so I saved some money and I want to make a journey, or two. But I don’t really know where I want to go yet. Some of you probably know that I am mainly a landscape photographer. So I want to go somewhere where there are lots of awesome landscapes. Also, since I live very far from the sea, maybe I want to go somewhere where I have some ocean…
During the past years I mainly photographed Austrian landscapes, the Alps, lakes, gorges, waterfalls, a little bit Hungary and Germany.
In 2018 I was on Madeira where the Ponta de Sao Lourenco really triggered my landscape addiction.
Btw, the Alps are not so high in Lower Austria, and this region around Vienna is not extremely touristy, but it’s really nice. The Steinwandklamm is great, also the Ysperklamm, and maybe the Ötschergräben/Tormäuer. Very beautiful lakes are the Leopoldsteinersee in Styria (not as famous as Hallstatt) and the Gosauseen. The Wasserlochklamm in Palfau is very nice, too.
What are your recommendations/favorite landscapes?
One more thing: maybe don’t recommend the Machu Picchu or the Matterhorn, they have been photographed too often.
Do you think the Algarve in Portugal would be a good destination?
I think the most compelling landscapes are not so much about location but rather the light. The times around sunrise and sunset are best, not just for the low-angle light but for the long shadows which can be compositional elements in their own right. About the only time I’ve found noon-time light interesting is when it’s filtered through a heavy forest canopy…
The images you’ve posted from your locale are of interesting locations, but consider what they might render in “more interesting” light…
Methinks looking for the most photogenic landscapes will provide you with the most-photographed landscapes…
If you watch videos of high profile landscape photographers, pay attention to how often you see other people going by in the background, especially in the iconic places like Iceland and the Faroes. You can benefit from finding the less traveled locations. If you read about some location, use Google Maps/Earth and alltrails.com to visit virtually and see how promising the location is. Are you thinking about a solo trip, something with friend(s), or a professional workshop?
My best photo is taken in an utterly dull location but with absolutely gobsmacking lighting. You have to be ready to take the photo at the right time under the right conditions, and then the location almost will not matter at all.
There’s a meme I’ve seen that encapsulates this well:
My recommendation is the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, especially at sunset. I felt there the ancient history, Africa beyond the sea, the universe (I saw stars shining in the sky)… I got an idea of what a real sanctuary is.
I cannot say for sure if one can take a nice photo there, for I was by no means a photographer and took no serious photo when I visited the place. It may be difficult or at least require some special techniques and gears (an ultra wide angle lens and a graduated ND filter) to capture the scene which impressed me. But anyway, definitely worth visiting.
I have been to Portugal but not the Algarve. Really enjoyed that country. If you go, you must try the pastel de nata! Visited a couple of cities, the castles and forests of Sintra and a little surfing town called Peniche, which had a photogenic peninsula in a modest sort of way, compared to the postcard places. But back then I was there to surf, moreso than take photos.
The planet is a big place, but I guess that leaves out things like Mars or Titan. Narrowing it down may help but most of your list seems Europe or Europe adjacent. Northern Scotland and Ireland on my list for one day but for me Asia will come first.
I’m not sure about Europe but at least over here the degree of uniqueness of your photographic destination will depend on your tolerance for long hiking and maybe some camping too probably. I live in the southern Appalachian mountains and it’s quite the adventure to get to something that’s not been photographed absolutely to death and choked with tourists.
I will say the sheer variety of stuff in North America is astounding. I know we get a lot of grief for not leaving our country too often but there really is a huge amount of variety right in our backyard. Not even just the extremely popular stuff everyone’s seen in movies and all over Instagram. The Great Lakes and upper peninsula of Michigan, palouse in Washington state, the more remote canyonlands of southern Utah, basically anything in British Columbia, the high desert near the US Arizona/Mexico border and so on.
Light has a lot to do with time of the year and sun angles. Spring and fall are going to give you the most dramatic light in the mornings and evening and more time to shoot. I don’t really like summer as it’s usually boring weather and very bright straight on light. that rises very quickly. Plus you have to get up insanely early to catch sunrise.
Well… I am not sure how far I would travel. I don’t exclude anything. I guess I prefer coastal scenes because I have enough forests and mountains here in Austria.
Hi guys, thanks for the many answers and suggestions! I did not mention one important thing: since I don’t have a drivers licence I need good public transportation.
We moved to Scotland in April this year. As a landscape, it has many varieties over a (relatively) small area that varies dramatically through the seasons.
I want to add one more thing: by “photogenic” I don’t necessarily mean “spectacular”. Although spectacular landscapes often make good photos, lately I made the experience that I can take good landscape shots of relatively “modest” landscapes. A good example are I think also the 17th century Dutch landscape painters - because the Netherlands are landscape-wise really a very “modest” country.
