Hello everyone! It’s Tina Erdmann here to share six quick travel photo tips.

As most of you know I recently traveled to Africa for six weeks where I attended the inaugural Workshops with Purpose and volunteered with CARITAS for Children. This experience was life changing. I not only learned a lot about myself, but I met hundreds of people—some of whom have become a major part of my life—and learned heaps about life in East Africa.

Whenever I travel, my goal in taking photos is to tell the story. Tell the story of the people, the place, and my experience. Here are six quick travel photo tips to ensure that you capture storytelling photos.

1. Ask permission to take someone’s photo.  For me, it’s the people who stand out the most and make my travels memorable. This is different for everyone—for some it’s food, for others it’s accommodation. When I’m traveling, I’ll walk right up to someone and start a conversation. I love hearing a person’s story. I love looking into his or her eyes. I was walking one evening while in Same, Tanzania and this woman’s colorful clothing caught my eye—and I love how Africans gracefully carry heavy loads on their heads. I walked right over to her and asked if I could take her picture. Unfortunately she couldn’t speak English, so I pointed at my camera and then pointed at her. She smiled wide and nodded yes. Luckily, as I was taking her picture, and we were laughing together, a young man was walking past. I stopped him to ask if he spoke English. He did, so I asked him if he would ask this woman if I could use her photo on the Internet. Some photographers even have each person sign a model release. I don’t go that far, but out of respect for them, I do make sure they’re aware of how I’m intending to use the photo.