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Jamie Carter

Do selfies still cut it as acceptable travel photography?
The internet is packed with advice on “how to take a brilliant selfie”, from capturing an unusual angle and pulling an interesting expression to including others in your selfie.
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However, the best selfie advice for travellers is becoming increasingly obvious: do not take them.
Even for travellers obsessed with their social media feeds, in this age of ever-better smartphone cameras – many with wide-angle cameras – not to mention drones and even robotic cameras, curating travel photos now means being a lot more creative than taking handheld self-portraits in front of a series of different backdrops.
Here are some other options:

1. Hire a team of photographers
This is an expensive option, but there are now companies catering to the luxury travel market that assign a team of photographers to document travellers during their holiday.
Flytographer is a service that allows travellers to book a photographic shoot on location at their destination, for example. Options range from a 30-minute “The Short Storyteller” shoot for US$250 to a multi-location two-hour “A Romp Around the City” shoot for US$650.
How social media and millennials are ruining your holiday, especially in Asia
There are also “wedding proposal packages” available, including advice on locations and the best places to stand; these involve a hidden photographer appearing when you pop the question – hopefully capturing a positive response. You can even pay to be spied on by a drone such as by Drone the World, which is the brainchild of luxury travel agent Black Tomato.
“Drone the World acts first as a way of recording your memories so that you can be free to fully absorb your experience, without the distraction of a phone or camera,” says Jos Davies, global head of marketing and PR at luxury travel agent Black Tomato.
“It's also designed as a way to capture you and your loved ones on holiday from an entirely different perspective, within the environment or landscape.” Available worldwide, a long weekend costs from US$2,500 for the drone pilot's services (some of whom have been drone directors in blockbuster films), including devising a storyboard and shot list to suit.
But is that kind of service really necessary? “It’s less about whether you want next-level Instagram content and more about removing the distraction of recording the experience yourself so that you can fully enjoy the moment,” says Davies. “That said, it will definitely take your social media post beyond the standard holiday selfie.”

2. Employ a robot
Obsbot (observation robot) has come up with a camera that uses artificial intelligence to identify its subject, which it then automatically tracks. Built on to a three-axis gimbal, the Obsbot Tail AI camera takes photos and records 4K video of you whatever you do; dance in a circle around the camera, and it will pan and tilt to keep you in the centre of the shot.
“The Obsbot Tail is really a great companion, especially if you’re a solo traveller,” says Bo Liu, founder and CEO of Remo Tech, based in Shenzhen, southern China. He even maintains that the robotic camera can track someone in a crowd to take spontaneous photos.
“You could use the Obsbot Tail to capture yourself jumping off a cliff because it will track you as you are falling,” he says (presumably referring to jumping into water).
“The Obsbot Tail makes it easier than ever to film yourself moving, without needing a friend to help you with filming yourself, and simply standing a phone on the ground or using a selfie stick isn’t going to help you with the problem of movement that happens outside the frame.”

3. Take a pocket-sized drone
Want to keep your self-portraits at arm’s length? The Selfly is an autonomous flying camera that is all about changing the perspective of selfies, as well as making them hands-free.
“It’s small, portable and foldable, so great for travel,” says Mike Kahn, chief marketing officer at California-based AEE Technology. “It weighs less than 70 grams, and you can fly the Selfly in places where a larger, heavier and louder drone would require special approval and skill to fly.”
Equipped with facial recognition to keep you in the picture at all times, Selfly levitates a phone for about four minutes per charge, so it is only for occasional use. However, it is charged via USB-C, just as most smartphones are, so can be refuelled within 30 minutes by any portable phone charger.

Of course, none of this is strictly necessary for any trip, but it is proof that production values on social media are going up as technology improves.
“With the rise of Instagram, TikTok, and traditional platforms like YouTube, the demand for a higher quality of production and a higher level of creativity is bigger than ever,” says Liu.
Why one Italian travel writer hates selfie culture
It is less about having better photos than your followers on social media and more about bringing home a lasting memory of your holiday, says Davies.
“There's always a place for a good selfie, but they do not always do a beautiful landscape justice.”


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How drones, robots and even private production teams are making holiday selfies obsolete

Luxury travel agent Black Tomato has introduced Drone the World, where your every moment on holiday can be captured by a drone.

EYH978 Young Chinese girls at a viewpoint in the village of Firostefani, over the caldera and the sea. Santorini, Greek Islands, Greece

F3DC9D Young woman taking selfie on Smartphone

AEE SELPHY Photo: HANDOUT [FEATURES 2018]

OBSOBOT Tail Photo: HANDOUT [FEATURES 2018]

No luggage, no plastic, no selfies: how travel is set to change in 2019

EM1PM3 Woman tourist Italy, a solo female tourist takes a photo of the Florence skyline from the observation platform on the Cathedral dome, Firenze, Italy.

[TRAV TRENDS 2019 FEATURES]

CREDIT: Alamy

E6DEHK Waste packaging left after aircraft meal in flight Miri to London with Malaysia Airlines

[TRAV TRENDS 2019 FEATURES]

CREDIT: Alamy

F1R8XC A solo female surfer on a beach in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, with a body board. Image shot 2016. Exact date unknown.

[TRAV TRENDS 2019 FEATURES]

CREDIT: Alamy

H8N2BY A woman takes a selfie with a selfie stick at Gullfoss waterfall in Iceland

[TRAV TRENDS 2019 FEATURES]

CREDIT: Alamy

Travellers are becoming increasingly conscious of the effect that their holidays have on the environment, and many destinations are following suit. Photo: Alamy

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Travel photos demand more creativity than self-portraits against beautiful backdrops, which means more technology has been made available
The best selfie advice for travellers is increasingly: do not take them


Travel photos demand more creativity than self-portraits against beautiful backdrops, and drones, robots and even private production teams have become available; the best selfie advice for travellers is increasingly: do not take them.
