Amazing Travel Photography Locations For This Summer

We know that all photography enthusiasts have a ‘bucket list’ of travel destinations they dream of shooting. Even so, there’s always room for more inspiration and useful tips. That’s why we’ve come up with a short selection of travel photography locations you can enjoy visiting and shooting this summer. Ready to be amazed?

Location: The Great Barrier Coral Reef

Located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia, the Great Coral Reef expands onto 2.300 km and around 900 islands, making it the largest coral reef system in the world. The stunning structure created by living organisms can be seen from outer space and offers a variety of wonderful spectacles. The Great Barrier Coral Reef was made a World Heritage Site in 1981 and it amazed marine-biologists as well as tourists from all over the world. Although facing a series of environmental threats, this destination still remains a hot-spot for scuba divers, tourists, and photographers.

Fish in the Coral Barrier Reef

Photo Tip: Make sure to be accompanied by professional scuba divers if you are still at the beginning of your scuba lessons. Other than that, the very diverse marine ecosystem offers countless hours of photo-sessions.

Recommended Equipment: It would be great if you could hire underwater lenses. For spectacular results, we recommend experimenting with fisheye lenses such as Nikon 10.5mm fisheye lens or Tokina 10-17mm fisheye.

Location: Barcelona

The capital of Catalonia, Barcelona offers many tourist hot-spots and an endless array of sights worth photographing. Falling heavily under the architecture style of Antoni Gaudi, including his famous unfinished Sagrada Familia, Barcelona attracts travelers by its sheer beauty and stunning culture. Including the Sagrada Familia, other places worth photographing are the Montjuic Park, La Pedrera (another one of Antoni Gaudi’s famous buildings), Guell Park, Poble Espanyol, La Seu Cathedral, Palau de la Musica Catalana and the list can continue. From fine sandy beaches to impressive architectural feats, Barcelona has much to offer to every travel photography enthusiast.

architectural detail from La Sagrada Familia

Photo Tip: Time! Barcelona hosts a vast number of attractions, too many to count, so be sure to take your time and try to go through as many as you can.

Recommended Equipment: For urban shots, we suggest using a good wide-angle lens so you can capture as broad areas of view as possible. Macro lenses might also be useful for stunning close-ups of architectural details.

Location: Venice

It is hard to make a top of amazing travel photography destinations without including the city of Venice. Built by the Roman Empire, the city of Venice rose to fame especially during the Middle Ages when it became one of Europe’s most important centers of commerce. Originally a shallow swamp-land, the unique pillars onto which the city was built are still regarded as an impressive engineering feat, almost all being unchanged since the city’s creation. This most famous city includes a vast number of tourist hot-spots such as the Doge Palace, Piazza San Marco, the Murano islands, the Grand Canal and of course St Mark’s Basilica. The city also hosts a film festival making it one of the best photography destinations, especially for loving couples.

beautiful night picture in Venice

Photo Tip: Photographs taken while on a gondola can amaze any viewer, especially due to the magnificent surroundings in Venice, offering the chance to photograph streets, houses, parks, as well as some of its most impressive monuments.

Recommended Equipment: Night scenes over Venice are truly spectacular. Make sure you take a tripod with you so to avoid blurry pictures.

Location: Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Changing a bit the perspective, the Easter Island is one of those haunting places capable of unleashing anybody’s imagination. The moai, Ester Island’s famous statues make for epic pictures. Every year the place comes to life with feats, music, parades, traditional dance and sports during the Tapati Rapa Nui festival.  What is really impressive is the way local culture is celebrated. Tapati Rapa Nui welcomes visitors from around the world, but at the same time it is a festival made for locals. Have we stirred up your curiosity? The Easter Island definitely makes for an un-missable photo and traveling experience.

Easter Island - The Moai Statues

Photo Tip: If you cannot be there during the festival and take a few magical shots, don’t worry. Nothing beats a picture of the stone statuary under a starry sky.

Recommended Equipment: Don’t forget to pack your tripod and, if possible, use an aspherical wide-angle lens. Rokinon 24 mm f/1.4 for Canon is ideal for night photography and especially for astrophotography.

Location: Danube Delta

Finally, we decided to include one of Europe’s most stunning ecosystems. The Danube Delta is located in Romania and hosts over 300 species of birds and 45 species of freshwater fish. This eerie ecosystem impresses due to the little impact it suffered from mankind. Frequent tours via the Danube, which springs from the Black Forrest Mountains in Germany and flows into the Black Sea, can be made by crossing several capital-cities such as Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Bratislava. Best period to visit the Danube Delta is from late spring to early autumn when warm temperatures allow for all sorts of activities such as boat rides, fishing, sightseeing, birdwatching and, of course, stunning photo shootings.

Panorama over the Danube Delta

Photo Tip: As a valuable tip for all those passionate about nature photography, be sure to capture this unique biosphere reservation in all its splendor. The Danube Delta is ideal for wild photography holidays. Also, if you enjoy admiring nature’s treasures in solitude, there are a few secluded beaches worth visiting and shooting at Sulina and Sf Gheorghe, two of the three channels. The misty mornings and fiery sunsets make for astonishing golden hour pictures.

Recommended Equipment: For stunning images, especially when shooting from bigger distances, we recommend using wide angle zooms. These lenses will allow zooming out and capturing more of the surroundings at the same time. Pretty amazing, isn’t it?

We hope you enjoyed our travel photography location ideas and tips. Do you have in mind any other iconic locations and dream destinations? Feel free to drop us a line and share with us your travel photography ‘bucket list’.

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.