visual stimulation

Most of all, however, a travel photographer really loves a great picture, and an appreciation of what is great is the starting point for taking good pictures. Four-fifths of the information going into our brains is visual: this is a high profile input, and when our visual senses are stimulated, the rewards are enormous. The intelligence to know what to look for, when to press the shutter and how to use the technology, is not necessarily learned at school. A surprisingly high number of photographers (An- sel Adams, David Bailey) are dyslexic, compensating a lack of ability in one form of communication by excelling in another. The same sense of curiosity, adventure, escape and liberation that makes us travel, also makes us travel photographers. Recording, witnessing, heightening awareness, a camera is an indispensible aid to a journey. And for lone travellers with a little time on their hands, unrestrained by the demands of companions or the press of a deadline, taking pictures can be a hugely rewarding experience.