In our latest edition of ‘Meet The Globestrutter’, we speak with Wendy Song, published travel photographer and co-founder of Evolusen – a members-only platform for travel, lifestyle and/or food focused creators. Born in Shanghai and currently living in Tulsa as part of the Tulsa Remote Program, we quizzed Wendy on her favourite trips of all time, best travel buddy and top tips for travel photography.
What has been your best trip ever?
Iceland! My husband and I were there for 10 days in February 2018 because I wanted to see the Northern Lights, which we did multiple times. We also experienced the Blue Lagoon, saw many waterfalls, explored the glacier caves, and stayed in a bed and breakfast that used to be a school right in front of a waterfall. It was a great experience.
Favourite place in the entire world?
I would have to say Los Angeles where I spent most of my life.
What’s on your bucket list?
All the places I have not been yet! However, a few on top of my list would be Thailand, Vietnam, Switzerland, Austria and New Zealand.
Your favourite travel buddy?
That would be my husband Sen (@sendowling). We go almost everywhere together and he’s the best travel companion. We had lows like sleeping on chairs in an airport for seven hours and highs like snorkeling in the Maldives together. We play and work together, and I couldn’t ask for a better travel buddy.
Tell us about three of your favourite travel pics:
I took this photo in the garden of Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma when I was visiting two photos I took that were featured in their THIS IS AN ADVENTURE: ACCIDENTALLY WES ANDERSON exhibit! This art museum was the first place my husband and I visited when we first got to Tulsa, so it was extra special to me when my photos are being exhibited there.
My husband and I went to Japan for our honeymoon in 2017, and we looked up all the fun things to do while we were there. Mario Kart was such a cool experience because we got to dress up and drive around Japan in this for a couple of hours. We got to see the Tokyo Tower and even drove on the rainbow bridge! It was really cold though, and the GoPro we had at the time did not have great stabilisation, so none of the footage was usable, but we had a great time and great memories that day.
This was on our Iceland trip in 2018, coming from LA, we didn’t really have a lot of clothes that were suitable for the weather so I brought and was wearing my snowboarding gear on this trip. We went to Southern Iceland with a tour group since we were worried about driving in a condition we were not familiar with. What you don’t see in this photo is the group of people behind the camera. We found everyone just grouped at a certain spot and stopped walking, so all we had to do was walk a few more steps to get this shot. Also, notice the overcast day? More on that below.
Your best tips for taking great travel pictures?
Cloudy and overcast days are your best friends. The sky won’t be blown out due to sunlight, you’ll get some epic cloud action, and have a lot more control on the lighting of the photo.
Visit a destination during their slower season to escape the crowds. This will also allow you to save some travel expenses, win win!
Shoot in RAW: This will allow you to have way more control over the colour of your photo. Be sure to always edit your photos! I use Lightroom and gently edit with Instagram if it’s being posted there.
If you could take a round-the-world trip right now and make three stops, where would you go?
Thailand and China for the food, Switzerland for nature and the awesome views.
Finally, what does travel mean to you?
I’ve worked in the travel industry for more than 10 years now and it’s part of who I am. I love being on the road and seeing new places and things I’ve never seen or heard of before. Traveling has opened my horizons to what is out there and what’s possible while bringing me so many opportunities.
Follow Wendy on Instagram @wenwensong and check out her travel blog at wenwensong.com
See also: Meet the Globestrutter: Fanis Pavlopoulos @fanellas
