Q&A With Travel Photographer Paul Pichugin
Today we have the honour of talking to renown landscape, travel and commercial photographer — Paul Pichugin.
Paul is based in Western Australia, but loves to travel and connect with new cultures and people. He’s travelled extensively throughout Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Egypt, Jordan and United Arab Emirates.
His photography has been featured in publications internationally, been used in national and international tourism campaigns and also across several major TV networks.
AusTraveller: You’ve taken thousands of photos, each with their own unique story… But behind the canvas and through the lens is you — Paul the photographer. Share with us a little of your story…
“I’m a dad to 3 awesome daughters, fortunate husband to the best wife anyone could ask for, I also take photos for a living. I discovered photography quite young when my parents bought me a camera to use during our travels around Australia. I have a thirst and drive to find adventure and explore the world. I’ve been fortunate enough to work on travel and landscape photography projects in every state in Australia, 16 countries and Antarctica in the last few years. I absolutely love what I do, I often have to pinch myself and remind myself that this *isn’t* a dream!”
Austraveller: As a photographer you travel often, enriched by all that our world offers in natural beauty and wonder. Are there any specific places that inspire you or refresh you creatively?
“Within Australia the stand out location for me is Tasmania, I have travelled there often for work and every time I come back feeling refreshed & inspired and I start planning the next trip… actually to be completely honest, I usually start planning the next trip there before I’ve even left Tassie!
Outside of Australia my favourite locations to work in and explore have been Iceland and Antarctica, that said, I always enjoy travelling, meeting new people, experiencing and connecting with other cultures. If I could head back anywhere right now it would be either the Arctic circle (Iceland, Greenland &
Norway) or Antarctica.”
AusTraveller: Imagery has the power to both captivate and motivate change and action. Have you found this to be true in the business world, primarily for the travel and tourism industry?
“Absolutely, I work with many different clients spread around the world and have had the joy of seeing my work go “viral”, shared and viewed millions of times, printed in magazines and used in large marketing campaigns. One particular client had over 13 million people view the 360 degree virtual tour that I produced for them and has been close to booked out for the last few years as a result, they also had to expand their property to accommodate the extra visitors. I’ve also managed to have a few images that I’ve shot for clients be published in magazines like Conde Naste and National Geographic, which really helps raise awareness of the region and their business.
Beyond travel & tourism, I’ve also been privileged to work with a handful of NGOs around the world and have seen the images and videos I produced for them used to raise significant finances to further their causes. One NGO was able to build a new facility for their students that cost over USD$1M. The travel, tourism and commercial work helps me fund trips to volunteer with these NGOs.”
AusTraveller: To all the hobbyists and enthusiasts, and for the travellers reading this, what tips would you give to better capture the moment?
“There are a couple of tips. First and foremost is to be present and enjoy the moments, don’t view the entire world through the camera or your phone… to achieve this and to still get photos, you need to know your camera / phone inside out, so you can use it without thinking about technical settings.
The other main tip, particularly for travel photography, is to “look for the story”, everyone and everything has a story to tell if you listen and look for it, this is something I still have to remind myself of frequently. Photos that connect with people have a good story within them.”
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