3 Nature Photographers Share The Prettiest Nature Locations
Nature and travel photographers are the ones who really see the world as it is now. They will watch it become something else, too. We talked with a few photographers on the Hub – Gary Boni, Forrest Smith, and Alaina Mullin – who specialize in nature and travel photography and asked them about their favorite destinations and how one can preserve the environment, while still getting the shots they want.
Favorite location to travel to?
Gary Boni
There’s nothing like the Adirondack park – everything is so calm. The people there are people who love the outdoors and don’t have anywhere. I think people are the most important part in travel photography: the vibes and feeling you get from others to influence you and your photos. You could go to the most amazing place with the most amazing views but if the people there are rude or unwelcoming and you feel uncomfortable, why would you even want to spend time there and show the world your experience?
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Forrest Smith
My favorite place is constantly changing. I love to document new spaces. More than anything, I look for landscapes and experiences that inspire me — this year alone the pursuit of this has taken me from mountain tops in Washington, to jungles in Laos, to sitting side stage at an Alexander Wang show. Ultimately, I think I look for newness in my work opposed to familiarity — I always want to be learning something from my subject.
Alaina Mullin
Internationally, one of my favorite places that I’ve been to is New Zealand. I’ve always been a sucker for any kind of mountain-scape, so it was a dream to photograph the scenery there. However, I’m firm believer that you don’t have to travel internationally to see breathtaking landscapes and nature; there is so much to see here in the US. I’m from Idaho, so take me anywhere in the Pacific Northwest and I’m set.
Where do you want to travel to the most?
Gary Boni
Iceland. The vast open landscape with such drastic changes just amazes me. Besides Iceland though, I’d love to travel to each state and photograph the best things each one has to offer: Yellowstone, Arches, Sequoia.
Forrest Smith
Ultimately my heart is still called back to Alaska. I traveled there a little over a year ago and fell in love. The vast, seemingly untouched wilderness is so inspiring. It’s one of the only places in my life that I’ve genuinely feared for my life — and one of the only places that has compelled me to really live life to the fullest.
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Alaina Mullin
In the last year, I’ve become obsessed with checking off my “bucket list” destinations. I took a trip to Morocco with some friends last December and saw the Sahara Desert for the first time, which is what started the whole obsession I think. I just got back from a two week trip in China and checked off destination #2 (the Great Wall!!) and I’d say the next spot on my hit list would be either the Pyramids in Egypt or hiking the Andes in Patagonia.
How can someone preserve nature while shooting?
Gary Boni
Preserving nature isn’t as hard as some people think it is. You don’t have to volunteer every weekend to do a beach cleanup or only buy Patagonia because they recycle their products. There are some easy things to do, though, that will help in the long run. What I like to do is carry a little bag and if I see garbage on a trail, I’ll pick it up. Living by the carry-in-carry-out rule is the best way to preserve nature while out shooting. While you’re at it, switch out that plastic water bottle for a reusable one. Also – stay on the trails. You don’t realize how much damage you cause by going off the marked areas in nature and if someone sees your foot prints, they’ll follow.
Forrest Smith
I think photographing nature is not much different than simply enjoying it in whatever regard it be — hiking, running, kayaking, etc. There are certain rules that are put in place that need to be respected when you’re in the outdoors no matter who you are. Going off trail, littering, having campfires during times of the year when fire danger is high, etc — that will always be detrimental to the environment. Just because you have a camera doesn’t justify breaking the rules. Remain respectful, remain considerate. No photograph is worth destroying a natural space.
Alaina Mullin
Obviously making sure to leave the location looking the same if not better than it did before (i.e. picking up your trash / not leaving trash / picking up trash that others might have left before you) is a must. I’d also advise using lenses with longer focal lengths in order to maintain a healthy distance between yourself and any wildlife you might encounter (I use a Canon 70-200mm lens all the time on trips). Staying on designated trails and respecting any other rules or guidelines put in place by local authorities whether that be park rangers, grounds caretakers, etc is also very important as well.
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More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious, thankfully, and sharing ways in which we can live sustainably and work towards saving the planet. These people are everywhere, and a lot of them are photographers.
Check out our list of travel photographers on the PNW:
20 Travel Photographers of the PNW That Make Us Want to Hit the Road, Now
