If you’re traveling alone, how do you get yourself in your photos?

Here are a few options:

Hold that arm out, grin at the wobbling lens, then click! This usually eats about forty shots before more of your face than your top hair tuft appears in the resulting photo. Furthermore, your big honkin’ head will inevitably totally obscure the cool tourist attraction behind you. Hypothetically, if you are trying to photo yourself in front of Angkor Wat, the three massive spires of the temple may come out as two tiny devil horns atop your head and one puny and gray unicorn horn.

Just take photos of other things and people and hope your soul comes through in the artful way you shoot your subjects.

Feign utter incompetence at trying to take that one-handed shot of yourself. (This will not be hard.) Do a “click,” look at the resulting photo, then sigh loudly and tragically. Glance forlornly at all surrounding tourists. Make a big show of setting up the next one-handed photo and ensure that your arm wobbles like a delicate fern in the wind. Alternately, you could stop being so passive-aggressive and just ask for surrounding folks to snap the picture.

Stay close to Japanese tourists. They love taking photos, and they know how slick cameras work. They do! Inevitably, their guide will lead them (and thus you) to the best angle, then allow them ten minutes to set up their tripods and snap every permutation of photo. They will always offer to help you with your photos, too!

Steer clear, duh, of anyone who looks aching to steal your shiny camera, or, slightly less duh but still duh, people who look utterly electronically incompetent. One elderly Australian woman literally took twenty photos of my feet at a temple, all the while screaming: “I don’t see the photo! Where is it? It’s all black!” At last she gasped, “Ooh, I was just seeing black because I was wearing dark glasses. Whoopsie! Give me your camera again.” Thank heavens her husband had grabbed the machine by then and had managed to fit my whole form into a shot.

Try to have friends! Clearly, this is not always possible (sniffle sniffle), but the best photos seem to be when one is nice and relaxed– even extra creative or silly. When I tried to pull a “ta da!” pose in front of a temple, the entire flock of Japanese tourists taking the photo started chanting, “Ooohhh mama!” Sheesh– all I was going for was, “ta da!”

In sum: Try everything. Something is bound to work eventually.

Lillie taught for six years in the Boston Public School System. Now she’s traveling the world. You can follow all of her travels on her Around the World blog.

My Photo on NYTimes.com

I’ve always been a fan of The New York Times. Before I even went on my summer trip to Ireland and Northern Ireland, I knew I wanted to take at least one awesome picture that would hopefully be added to The New York Times “Why We Travel” photo gallery.

Low and behold, I checked the gallery this morning and found my photo of the Antrim Coast in the UK folder, along with a few hundred other awesome travel photos from all around the world.

Check out the submission page on NYTimes.com and upload your own photos. Make sure to share a link or screenshot in the comments if your photo is published.

Get your picture in soon because they will select the top photographs for a special gallery to be published on October 11.

Last week, photographer and World Traveler Intern finalist Jessie Barber helped us out with a few travel photography tips designed to make you the next Bruce Dale.

After surveying Jessie and some of our STA Travel experts at our STA Travel stores, we came up with a list of the best travel photography resources available on the Internet. Take a look at our list and add your favorites in the comments below.

Best Sites for Inspiration

National Geographic – The standard bearer for travel photography with a ton of great images to give you the spark of inspiration you need.

Flickr Travel Photography Group – Over 34,000 members contribute some of the best travel photographs you will ever see from all over the world.

Bella Luce – Sometimes the perfect photo is right in your own backyard.

NYTimes.com – Check out the multimedia section of the Travel page and even the general news photos. Great photography can happen anywhere.

Best Sites for Uploading Photos

A Top Photo Spot: Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland

Flickr – Probably the most popular photo sharing site with a lot of great groups.

Picasa – This photo sharing site also has an easy-to-use photo editor.

PhotoBucket – Makes it really easy to share photos across e-mail, MySpace, Facebok and Blogger.

Adobe Photoshop Express – The online – free – version of Photoshop also offers 2GB of storage space for your photos.

Best Free Programs to Edit and View Photos

GIMP – The open source equivalent of Adobe Photoshop is both powerful and free.

BlueMarine – If you like Adobe Lightroom, but don’t want to spring for your own copy, check out this open source alternative.

Picnik – A simple, online photo editor.

Adobe Photoshop Express - The free online relative of Adobe Photoshop is easy to use and offers a few nice features.

Best Sites for Camera Reviews

Digital Photography School – Get reviews on cameras, camera accessories and even computer hardware to work on your photos.

CNet – The popular electronics review Web site has a special section for digital camera reviews with photos and often video reviews.

DPReview – Reviews of an insane amount of digital cameras and lenses.

Digital Camara Info – Reviews on this Web site include sample photos to let you judge the performance yourself.

Best Sites to Make Money from Your Photos

Photosecrets – Check out a free guide on how to sell your photos.

Shutterstock – Get $0.25 per download of your photos.

iStockPhoto – Photographers earn 20 percent royalty on all of their photos downloaded.

BigStockPhoto – Get $0.50 to $3 per photo downloaded, depending on the size.

Best Sites for Tips and Tools

PhotoLinks – A giant list of photography tutorials.

CambridgeInColour – If you can’t find the tutorial you need at PhotoLinks, you can probably find it on this Web site.

Smashing Magazine – A great site for tips on photography, editing and Web design. Take your photos and build an online home for them.

Photo.Net – If you need some advice or have questions about photography, this is one of the largest communities of photographers on the Web.

Best Sites for Photography Trends and News

Canon Rumors – If you are partial to Canon, this is the place to hear all the latest news and rumors on your favorite cameras.

Nikonians – If you are more of a Nikon fan, this Web site has the latest news and information for you.

Photo District News – The most up-to-date information on photography trends, news and gear.

Photocritic – Some great photography tips and hints.

Giant’s Causeway Photo Credit: Qole Pejorian on Flickr

Photographer Photo Credit: Ctwirler12 on Flickr

Techniques and Rules

It’s important to keep your camera steady to make sure you get a clear shot. Even though stability is important, I don’t necessarily recommend a tripod, as they are usually large and cumbersome. Unless you have something small that can fit in your bag, it’s probably a good idea to leave it at home.

Your best tool is going to be the information you obtained before starting on your journey. With the right camera and settings, there are few images that are impossible to capture. A high ISO and shallow depth of field will help you in low light situations. Be sure to have a focal point. Become familiar with the rule of thirds and how it can help your compositions. Keep in mind how looking at something from a different angle can be refreshing.

What to Photograph

Whatever element made you decide to travel, be sure you express that in your photos. Aside from entertaining your friends and family, you will also be more satisfied years down the road when you look back on your memories.

Architecture - From Washington, DC to India, you’ll find architecture that will blow your mind. Get

You Might Want to Take a Picture of This

up close and record the details, but don’t forget to stand back to see the big picture. Be careful about using your flash, as it can create unnatural shadows to make your photos look stale. If you have the opportunity, use a wide angle lens. It will allow you to shoot a small area easily, which is especially great if there are many other people around. If you get out of the city, record nature. Sometimes you may run into wildlife, but for the most part you’ll become witness to beautiful beaches, sunsets, mountains, and greenery.

People – My favorite subjects are people, as they are what makes each culture so different and fascinating. Try to shoot candidly, but again, be courteous of someone’s desire to be photographed. Being hospitable and friendly will get you miles ahead of the rest. These photos are great way to remember the people you meet along the way, and helps put a face to the stories you will tell back home.

When photographing individuals it’s important to soften hard lights if possible. Shooting when the sun is at high noon doesn’t help a photo, so using a fill flash would be appropriate. If possible, use a shallow depth of field or tone down any distraction in the background, this way the person will in fact be the main subject. If you plan on publishing your photos, write their information in your notebook in order to obtain permission down the road.

By preparing yourself before you embark, you can handle anything that comes your way. Since most of us are now in the digital age, you can shoot to your heart’s content without regretting wasted film. In the end, it’s important to shoot what you want. It’s your journey and you should record it however you see fit.

Jessie Barber is a passionate photographer from Columbus, Ohio, who was also a finalist for the STA Travel 2009 World Traveler Internship. Make sure to follow her on Twitter, check out her photography portfolio, her Flickr and her blog.

Photo Credit: prakhar on Flickr