Gary Arndt is a photographer who has accomplished what many only dream of: making a living as a travel photographer, globe-trotting with camera in hand. We invited him to talk about how he got started and how things are going as a travel photographer in a pandemic-afflicted world.
SmugMug: Hi, Gary. Thanks for talking with us. Let’s start off with the basics: tell us a little bit about yourself and your photography.
Gary Arndt: In 2007 I sold my house to travel around the world for a year. That one year never really ended.
I ended up traveling around the world nonstop for over nine years, and I still will travel anywhere from a third to half of each year (pandemic excluded, of course).
I’ve photographed all seven continents, and I’ve visited over 200 countries and territories around the world. I was named Travel Photographer of the Year in 2014 by the Society of American Travel Writers, and in 2013 and 2015 by the North American Travel Journalists Association.
I am also a three-time Lowell Thomas Award winner in Photo Illustration of Travel, which are the most prestigious awards in travel journalism.
SM: That’s a lot of accolades! And we can see why — your photos are stunning. How did you get into photography in the first place?
GA: When I started traveling full time in 2007, I purchased an expensive camera under the assumption that it would take better photos. My goal was just to take some photos to document my trip that I could later hang on the walls of my house.
I quickly learned that wasn’t how it worked.
Just a few weeks into my trip, and having taken many bad photos with a good camera, I set out to learn how to use it properly and how to take better photos. It was an iterative process that took me several years. I never took a course, read a book, or had a mentor on the subject. I just read a lot of websites and incrementally tried to solve problems, with the end goal of taking better photos.
SM: With a name like “everything everywhere,” are you a dedicated generalist, or do you have a favorite subject to shoot while traveling?
GA: I literally photograph anything and everything. Travel photography is a pretty broad field. It covers almost anything that isn’t in a studio or a staged shoot.
I am usually not on assignment when I travel, so I’m not visiting a place to get a particular shot. That means I’m just trying to get the best images I can under the circumstances I find when I visit a place. I might make small adjustments to my schedule to compensate for a brief rain shower or harsh light, but for the most part I’m just opportunistic — I’m a traveler first and a photographer second.
The greatest compliment someone can give me is that they visited a place because of one of my photos.
SM: You mentioned earlier that you usually travel a large part of each year. How has the pandemic affected your travels?
GA: It has completely put a halt to everything I do. Every contract I had was canceled. Every project and tour I was organizing was put on hold. My income dropped by 95% in March and April of 2020.
At first I thought this would be over in about a month. Then I thought it would be done by fall of 2020. Now, I’m not planning anything. Even if travel opens up later in 2021, it is going to take one to three years for the travel industry to rebound and for spending to dribble down to content creators.
I haven’t been anywhere since I got back from Portugal on February 28, 2020. In fact, I haven’t even taken my camera out of my bag since then.
My biggest project in 2020 was launching a new podcast, which isn’t even travel or photography related.
SM: We’re so sorry to hear that, and hopeful that 2021 gets you back on the road. What gear do you use to capture your photos?
GA: I currently use a Sony a7rII as my primary body. For years I shot with a Nikon D200 and D300S. I waited patiently for years for them to come up with an updated high-end crop-sensor camera. I eventually got tired of waiting and decided to switch.
I realized that if I was going to switch to a full-frame sensor, I’d have to buy new lenses; and if I have to do that, I might as well consider changing manufacturers and consider mirrorless cameras as well.
I made the decision to switch to Sony because of their high quality, and they have been pushing the envelope on camera technology harder than anyone else in the last few years.
I carry very little in the way of gear with me when I travel. I have a 24–35mm wide-angle lens, a 24–240mm superzoom, and a fixed 50mm f/1.8 that I carry with me. I have a 500mm zoom that I will use for wildlife, but I don’t usually travel with that.
SM: On the subject of photography essentials, how long have you been using SmugMug?
GA: I’ve been a customer since February 2008.
I originally tried hosting my photos on Flickr, and at the time that didn’t really work well for me. I then tried using open-source software to create my own hosting system, and that was a disaster and required an incredible amount of work.
SmugMug is easy, it works, and it is affordable. I’ve been a big advocate for SmugMug for over a decade now, encouraging other travel photographers to use it as their photo-hosting solution.
SM: We appreciate you spreading the word! What would you say is your most-used feature?
GA: To be honest, I use SmugMug every day for posting images to Instagram. SmugMug is the hub for all of my photography. If I create something on my desktop, I upload to SmugMug, where it is then available on the SmugMug app to download and repost on social media.
SM: Lastly, any advice for photographers just starting out on SmugMug?
GA: Take the time to customize your site. A little bit of effort can make a huge difference.
SM: Wonderful. Thanks so much for your time, Gary.
