There’s one thing really humbling about standing in entrance of an unlimited desert dune or watching icebergs drift silently underneath a pastel-pink sky. Through the years, my journey as a journey photographer has taken me to locations that really feel just like the Earth is quietly exhibiting off, unveiling landscapes carved by time, formed by climate, and stuffed with color and life in essentially the most sudden types.
Every journey has been extra than simply an opportunity to take pictures.They’ve been stuffed with moments to attach with nature, with stillness, and with that childlike sense of awe we frequently overlook within the rush of each day life. From the gentle silica sands of Whitehaven Seaside to the towering spires of Bryce Canyon, these pure wonders haven’t solely crammed my digicam with photographs, but additionally helped me develop a deep appreciation for the wild great thing about our planet.
On Earth Day 2025, I needed to pause and replicate on the locations which have impressed me essentially the most, locations that remind me why we journey, why we discover, and why it’s so essential to guard the environments and landscapes we {photograph}. Under is a set of 16 pure wonders I’ve been lucky to {photograph}, every distinctive in its magnificence, and every a testomony to the unimaginable variety of landscapes we share.
Whether or not you’ve visited these locations your self or are including them to your dream checklist, I hope they encourage you to see the world a bit of in another way – to note the small particulars, the grand vistas, and the delicate wonders that make our planet so particular.
1. The Namib Desert & Sossusvlei, Namibia
The world’s oldest desert stretches alongside Namibia’s Atlantic coast, its ochre sands formed by millennia of wind. At Sossusvlei, large dunes glow at dawn, some towering over 300 metres excessive. Deadvlei’s bleached clay pan, with its skeletal camelthorn timber, feels timeless. The close by Kaokoveld area, a distant wilderness, contrasts with rugged mountains and ephemeral rivers the place desert-adapted elephants roam.
Discover extra: Photographing the Dunes of Sossusvlei + The Namib Desert
2. Ilulissat Icefjord, Greenland
This UNESCO World Heritage website showcases the immense energy of ice. The Sermeq Kujalleq glacier, one of many fastest-moving on the earth, calves huge icebergs into the fjord, which drift silently by way of the bay. The towering ice formations are mesmerising, sculpted over centuries, and function a vivid reminder of our planet’s altering local weather.
Take a peek at a information to the area: Ilulissat, Greenland – The Greatest Images Experiences
3. The Atacama Desert, Chile
Because the world’s driest non-polar desert, the Atacama is a panorama of extremes. Wind-sculpted valleys, salt flats, and flamingo-dotted lagoons sit beneath the gaze of Andean peaks and volcanoes. The desert’s geology, formed by volcanic exercise and tectonic forces creates a surreal, textured canvas, with night time skies among the many clearest on the earth. Panorama photographers will love the mixture of large open areas and intricately textured patterns and tones discovered throughout the area. My favorite spot, Piedras Rojas, it was so laborious to grasp the size of the scene…additionally, don’t miss Mars Valley or the Valley of the Moon, each good and near San Pedro de Atacama the place I stayed on the unimaginable Awasi Atacama…take a peek, it’s such a stunning desert retreat.
Learn extra: Capturing Excessive Decision Pictures of the Andean Altiplano with the OM-1
4. Nice Barrier Reef, Australia
Spanning over 2,300km, this dwelling reef system teems with vibrant coral gardens and marine life. Dwelling to over 1,500 species of fish and numerous different creatures, it’s a fragile underwater world formed by coral polyps over millennia. Diving beneath the floor or capturing aerial views reveals its immense scale and complex magnificence. I spent 5 years dwelling on Hayman Island with direct entry to the reef, it’s someplace that impressed my love of the underwater world, offering the proper yard to follow and snorkel at varied pockets of this unimaginable reef system.
Discover extra: {Photograph} the Nice Barrier Reef: Aerial Images Ideas
5. Mount Prepare dinner/Aoraki Nationwide Park, New Zealand
Aoraki/Mount Prepare dinner rises 3,724 metres into the sky, framed by glacial valleys and turquoise lakes. The park’s rugged terrain has been formed by tectonic uplift alongside the Alpine Fault and carved by glacial forces, creating dramatic peaks and moraine-filled landscapes that really feel each wild and pristine. You may get an important view of the height from the Hooker Valley Path, or, I additionally love photographing from Kea Level, a shorter observe from the principle automotive park that gives direct views throughout the glacial lagoon towards the height the place the picture beneath was captured.
Take a peek behind the picture: Behind the Lens – The Pastel Peak of Aoraki/Mount Prepare dinner
6. Mount Subject Nationwide Park, Tasmania
This temperate rainforest in Tasmania is stuffed with towering tree ferns, cascading waterfalls, and glacial lakes. Russell Falls is a centrepiece, its waters tumbling over tiered cliffs surrounded by historical myrtle beech. Increased elevations reveal alpine moorlands and the remnants of Ice Age glaciation.
Extra Australian Adventures: Photographing Australia’s Landscapes with the OM System OM-1 Mirrorless
7. Shark Bay, Western Australia
A UNESCO website wealthy in biodiversity, Shark Bay’s turquoise waters meet crimson cliffs and white seashores in hanging distinction. It’s house to stromatolites, Earth’s oldest dwelling organisms, and marine life like dugongs. Its distinctive setting has developed over billions of years, making it a haven for photographers and scientists alike. Whereas photographing a undertaking for OM SYSTEM, I flew in a bit of Cessna with the backdoor off to seize aerials over the area, the colourful colors are so hanging from above! Slight warning for anybody that will get airsick although, I lasted all of 27 minutes earlier than gently requesting the pilot land the aircraft haha.
Discover extra: Aerial Images Ideas – Climate, Digicam + Inventive Ideas
8. Aitutaki, Prepare dinner Islands
A volcanic atoll surrounded by a shimmering lagoon, Aitutaki affords countless shades of blue. The central island rises gently, with coral reefs and sandy motus forming a protecting ring. From the air, the patterns of the reef and lagoon are mesmerising, an ideal mix of serenity and tropical vibrance.
Discover extra: Vacation spot: Aitutaki, Prepare dinner Islands
9. Cederberg Ranges, South Africa
Identified for its hanging sandstone formations and historical rock artwork, the Cederberg is a geological surprise. Wind and water have carved intricate shapes into the mountains, creating dramatic cliffs and caves. The area can also be a part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, house to various and endemic plant species. Final yr I stayed at Bushman’s Kloof with Journey World and my eyes had been utterly opened to a brand new a part of South Africa that felt so rugged, distant (regardless of being a 3-hr drive from Cape City), and enjoyable, the form of calm us nature lovers search!
Learn extra: The place Wilderness Meets Surprise: Bushmans Kloof, South Africa
10. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Iceland
Born from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, a tongue of Vatnajökull, this lagoon is stuffed with icebergs that drift in the direction of the Atlantic. You’ll have heard of Diamond Seaside, that is the place the bergies wash up onto the shore! The ever-shifting panorama, with ice in a myriad of blue hues, creates countless photographic alternatives. I’d extremely suggest scheduling a whole day right here in the event you’re like me and luxuriate in all issues icebergy! Should you time your go to with the darkish sky months, you can additionally witness the northern lights dancing above the lagoon.
Extra photographs: Views: The Magic of Jökulsárlón Lagoon, Iceland
11. Loss of life Valley, USA
The bottom level in North America, Loss of life Valley is a research in contrasts and someplace each panorama photographer ought to attempt to expertise at the least as soon as. The sensation of scorching warmth, whipping winds, but countless vistas is like no different. Salt flats, sand dunes, and multicoloured rock formations inform a narrative of geological extremes. When photographing the area I stayed at The Oasis which acted as precisely that, the proper place to retreat for a swim after a day within the desert!
Be taught extra: A Photographer’s Information to Loss of life Valley Nationwide Park
12. Bryce Canyon, USA
Well-known for its hoodoos – tall spires fashioned by frost and erosion – Bryce Canyon’s amphitheatres are a spectacle of orange, crimson, and white. Carved from sedimentary rock over hundreds of thousands of years, the canyon’s shapes and textures shift with the sunshine, providing ever-changing views.
Learn extra: Bryce Canyon Nationwide Park – A Photographer’s Information
13. Monument Valley, USA
Iconic sandstone buttes rise from the desert flooring, remnants of historical mountains formed by erosion. Situated on Navajo land, the valley’s cultural and pure significance is profound, with each formation carrying tales of each geological and human historical past. Dawn right here is spectacular, as gentle filters by way of the scene, it’s effectively price an early rise to soak all of it in and watch the panorama come to life.
Discover extra: A Photographer’s Information to Northern Arizona, USA
14. Torres del Paine Nationwide Park, Chile
Patagonia’s crown jewel, this park options jagged peaks, turquoise lakes, and huge glaciers. The Paine Massif’s granite spires had been formed by tectonic forces and glacial erosion, creating one of many world’s most dramatic mountain landscapes, full of untamed magnificence and unpredictable climate.
See the complete information right here: Patagonia Images Areas – Torres del Paine Nationwide Park
15. Whitehaven Seaside, Queensland, Australia
Identified for its pure silica sand and swirling tidal patterns at Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Seaside is a masterpiece of pure design. The contrasting hues of sand and sea create summary patterns, particularly when seen from the air, revealing nature’s class. In what appears like one other life, I photographed weddings and elopements on Whitehaven Seaside and by chance, generally the couple would fly in by way of helicopter which meant I used to be in a position to shoot aerials on the identical time, win-win!
Discover extra: Whitehaven Seaside – Photographing Australia’s Pure Surprise
16. Lapland in Winter, Finland
Within the coronary heart of the Arctic Circle, Lapland transforms right into a serene winter wonderland in the course of the Polar Evening. Whereas the solar stays beneath the horizon, the panorama is bathed in gentle pastel hues for a couple of hours every day, creating an prolonged blue hour that’s good for pictures. The snow-covered forests and frozen lakes replicate these mild tones, making noon really feel like a perpetual twilight. Venturing by way of the snowy terrain, whether or not on snowshoes or skis, reveals scenes paying homage to a snow globe with frosted timber, tranquil creeks, and the occasional glimpse of reindeer!
Learn extra: Taking pictures within the Low Mild Situations of Polar Evening
17. Ok’gari (Fraser Island), Queensland, Australia
The world’s largest sand island, Ok’gari is a spot the place rainforest grows from historical dunes and freshwater lakes shimmer underneath the Queensland solar. Stretching over 120 kilometres alongside the coast, the island options various landscapes, from the colored sands of The Pinnacles to the colourful blues of Lake McKenzie and the wild stretch of 75 Mile Seaside. Fashioned by wind, ocean currents, and time, Ok’gari holds deep cultural significance for the Butchulla folks, whose title for the island means “paradise”.
Discover extra: Ok’gari (Fraser Island) Images Information
Every of those locations is a masterpiece formed by time, climate, and the forces of nature. They’ve taught me to decelerate, to actually see a panorama – not simply by way of my lens, however by way of a deeper reference to the setting. Photographing pure wonders isn’t nearly capturing magnificence; it’s about understanding the tales they inform, the fragility they maintain, and the duty we share in defending them.
As photographers and travellers, we’ve a novel function to play – to rejoice these locations by way of our photographs, to tread flippantly as we discover, and to encourage others to care. Earth Day is a well timed reminder to replicate on the locations which have moved us, and to think about how we can provide again to the planet that gives us a lot.
Should you’re somebody who loves discovering new landscapes and sharing your ardour for nature by way of pictures, I’d love so that you can be a part of us inside The Journey Images Membership. It’s an area the place we join, be taught, and encourage one another to see the world creatively and with goal.
Journey and panorama photographer from Australia who is much extra comfy in a pair of flippers than heels! Having labored for publications comparable to Lonely Planet, Wanderlust and the Sunday Instances, Lisa based The Wandering Lens to share vacation spot guides to the worlds most photogenic locations and out of doors experiences.
