday photos – 5 fun ideas
[…] I love taking pictures and I’m never without my camera. Now that I’ve started few travel photography series I come home with so many photos. I’d say too many […]
ardun
Cool post! My wife has been doing the same thing. You have a great collection here. My wife was also doing the selfies series which I think will look great in a video.
Mr Romance
Hi Arden. Your wife’s selfie collection sounds like fun! Mrs Romance’s door fascination made me laugh at first but having the photobooks on the coffee table is nice – and I’m always surprised at the positive reaction they receive from visitors who see them.
How’s your tattoo coming along by the way? Mrs R showed me a pic from your site the other night. Looks great!
Jim
Mrs Romance
Thanks Ardun! Love the selfie idea, such a great souvenir of all the places you’ve visited