The Traveling Photojournalist

If you’re a photojournalist by trade, what would your photos look like when you traveled for leisure? More than your skills, what kind of experiences would you bring to your “time off” photography? These are the questions one might ask Jason Lang, a Paris, France-based newspaper photographer who takes refreshingly honest travel photos.

“Whether I’m traveling or not, I typically photograph people. Beyond anything else, that’s what I’m drawn to, so it’s usually what I focus on,” he says. “I just try to shoot things that catch my eye. As a newspaper photographer, I try to find the focus of each photo so that I convey the message of the story. For me, travel photography is the same. I focus on a singular element within the frame, in hopes of telling a little story.”

What one might enjoy most about his photography is that you can sense that he loves to explore places with his camera. “It’s just fun wandering around a place I’ve never been taking photos. I don’t think about it too much. It goes hand in hand with traveling whether you’re a professional photographer or not. I usually find a balance between taking photos and just exploring like a regular tourist. Some days, my camera doesn’t leave my bag.”

Out of all of the places he’s traveled to, where does Lang like to shoot the most? “South America is still pretty wild and overwhelmingly beautiful. You encounter an endless scene of deserts, mountains, beaches, cities, jungles, slums, small towns…. it’s incredible. Israel is complex and fascinating. Whether you’re religious or not it’s a mind-blowing place to see first hand. The amount of important historical and religious places is never ending. Jerusalem feels like a movie, it’s surreal. And Paris is well Paris, a very impressive city aesthetically and culturally…. I think it has the best of everything and the French people are really warm, you just have to at least try to speak French.”

PARIS