Top 10 Travel Photographers

Nothing rouses the need for travel like a beautiful shot of some far-flung destination. A gorgeous image can take your breath away, inspire a journey or simply adorn your living room wall or screensaver. These are the photographers to watch in 2013. Some have been around a while and are beginning to get the recognition they deserve and others are up and coming young whippersnappers hot on the heels of the greats.

10

Kelly Harmon

Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellyharmon/ Twitter: @HipTraveler Website: pinterest.com/kellycharmon/ This Californian girl is halfway through her quest to visit 100 countries and capture them on film. Her photos ooze colour and she uses clever and unique compositions. Her @HipTraveller twitter account has over 11,000 followers and her photos are popular worldwide.

9

DavidePetilli

Image credit:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordgolem/ Twitter: @davidepetilli Website: davidepetilli.com Italian-born DavidePetilli mainly works in black and white, with a fine art take on travel photography and these arise from personal projects. He features Italy and Japan a lot in his work. He says, “Technique without art is dull and soulless, while art without technique is simply impracticable”.

8

David Clapp

Twitter: @DavidClappPhoto Website: davidclapp.co.uk We particularly like the fact Brit-born David describes himself as a ‘non-award winning travel and landscape photographer’. Raised on a council estate in Devon, this self-trained photographer produces innovative and awe-inspiring images.

7

Beers and Beans

Twitter: @BeersandBeans Website: BeersAndBeans.com Beth, Randy and Chachy the dog provide a far-better-than-average travel photography website. Some couples’ travel blogs can end up being inaccessible to outsiders, but this one is beyond popular – they have over 8 million followers on Pinterest.

6

The Blonde Gypsy

Twitter: @theblondegypsy Website: blonde-gypsy.com If you think you take some good photos on your iPhone, check out American Larissa’s images. This very clever lady shares tips on how you can achieve similar results. She also has a great travel blog that gives you a behind the scenes look at her work.

5

Jacob Maentz

Website: jacobimages.com Jacob lives in the Philippines and his photographs ‘reflect his background in conservation and explore issues related to the human condition and natural world’. Which is true, much of his work is people-led and compassionate.

4

Chris McLennan

Twitter: @Chris_McLennan1 Website: cmphoto.co.nz One of his most famous images is the distant abseiler in a massive cave - Waitomo Lost World Cavern in Chris’s homeland of New Zealand. Chris is an ambassador for Nikon in his country. From a boy from the South Island, to an award-winning photographer.

3

Chase Guttman

Twitter: @chaseguttman Website: chaseguttman.com This young New Yorker already has a National Geographic award under his belt and continues to beef up his impressive portfolio. He has been on some wild adventures including rescuing baby puffins on the Westmann Islands and tracked jaguars in Belize. He is just seventeen. Try not to turn green with envy.

2

Jeff P

Twitter: @fototrav Webste: fototrav.com Jeff is French and his speciality is Asia – from landmarks and nature to people and skylines. Rich in content and colour, his images are often used as stock photography so you may recognise several. He moved to Asia in 2005 and has lived in China and Bangkok and is now based in Saigon. He also does amazing time-lapse reels.

1

Meleah Reardon

Twitter: @MeleahRubino Website: meleahreardon.com In a refreshing change to most photographers of the calibre listed here, much of Seattle-born Meleah’s work is available under a Creative Commons license, meaning people can share and enjoy her work for free. And incredible work it is too. Because she specialises in High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, her images are like paintings. Now, Meleah is based in Suffolk. This article was contributed by Caroline Lloyd – the travel insurance expert at Gocompare.com [smartads]