A Global Creative Community of Travel Photographers (beginners + professionals)
Photography is a rewarding, enriching, and adventure-filled hobby, or in my case, a profession. One that can take you to all corners of the world for experiences with other cultures, vibrant cities, natural wonders, and wildlife encounters.
It can, however, also be a little lonely. A lot of the photographers I know photograph solo, whether travelling, or photographing close to home, we all tend to venture out with just a camera as our companion. Sometimes, I prefer it this way, it helps me focus, be creative and not have distractions, I can simply wander, explore and experiment. It is nice though to connect with like-minded people, and I’ve found social media has been great for supporting fellow photographers, chatting, and sometimes even meeting up for an adventure.
But then social media can also get overwhelming, the comparison trap is real, the endless amount of content feels like you’re never doing enough or sharing enough, and to ensure my mind functions well to work and feel creative, more often than not I need to separate from it. That’s not to say I’m not a late-night scroller of cute dog videos…this absolutely happens.
The idea of a travel photography club though, came about in a few ways, with one big ah-ha moment last year. Since I’ve been publishing destination guides here on The Wandering Lens for over 10 years, forming a creative community has always been in the back of my mind, it was always just a matter of how. There have been Facebook Groups, photo tours, email lists and then in 2020 when the online courses were launched, the community started forming because people were connecting over the shared experience of learning and improving their photography.
I wanted to create a community that did the following:
- Supported fellow photographers on their photography journey
- Provided education + inspiration for photographers at any stage
- That allowed people to connect over a shared love of taking photographs – I feel like we’re a special bunch that would always opt to eat a museli bar for dinner if it meant capturing a stunning sunset…right?
For over a year I’d been slowly working on a new website to host the community, to get away from Facebook groups, and to create somewhere we could virtually hang out and chat about all things travel and photography. However, it never felt right or like it was flowing. I hit some technical roadblocks setting up chat rooms and found it tricky to gain momentum by solely focusing on a community from an educational standpoint. There is more to photography than just focusing on improving or starting a career, there’s the experiences, the planning, the destination inspiration, the fun experiments and mistakes, I wanted to try and include it all because all of those aspects play a part in the creative journey, especially with travel photography.
Then, last year my beautiful Nan Patricia passed away. She was a creative powerhouse, Instagram savvy even at 93 (she followed a lot of the course community + my photography friends and left supportive comments with an array of emojis), an actress, jewellery maker and quite the character, always involved in local adventures and outings with her friends. She was also a member of the local photography club, and it wasn’t until we needed to contact them to share the news of her passing and invite them to her memorial, that it clicked.
From that moment I realised it should be a travel photography club.
A club for people keen on seeing the world and capturing it creatively to connect, it was like all the roadblocks disappeared. If you’re in the club, you’ll notice she’s an Honorary Member because I know she’d be very excited to be part of it and would no doubt be a very chatty contributor to the discussions!
Forming the club and designing the online space flowed so easily once I had the concept in mind. Within the membership there’s the community forum for discussions and a gallery to share work and receive feedback, plus a library of resources to offer tips, challenges and information for those wanting to learn photography. One part I’ve really enjoyed putting together are the travel itineraries and location lists, they offer advice on where to travel, what to photograph and various routes to follow from a photographer’s perspective.
In 2025 I’ll be growing this section of the club, I’d love it to become a large hub for people planning their photography adventures, perhaps also creating photo walks and meet-ups with members, and then also revealing more resources focused on boosting creativity and photography skills.
From what I’ve seen, there’s nothing else like this available. There are photography clubs and spaces to share work online, but I’ve built this space for people to connect over two shared passions, travel and photography, with plenty of inspiration, education, and engaging challenges for all aspects of both.
If you’re not yet a member, membership is available on an annual basis via this page with additional information on the club and member benefits. Upon joining, you’ll have 365 days of access to everything inside, plus more resources that are released on the first day of each new month.
All resources are downloadable, so you can take them with you on your adventures or photography missions, plus you can connect with like-minded creatives in your area, and in over 18 countries (and growing) around the world.
✓ Monthly Photography Challenges + Topics
✓ Access to The Gallery + Feedback
✓ Community Discussions
✓ Members-only exclusive content + downloadables
✓ Discounts on all courses + resources by The Wandering Lens (plus VIP access to upcoming tours, photo walks + events)
I never expected such an amazing response within just three months since launch, and it’s already a global creative community and I’m so, so proud of what it’s become in such a short time! I look forward to seeing your work and connecting if you decide to join as a member 🙂
If you do have any questions at all about the club or the online courses, I’m just an email away and you’re welcome to get in touch directly via hello@thewanderinglens.com
Hello! I’m the founder and photographer behind The Wandering Lens.
With 19+yrs experience as a professional travel and landscape photographer, all advice found on this site is from my personal experience, or that of contributors, on the road. I hope it’s useful for your own travels and would love to hear in the comments about your trips and experiences around the world.
