As a photography enthusiast myself, capturing the beauty of a place is essential during my travels, especially if I have a story to go with it. Of all the striking travel destinations in the world, those ideal for photography often stand out for the natural blend of colors, nature and sunlight. Based on my previous travels and some hearsay, these are some of my personal favorite spots to take the perfect picture.
1. China
The poetic setting of karsts-studded Guilin, languid waters of Yangshuo River and the phenomenal Great Wall in Beijing – there are literally picture-perfect spots in every corner of China. This country is especially favored by landscape photographers, owing to the bountiful rivers, mountains and valleys littered throughout.
Flickr photo by Jack French
Flickr photo by Blazej Mrozinski
2. Peru
Some of our best shots were taken in Peru. It’s a heaven for photographers, whether you specialize in landscapes or human portraits. One group of people I particularly enjoyed photographing was the Uros tribe who lives on Lake Titicaca. Clad in brightly-colored traditional costumes, with dark silky hair and weathered faces, their ingenuity shines through in the photos. Of course, the emerald green terraces of Machu Picchu make powerful shots, especially when the afternoon sun rises.
3. Morocco
Morocco has that special charm that draws you in to a world of chaos, raucous noises and outrageous aroma. Another personal favorite, the buzzing Djemma el Fna square in Marrakesh is perfect for the hedonistic photographer, who likes to capture secret moments. Morocco has got so much to offer – from the Atlas Mountains to the sprawling Sahara Desert. With such diversity, your photos will also flicker from one extreme end to the other.
4. Laos
Of all of IndoChina, Laos is the only place I’ve never been and I’d always wanted to visit. The combination of bright orange robes that monks adorn, with the golden shimmering temples as the backdrop, Luang Prabang sets the scene for some challenging photography. Here, you can play with colors and also capture the faith present. Floating villages along the Mekong River are also intriguing objects to feature. It’s a good idea to include Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in your next trip to Indochina.
Flickr photo by whl travel
Flickr photo by jmhullot
5. The Galapagos Islands
Undoubtedly the best place in the world to photograph wildlife, the Galapagos Islands are nature’s masterpiece. Endemic animals roam freely, you can easily bump into a lazy sealion lounging on the beach, or a giant yellow land lizard hiding under the shade of a cactus, and even swim with hammerhead sharks. The best part is that due to the long isolation from human beings, these animals are not afraid of humans and tend to get close and sniff around.
6. The Himalayas
Home to the world’s highest peaks, the Himalayas range separates the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. For the hardcore landscape photographers, the endless clear skies and white snow-peaked mountains make for some phenomenal shots. Intriguing architecture and smiley locals in Tibetan villages are most frequently photographed. This is one place I’ve been longing to go, will be visiting Ladakh, the Indian Himalayas next month, will be back with more photos!
Flickr photo by Magda & Maciek
Flickr photo by artisrams
7. Tanzania
Personally, for great portrait shots, Africa is the place to go. In Tanzania, people are friendly and children love to hang around. When I was volunteering in Tanzania, I would take pictures of my students or children on the road. When I showed them the picture, they would always giggle or tease each other – honestly, those were some of my best memories. Get deeper into the heart of Tanzania, and you’ll find yourself capturing the essence of its people. Of course, for wildlife buffs and landscape photographers, there are endless choices – Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park and Lake Manyara.
*All the photos that are not credited were taken by myself and Alberto Molero, they cannot be used without my permission.
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I've got to add Mongolia – it was the most stunning cultural and landscape photography I've done!
Great list!
An awesome list of travel destinations, some of your above destinations are those that I would like to travel there (higher up on my priority list) e.g. Laos, Himalayas & also my own list of travel destinations.
U had an awesome travel blog here ! Keep traveling & sharing !
JH http://www.photojournalist-tgh.tv
Thanks Enghui, such kind words! Out of the the list, I've actually never been to Laos and the Himalayas. Will be off to the Indian Himalayas this month, cant wait!
Sherry, Mongolia!! I'm green with envy. It's THE one place I've been wanting to go. In fact, I was deciding btw India and Mongolia – but the trans-siberian railway would take up too much time. But definitely top on my list!
The pics of travel destinations are amazing….beautiful places must be explored by every traveler…
love these photos, thanks for the inspiration
Great suggestions Nellie! China is high on our list! I would also like to suggest not to miss India for photography. Such a huge country with so many different opportunities to capture moments, landscapes, festivals etc. Loved it for photography!
Dave and Deb! Thanks for the suggestion – we’re headed to India in 2 weeks’ time! Sure to catch some good shots there, looking forward to it.
I was lucky enough to go to China. It really is amazing. would highly recommend going to bei jing and Xi' an.
This is a great list! I was lucky enough to spend a significant amount of time in China, and if you want to get some really beautiful shots, I would recommend a trip to the southwest province of Yunnan. From Kunming (the provincial capital) head to Tiger Leaping Gorge for some beautiful hiking that offers a lot of opportunities for some beautiful photographs.
You really need to add Central Australia to this list. If you take a bad shot there, throw away your camera!
Wow, I feel like I've visited a lot of great places to photograph, but never been to any of these. They are on my wish list.
Really nice blog but you missed Cyprus here. I have visited most of these places and i totally agree with you these places are really beautiful. The pics in this blog are really great and a pleasure to watch.
Thanks Pooja, would really love to visit Cyprus someday, will definitely add it to my list of destinations!
Awesome blog. The next best thing to being there in person.
Aww that\’s a huge compliment, many thanks!
nice fic and great Photographer
Ladakh is super gorgeous
I was there 2 years back for a prigilmage
It was breath taking
WOW, great photos, we here at Austin-Lehman Adventures love to see amazing photos of beautiful destinations. You also made a great list of locations to travel to. We go to three of those locations: Machu Picchu, Morocco and the Galapagos. You should check out our Galapagos photos! http://bit.ly/naWFVD Another amazing location to take photos is Tuscany, also if you like stories that go with photos you should check out our blog on Tuscany http://bit.ly/oV9pI
Thanks for sharing this list, great stuff!
WOW, great photos, we here at Austin-Lehman Adventures love to see amazing photos of beautiful destinations. You also made a great list of locations to travel to. We go to three of those locations: Machu Picchu, Morocco and the Galapagos. You should check out our Galapagos photos! http://bit.ly/naWFVD Another amazing location to take photos is Tuscany, also if you like stories that go with photos you should check out our blog on Tuscany http://bit.ly/oV9pI
Thanks for sharing this list, great stuff!
I loved Guilin, but then I visited Yangshuo the next day and thought it was even more impressive. Loved that whole area, and hadn't heard of either of them prior to my recent trip to China (as part of a 5-month, 15 country adventure)
Yangsuo was awesome, even better than Guilin.
-Todd @ Visit50.com
And of course a Good Camera is always an added advantage along with some photography skills
. I use my iPhone4 to take photography, not an optimum tool, but thankfully the photos turn out ok. Great tips by the way Nellie.
Totally agree about China and Peru. Truly stunning countries, but China has the unfair advantage that it is absolutely huge country, of course you are going to have some stunning photography opportunities.
I’d also add Hong Kong to that list (I don’t count it as part of China
. Small place maybe compared to some of the others, but offers so much different opportunities.
I’m so jealous of you right now, these destinations are a photographers paradise. I love the locals in Laos working in the fields.
Just amazing. such lovely pics, loved them so much. But you missed Ladakh.
Awesome Love the collection you have here.would recommend a trip to the southwest province of Yunnan.
Galapagos would be number one for me… great list by the way, great photos too!