Photography has been an integral part of the travel experience for as long as cameras have been around. On the surface, it’s clear that it serves a documentary purpose—visual memories that we can revisit time and again. However, on deeper reflection, Adventure.com photo editor Nicola Bailey argues that photography does a lot more than that.
Having been a travel photographer for over 20 years, I love the way photography encourages a mindfulness of my surroundings. It makes me seek out unique places, connect with people and really look at the world from varying perspectives. From cropping in close on an artisan’s hands to rising early to get a shot in perfect morning light, there are always details and scenes in front of you that are worthy of attention.
With all of this comes a deeper appreciation of the place you are in, the people you are meeting and of the beauty of our planet in general. If traveling has a purpose, then that appreciation is arguably one of the more important ones.
Beyond that, photography allows us to create a visual narrative about a place, its people and its culture. While I recognize that some narratives can be damaging, when shot and curated with awareness photography can be a valuable medium for inspiring an appreciation of other cultures, fostering a greater appreciation of diversity, and raising awareness of important environmental and humanitarian issues.
As Adventure.com’s photo editor, I am lucky enough to get to read about travel and look at travel imagery every day. We prioritize photography on our site, recognizing how important strong imagery is for telling a story. So this year I thought I would share, in no particular order, some of my favorite commissioned shots and what I particularly like about the image. Enjoy!
There are several reasons I love this image: I love the composition with the wavy lines, the silhouette of people filling the negative space and the woman, armed with her phone filling the foreground. The sun hitting her leg and giving a glow to her hair adds interest too.
This would have been a challenging photo to take, so well done to Sayandeep for his execution. Alongside the rocks, the climbers look like statues, and it adds to the sense of peace and quiet that I can imagine in Hampi at night. The sky is dotted with stars, and the illumination of the rock in the foreground—with the people staring at it—gives it a sense of power.
I liked the way these two pictures immediately tell us that we’re focused on surfing and that we’re in India—a setting few people associate with the sport. The rickshaw in particular I love, because while garlands of marigolds might be common, surfboards on the roofs of rickshaws aren’t. We don’t often get sent features that are photographed on film like this one was, and the grainy quality also draws me in—it has a beautiful, rich and artistic feel to it.
I love the perspective of this shot, it’s very creative. There is a great sense of space and beautiful soft light in this image and the lower perspective encourages us to look at more of the scenery—the icebergs and houses in the far distance, and the reflection and flowers in the pool of water at the subject’s feet. Read story
I’ve always wanted to go to Raja Ampat in Indonesia, and this feature just added to that longing. I could have selected any of the shots of turquoise water and towering karst islands, but this photo stands out to me for being unique. Aside from being a drone shot—who doesn’t love drone?—it is somewhat contradictory as we see the subject looking completely relaxed in a sea of jellyfish. Contradictions in imagery are great, and the colors in this shot just pop.
I chose to pair these two images together in this feature about overtourism in Vietnam. I love a good portrait and this one spoke to me because it looks so natural. We get a sense of the space she occupies and the warmth of her personality. Unlike a lot of portraits, she looks away from the camera which works in adding to the authenticity. I paired it with one of the meals she prepares in her kitchen since food is her livelihood. This particular food shot works because of the angle it is taken, and the opportunity to see the main dish plus the condiments in the background.
Nicola has contributed a number of times to the site and never fails to deliver. He has a way of getting right into the centre and thick of whatever interesting cultural event is happening and capturing striking photos. This picture is no different—it is a beautiful, candid shot full of movement, emotion and connection—all in the one shot. I love that he got down low to be able to shoot up and capture the faces of the subjects from a unique perspective.
This photo stood out to me because of the beautiful light on the puma, the way it is framed by the grasses and plants, by the monochromatic colour tones and lastly, by the very calm way the animal is holding itself. All in contrast to the grisly scene in front of us.
These photos of Guatemala’s active Fuego volcano stand out for being shots that screams ‘right time, right place’. The lava and ash are dramatic enough, but the addition of a group of travelers walking towards it helps to tell the story well—are we risking too much with volcano tourism?
This photo feels nostalgic; reminding me of any number of long train trips spent looking out a window. There is nothing overly complicated about it but that to me is the beauty of the image. I like the soft light landing on the two faces, and the reflection in the glass of one of the women.
I love a picture that gives scale and context to a place and this photo does just that. Having both the cruise ship and the kayakers in frame gives the viewer a sense of how enormous (and utterly beautiful) the glacier actually is.
This is another pairing of images that I really like. I like the leading lines in the work-life portrait of the fisherman, and the way it gives us so much context about place. Then the close-crop of the lobster dishes all the details. They work well together for telling this particular story about sustainable harvesting in Tasmania.
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Nicola is an award-winning photographer who lives between her homes in Sydney, Australia and New York City. She has a particular interest in remote and challenging locations, and the visual stories that come out of them.
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