The Ten Most Exciting Travel Photographers You Need to Follow

Have you been bitten by the wanderlust bug? Or do you simply find yourself drawn-in by the magical pull of professional travel photography?

For a number of reasons, travel photography is huge right now, so today we wanted to celebrate the medium by looking at the ten most exciting travel photographers you need to follow.

These talented photographers will fill you with awe, inspiration – and most importantly – motivation to get out there, see the world, and achieve your dreams!

Jeremy Snell

Jeremy Snell describes himself as a ‘Humanitarian & Commercial Photographer / Cinematographer’, however today we’ll be focusing on one of his biggest achievements to date – his stunning travel photography.

Despite only being in his mid-twenties, the Hawaiian-based talent has traveled the world, capturing “moments that take you to another place”. He further explains: “I want to take photographs that allow you to see what you don’t get to see in your everyday life – portraits that make you see people in a different light.”

Jeremy has even worked with big-name brands such as Facebook, Charity:Water, and Time Warner Cable, proving just how irresistible his natural talent for this medium is.

Annapurna Mellor

Annapurna Mellor is a Manchester-based writer and photographer who has also started her own project dedicated to travel photography – Roam Magazine. She spent the majority of her childhood living in cities across the Middle East and Australia, so it’s no wonder that the photographer has a serious knack for documenting exotic and intriguing locations.

“I’m a very shy and introverted person, and I found myself being quite uncomfortable with the social aspect of backpacking… I found that a way to connect with people in a different way was through having my camera with me all the time. It would spark an interest in who I was, what I was doing, and eventually I started taking pictures with people,” she explains.

Emilie Ristevski

Emilie Ristevski is one of the most identifiable and popular travel photographers on Instagram, with just shy of one million followers on the platform.

This photo-creator, story-teller and wanderer is based along the East Coast of Australia, however she spends her days traveling to breath-taking and faraway places that many of us can only dream of visiting.

Emilie shares: “Built upon natural light and nostalgia, my work aims to gather beautiful moments to simply tell stories through the imagery I create. I aim to capture and share the details that often go unseen.”

Rishad Daroowala

Rishad Daroowala is a photographer, artist and creative director born in Hong Kong and raised in Vancouver, BC. He has been working in the Canadian tourism and travel industry as a photographer and creative director for the past 6 years.

He is also well-known for his incredible aerial photographs featuring one-of-a-kind locations. Shot from helicopters, sea planes, and even commercial airliners, Rishad is drawn to the unique perspective that a bird’s eye view offers.

Marsel van Oosten

Marsel van Oosten is a brilliantly talented travel and nature photographer, but don’t just take our word for it – in 2015 he won the Travel Photographer of the Year contest.

The middle-aged Dutchman only began to pursue photography full-time in 2006 after leaving his career in advertising. After two huge achievements of being named International Nature Photographer of the Year twice, both Marsel and his wife set up their own company – Squiver. The pair now lead their own travel photography tours and even contribute to impressive travel-based publications such as National Geographic.

Colby Brown

Colby Brown is a photographer, photo educator and author based out of Eastern Pennsylvania who specializes in landscape, travel and humanitarian photography. He has a fascination for all of the world’s cultures and enjoys frequently documenting his breath-taking travels around the globe.

He also runs popular, educational photography workshops and founded The Giving Lens in 2011. This organization combines photo education with support for various global causes. How inspiring!

Palani Mohan

Palani Mohan is a travel photographer who was born in India, raised in Australia and now calls Hong Kong home (when he isn’t traveling the world, of course!).

His wonderful work has been published by many of the world’s leading publications and he is also the author of 5 photography-based books which delve into the cultures and intriguing aspects of various cultures.

Matthew Karsten

Matthew Karsten is a full-time adventure travel blogger & photographer who has been exploring the world for over 6 years – “with no plans to stop anytime soon,” he adds.

Matthew pursued travel photography because, he explains, it “is much more than just participating in extreme activities — it’s about breaking out of your comfort zone, immersing yourself in different cultures and trying new things.”

Trey Ratcliff

Trey Ratcliff is a travel photographer who describes himself as a “warm-hearted, old-school gentleman explorer with really cool toys.”

His website, StuckInCustoms.com, has become the #1 travel photography blog on the web and Trey has been featured on the BBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, and NBC, along with having the privilege of numerous showings around the world.

Gary Arndt

When many people think of world-famous travel photographers, Gary Arndt would be who comes to mind! This guy has won the NATJA Travel Photographer of the Year twice, along with the award of SATW Travel Photographer of the Year in 2014.

Gary’s story is an incredible one, so we’ll let him shed some further light on it: “In 2007 I sold my home to travel around the world. Since then I’ve been traveling non-stop and have visited over 100 countries. During that time I went from being an absolute novice to an award winning travel photographer.”

These are the ten most exciting travel photographers you need to follow! We hope that they continue to inspire and motivate you to get out there and see the world.