15 Instagram Travel Photographers You Should Follow

Mark Edward Harris
Mark Edward Harris

On our recent trip to India, I had the pleasure of spending several days with consummate pro photographer Mark Edward Harris. Aside from picking up innumerable tips by just watching him work, he also graciously shared specifics on what makes his work so, well, professional.

Our conversations over the days eventually wandered onto Instagram as we discussed his favorite photographers, and, with a little coaxing, he gave me a list of several Instagram accounts that he follows. So, here they are, with a little info on each photographer.

Mark Edward Harris
@markedwardharrisphoto The Taj Mahal in Agra, India. I used the entrance way to frame one of the greatest architectural creations on the planet.

Mark Edward Harris

@markedwardharrisphoto After graduating from California State University, Los Angeles with a Master of Arts Degree in Pictorial/Documentary History, Mark started his professional photography career doing the stills for the Merv Griffin Show and various television and movie companies. When the show ended in 1986 he set off on a four-month trek across the Pacific and throughout Southeast Asia, China and Japan. The images created on that trip brought attention to his travel and documentary photography. He since has visited and photographed in 97 countries. His editorial work has appeared in publications including Vanity Fair, LIFE, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, Playboy, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, The London Times Travel Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine.

If you're interested in Mark Harris's work, I highly suggest checking out his books. His The Travel Photo Essay, Describing a Journey through Images is an advanced look at what goes into making travel photos all they can be. And his The Way of the Japanese Bath, is, frankly, just beautiful.

 

 

Chris Burkard
@chrisburkard Never… never land.

Chris Burkard

@chrisburkard Chris Burkard is truly one of the stars of Instagram, with over 3 million followers. Burkard is known for images that are punctuated by untamed, powerful landscapes. Through social media he strives to share his vision of wild places with millions of people, and to inspire them to explore for themselves.

His visionary perspective has earned him opportunities to work on global, prominent campaigns with Fortune 500 clients, speak on the TED stage, design product lines, educate, and publish a growing collection of books. He's particularly famous for his surfing photos, such as the iconic High Tide: A Surf Odyssey.

 

 

Jimmy Chin
@jimmy_chin My good bud and fellow @thenorthface team member @cartercountry sending…Part time rancher, full time snowboarder, always having a good time. Check out Mark’s latest #FarOut vid to get stoked for winter.

Jimmy Chin

@jimmy_chin Jimmy Chin is without doubt the premier outdoor adventure photographer. Just for one example, he's the guy behind the camera for the acclaimed Free Solo movie, for which he won an Oscar in 2019. (An aside: Jimmy Chin, like us, is a Minnesotan and an alumnus of Carleton College.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mitch Dobrowner
@mitchdobrowner The terrain of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada is an area that I have always wanted to explore. In November of this year I finally got the chance. Thank you Zac and Matt. The area is sparsely inhabited with the largest town being Gerlach – population of 100.

Mitch Dobrowner

@mitchdobrowner After a successful career running a California design studio, Mitch Dobrowner picked up a camera again in early 2005. As he says,  “I now see myself on a mission to make up for years of lost time – creating images that help evoke how I see our wonderful planet.” His book Stormsshowcases his signature black and white work.

 

 

 

 

 

David Alan Harvey
@davidalanharvey. Skate pool. La Perla, Old San Juan

David Alan Harvey

@davidalanharvey David Alan Harvey has shot more than forty essays for National Geographic magazine. He has covered stories around the world, including projects on French teenagers, the Berlin Wall, Maya culture, Vietnam, Native Americans, Mexico and Naples, and a recent feature on Nairobi. He has published two major books, Cuba and Divided Soul, based on his extensive work on the Spanish cultural migration into the Americas. Harvey is founder and editor of the award-winning Burn magazine, featuring iconic and emerging photographers in print and online.

 

David Hume Kennerly
@davidhumekennerly Not the North Poles. Another angle. #sunrise on #coosbay #christmas #2018 I revisit this place on misty mornings when I’m in the area. @lordbyron #iphonexs #oregon

David Hume Kennerly

@davidhumekennerly Kennerly’s photos have appeared on more than 50 major magazine covers, and he has covered stories in dozens of countries. For ten years he served as a contributing editor for Newsweek magazine and for POLITICO in which his 2015 photo essay “I want to Be with the Circus,” was one of the most widely viewed stories in the publication’s history. He has worked as a contributing photographer for Time and Life Magazines, George magazine. American Photo Magazine named him “One of the 100 Most Important People in Photography”, and Washingtonian Magazine called Kennerly one of the 50 most important journalists in Washington, DC. He was the official White House photographer for President Gerald Ford.

 

 

Frans Lanting
@franslanting The annual gathering of king penguins on the beaches of South Georgia Island is one of the most phenomenal wildlife spectacles on the planet. It is an overwhelming sensation to spend time among them and they are a confirmation of the abundance of the Southern Ocean on which they depend. Fisheries around South Georgia are well-regulated, but beyond the territorial limits of the island, a lot of work remains to be done to safeguard a future for king penguins and all other wildlife dependent on the frigid seas surrounding Antarctica. Follow me @FransLanting and @ChristineEckstrom for more stories and images from the Southern Ocean.
@ThePhotoSociety #Antarctica #SouthGeorgia #Penguins #KingPenguins #SouthernOcean

Frans Lanting

@franslanting Frans Lanting is the consummate wildlife photographer. His work has been commissioned frequently by National Geographic, where he served as a Photographer-in-Residence. His assignments have ranged from a first look at the fabled bonobos of the Congo to a circumnavigation by sailboat of South Georgia Island in the subantarctic. In a remote part of the Amazon Basin, he spent weeks on platform towers to obtain rare tree-canopy views of wild macaws. He has lived for months with seabirds on isolated atolls in the Pacific Ocean, tracked lions through the African night, and camped among giant tortoises inside a volcano in the Galápagos. His books include Into Africa, Life, and Dialogues with Nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gerd Ludwig
@gerdludwig View from the Corniche towards the West Bay skyline in Doha, Qatar.
The Doha Corniche is a 7 km-long waterfront promenade encircling the Doha Bay. It is popular with locals and tourists alike, who enjoy walking, jogging, skateboarding, or just hanging out like the man browsing his laptop here.

Gerd Ludwig

@gerdludwig In the early 1990s, Gerd Ludwig signed on as a contract photographer for National Geographic Magazine, focusing on environmental issues, and the social changes in Germany and Eastern Europe. This work resulted in the publication of his book, Broken Empire: After the Fall of the USSR, a ten-year retrospective published by National Geographic in 2001.

Gerd Ludwig is perhaps most well known for his long-term coverage of the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. He first photographed Chernobyl in 1993 for National Geographic Magazine, and returned again in 2005 for a cover story, bringing him deeper into the contaminated reactor #4 than any western photographer. His book, The Long Shadow of Chernobyl, is the result of his time in Chernobyl.

 

 

Steve McCurry
@stevemccurryofficial Dragging a boat to safety before a monsoon storm, Northern Territory, #Australia, 1984.

Steve McCurry

@stevemccurryofficial Steve McCurry is the author of the famous National Geographic cover, Green Eyed Afghan Girl. His is an iconic voice that has been in scores of top magazines. He currently works mostly in Asia. His book, Steve McCurry: A Life in Pictures, was named one of the top photo books of 2018.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Nicklen
@paulnicklen 80,000 pounds of humpback whale exits the sea in a spinning explosion of power and grace. Her 14-foot long pectoral flippers give her balance as 20 knot winds complete nature’s canvas with beads of water flying from her massive frame. #humbled #foreverinawe #nature. For @sealegacy with @_aquaticadventures

Paul Nicklen

@paulnicklen Paul Nicklen is a Canadian photographer, filmmaker, and marine biologist who has documented the planet for more than twenty years. He's an assignment photographer for National Geographic magazine

Nicklen’s evocative imagery has garnered over 30 of the highest awards given to any photographer in his field, including the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and the prestigious World Press Photo for Photojournalism. His book, Polar Obsession, features his famous photo of the swimming polar bear with his reflection.

 

 

 

 

Joel Sartore
@joelsartore Cotton-top tamarins are one of the most endangered primates in the world due to deforestation and the pet trade. Luckily, @proyectotiti in Colombia is working hard to make sure that this unique species can thrive in the wild for years to come. Proyecto Tití is committed to working with local communities to develop economic alternatives that assist in the protection of Colombia’s natural environment. Local women learn how to transform discarded plastic bags into colorfully designed, hand-knit mochilas (tote bags), which are then sold in an effort to support the community that is protecting cotton-top tamarins. Discarded plastic is also recycled and used to create fence posts farmers can use on their property. These fence posts last longer than wooden posts, and they reduce the need for wood to be harvested from the forests. More trees means more habitat for the tamarins! Photo taken @millerparkzoo

Joel Sartore

@joelsartore Joel Sartore has spent 25 years with National Geographic. These days his focus is on the Photo Ark, the world’s largest collection of animal studio portraits. His goal is simple: to get the public to care and save species from extinction. The ongoing Photo Ark project has already engendered several books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Steinmetz
@geosteinmetz Camel caravan on the trek to Bilma, Niger 1997. It was the first of many #paragliding trips in the deserts of this world, and opened me up to new ways of seeing remote places. But at the end of every trip I realized that it was having a home life that made my semi-nomadic existence possible. #Sahara #paramotor #exploration #homefortheholidays

George Steinmetz

@geosteinmetz Since 1986, George Steinmetz has completed more than 40 major photo essays for National Geographic and 25 stories for GEO magazine in Germany. His expeditions to the Sahara and Gobi deserts have been featured in separate National Geographic Explorer programs.

George has won numerous awards for photography, including two first prizes in science and technology from World Press Photo. He has also won awards and citations from Pictures of the Year, Overseas Press Club and Life Magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt Awards, and was named National Geographic’s Adventurer of the year in 2008. His books include African Air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michelle Valberg
@michellevalbergphotography An ice bear fishing in Bear Cave Mountain, Yukon. What a face! #icebear #grizzlybear #yukon #canada #wildlife #nikonambassador

Michelle Valberg

@michellevalbergphotography Michelle Valberg is a Canadian photographer who has been working professionally for more than 30 years. She was the first Canadian Geographic Photographer in Residence. She's published four books of her photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ami Vitale
@amivitale My heart aches for those who have been impacted by the devastating tsunami that hit Indonesia on Saturday. Relief teams are on the ground aiding authorities to find the missing and providing much needed emergency aid. It will take a long time to recover and there are a number of ways to help. I was reminded of the achingly painful memories from exactly 14 years ago today, when I was in India after the tsunami struck on December 26, 2004. It claimed more than 230,000 lives in 14 different countries.
In this photo, Vanitha, 8, stood on the remains of her home holding a teddy bear in Nagapattinum in the state of Tamil Nadu after the massive tsunami struck Learn how you can help here: https://publicgood.com/media/cnn/campaign/help-indonesia-tsunami-victims/donate
#indonesiatsunami #tsunami #indonesia @natgeo @natgeoimagecollection @thephotosociety @nikonusa #nikon #nikonambassadors #amivitale #photojournalism #latergram

Ami Vitale

@amivitale
National Geographic magazine photographer Ami Vitale has traveled to more than 100 countries. Ami has lived in mud huts and war zones, contracted malaria, and donned a panda suit–keeping true to her belief in the importance of “living the story.” In 2009, after shooting a powerful story on the transport and release of one the world’s last white rhinos, Ami shifted her focus to today’s most compelling wildlife and environmental stories. Her most recent book is Panda Love: The Secret Lives of Pandas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art Wolfe
@artwolfe Happy #ThrowbackThursday! India 2004 – I’ll be heading back in March for the color of the Holi festival and of course #TIGERS! Sign up at events.artwolfe.com to join us!
#ArtWolfe #ExploreCreateInspire #Cats #CatsOfInstagram #Fangs #Tiger #Wildlife #WildlifePhotography #Stripes #India

Art Wolfe

@artwolfe
Art Wolfe is best known for color images of wildlife, landscapes and native cultures. His photographs document scenes from every continent and hundreds of locations.

Wolfe's career has been involved wildlife advocacy, art, journalism, and education. In the last 30 years, the public has viewed Wolfe's work in more than sixty published books, including Vanishing Act, The High Himalaya, Water: Worlds between Heaven & Earth, Tribes, Rainforests of the World, and The Art of Photographing Nature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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14 thoughts on “15 Instagram Travel Photographers You Should Follow”

  1. Thanks for the great list of travel photographers, it must have been a fantastic experience to meet Mark Edward Harris.

    I am already following a few of the big names like Art Wolfe and Frans Lanting and appreciate having a few more talented photographers to follow.

    Susan

    Reply
    • I was aware of a few of these and was following them, but I really appreciated Mark pointing out the ones he liked. And yes, being with Mark was a learning experience. He’s a real pro and it was a treat to watch him work.

      Reply
  2. Very nice selection of photographers. I am always fascinated by the sub-genres of travel photography and all these photographers are excellent. Would love to see (and eventually discover) more of them. Thanks for sharing and a happy 2019!

    Reply
  3. You’ve certainly captured the cream of the crop with your 15 Instagram photographers to follow. They are all astounding at their niche, and epitomize the essence of travel photographers. Thanks for sharing with us, and helping give inspiration to fledgling photographers.

    Reply
  4. Thanks for the suggestions – I always love getting more truly great stuff in our Instagram feed (instead of all those increasingly frequent and annoying ads). I just wish all our followers got to see what we posted (they often don’t because of the same problem). I know I don’t always see yours (even though I’m following you!)

    Reply

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