I love photography and I love to travel, so when I first met Brett, who shoots for Leica Camera and is an avid travel photographer, I knew we would get on.

Ironically, at our first meeting, we discovered that we would soon cross paths when I was travelling in Vietnam. I had just purchased a beautiful, black Leica D-LUX 4 and Vietnam would be it’s first outing. And what a treat it had in store.

When we met in Hanoi we were near the end of our trip, Brett near the beginning of his, but our views on the photographic potential of Vietnam were pretty much the same. The colours of the market, the faces in the streets, the awe-inspiring temples and the blindingly blue bays – this was a photographer’s dream, whatever camera they choose.

Back at home and back to work, and with the summer holidays approaching, we thought it was about time that the Wild Card crew brushed up on their photo skills so we invited Brett to come and give us a few pointers.

Brett’s advice is simple:

• Blend in, get off the beaten track and document your trip.
• Forget about writing a travel diary and keep a photo diary instead, taking a picture whenever you can (you can worry about keeping or deleting when you get home).
• Mix scenic shots with close ups of faces, food, crafts and customs – the things that will keep reminding you of the smell, noise and taste you experienced, and the things your friends and family will really like to see.
• Try to buy locals coffee, sit, interact and capture real life
• Check out postcard stands to find the best sights, then try to shoot them yourself

It’s easy when you hear it from a pro! We all left feeling very inspired and wondering when we would next pick up our cameras and put them into action.

Me? Well, I’m off to Belgium in the morning. Keep checking out our blog for our photo adventures over the Summer.

Jen