By Tata Rossi 19 days ago, Professional photography
These landscape photographers know how to capture nature in the best light. Who are these people? What is their secret of conveying the breathtaking beauty of landscapes in every corner in the world?
When compiling this rating, I decided not to limit it to time-honored names, but also to add great landscape photographers who will define this genre going forward. Even though it’s impossible to make a list that will include every talented artist. Hope, you’ll agree with my choice.
Location: UK
Thomas is a British photographer who specializes in landscape and traveling genres and is rapidly earning his place at the top. His portfolio includes a stunning variety of different styles, and Heaton also runs an inspiring YouTube channel, where he uploads encouraging videos about landscape photography. His fans love his sincere, energetic vlogs and images and consider him to be the best landscape photographer out there.
Thomas adores hiking and focuses on finding the perfect location at the most opportune moment rather than chasing after expensive camera gear. Heaton’s other sources of income come from publishing his photographs in popular magazines and organizing workshops dedicated to his favorite genre.
Location: USA
Ted is a California-raised landscape artist who managed to get worldwide recognition thanks to his refined style distinguished by unconventional compositions and alluring photo editing. Gore’s photographs demonstrate his impressive versatility and capability to turn even an odd and seemingly unpleasant scene into the best landscape photo ever.
As a photographer, Ted strives to push the horizon of natural imagery. Staying in tune with current trends, Gore has no trouble admitting the value of image post-production and relies on several techniques to guarantee his work tells the story he wants. Thanks to his efforts, Ted was announced the “USA Landscape Photographer of the Year” in 2015. Other than hosting workshops, Gore also produces popular instructional videos that give his audience useful knowledge on how he creates his work.
Location: USA
Erin began as an art historian, who used photographs for her lectures and research before transitioning to the role of a wilderness photographer. Babnik has an energetic, revealing style that combines risky adventures, contemporary techniques, and classic art education, allowing her to take one-of-a-kind landscape photos.
Nowadays, Erin visits countries all over the world to host the best landscape photography workshops, speak about her personal experience and landscape photography in general. Babnik is also a part of the renowned Photo Cascadia group of nature photographers. Regardless of whether you’re reading her book or attending a workshop, you’ll get to enjoy Erin’s amazing mixture of historical, philosophical, and teaching thoughts, which made Babnik one of the best landscape photographers and speakers of her generation.
Location: Italy, the Lofoten Islands
Daniel is a Russian-born photographer who began his career taking amazing landscape photos of a lake in the Moscow region. Kordan’s pictures convey the beauty of nature like no others while featuring an abundance of mesmerizing golden lights. Daniel is also known for his capability to immerse his followers with creative Instagram captions.
Cordran won numerous photography prizes and his works were published in Digital SLR and Discovery among many other magazines. You can find his works in ad campaigns produced by Apple, Gazprom, and RedBull. He also regularly organizes workshops and expeditions for rookie photographers, who want to learn more about the genre from one of the best landscape photographers out there.
Location: Canada
Catherine is a self-educated photographer and illustrator that grew up in Canada, all the while capturing the beauty of the wilderness and nature around her. At one point, she abandoned her career as a stylist and model in Quebec, spending the next four years traveling around the globe and sharing photos with her followers, primarily via Instagram.
Nowadays, Catherine made world exploration her full-time job as she keeps taking some of the best landscape photos and artworks you’ll ever see while hosting photography workshops and sharing her knowledge worldview with her fans. Simard’s most notable partners include Sony and Gosselin Photo. Catherine’s main drive is to encourage her followers to venture outside, witness the beauty of our world with their own eyes, and understand why we have to preserve it.
Location: The Netherlands
Coming from the Netherlands, Rive made his first trip to the Swiss Alps when he was only five years old. Even back then, Max instantly felt his connection to mountains and nature.
His photographs show perfect light usage and will amaze you with their beauty. You can also often find a single human figure in his landscape photos as Max loves to show the scale of things to make the scenes even more visually impressive. Rive has a prestigious IPA award in his collection, which serves as proof that he belongs to any list of landscape photographers. He also offers a chance to purchase his backstage processing videos.
Location: USA
Mandy is an American landscape photographer who built her entire life around her work as she travels across the country in a small teardrop camper. Lea is currently conquering the Grand Canyon with fellow photographers and moviemakers while taking astonishing photos in the process.
Mandy treats photography as a mean of meditation and aims to share things with viewers that they wouldn’t usually see and encourage them to try out things they wouldn’t have tried. Other than hosting workshops, recording videos and guides, Lea also designs beautiful calendars that feature her works so consider getting one for yourself.
Location: USA
Michael is a great example of the “early bird catches the worm” rule in action as he began his path as a photographer and moviemaker when he was only 16.
Shainblum quickly became known for his imagination and knack for taking creative, surrealistic pictures and videos that always told a captivating story. Unsurprisingly, big brands such as Nike, Disney, and Google were immediately interested in his work. You can also see Shainblum’s amazing landscape photos in popular media channels like National Geographic and the Wired Magazine. Make use of this opportunity and check out Michael’s free tutorials.
Location: USA
Hillary isn’t just one of the great landscape photographers of her generation, but she also manages to find time to work as a community nurse. She’s in her element when surrounded by wilderness, barren landscapes, and mountains. Younger leads a nomadic lifestyle, having lived in 24 different locations in the last 30 years. Her defining personality traits are restlessness, creativity, and curiosity.
Hillary particularly enjoys taking photographs during the golden hour. She states that the sunset and sunrise hours allow her to use light and color in the most subtle of ways, transforming everyday landscapes into revered scenes and taking photos with vibrant tones and interesting details that have an aura of mystery.
Location: Canada
Callum is one of the best landscape photographers who can be defined by a single word – wanderlust. He moved to Canada dreaming of a career as a winter sports athlete, but his passion for traditional landscape photography quickly took over his competitive ambitions. In a couple of years, he learned how to use a camera like a pro, acquired the necessary business and creative skills, and became a full-fledged landscape photographer.
Snape typically likes to wait for a couple of days before editing his photos. He prefers to have the image stay on a shelf for a while so that he can edit it in a calm and collected state of mind. With nearly a million subscribers on Instagram, it’s no wonder he made it into my list of the top landscape photographers.
Location: Italy
Even though Tabacchi always had a special connection to nature, her transition to photography was rather abrupt. Isabella considers a digital “negative” to be only the first step in creating a photograph. She doesn’t shy away from changing an image during post processing completely so that it better reflects the scene she imagined when taking it.
Tabacchi’s most notable photos were taken in the Alps, as she feels most comfortable when surrounded by mountains. You can find Isabella’s works both on the web and in notable print media such as National Geographic, Daily Mail, and N-Photo. Tabacchi is the winner of several international contests namely Monochrome Awards, IPOTY, OPOTY, and numerous others, making her possibly the best landscape photographer today.
Location: Greece
Kiakotos Charalampos is a Captain in Oil Tanker vessels, who is also interested in photography, taking images in Greece and worldwide. He believes that by visiting different parts of the globe, you can enrich your life with unique experiences and memories.
He treats life as a special journey and this is probably the main reason why he decided to become a seaman. He likes traveling the oceans and marveling at the beauty of our planet, especially its far-flung corners unavailable to most people.
Kiakotos think that his personal mission is to photograph unique places and magnificent views and share his images with others. Landscape and nature photography has become his genuine passion, and this lifestyle fully correlates with his professional route. When he got his first camera, he felt photography was his true calling and his desire to connect people and places all over the world bloomed in full glory.
Talking about his work, he claims he is both a seaman and a freelance landscape photographer. These occupations formed a balanced whole, allowing Kiakotos to capture awe-inspiring places and help other people see them as well.
Location: USA
Bagshaw was originally known as a hiker and mountaineer, but the desire to immortalize his adventures in the form of slide shows soon led him to photography. Over time, traditional landscape photography became his main passion.
These days, he focuses his attention on mountain photos instead of climbing. Moreover, Sean can spend up to 3 months each year in search of the ideal lighting conditions while sleeping in a truck or tent, whichever makes it easier for him to take the perfect picture./p>
Location: Canada
Elizabeth was born and raised near Vancouver and is currently 24 years old. Being brought up in such a scenic region, Gadd quickly became passionate about hiking across the nearby woods, hills, and ocean, all the while falling in love with photography.
Gadd got her first camera when she was 12, and she immediately started taking nature photos, slowly forming her style that usually involves a combination of breathtaking landscapes and portraits (typically starring Gadd herself) that made her who she is today. Other famous photographers characterize Elizabeth’s work as fairytale-esque, magical, serene, and oozing wanderlust. She strives to take the best landscape photos possible to inspire other people to establish a more meaningful connection with nature and their inner selves.
Location: USA
Michael is a professional photographer, who is mostly known for his landscape and wildlife projects. He adores sharing his experience and wants to help his colleagues improve their photography skills. His blog contains heaps of useful knowledge as Frye uses it to tell the secrets of landscape photography and gives an insight into his workflow.
Frye published numerous books and his articles are featured in the best landscape photography magazines. Michael especially likes to experiment with lighting, which he uses to establish a lyrical, whimsical, or mystical atmosphere. Michael is an old-school American landscape photographer as he only goes on local expeditions. However, that doesn’t stop Frye from taking stunning nature photos, especially during the golden hours.
Location: USA
Tiffany successfully manages to combine two careers, being a dental surgeon and a travel photographer. She has a passion for hiking, landscape, and lifestyle photos, and draws most of her inspiration from visiting new locations and being acquainted with foreign cultures.
Being an active adventurer herself, Nguyen wants to encourage other people to venture outside and forge their own unforgettable trips. Over the years, she amassed together a diverse travel photography portfolio, having cooperated with popular companies and tourism agencies such as Sony, Amazon, Destination Canada, and Apple. You can find Nguyen’s photos in Huffington Post, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, and several other media outlets.
Location: USA
Patricia Davidson is an American landscape photographer. She gained recognition, photographing nature in Oregon. Patricia has over 20 years of experience. The forests and beaches of the Pacific Northwest are her favorite locations. She began her four-year tour in 2015 to capture the beauty of the nature of the American West.
Patricia collaborates with Fuji Love Magazine, Scott Kelby's blog, and Visual Wilderness. You can see how renowned works in Landscape Photography, To & From, Country Woman, Loaded Landscapes, and Outdoor Photography. In addition, Patricia is engaged in web design. Her love for nature and desire to show ordinary things in an interesting way made her one of the best landscape photographers.
Location: Canada
Edward Burtynsky's works differ from the photos of classic landscape photographers, as his main goal is to depict the effects of human intervention in the world of nature. Edward captures the terrible consequences of human activity.
His amazing landscape photos impress many people because of a special attention to the details. In addition to aesthetic value, Burtynsky’s photographs have a deep social meaning.
Location: UK
Justin Minns is engaged in traditional landscape photography and he collaborates with English Heritage and National Trust on a regular basis. Justin is searching for new photography ideas in his home area, Suffolk, England.
This is another proof that you do not have to spend a lot of money on expeditions to become a successful photographer. His works impress many people with a magical atmosphere. Justin created a guide for photographers called “Photographing East Anglia,” which describes the most beautiful places in the region. In addition to photographing, Minns organizes workshops.
Location: USA
Ansel Adams is one of the best landscape photographers of our time. In addition to photography, this American artist takes parts in campaigns for the Earth protection.
This theme prevails in most of his photographs, though the most recognizable works feature US national parks. Adams is also known for introducing the “zones system” – the technique, which is used to measure the best range of tones and highest photo quality. He created the “f/64” group together with like-minded colleagues. His books “The Camera”, “The Negative”, and “The Print” have become real bestsellers in the photography world.
Location: USA
Michael Kenna has been working in photography for over 50 years. His works are the best landscape photos by many world experts. Photography fanciers can easily recognize pictures taken by Michael among hundreds of other images.
Kenna developed his own unique style. His strict black and white photographs are characterized by a very unusual look. To achieve this effect, the photographer took his pictures at night with a 10-hour exposure. The photographer has received many awards while his pictures are exhibited in the world’s famous museums.
Location: USA
David Brookover is one of the top landscape photographers of our time with a very specific approach to landscape photography. He lives in Jackson Hole, Wisconsin and runs his own gallery, organizes exhibitions.
The photographer loves to take pictures of winter landscapes. Therefore, in the summer, he works in the gallery, and in the winter, he sets off on a journey to find inspiring, picturesque views. Brookover is a big fan of traditional laboratory photo-developing process. He likes experimenting with vintage photography techniques. David uses such techniques as Silver Gelatin, Platinum Palladium, Bromoil, and Photogravure that are almost abandoned by his younger colleagues.
Location: Brazil
Sebastião Salgado used to be a successful economist with a deserved place in the banking sector. He often travelled abroad on business trips and most often visited Africa. At first, Sebastião took pictures for himself.
However, he decided to change the occupation, which was a good idea, since he has become one of the best landscape photographers out there. The main topic of his works is environmental protection and the beauty of wildlife. He wrote a book called “Genesis” that later served as a basis for a documentary. Sebastião Salgado has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2001. Check out his inspiring and revealing TED Talk to find out more about this ideas.
Location: Singapore
Brett Weston is the son of one of the best landscape photographers, Edward Weston. His father taught him the basics of landscape photography, which motivated Brett to keep developing his skills and vision.
Weston Jr. made a real revolution in the world of landscape photography, producing abstract, a bit fancy pictures with increased contrast. He convinced the whole world that the quality of pictures is independent of whether you use the best landscape photography lens or simpler optics. Many people find his works quite controversial. However, the photographer tried to prove that photo art has no limits and restrictions.
Location: Italy
Franco Fontana showed the world one of the best landscape photography examples. He developed his original style, characterized by minimalism and abstractness. The photographer conveys his vision of the world in this way.
His photographs are filled with bright colors and have been presented at more than 400 exhibitions around the world. He has collaborated with such print media as “The New York Times”, “Time-Life”, “Vogue France”, and “Vogue USA”. Fontana organizes master classes at the universities of New York, Brussels, Tokyo, Rome, Paris, Toronto, and Barcelona. This fact speaks of his great professionalism.
Location: Japan
Takeshi Mizukoshi has been close to nature from an early age. He was a student of the Forestry Department at Tokyo Agricultural University, but quitted it and began working as a naturalist, and later as a photographer.
His main passion is the mountains. Unlike pictures of other great landscape photographers, only very few photos of this artist can be found on the net. However, you can see them in books and at exhibitions of famous museums. Although having explored even that part of his works, you will be amazed, how beautifully and this artist conveyed the majesty of the nature. His photographs ooze peace, serenity and special life philosophy.
Location: USA
Galen Rowell became one of the best landscape photographers, thanks to his talent, hard and persistent work. He neither had photography education nor used expensive equipment. However, the photographer managed to achieve great success and present the world with many outstanding works.
He began his activity in 1972. Rowell preferred to use reliable and compact Nikon FE and FM2 cameras instead of bulky professional equipment. Galen spent several hours in harsh weather conditions, trying to catch the moment with the best lighting and capture the gracefulness of the nature in front of him. Not all photographers are ready to work so hard and regularly to take good shots.
Location: California, USA
Sapna is a physician and a photographer, and when she started capturing landscape images, she donated them to medical centers.
Initially, she just documented her travel and adventures. Later on, this evolved into a process of creative expression. The images generated had less to do with the scene in front of me and more to do with my feelings towards the landscape.
Lately, she’s been drawn to the minimalistic approach of creating compositions. She strives to make her images feel uncluttered and convey a sense of serenity. When editing images, her goal is to shape light, color and texture in her images to convey a sense of depth and create focal points that the viewer’s eyes will rest upon.
Location: UK
I included Fay Godwin on this list of landscape photographers because of her outstanding black and white photographs that attract attention by skillfully set shadow and light accents. She mainly shot landscapes of the British coast and countryside. Her interest in photography first appeared in the mid-1960s, with portraits of her younger kids being her first works. Later, she tried shooting landscapes.
She did not just photograph beautiful scenes, but studied the history of the area, collaborating with specialists from different science fields. Fay Godwin was an environmentalist. Many of her photographs show the negative effects of human intervention in the nature world.
Location: UK
Charlie Waite is a true legend of the landscape photography art. His works stand out among thousands of other pictures thanks to their elegant, unique style. Charlie studied the basics of acting and worked on television and in the theater for some time. Such an occupation encouraged him to study lighting techniques, which consequently brought him to photography.
Charlie Waite’s shots have calm and peaceful atmosphere. Most of them are a part of private collections, though you can find remarkable images in some famous museums. He is the founder and owner of Light and Land, Europe’s leading photographic tour company and workshop. In 2007 Charlie launched UK Landscape Photographer of the Year competition a yearly international photography event aimed at finding the best UK nature photographers.
Location: UK
Nadav Kander lives and works in London. He is not only a famous photographer, but also an artist and director. His famous works became the covers of world-known magazines and advertising campaigns.
Many of Kander’s photographs have been exhibited in famous museums. His style is minimalistic. In 2009, Nadav Kander received the “International Photographer of the Year” award at the Year 7th Annual Lucie Awards, which is given to the most unique landscape photographers. The Art Director’s Club and IPA in the USA also awarded him the prestigious prize.
They often take images of majestic mountain ranges, serene coastal scenes, vast deserts, lush forests, and breathtaking sunsets. They often seek to capture the beauty and grandeur of nature, showcasing the diverse landscapes found around the world.
The International Landscape Photographer of the Year (ILPOTY) is a highly prestigious award that recognizes outstanding achievements in landscape photography globally. Additionally, the Outdoor Photographer of the Year (OPOTY) competition also includes a dedicated category for landscape photography and is regarded as a prominent accolade in the field.
The earnings of landscape photographers can vary greatly depending on factors such as their level of expertise, reputation, clientele, and the market demand for their work. While some successful and established landscape photographers can earn a substantial income through a combination of print sales, licensing, workshops, and commissions, others may supplement their income through other photography genres or related ventures.
