S8 E91: My Advice for Aspiring Travel Photographers and Writers

Get the show’s transcript

[INTRODUCTION]

[00:00:00] YD: Welcome everyone. glad to see you today. And today I want to talk to you about one of the biggest things that holds people back in becoming a published travel photographer and writer that I see. And my name is Yulia Denisyuk. I'm a, award-winning travel photographer, writer storyteller, community builder, and entrepreneur.

[00:00:24] And today, I want to talk to you about one of the things that I often see in this travel media space. I've been working in this industry for the past six years. Publications like National Geographic, the New York Times, a far lonely planet and more, and, been really fortunate to travel to some incredible places around the world.

[00:00:47] And Travel Media Lab is my platform for helping. People break into the travel media space and we share thoughts, tips, advice, and stories, about this, industry, on this platform. 

[EPISODE]

So today, I want to talk to you about one of the biggest things that holds people back in becoming a published travel photographer and writer that I see, and that is people often come to me and say, but Yulia, I've never been published.

[00:01:15] I don't have any stories to my name. I don't have any bylines, in publications, so, What do I do? Right? And a lot of times people are afraid to even start approaching publications because they feel like they're overwhelmed. They feel like nobody's gonna wanna hear from them.

[00:01:32] and, they feel like they don't have the right background and the right education to be in this industry. So today I wanna talk about all of that, and I wanna talk to you about how. All of those things, don't really make sense in 2023, and I'll tell you why as well. But first of all, I wanna say that today I'm recording this, coming to you with this topic, from Valencia in Spain. if you're watching this, as a video, you can see that I have this interesting background behind me. It's because I rented a co-working space, here in Valencia, eight euros a day. Very, very cheap, opportunity to come and work in a co-working space, and it's.

[00:02:15] It's been a wild year for me already. 2023, you know, first three months of the year have, have just passed and in the first three months, I went to Doha in Qatar. I went to Sierra Leone. I went to the Arctic Circle, to do some, some stories there that I'm really, really excited about. And now I'm on, to Turkey next.

[00:02:40] Then I'm gonna be in Jordan and Puerto Rico. And, I was just invited to, attend an an event in Miami. In a few months where travel industry leaders are going to be. Coming together as well. So it's been a lot of, travels already, in the beginning of the year and you know, sometimes when you just take a step back and think about all of these things, you know, it's kind of crazy to be honest.

[00:03:06] Crazy, in a good way, of course. But, you know, just for me, it's important to sometimes step, step back and think about how far I've come and what my life has turned into in the. Six years. And it's, it's just incredible. and by the way, six years ago, it seemed really impossible that this would be my work now.

[00:03:30] But here I am, right. Here I am today. And. If I can do it, then you can do it too. Absolutely. But here's the thing though. You have to start, and you have to start from the very beginning, just like I did, just like everybody else did, right? When I started in the industry six years ago, I also, haven't been published, by anyone at that point, but I had something.

[00:03:55] That is really important in this industry, and I'll talk about it in a second. So you have to start, even if you have never been published, you, you cannot let that stop you from taking the steps that you need to get published and to start working with magazines and to start traveling and selling stories and doing all the things that you've, you wanna do.

[00:04:16] and you know, if you don't take those steps to start reaching to publications, to start learning how the industry works, to start learning how to pitch your ideas, how to work with editors, then nothing will happen. Nothing will happen on its own. a lot of people that, are in our travel media lab community or also telling me, well, you know, I've kind of been waiting to get discovered.

[00:04:40] On Instagram or on TikTok, or on on Twitter. And the thing is that yes, sure you can be discovered. I know people who have been, let's say, discovered this way by editors, but that's such a long time to wait. You know, Instagram and TikTok and Twitter are such crowded spaces. Why are you going to wait for that long?

[00:05:01] Why not start doing something already today? Right. One of the things that you wanna start doing is that you have to stop seeing yourself as a newbie who is overwhelmed with imposter syndrome.

[00:05:16] If you come into this with this mindset, I'm new. I haven't been published, I don't know anything. I don't know how the industry work and you know, I shouldn't even be here. I'm an imposter. That, mindset, that way of thinking is not going to get you very far. Instead, what you have to do is you have to start seeing yourself as a storyteller who has stories to tell, right?

[00:05:39] Why do you even wanna do this in the first place? Because you're fascinated by stories, because you wanna learn more about the world because you want to share stories about the world with others, right? I think for a lot of us, that's what motivates us, so start moving away from that limiting. Mindset of, you know, I'm a newbie, I'm an imposter.

[00:05:58] I don't know where to start, who is going to listen to me and start moving towards this, mindset of I'm a storyteller and I have stories to tell. And you can see how that already, that small shift in the way you see yourself, how that can help you in really understanding that you have a seat at the table.

[00:06:18] You have a right to be here just like anyone else, right? If you have stories to tell, if you have this curiosity, if you have this passion, you have the right to be here just like anyone else. And that's really, really important because when you shift your frame of reference in that way, you will start seeing that really nothing is impossible with the right guidance and with the right support, and that's really important, right?

[00:06:38] You're kind of building yourself up. You're saying, I have a right to be here. Yes, I haven't been published, but that doesn't mean much in today's world because what means more in today's world is that I have a point of view, I have a perspective, I have a passion, I have a curiosity. I have a willingness to learn.

[00:06:57] In today's world, if you have a voice, if you have things to say, you should use that and you should say, what you want to say, and it's just really important that you. seeing yourself in that limiting mindset of, you know, I'm an imposter. I'm a newbie. I've never been published. And start seeing yourself as a storyteller who has stories to tell.

[00:07:18] And here is why in 2023 to say that I've never been published. And to use that as a sort of a challenge or an obstacle or something that stops you from taking action. Here's why it's not so relevant anymore in 2023. I see a very positive trend in the travel media industry and that trend is that more publications than ever before are open to working with new writers, immersion writers and photographers who have never been published before.

[00:07:52] You know, when I started in the industry six years ago, it was a different space because this was really a very closed space. if you weren't already part of the industry, then to get into the industry was really hard because it was like this secret that everybody was kind of holding sides.

[00:08:10] And, you know, you had to kind of belong in that club and it was really difficult. You know, for me, I, I've talked about this before, but for me, it took years to really get established in the industry and to really, you know, build my way into this industry. But right now, in 2023, that is just not the case.

[00:08:31] That is just not the case. A lot of conversations are happening, in publications and magazines. That are about that exact subject, which is how do we open more, right? How do we include more voices, more perspectives in, into our, magazine? How do we tell fresh stories that we haven't perhaps, told yet?

[00:08:52] And there's this really. big push and a really important initiative on the behalf of magazines to do that. To open up, to open their doors, right? To be more transparent. Even I've talked about that before, that publication guidelines are up online now. if you Google how to pitch a farm magazine or how to pitch Conde as traveler, you will see their publication guidelines, which are really a step-by-step instruction for.

[00:09:19] On how to pitch them. And that was not the case before, right before you, you didn't know how to pitch afar. You didn't know how to pitch Conde as traveler. You didn't know which editor is responsible for which section, and all of that. So it's a huge shift in the industry. And so, If you're sitting right now and you have this aspiration that you wanna work with magazines, you want to travel and learn about the world,and do stories about the world, but you have this hesitation because, well, you, you say it to yourself.

[00:09:51] I have never been published before in 2023. That hesitation doesn't make sense anymore. Maybe before it did, but right now it doesn't make sense because again, I see. Magazines, I see publications are being much more open to new writers, to emerging writers, to emerging photographers who have fresh ideas, who have things to say, who are passionate about a particular topic or a particular theme. if you have those things, if you have, again, if you have a voice, if you have a perspective, you have to use it. You have to use it, and you have to act on it because the publications are looking for you. if you're just kind of sitting on the sidelines and worrying and not doing anything, but having those aspirations, they're not going to find.

[00:10:37] Right. They're not going to find you in some magical way. You have to actually put yourself forward and to get them notice you. And how do we do that? We do that by reaching out to them. We do that by pitching them our ideas. We do that by by introducing ourselves, by sharing what we're working on.

[00:10:57] If we're a photographer, for example, right? All of that needs to happen proactively from us, from our side, because the editors are not gonna come looking for you. Trust me, I. I know they're, they're not going to come looking for you. They, you need to let them know about yourself, right? So again, if you are an aspiring, travel journalist, travel writer, travel photographer, if you are having this hesitation that says, you know, I've never been published before, who is gonna listen to me?

[00:11:32] I am here to tell you that people are ready and willing to listen to you. As long as you take the steps necessary to put yourself out there. So don't let that hesitation stop you, because again, in 2023, many publications are very open to hearing from new and emerging writers and photographers. And so long as you send them fresh ideas, so long as you send them stories and,so long as you take action.

[00:12:04] Then things are going to be happening for you. And you can start making real inroads, in this industry just like I did, but perhaps even, more effectively than I did because now the industry is very different today than it was six years ago because again, it's much,the publications are much more open to hearing from people that they've never worked with before.

[00:12:26] So it's a great time right now if that's one of your aspirations, if that's what you wanna do with your life right now is a really, really great time to, to, to take action and to start doing things, you know, and I always advocate for action. but smart Action. Action. that is strategic action that is prepared, right?

[00:12:46] We wanna be prepared when we're reaching out to these publications, and we wanna do it in a smart and thoughtful and strategic way. And we want to send them great pitches that are very,well thought out and that have, a great fit with the publication, is doing. and there is so much information out there nowadays on how to actually do it.

[00:13:09] And, many people are offering support, are offering guidance, on that, and I am doing that as well. Right. You know, our travel media lab community, we have, Several programs that we offer that, have that support, that have that guidance, that teach you how to do all these things. And so you can use that now.

[00:13:30] It's a great time to be entering this industry because so many options are available to you that weren't available, when I was starting out six years ago. Okay? So don't let that hesitation, I've never been published. To stop you from taking action if this is what you want to do. And I just wanna mention that we are opening, enrollment to our program that offers that support and that guidance that I was talking about very soon.

[00:13:57] I run this program called Introduction to Travel Journalism. It's a six month program that teaches you the foundations of this industry. Everything you need to know to start making those inroads. including again, how to pitch, how to work with editors, how to work with tourism boards. We have ton of support and, and structure and the community piece.

[00:14:20] that's part of it as well. the program starts enrolling dismay, but here's why you might wanna pay attention right now. What I'm about to say next is that the only, people. Who will be notified that the program is open for enrollment are the people who joined our wait list. If you're on the wait list on our email list, you will get an email notification that the program is open.

[00:14:45] If you're not on the email waiting list, you're not gonna get that notification. Okay? So if you are considering. Getting that support, getting that guidance, and starting to make inroads into the industry, then I encourage you to go to travel medialab.com/class. And join our wait list because the only people who I will be sending a notification to that the enrollment is opening are gonna be people on the wait list.

[00:15:13] And this year I'm only running this program once. I used to run it twice a year, but I'm not able to do that anymore with my schedule. So if you're interested, In this industry, in the travel media industry, if you're an aspiring travel photographer, travel writer, or travel journalist, or a travel blogger who wants to work with publications, then don't miss this announcement.

[00:15:36] Don't miss this opportunity because we're only opening this program once this year. we're opening enrollment this May, and again, the only people who are, going to be notified that, enrollment is opening. Our people who joined our wait list, so be sure to do that. It's travel media lab.com/class, and I encourage you to start doing things and to start taking action because again, if you are just sitting there and wondering and thinking that, you know, I haven't been published, so.

[00:16:12] That means nobody wants to listen to me and what do I have to offer that is not going to get you anywhere, right? That is not going to get you anywhere. It's really important that you shift that, frame of reference into the one that says, I'm a story teller and I have stories to tell and people want to hear from me and then start reaching out to those people.

[00:16:32] It's super, super important. Okay. That's how. Things happen in 2023. so I hope this was useful to you and, I hope you have a wonderful, rest of your week and I will see you guys soon. Thank you so much for listening to us today.