The Travel Photographer of the Year awards therefore exist to honor and celebrate the best that travel photographers accomplish each year. Every single submission is exquisite and successfully accomplishes the criteria of inspiring wonder and awe in the photo’s viewer. We imagine that sifting through every single submission to choose the winners is the most enjoyable and difficult task. Take a look at some of the winners and runners up’ submissions to the prestigious photography award.
Awe-Inspiring Photos
Petar Sabol, Croatia
There is truly an entire world beneath the surface of the ocean. Deep down, the waves hide an ecosystem of creatures that us land-dwellers cannot even fathom. Luckily, travel photographers have explored and captures some stunning scenes for us to see.
Petar Sabol, Croatia
In this incredible photo, land and sea creatures encounter one another. Photographer Petar Sabol was able to capture the exact moment that a kingfisher latched onto its prey. Sabol took this photo near his home in Gorican, Croatia while out fishing in a canal.
Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
One of the greatest aspects of photography, and travel photography especially, is that we are able to travel endless miles to regions we might never have access to in real life. There, we can learn about people who live entirely different lives from us.
Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
Malaysian photographer Danny Yen Sin Wong took this incredible photo of a young boy who is a member of the Suri tribe, who dwell in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia. Women of the tribe don long traditional copper bracelets.
Roie Galitz, Israel
Many of us will never have the opportunity to travel to rural areas in order to photograph wild animals in their natural habitats. Most of us may encounter such animals in zoos, but there seems to be something much more real about seeing them in their natural environment.
Roie Galitz, Israel
Israeli photographer Roie Galitz was in Svalbard, Norway, when he had the opportunity to witness a family of almost emotional-looking polar bears in transit as they made their way of migrating north.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Many times in life, our problems can become way too overwhelming to the point where we do not know how to channel all of our stress an anxieties. Many people around the world turn to meditation and prayer in order to seek comfort.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
This young girl in Bagan, which is in the Mandalary region of Myanmar, has stopped for a quiet moment of prayer at a temple that is on the way to her school. Bagan is home to many Buddhist temples.
Ignacio Palacios, Spain
Igancio Palacios is an internationally celebrated photographer originally from Spain. He is particularly known for his many photos of travel and landscapes. Through his photography, viewers are able to see exotic animals that are not typically encountered on a daily basis.
Ignacio Palacios, Spain
Palacios’ work has been featured in notable publications including National Geographic, Lonely Planet guides, and Australian Georgraphic. He took this incredible image of a chameleon’s vibrant tail as it is changing colors and adapting to its ever changing environment.
Zhenzheng Hu, China
Many times photographers are able to capture a magical moment in time that viewers would simply not notice. Photographers often have an eye for seeing the bigger picture (no pun intended) and are then able to capture stunning scenes.
Zhenzheng Hu, China
Photographer Zhenzheng Zu took this marvelous photo in Zixing, which is located in the Hunan province of China. Hu brilliantly capture the soft light that filters through the fog over the river, all against the lush forest backdrop. The fisherman’s boat is gorgeously contrasted in front of the landscape.
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
One of the most wonderful aspects of great photography is the ability to create a grandiose piece of art with just a few simple yet powerful details. Often, this comes with the cost of great risk to the photographer as well.
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel Van Oosten, a photographer originally from the Netherlands, shared his experience: “The Grand Tsingys are a rare geological phenomena. The rocks are razor sharp. I climbed up during the night to be able to photograph this climber in the early morning.”
Stephen King, Hong Kong
The world is a profoundly complex ecosystem that contains a plethora of habitats and natural occurrences. While you might live in an area where hurricanes are run of the mill, others might be used to tornados, and someone else might be horrified just by the idea of both.
Stephen King, Hong Kong
In some regions, volcanoes are perfectly normal to see. Hong Kong photographer Stephen King, not to be confused with the author, took this snap of the Kilauea Volcano found in Hawaii, spewing out lava. It is one of the most active volcanoes in the state.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Natural occurrences in nature are quite beautiful to see, but so are interesting moments of humanity. One of the main reasons to travel is to experience cultures outside of our own and seeing what traditions and daily rituals are normal to people around the globe.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Italian photographer Mauro di Bettio captured this photo in Verges, which is a small town in Catalunya, located in northeastern Spain. The man in the photo dances an ancient dance called “Dansa de la Mort,” which has been performed since the Middle Ages.
Edward Graham, United States
Sometimes photographers must go to absolute great lengths to get that perfect shot. American photographer Edward Graham did just that in order to get this dazzlingly beautiful photograph of the sunlight hitting a block of iceberg at just the right time and angle.
Edward Graham, United States
He explained: “to capture this image, I laid prone on the surface, aligning my camera with the ice block and setting sun in the distance. The ice block lit up with golden hues, emitting a visual warmth that belied the cold of this wonderful place.”
Florent Mamelle, France
When it comes to photography, there are many different methods of capturing a viewer’s eye. Many photographers choose the route of focusing on the art of zooming in on details. Others instead focus on the grand scheme of things and capture a complete view.
Florent Mamelle, France
Florent Mamelle of France managed to give the viewer a complete view of many vast components, including a giant lava-spewing volcano, the night sky, and the backdrop of the whole scene. You can even see the Milky Way in the top left of the sky.
Fuyang Zhou, China
While many have opted to become photographers as their main profession, a lot of people discover a love for the art a bit later on in life and choose to pursue it as a hobby instead of their main job.
Fuyang Zhou, China
Chinese photographer Fuyang Zhou considers photography as hobby as opposed to a full time job, but that doesn’t mean her photographs are any less stunning. In this incredible photo, she captured the moment in which a bird is gracefully feeding a worm to another bird.
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel Van Oosten from the Netherlands has captured a stunning photograph of the rare and elusive Qinling golden snub-nosed monkeys, even though people have rarely encountered the unique species before. Just about 3800 of these monkeys exist and they are sadly endangered.
Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
These beautiful creatures feature an entire rainbow of colors on their bodies, starting from their powdery blue faces to their orange face framing fur, down to their gold and taupe hair along their bodies. Their long tails drape elegantly behind them as they sit regally.
Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
Not every award winning photographer is a professional. In fact, not all are fully grown adults! Fardin Oyan is from Bangladesh and has always had a fascination with gadgets and cameras in particular. In 7th grade, he convinced his father to buy him a camera.
Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
He shared: “I was so happy that I can’t describe that moment in words. The camera felt like a magical box to me. After that moment, I decided to take the path of photography seriously and now photography has become the part and parcel of my life.”
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Many times, photography captures not only interesting or unique places, but also historically important ones as well. Matjaz Krivic is a photographer from Slovenia who travelled all the way to Yemen in order to capture beautiful photos of important locations.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
This small town found in the Haraz mountains of Yemen was once the stronghold of the Sulaihid dynasty which ruled during the 11th century. What’s incredible is that many of the same buildings stood the test of time and still intact today.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
While documenting animals and locations are important components of photography, a facet that is just as important and fascinating is documenting humans around the globe. Krivic travels around the world and prides himself in telling people’s stories.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
He has travelled and photographed sights for over 25 years and has won many awards for his work. In this stunning up close photo, he captured a teenager named Onno, who is part of the Arbore tribe, which is located in southern Ethiopia.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
One of the most powerful aspects of photography is the ability the photographer has in capturing an emotion so powerfully that the viewer can feel the full impact of it just by looking at the photo. Philip Lee Harvey did just that.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
The photographer, originally from the UK, decided to head to West Africa and photograph the local sand divers. The divers free dive, which is very dangerous, in the Niger River to collect sand from the riverbed in order for it to be used in the local building industry.
Andrew James, United Kingdom
Although this does look like it could be the poster art for the next Pixar or Disney movie, this is actually a very real encounter of two species, captured by photographer Andrew James, who is originally from the United Kingdom.
Andrew James, United Kingdom
James took this amazingly adorable photo and was able to capture the moment of meeting when an elephant seal and Gentoo penguin crossed paths. Sometimes life really is stranger than fiction. We wonder what the rest of their meeting looked like.
He Jian, China
A good photographer knows how to perfectly capture a moment in time that does not just show what is happening at that exact moment, but also comes together to tell a whole story. Chinese photographer He Jian accomplished that with this photo.
He Jian, China
Here we see Jian’s talent in creating a full story by capturing a photo of villagers dressed in traditional clothing on their way on a pilgrimage despite the snowy and tough conditions. Despite the bitter cold, these people forage on.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
While many award winning photographs show a more serious side of life, a lot of photography captures the lighter things as well. Philip Lee Harvey, who is from the United Kingdom, did not travel too far from his home base for this one.
Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Harvey’s photo shows a particularly snowy day in England’s capital, London, with Big Ben in the hazy background. Although the bitter cold may give off an austere vibe, things are balanced out by the cheerful snowman right next to the Thames.
Yingting Shih, Taiwan
Sometimes, photography transcends from producing just a photograph. A great photographer does more than take a picture, but also creates a piece of art. This is the case with Taiwanese photographer Yingting Shih and his incredible photograph of a red crane.
Yingting Shih, Taiwan
Shih capture the red crane while it’s cleaning its feathers. In this moment, Shih was able to photograph the bird in the shape of a taijtu, which is a symbol representing Taiji, the Supreme Ultimate. The Supreme Ultimate is a concept from Daoism in the Dao De Jing, which envelops the yin and yang symmetry.
Scott Portelli, Australia
Sometimes, photography is more than just the subject of the photograph itself. That is when photography becomes art: when it can represent more than what is presented in the image itself. Great photographers are able to achieve this monumental task.
Scott Portelli, Australia
Scott Portelli, a photographer originally from Australia, has managed to freeze time in this amazing photo. In the depths of the Kaikoura canyons of South Island, New Zealand, we see a dusky dolphin easily gliding through the water in search of food.
Ben McRae, Australia
Often, travel photographers will take the time to venture far far away from their home countries in order to discover and take photos of entirely new sights. Ben McRae, originally from the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia traveled to Africa.
Ben McRae, Australia
McRae explains that although he does love photographing his own country, he also enjoys visiting Africa in particular because it gives him new things to explore and discover. Here he has beautiful captured a tiny little shop on the side of the road in the desert that sells beer and soft drinks.
Isabella Smith, United States
Not every talented photographer is necessarily a professional. Such is the case with Isabella Smith, who is from Collierville, a small town in Tennessee, and who happens to be just 14 years old. She found that she always struggled focusing in school, so she turned to photography.
Isabella Smith, United States
She explained that she finally found something that she could focus her attention on. “This really grabbed my attention! I thought this local boy using oranges as balls, was the opposite of kids in my country playing with expensive toys.”
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Although he originally hails from the beautiful country of Italy, Maruo Di Bettio has made it his mission in life to travel anywhere and everywhere in order to photograph and document the lives of everyday people all around the globe.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Here he has taken an artistic shot of two young boys who struggle getting through life and surviving. Di Bettio explained their heartbreaking reality: “Taj and Akash travel every day from station to station with their mother, begging to make a living.”
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
When we do not broaden our horizons are explore beyond what we call “normal,” we cannot understand other people around the world. This is why travel photography is so important. Slovenian photographer Matjaz Krivic brilliantly captured a universal moment of children playing in a “playground.”
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Though the playground itself is not universal, playing and imagination is relatable to every child no matter where they are from. Krivic captured these kids playing and climbing up a minaret of the Grand Masjid found in Bani, Burkina Faso in Africa.
Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
Sylvia Michel, who is originally from Switzerland, captured a gloriously stunning image that incorporates so many elements in one shot. This seems like a photo that could be used as a background of a computer screen, it just seems so unreal in its beauty.
Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
She says: “When I created this picture – a lot of people asking me if this is a wolf. And of course a Swiss white shepherd has a lot of wolf in it. It was the reason for me to buy me a dog like this. He’s not a typical pet, he has the majesty of a wolf and of course he has a lot of it’s character!”
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Although beautiful scenery and animals are a beautiful aspect of travel photography, another popular subject for travel photography is the daily lives of locals. This is a great way to be exposed to and learn about other cultures and how we are similar and how we differ.
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Czech photographer Magdaléna Straková took this amazing photo of a young mahour. A mahout is an elephant keeper and trainer, who is typically assigned to an infant elephant and remains with the same elephant throughout its life. This young mahout is shading himself from the sun under his elephant, Shanti.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
If you ever plan on visiting, Budapest, Hungary, one of the most do attractions is visiting a bath house. These relaxing baths are a unique experience not to be missed. Stefano Pensotti, of Italy, captured the essense of the Hungarian bath house in this photo.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Here we see men playing chess and unwinding with some beers in the Széchenyi Baths. These thermal baths were built in 1913 and have since become one of the most popular baths in the city.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Some travel photographers have a preference for the type of photos they enjoy taking the most in the midst of their travels. Slovenian Matjaz Krivic has become known for his photos of humanity in many different locations all around the globe.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
He manages to take seemingly mundane moments of everyday life and turn them into art. For example, here he captured a group of shepherds heralding cattle and continuing on with the day’s tasks despite the dusty and unbearable heat of the day.
Paul Sansome, United Kingdom
How many of us can say that we have been to Iceland? It is not usually on the top of people’s lists of countries to visit, but it sure should be! Iceland’s scenery is absolutely stunning and totally different from what most of us are used to.
Paul Sansome, United Kingdom
Paul Sansome has taken a gorgeous photo of the stunning landscape that Iceland has to offer. The country ranges from having large and vast beaches, volcanoes, and waterfalls. Local Icelandic people respect nature and do what they can to protect the wildlife and habitats.
Frans Lanting, The Netherlands
Frans Lanting, originally from the Netherlands, traveled to Botswana in order to capture beautiful photos of the local wildlife there. He then encountered this beautiful herd of elephants congregating together at dusk and he had to take this beautiful shot.
Frans Lanting, The Netherlands
He said: “I waded into a water hole to capture a shimmering reflection of a gathering of elephants at twilight, with a full moon suspended in a luminous pink sky. The image is my homage to the primeval qualities of southern Africa’s wilderness, the grandeur of elephants, and the precious nature of water in a land of thirst.”
Alejandro Prieto, Mexico
Many people have a fascination with wild cats, and it is clear to see why. These regal animals are not only beautiful, but absolutely fierce as well. Mexican photographer Alejandro Prieto has chronicled the lives of Mexican jaguars.
Alejandro Prieto, Mexico
In a series of photos that have won a top photojournalism prize, Prieto captured images such as this one in the mountain of Sierra de Vallejo. In order to mark their territory, the jaguars scratch up the bark of trees in order to leaves marks of warning to others.
Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Spain
One of the greatest aspects of travel photography is that it opens up our senses and reveals ecosystems and creatures that we might not have ever even imagined could possibly exist. All these travel photos have certainly given us the travel bug!
Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Spain
Spanish photographer Javier Aznar González De Rueda was in the kitchen of a lodge he was staying at when he noticed this unusual creature. Naturally, he rushed to capture the moment and was able to take a photo of the mother protecting its child, all against the dazzling blue sky as a backdrop.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
When we say that travel photography is art, we truly mean it. For those who do not believe us, we would like to point you towards the photography of Spanish photographer Cristobal Serrano. He artistically captured the Errera Channel in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
He was able to achieve these incredible photos with the use of a drone. This image captured an ice floe jutting outwards. We can also see a bird’s eye view of crabeater seals swimming around the ice, eating their favorite food: krill.
Jan Van Der Greef, The Netherlands
Dutch photographer Jan Van Der Greef captured this incredibly stunning photo at just the right time. The hummingbird is known to be one of the fastest bird in the world, beating its wings at an unbelievably fast rate, but he managed to immortalize this moment forever in a photo.
Jan Van Der Greef, The Netherlands
The bird spread out its wingspan against a spiked plant outside in the garden of the hotel he was staying at. Jan Van Der Greef explained: “their fast movements to me symbolize the freedom of our imagination.”
Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain
When we travel, we encounter sights that sometimes take our breath away. We can see sights that may not even seem real to our eyes. When we cannot physically travel ourselves, photography allows us to explore the world as well.
Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain
Spanish photographer Orlando Fernandez Miranda took this photo atop a sand dune in the Skeleton Coast. The blending of weather elements creates a beautiful photo. We see sunshine of the warm afternoon mixed with a dense ocean fog, and a strong wind coming from the northeast. All three in one frame is simply intriguing.
Marco Colombo, Italy
Photography in its essence is a documentation of the goings on of the world. While photos of scenery are marvelous, there is something exciting about a photo that captures a fleeting moment. This is what Italian photographer Marco Colombo managed to do here.
Marco Colombo, Italy
While driving through a small village late at night, Colombo suddenly spotted a bear roaming around the town. He immediately turned off his car and observed. He then managed to quickly take this photo before the bear disappeared back into the darkness.
Michael Patrick O’Neill, USA
While knowing all about proper angles, lighting, and timing are all important components of photography, there are many other techniques to know in order to take stunning photographs. To capture this gorgeous shot, American photographer Michael Patrick O’Neill incorporated several techniques.
Michael Patrick O’Neill, USA
O’Neill utilized several types of shutter and flash settings in order to, as he puts it, “create a sense of movement.” Through these settings, O’Neill’s photo is able to mimic the movement of the flying fish as it moves about the water elegantly.
Jen Guyton, Germany / USA
American photographer Jen Guyton was able to take this beautiful photo while she was traveling around the Namib Desert, which is located across Namibia, South Africa, and also Angola. When she spotted this unusual plant, called the welwitschia, she had to stop.
Jen Guyton, Germany / USA
She said that it looked “like something out of a Dr. Seuss book,” and she had to take a photo. She captured the strange but beautiful plant just as the sun was setting. The wlewitschia is able to live up to 1000 years.
Núñez Montero, Spain
While a lot of travel photography is intended to capture beautiful scenes of nature around the world, sometimes it can also portray very real moments as well. Spanish photographer Núñez Montero captured this heartbreaking moment of a mountain gorilla’s life.
Núñez Montero, Spain
The mountain gorilla, named Kuhirwa, holds her baby that has passed away. Through her grief, she is unable to accept letting go and continues to groom it for week after its passing. This photo shows the universal sorrow of a mother who has lost her child.
Georgina Steytler, Australia
Many times in life, we end up doing something that is totally different from what we originally set out to do. Australian photographer Georgina Steytler experienced just that. She originally intended to go out and photograph the local bird, but her attention was diverted.
Georgina Steytler, Australia
Instead, she was drawn towards these colorful wasps, who were working very hard along the edge of the water. They were rolling up the wet mud into balls in order to take them to their nests and create a space in which to lay their eggs.
David Herasimtschuk, USA
Just as humans tend to do, animals in the animal kingdom often find themselves in a battle of life and death. American photographer David Herasimtschuk incredibly managed to document this fight between a nothern water snake and a hellbender salamander.
David Herasimtschuk, USA
On the fight, Herasimtschuk observed: “I’ve seen hellbenders display an array of behaviors, but this was by far the most remarkable.” In the final moments of the struggle, it seemed like salamander would win, but the snake managed to narrowly escape with its life.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
In yet one more gorgeous photograph taken through a drone, Cristobal Serrano has zoomed in on the lives of the crabeater seals beached out on this ice floe. You can really see how relaxed they are, laying around and resting.
Cristobal Serrano, Spain
The ice floe is their home, and without it, they don’t have a chance to survive. Ice is continuing to melt and shrink, and it is endangering not only the lives of the crabeater seals, but also their food source.
Arshdeep Singh, India
Sometimes life is truly stranger than fiction. In these cases, it really is great when a photographer is able to capture the moment so it lives on forever. Arshdeep Singh of India was able to accomplish this in this adorable photo.
Arshdeep Singh, India
Singh astutely spotted these two birds flying into waste pipes and patiently waited for them to come out in order to capture this perfect shot. They eventually started peeping out of the pipes and seemed to be looking directly at the camera!
Perez Naval, Spain
Animals living out in the wild might seem totally foreign to us, but often they are quite similar to us in ways that we might not have expected. Perezel Naval of Spain was able to capture a universal feeling in this photo.
Perez Naval, Spain
Here we see a duck dozing off on the Barents Sea as the morning light softly reflects off the water. The long-tailed duck is just one of the types of birds that can be found in the Barents Sea, home to one of the largest populations of seabirds in the world.
Skye Meaker, South Africa
There’s something truly mesmerizing about wild cats. Maybe it’s because they are like giant versions of our version, the cats we keep as pets. It might just be the fact that they are beautiful and utterly graceful. Either way, they’re amazing.
Skye Meaker, South Africa
South African photographer Skye Meaker traveled to the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana where she visited the ever elusive and shy leopards. Though they’re tough to photograph, Meaker has found a way to snap this stunning shot of a sleep leopard.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
This incredible and vibrant photograph is so amazing that Stefano Pensotti won the Photographer of the Year, Overall Winner Award in 2018. Pensotti traveled all the way to Senegal to photograph the Great Mosque of Touba and capture this stunning image.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
He has somehow encompass the piety but also dynamic feel of the mosque in one photo. The detailed patterns of the structure’s intricate decorations juxtaposed with the worshipper’s clothing is simply breathtaking. It’s no wonder that he won the top prize.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Every type of artist eventually finds a niche that their personal style best fits into. Like Martin Scorsese excels at gangstr films, Georgia O’Keefe goes for floral paintings, photographers also tend to have a particular type of photography they are constantly drawn to.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
For Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti, documenting the simple and beautiful moments of daily life is his specialty. In this photo, he captured a man sharpening his sickle and is contrasted against a mountainous background. The steel juxtaposed with nature shows Pensotti’s eye for detail.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti’s interest in photography started out when he was very young. At about age 14, he began studying the techniques of the darkroom. He continued to learn the trade of photography, and then decided to go on the road.
Stefano Pensotti, Italy
By combining his two passions of travel and photography, Pensotti has been able to take beautiful photos and document the lives of people all around the world. Many of these people are typically not the subject of photos, so it’s great that he gives them exposure.
Nicola Young, United Kingdom
One of the things you have to prepare for while traveling is that you cannot really prepare for everything. You could have done all the research possible, chosen the best route, packed every thing you think you might need, and then life gets in the way.
Nicola Young, United Kingdom
UK photographer Nicola Young was visiting Port Louis, Mauritius, when Cyclone Berguitta hit. The cyclone obviously impacted the whole trip, and Young was able to escape the storm of the beaches. She was able to capture this photo of a fish market in Port Louis.
Oscar Tarneberg, United Kingdom
Some of the best photography does not focus on any one particular subject at all. One of the best perspective is that of the bird’s eye view, which zoom way out and takes a photo from above. Often these are taken with drones.
Oscar Tarneberg, United Kingdom
UK photographer Oscar Tarneberg traveled to China and captured this fantastic photo of cars zooming by on a busy Shanghai highway. This intersection connects many routes of the city and has perfectly summarized the chaotic energy of Shanghai.
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
As humans, we tend to forget that we share this world with many other creatures. In fact, most of the time, many different species are interacting with one another and we humans rarely stop to think about this fact at all.
Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Czech photographer Magdaléna Straková has captured this fleeting moment of two very different species converging momentarily. We see several dogs hanging out on the street while migrating birds fly by them. The winged creatures’ shadows graze upon the land’s creatures for a second.
Antwan Janssen, Netherlands
Sometimes it is important to travel outside of our comfort zones in order to learn and grow. Travel photographers have truly taken this idea to heart, going to all different corners of the earth in pursuit of beautiful photos.
Antwan Janssen, Netherlands
Antwan Janssen, originally from the Netherlands, takes pride in capturing beauty in all of his work. He says that he can find the beauty in every subject, regardless of what it is. He enjoys traveling in and out of the Netherlands to photograph wildlife and landscapes.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Italian photographer Mauro Di Bettio has found a way to find the beauty of an image, even if it depicts a harsh reality. He traveled to the slum of Char Kaliganj located in Dhaka, Bangladesh to explore people’s lives there.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
He photographed the shipyards there, which are the largest in Asia and employ 15,000 tireless workers who break down old ships in order to make new ones. The workers are all betwen 8 and 80 years ols and endure tough and dangerous conditions in order to earn meagre wages to feed their families.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Slovenian photographer Matjaz Krivic tends to focus on human subjects, and often Krivic chooses to visit impoverished countries in order to explore their daily lives. He focuses on highlighting the local people’s traditions, religions, as well as any social unrest.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Here he has captured a stunning image at the Golden Temple, which is located in Amritsar in the state of Punjab in India. The temple is the holiest site for those practicing Sikhism and therefore serves as their pilgrimage site.
Sue O’Connell, United Kingdom
There are many holy sites and structures around the globe that we might not have easy access to, and therefore it is both important and interesting to see photos of these sites that have been captured by travel photographers.
Sue O’Connell, United Kingdom
UK photographer Sue O’Connell travelled to the capital city of Oman, called Muscat, and has photographed a man entering the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque there. The holy structure was built in 1993 in the contemporary Islamic style. Its interior is even more extravagant than its exterior.
Josien Van Geffen, Netherlands
When writers experience writer’s block, advice that is usually given is “write what you know.” This can also be applied to photography. If you’re feeling uninspired, just look around you because inspiration really is everywhere. We wonder if Josien Van Geffen was thinking this when he snapped this photo.
Josien Van Geffen, Netherlands
The Dutch photographer captured a funny moment in which a father has thrown a towel at his son’s direction. Due to the strong winds of the day, the towel was caught on the boy’s head! You can almost feel the wind’s strength when looking at the photo.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Italian photographer Mauro Di Bettio is truly the master of capturing the subtly of human expression. Sometimes it’s not all about capturing majestic landscapes and scenery, but in the simple art of conveying the complexities of human emotion. Here is the perfect example.
Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
In this photo, Mauro Di Betto was able to capture this young boy’s expressive emotions, in his face and eyes in particular. It speaks volumes about the photographer’s talent that our eyes are first drawn to the boy’s emotions and not the funny costume he’s wearing.
Jose Antonio Rosas, Peru
Jose Antonio Rosas, who is originally from Lima, Peru, start out his career in photography back in 2007. He had travelled to Antarctica and was so taken by its landscapes and wildlife that he was inspired to pick up photography.
Jose Antonio Rosas, Peru
He continued working in finance while practicing photography until 2015, when he took time off from his career in finance and focused on photography full time. He has since been totally focused on photography, and that is clearly evident in his work.