The covers of each of my travel books feature original photographs of my own with some text designed by the publisher. I thought I’d share some insights into how all three came about.

For my second book, From Tibet to Egypt: Early Travels After a Late Start, I wanted to be a bit more ambitious. As this book was based on my travel journals and I had called out two countries in the title, I wanted a photo the included these elements. The journal is one I kept during the time covered in the book, the white prayer shawl is from Tibet, and the scarab is from Egypt. I will admit that the camera included was not the camera used during this time, though this one is far more photogenic and would be my travel camera years later.

This photo was again taken using the Nikon Z6, this time with the Nikkor 40mm f/2 lens at f/6.3 to accommodate for the natural lighting. Below is what I submitted to the publisher (left) and the final book cover that we agreed upon (right). I know one shouldn’t pick favorites, but this one is my favorite of the three.

Purchase select prints of mine: https://society6.com/jgtravels
Follow me on Instagram: @jg_travels