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The World's Best Destinations For Travel Photography In 2016

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I was recently asked to rank the top places in the world for travel photography. There is no right answer to this question of course. Photography as a way of conveying one’s view of the world will always be subjective—as will be the emotional response every viewer has to the same photograph. Travel photography is also arguably the broadest possible photographic genre since by definition travel encompasses landscapes, local culture, history, nature, wildlife, architecture, food, wine, and more.

I’ve been fortunate to spend two decades on five continents seeking out the most visually captivating places to photograph while on magazine assignments, writing books, and shooting for stock agencies. So in this inaugural compilation of the world's top ten destinations for travel photography in 2016, the criteria are simple: where are the places that combine all of these visual stimulations with the best natural light? I hope you still have some room left on your bucket list before the end of the year.

The South Of France

The Scoop: Southern France is home some of the most historically photographed locations in Europe including the medieval villages of Lacoste (of the tennis apparel fame) and Carcassonne, Provence’s endless lavender and sunflower fields, the beaches of the French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) stretching from Monaco in the east to Cassis west, and the iconic celebrity and billionaire hotspots of Cannes, San Tropez, and Nice. The south of France is also considered the world capital of perfume with its hundreds of historic perfumeries

The Shot: The lavender fields of Provence. If you want to capture all five sense of the South of France it doesn’t get more expressive than this

Greece

The Scoop: This one might be a little cliché but there’s a reason for that. For travel photographers, Greece’s visual appeal goes far beyond the white-washed, Santorini-esque islands and ancient Athenian ruins. On the mainland, the snow-capped Olympic mountains rise over 10,000’ from sea level looming over Greek temples thousands of years old that few ever visit. In the remote center of the country, the cliff-hanging monasteries of Meteora are a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site and defy physics. The Greek people are also come of the most expressive in the world so bring your portrait lenses

The Shot: Santorini at twilight. Don't worry about the clichés. No other image says “Greece” more in most people’s minds

Patagonia (Chile-Argentina)

The Scoop: Patagonia, which comprises the southernmost regions of Chile and Argentina at the tip of the continent, is South America’s American wild west: ruggedly mountainous, historically individualist, and endlessly scattered with grasslands, deserts, buttes, aquamarine alpine lakes, and snow-capped peaks. Unlike the American West, it’s also hemmed in by ocean and fjords at the edges which make for some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. Orcas, seals, alpacas, and penguins are just a few of the remarkable wildlife species. Southern Argentina's traditional way of cooking beef has inspired four-star BBQ restaurants in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami

The Shot: Torres Del Paine National Park. There a dozen angles from which to capture the iconic view of the park’s world-famous mountain range

New Zealand (North and South Island)

The Scoop: The North and South Islands of New Zealand are roughly the size of Colorado but they encompass a range of habitats, landscapes, adventure, and native culture that exists in few other places on the planet in such a small area. The fjords of South Island’s Milford Sound rival Norway’s, and Queenstown might just be one of the coolest lakefront, mountain towns in the world. The North Island’s native rainforests, volcanoes, geothermal pools, and largest city Aukland could easily be a trip in itself. New Zealand’s native Maori culture is also still evident in various places throughout the country

The Shot: Queenstown at twilight is the signature view that captures the essence of New Zealand’s outdoor and adventure culture

Cuba

The Scoop: Cuba is a frequent destination for European and Canadian travelers. Travel and trade restrictions for Americans that have been in place since the 1960s were recently loosened by President Obama making Cuba more accessible that it’s been in 60 years to U.S. citizens. Partially as a result of the long-standing U.S. embargo, Cuba’s culture, cities, and landscapes are trapped in a time wrap since there has been little commercialization or development in six decades

The Shot: Old Havana. The historic architecture, including a few of the vintage cars, captures the time capsule that is Cuba more than any other shot

Antarctica Peninsula

The Scoop: There is no other place on the planet more unspoiled than Antarctica. On the Antarctic Peninsula in particular, which is the arm of the continent sticking out into the Southern Ocean most easily accessible to travelers sailing by cruise ship or yacht from Ushuaia, Argentina and other Patagonia ports of call, 99% of mountains are unclimbed, and you’ll still find penguin colonies who have never encountered a human being before. The historic huts of former Antarctica exploration teams are stocked with their original canned rations from a hundred years ago. As a bonus, the sun in the Antarctic summer barely sets so the magic hour stretches on for hours

The Shot: Few photographs capture the scale and purity of Antarctica than a penguin colony against the backdrop of the continent’s endless mountain ranges

Vietnam

The Scoop: I haven’t been to Vietnam yet so I’m pulling this one from my own bucket list. Every photographer I know who’s been to the former Communist country has told me that it’s one of their top five places on the planet for travel photography. Vietnam became a major tourist destination in the 1990s so it’s still relatively unspoiled and off the beaten track. Its food is iconic, its beaches pristine, its geology mind-bending, and there remains a Cuba-esque quality to its culture that makes it feel like you’re traveling in a time warp

The Shot: Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visually contorted and captivating collections of offshore islands in Asia

Turkey

The Scoop: Though recently in the news for a failed military coup and perhaps on the adventurous outer edge for some travelers, Turkey nonetheless remains one of the most photogenic countries in the world, somehow pulling together within a single border a tropical Mediterranean coastline, island chains, Greco-Roman ruins, one of Europe’s longest ski runs, a global melting pot cuisine scene, and the sites, sounds, and cultures of one of the world’s most vibrant cities, Istanbul. And don’t forget the Turkish baths

The Shot: Istanbul’s Blue Mosque. Turkey and Istanbul, in particular, is considered the nexus where western and eastern cultures meet. This image defines that identity

Western Cape (South Africa)

The Scoop: The Western Cape of South Africa encompasses Cape Town (the country’ second largest city), the southernmost point on the African continent (which is one of the top places in the world to scuba dive with Great White sharks), and the western Cape Winelands which go toe to toe with Napa and Sonoma valleys both in terms of the quality of their wines and the beauty of the landscape. The western Cape coastline varies from wide sandy beaches to rugged cliffs plunging into the ocean like the promontories of Big Sur, California. A few hours inland dozens of nature and game reserves protect many of Africa's most iconic wildlife species like cheetahs and giraffes

The Shot: Stellenbosch wine country. The endless, undulating vineyards and historic wineries framed by rocky, snow-tipped mountains exist nowhere else in the world

Four Corners (American Southwest)

The Scoop: The region roughly known as America's ‘Four Corners’ is where Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona intersect. It’s rich with Navajo Native American and pioneer history and home to at least a dozen National and State Parks and conservation areas protecting some of the most extraordinary geologic features in the world, including Grand Canyon and Canyonlands National Parks and Monument Valley. The landscape is sublimely rugged, the light pristine, and there is probably no better place in America for star trails and moonlight photography due to the almost complete lack of light pollution

The Shot: Arizona’s slot canyons. When the light and geology combine at just the right moment there’s nothing else quite like it

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