Urban Travel Photography for Instagram
A course by Elaine LiArt Director and Photographer
A course by Elaine Li, Art Director and Photographer
Learn to capture the essence of your travels by exploring photography techniques to shoot both day and night, and build a meaningful connection with your followers
For the photographer and art director Elaine Li, urban travel photography is about opening your mind, embracing differences and capturing the essence of a city. Over the years, Elaine has worked for brands like Canon and The North Face, immortalizing the true soul of places. In this online course, she teaches you how to create Instagram-perfect photos of your travels.
Learn how to find the ideal spot to take artistic pictures and things to look out for in night shots. See how to edit your photos and how to best post them on your social media to create authentic connections with your audience. Capture what you see and turn your Instagram feed into an engaging and ever-changing travel story.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 15 downloads
Location Research
7 minutes, 50 seconds
Gear and Equipment
2 minutes, 54 seconds
The Location and First Image
3 minutes, 42 seconds
Capturing People and Emotions
2 minutes, 30 seconds
Photographing at Night
3 minutes, 31 seconds
Editing 1
14 minutes, 53 seconds
What's included in this course?
To begin your online course, learn more about Elaine Li's story, her background, and the role models who inspired her style. Hear how she got into photography and how Instagram changed her life.
Then start preparing everything for the shoot, beginning with the location research phase to better understand the place and its culture. Once you have studied the destination, Elaine gives you some photography tips and exercises to train your eye.
Analyze camera and lens before heading out to your location. Time to take action! Once in place, after exploring a few neighborhoods, learn how to capture emotions on the street and practice shooting at night.
After taking different photos, move on to the image selection and editing stage in Photoshop and Lightroom. To wrap up the course, Elaine explains to you how to share your work on Instagram, increase engagement and build meaningful connections with your followers.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Create a set of urban photographs, either during the day or at night, and retouch them in Photoshop and Lightroom.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
Anyone who is passionate about photography and wants to improve their shots during their travels to share them on social media.
Requirements and materials
A basic knowledge of a DSLR camera and editing software such as Photoshop and Lightroom is required.
As for the equipment, you’ll need a camera for shooting, a laptop for editing with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom installed, and a smartphone with Instagram.
Reviews
- 8 months ago
Absolutely loved the course! Well organised and plenty of useful tips! Danke!
- 9 months ago
This was a great workflow instruction for Urban photography from taking the photographs to editing and then promoting on Instagram.
- 11 months ago
Excelente curso me ayudó mucho para disfrutar más de mi viaje y de mi camara
- 1 year ago
very informative
- 1 year ago
Muy completo, facil de entender y rapido por si no tienes mucho tiempo o lo ves por partes como yo.
She is also very passionate about photography. When she was 12, her dad gifted her a digital camera, and she has been obsessed ever since. In 2012, she began sharing her work on Instagram, amassing over 261K followers. Currently, she works with brands to create content for social media, and capture photos for tourism boards and experience providers.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Preparation
- Preparation for Travel Photography
- Location Research
- Photography Tips
- Gear and Equipment
- U3
Capturing Moments
- The Location and First Image
- Capturing People and Emotions
- Photographing at Night
- U4
Selecting and Editing the Images
- Image Selection
- Editing 1
- Editing 2
- Sharing on Instagram
- Engaging with the Audience
- FP
Final project
- Urban Travel Photography for Instagram
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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FAQs
Yes, this course is designed for intermediate photographers with a basic understanding of camera operation and composition, looking to advance their travel and urban photography skills.
You’ll need a camera (DSLR, mirrorless, or smartphone), a selection of lenses if available, and access to editing software like Lightroom or Photoshop. A laptop for organizing and editing images is recommended.
Yes, the course covers location research techniques using digital mapping tools, Instagram location tags, and Google Maps for effective travel shoot planning.
You’ll learn wide-angle cityscape photography, capturing architectural contrasts, using reflections and symmetry, and applying street photography composition tips for dynamic urban imagery.
Yes, you’ll explore ethical techniques for candid people photography, capturing local culture, and creating expressive environmental portraits in public spaces.
You’ll learn to curate, edit, and optimize images for Instagram, use effective hashtags and location strategies, and create engaging posts to boost visibility and follower engagement.
You’ll master Lightroom and Photoshop workflows, including color grading, cropping, lens correction, batch editing, and creating consistent, visually impactful photo series.