Young Photographer: how to get started in travel photography, with Annapurna Mellor

Having an all-rounder also helps when you're working with a single camera body, as Anna often does. She says, "People can get a bit suspicious if you're carrying two massive cameras around. As a travel photographer, I'm trying to show the good aspects of a country, not the negative, but people don't know that. If you look like a journalist, people are more likely to say they don't want their picture taken."

Prime for portraits, telephoto zoom for landscapes

When focusing on portraiture or details, Jay turned to a Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens. "Portrait photography is a real favourite of mine – I love having conversations with people and capturing them authentically," he says. "The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM lens was incredibly sharp, with great latitude, which gave me a lot of dynamic range to go in and edit."

Also, using the Canon EOS 6D Mark II body married convenience with quality. "I think that ease of being able to get great quality shots without needing to compromise too much on size and bulkiness is the main benefit of the 6D," he says.

For Anna, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV offered similar qualities to her usual body, a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, but with added benefits. "The dynamic range is greater, so colours look better," she says. "It's sharper and works much better in low light – I could tell just by looking at the screen that there was less grain, even when I was shooting at ISO8000 in the bakery. I wanted fast images of bread being taken out of the oven, but I didn't want to lose the light, so that was really helpful."

She used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens for photographing details across the cityscape, including at sunrise. "You get the light halfway through the photo, and then shadow – a contrast in light, but all the layers of the city," adds Anna. "You can get really sharp detail in landscapes and even see people walking through the little narrow alleyways, which I loved."

Opening the world

Throughout the shoot, Anna and Jay shared their knowledge and tips of the trade. "Jay's really accomplished at taking portraits – he can see how the light hits people's faces and can get the right expressions," says Anna.

"From working with me, I hope he thought more about how to put together an overall travel narrative. Magazines don't want 20 portraits; they want maybe three or four, as well as pictures that set the scene. If you put a strong portrait next to a landscape or detailed shot, someone will get more of the sense of place, which is so important in travel work."

Jay says: "What was really interesting about this project for me was the mentor-mentee relationship, because I want to learn, and I also think we're always both a mentor and a mentee. Anna shared a great deal about her journey, how she got her work in the right places and the significance of one's approach as a travel photographer. We also had some really good conversations about our purpose as photographers."

For Anna, such purpose is clear. "Travel photography can change a person's view on a place, cause them to re-evaluate their beliefs about a culture or religion, or simply inspire someone to experience the world themselves. For those of us with the privilege to travel, it's the primary way we learn about other people. For someone who can't experience it first-hand, photography can open the world."

Anna's travel photography tips

1. Build a narrative through your images
"When building a narrative, you need to think about how an image will translate to a person through Instagram or a magazine page. You need to think about the sense of place – what does it feel like to be there? What makes it unique? You need to get a wide variety of pictures: firstly the 'hero' images, which are the main focus of the article, but also the pictures that might not look like much on their own, but that create an instant story when put together with other images."

2. Know your kit inside out
"Whatever gear you have, you're carrying it possibly for months around the world, so it needs to be light and versatile. Have a camera that you feel super-comfortable with and that you know inside out, because a lot of travel photography involves getting pictures quickly. If you can't afford both a high-quality lens and camera body, invest in a high-quality lens. I maintain that the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens is the best lens you can buy, the ultimate travel lens. A Canon EF 50 mm f/1.2L USM lens is small, so it's not much more to carry for low-light situations, or times when you want to take a better portrait."

3. Showcase your storytelling ability
"Travel photography is an extremely competitive industry, so you need to get your work into the world and in front of the right people. Have a strong Instagram collection and portfolio showcasing your best work. You can also write for small online publications that accept submissions, because that helps you put a story together. If you show a magazine or brand your Instagram, it's not showing them how you can create a narrative. But if you show them a story, it instantly says what you can do for them."

Jay's travel photography tips

1. Put subjects at ease
"Be aware of why you want to take photographs. If you are unsure, it can have an effect on the subject. Being completely comfortable in your understanding of why you want to take that photograph aids your ability to put someone at ease. Then it's just about your ability to communicate. With portraiture it's 80% conversation, eye contact and your relationship, and only 20% technical photography skills. Some people warm up quicker, some slower, and it's really about being open enough to want to listen to different types of people."

2. Seek out the shots that tourists aren't taking
"As a travel photographer, you have to do your best to capture the city in ways that other people might not. It's always worth waking up early to get the shot that most tourists won't normally take, such as sunrise. You can also become occupied with looking at the larger images, but then you can walk past a door and there might be an interesting message on it, or a different texture on the handle. Thinking about things like colour, light and shadows is key."

3. Stay true to your own story
"Don't become obsessed with what other people want to consume, or you'll be operating in a system where you are creating to fulfil another person's purpose, and that's not why we create. My photography started to become unique to me when I went to Sierra Leone. I visited the villages where my mum and my dad came from, started to become more aware of my heritage and tried to understand my diaspora. I think the best photographers, or the most successful ones, are the ones who are able to marry their perspective in their personal life with the story they tell through their photography."