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. Over 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 full of color and life in essentially the most sudden types.
Each journey has been extra than simply an opportunity to take pictures.They’ve been full of moments to attach with nature, with stillness, and with that childlike sense of awe we regularly neglect within the rush of day by day life. From the comfortable silica sands of Whitehaven Beach to the towering spires of Bryce Canyon, these pure wonders haven’t solely stuffed my digicam with photos, but in addition helped me develop a deep appreciation for the wild fantastic 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 necessary to guard the environments and landscapes we {photograph}. Below is a group of 16 pure wonders I’ve been lucky to {photograph}, every distinctive in its magnificence, and every a testomony to the unimaginable range of landscapes we share.
Whether you’ve visited these locations your self or are including them to your dream record, I hope they encourage you to see the world slightly in a different 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 bushes, feels timeless. The close by Kaokoveld area, a distant wilderness, contrasts with rugged mountains and ephemeral rivers the place desert-adapted elephants roam.
Explore 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 this planet, calves huge icebergs into the fjord, which drift silently via 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 Best Photography Experiences
3. The Atacama Desert, Chile
As 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 this planet. Landscape photographers will love the mixture of broad open areas and intricately textured patterns and tones discovered throughout the area. My favorite spot, Piedras Rojas, it was so laborious to understand the dimensions 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 beautiful desert retreat.
Read extra: Capturing High Resolution Images of the Andean Altiplano with the OM-1
4. Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Spanning over 2,300km, this residing reef system teems with vibrant coral gardens and marine life. Home 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 complicated magnificence. I spent 5 years residing 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 numerous pockets of this unimaginable reef system.
Explore extra: Photograph the Great Barrier Reef: Aerial Photography Tips
5. Mount Cook/Aoraki National Park, New Zealand
Aoraki/Mount Cook 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 can get an excellent view of the height from the Hooker Valley Trail, or, I additionally love photographing from Kea Point, a shorter monitor from the primary 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 Cook
6. Mount Field National Park, Tasmania
This temperate rainforest in Tasmania is full of towering tree ferns, cascading waterfalls, and glacial lakes. Russell Falls is a centrepiece, its waters tumbling over tiered cliffs surrounded by historic myrtle beech. Higher elevations reveal alpine moorlands and the remnants of Ice Age glaciation.
More 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 pink cliffs and white seashores in placing distinction. It’s residence to stromatolites, Earth’s oldest residing organisms, and marine life like dugongs. Its distinctive surroundings has advanced over billions of years, making it a haven for photographers and scientists alike. While photographing a venture for OM SYSTEM, I flew in slightly Cessna with the backdoor off to seize aerials over the area, the colourful colors are so placing 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.
Explore extra: Aerial Photography Tips – Weather, Camera + Creative Tips
8. Aitutaki, Cook Islands
A volcanic atoll surrounded by a shimmering lagoon, Aitutaki gives infinite 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.
Explore extra: Destination: Aitutaki, Cook Islands
9. Cederberg Ranges, South Africa
Known for its placing sandstone formations and historic 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 be a part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, residence to numerous and endemic plant species. Last 12 months I stayed at Bushman’s Kloof with Adventure World and my eyes have 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 Town), and enjoyable, the sort of calm us nature lovers search!
Read extra: Where Wilderness Meets Wonder: Bushmans Kloof, South Africa
10. Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon, Iceland
Born from Breiðamerkurjökull glacier, a tongue of Vatnajökull, this lagoon is full of icebergs that drift in the direction of the Atlantic. You might have heard of Diamond Beach, that is the place the bergies wash up onto the shore! The ever-shifting panorama, with ice in a myriad of blue hues, creates infinite photographic alternatives. I’d extremely advocate scheduling a whole day right here should you’re like me and luxuriate in all issues icebergy! If you time your go to with the darkish sky months, you can additionally witness the northern lights dancing above the lagoon.
More photos: Perspectives: The Magic of Jökulsárlón Lagoon, Iceland
11. Death Valley, USA
The lowest level in North America, Death Valley is a research in contrasts and someplace each panorama photographer ought to attempt to expertise at the least as soon as. The feeling of scorching warmth, whipping winds, but infinite 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!
Learn extra: A Photographer’s Guide to Death Valley National Park
12. Bryce Canyon, USA
Famous for its hoodoos – tall spires shaped by frost and erosion – Bryce Canyon’s amphitheatres are a spectacle of orange, pink, and white. Carved from sedimentary rock over tens of millions of years, the canyon’s shapes and textures shift with the sunshine, providing ever-changing views.
Read extra: Bryce Canyon National Park – A Photographer’s Guide
13. Monument Valley, USA
Iconic sandstone buttes rise from the desert ground, remnants of historic mountains formed by erosion. Located on Navajo land, the valley’s cultural and pure significance is profound, with each formation carrying tales of each geological and human historical past. Sunrise right here is spectacular, as mild filters via the scene, it’s effectively value an early rise to soak all of it in and watch the panorama come to life.
Explore extra: A Photographer’s Guide to Northern Arizona, USA
14. Torres del Paine National Park, Chile
Patagonia’s crown jewel, this park options jagged peaks, turquoise lakes, and huge glaciers. The Paine Massif’s granite spires have 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 total information right here: Patagonia Photography Locations – Torres del Paine National Park
15. Whitehaven Beach, Queensland, Australia
Known for its pure silica sand and swirling tidal patterns at Hill Inlet, Whitehaven Beach is a masterpiece of pure design. The contrasting hues of sand and sea create summary patterns, particularly when considered from the air, revealing nature’s magnificence. In what appears like one other life, I photographed weddings and elopements on Whitehaven Beach and fortuitously, typically 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!
Explore extra: Whitehaven Beach – Photographing Australia’s Natural Wonder
16. Lapland in Winter, Finland
In the guts of the Arctic Circle, Lapland transforms right into a serene winter wonderland through the Polar Night. While the solar stays beneath the horizon, the panorama is bathed in comfortable pastel hues for a number of hours every day, creating an prolonged blue hour that’s excellent for pictures. The snow-covered forests and frozen lakes replicate these mild tones, making noon really feel like a perpetual twilight. Venturing via the snowy terrain, whether or not on snowshoes or skis, reveals scenes paying homage to a snow globe with frosted bushes, tranquil creeks, and the occasional glimpse of reindeer!
Read extra: Shooting within the Low Light Conditions of Polar Night
17. Okay’gari (Fraser Island), Queensland, Australia
The world’s largest sand island, Okay’gari is a spot the place rainforest grows from historic dunes and freshwater lakes shimmer underneath the Queensland solar. Stretching over 120 kilometres alongside the coast, the island options numerous landscapes, from the colored sands of The Pinnacles to the colourful blues of Lake McKenzie and the wild stretch of 75 Mile Beach. Formed by wind, ocean currents, and time, Okay’gari holds deep cultural significance for the Butchulla folks, whose title for the island means “paradise”.
Explore extra: Okay’gari (Fraser Island) Photography Guide
Each of those locations is a masterpiece formed by time, climate, and the forces of nature. They’ve taught me to decelerate, to essentially see a panorama – not simply via my lens, however via a deeper reference to the surroundings. 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 now have a singular function to play – to rejoice these locations via our photos, to tread calmly 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 contemplate how we can provide again to the planet that provides us a lot.
If you’re somebody who loves discovering new landscapes and sharing your ardour for nature via pictures, I’d love so that you can be part of us inside The Travel Photography Club. It’s an area the place we join, be taught, and encourage one another to see the world creatively and with goal.
Travel and panorama photographer from Australia who is way extra comfy in a pair of flippers than heels! Having labored for publications equivalent to Lonely Planet, Wanderlust and the Sunday Times, Lisa based The Wandering Lens to share vacation spot guides to the worlds most photogenic locations and out of doors experiences.