The Best Landscape Photographers You Need to Follow in 2020
- #25. Michael Shainblum
- #24. Sarah Marino
- #23. Quin Schrock
- #22. Emily Dickey
- #21. Erez Marom
- #20. Erin Babnik
- #19. Daniel Kordan
- #18. Cath Simard
- #17. Ása Steinars
- #16. Stian Klo
- #15. Lizzy Gadd
- #14. Christian Hoiberg
- #13. Elisabeth Brentano
- #12. Felix Inden
- #11. Marc Adamus
- #10. Iurie Belegurschi
- #9. Candace and Ryan Dyar
- #8. Konsta Punkka
- #7. Katie Goldie
- #6. Benjamin Hardman
- #5. Christian Schaffer
- #4. Dustin LeFevre
- #3. Lina Kayser
- #2. Tiffany Nguyen
- #1. Kilian Schönberger
Do you need a bit of inspiration in your life? Have you been looking for new and exciting places to photograph? Whether you're in search of a particular style or the strongest photographers in the art today, you're bound to find something that will satiate your thirst for knowledge (and eye-candy) here. We've compiled a list of the best landscape photographers to follow on Instagram, so that you can receive your daily dose of awe-inspiring nature!
- Learn all about Aperture and F-Stop in Landscape Photography for Beginners
- Check out these 5 Reasons Why Iceland is the Best Destination For Aerial Photography
- Join us on this 11 Day Namibia Photography Tour
#25. Michael Shainblum
Michael Shainblum is an amazing landscape, aerial and time lapse photographer hailing from San Francisco in the USA. His compositions, concepts and execution are always perfect. His time lapse pieces will blow your mind; they are truly captivating.
We recommend checking out his YouTube channel and watching some of his time lapse videos along with the awesome behind-the-scenes vlogs he puts together from his trips.
Michael also produces great tutorial videos where he runs you through his processing and techniques so that you can improve your own photography.
- See also: Interview with Michael Shainblum
#24. Sarah Marino
Sarah Marino is based in southwest Colorado but seems to spend a good deal of time travelling around the United States in an Airstream. She does a lot of macro and abstract detail photography that is absolutely beautiful. The way she uses space and balance in her work is so strong.
Sarah fills each frame perfectly so it just seems like the image is breaking the frame open. The tiny details she notices out in nature is so impressive. You would never think a small cluster of trees, a flower, or some leaves on the ground could be so powerful but she makes it so.
In our eyes, her work just yells to be printed large and hung up on the wall.
#23. Quin Schrock
This guy is wild. He is what I would consider a true explorer. He doesn’t just visit the iconic, photogenic locations of the world – he looks for new ones.
Quin’s photographs are stunning and the locations that he photographs are ones that you really just don’t see often in the outdoor photography world. He has a great eye for capturing an epic scene that will make you feel as though you are there.
His work has a certain “Get off your butt, out of your comfort zone, and go see things” type of energy. While we don’t know Quinn personally, we can imagine him sitting in his van parked outside some beautiful spot, studying maps, Google Earth, and images for hours in an effort to find the next new and exciting place to go. Whatever he is doing, it pays off.
#22. Emily Dickey
First of all, Emily has the best Instagram handle – @ienjoyhiking. As a landscape photographer, it kind of just makes you smile.
Emily is from Utah in the USA and has a portfolio of stunning images from the American southwest. Her photos have a sense of minimalism amongst detail with striking visuals. From big views of looming badlands to intricate abstracts of cracked mud – it’s simple yet beautiful.
#21. Erez Marom
Erez Marom is from Israel and he has a a great eye for photography.
His photos from Namibia – a fairly well photographed location – are very unique and beautifully composed. We highly recommend checking his work out for a bit of inspiring eye-candy.
- See also: 11 Day Namibia Photography Tour
#20. Erin Babnik
Erin Babnik rules; plain and simple. Her landscape work is some of the best that we have ever seen, hands down.
An American photographer with an art history background, she uses subtle colouring and powerful composition to show the most stunning aspects of the landscape in her photos.
Erin is part of Photo Cascadia, a collective of seven nature photographers who continually push the boundaries of the craft and provide photography education.
- See also: Interview with Erin Babnik
#19. Daniel Kordan
Daniel Kordan is a Russian photographer who leads some amazing photography workshops. His well-rounded skills go beyond taking incredible landscape photos, extending into the realm of post-processing wizardry.
His work includes the beauty of Japan and its culture, amazing portraits of Mongolian eagle hunters, massive icebergs in Greenland, as well as the white horses of Camargue in France.
- See also: Interview with Daniel Kordan
#18. Cath Simard
Catherine Simard is a Canadian photographer whose work is quite unique compared to that of other photographers. She takes a lot of photos at night and uses panoramas to cover a huge span with her scenes.
If you are a sucker for photos of the starry night sky, then you'll likely find yourself being a big fan of her work.
#17. Ása Steinars
Ása Steinars was born in Norway and moved to Iceland at a young age. Originally an Engineering graduate, she eventually found her passion working as a freelance photographer.
Ása is an adventurous photographer who seems to always be out on the move. Whether photographing at home in Iceland or the Caribbean islands, she is always sharing beautiful photos of her travels across her social media.
#16. Stian Klo
Stian Klo is one great photographer. Not only does he operate Lofoten Tours in Norway, but he has been recognised by National Geographic and commissioned by companies like Apple.
If you plan on visiting northern Norway, then this is an account that you should follow for inspiration. Stian's work never stops progressing; it always gets better and better.
#15. Lizzy Gadd
Elizabeth Gadd is a nature photographer who specialises in self-portraits. She hails from Vancouver in Canada and every one of her pictures looks like it belongs on the cover of a fantasy movie poster or a novel.
Lizzy's work is beautiful, ethereal, sometimes dark or eerie, glowing and just great to look at. The scenery, placement and softness to her images is perfect. Each photograph portrays such a strong mood balanced with having a human element in nature.
#14. Christian Hoiberg
Christian Hoiberg is a super-talented Norwegian photographer, who is always pushing his creative boundaries by experimenting with different scenery, focal lengths, and processing techniques that keep his images fresh.
His website CaptureLandscapes contains a wealth of knowledge on everything related to landscape photography.
- See also: Interview with Christian Hoiberg
#13. Elisabeth Brentano
Elisabeth Brentano is a photographer who is based in the USA. Besides her great landscape work, she has a real talent for visual storytelling and writing. Her posts often contain information about current events and issues.
She is a strong, outspoken advocate for preserving nature.
#12. Felix Inden
Judging by the amount of time he spends in the Lofoten Islands and the Faroe Islands, you would think Felix is from somewhere in the Arctic. He’s actually from Germany.
This guy just can’t seem to get enough of cold and frozen places. He loves it and is always going back for more. His stunning images of these harsh, wind-swept, cold places will leave you absolutely breathless.
#11. Marc Adamus
What would a list of best landscape photographers be without Marc Adamus? Incomplete. Marc transformed modern day landscape photography. He is top level and has the best visual eye in all of landscape photography today.
Marc's use of layering, balance, patterns, colour and processing is so beautifully intense. Even his minimalist photos have power. If you aren’t following him on social media, then you’re missing out.
#10. Iurie Belegurschi
What would this list be without Iurie Belegurschi? Although originally from Moldova, Iurie is “the” Iceland photographer. He moved to Iceland in 2006 to work on photography and tourism, creating Iceland Photo Tours. He also co-founded the Guide to Iceland platform.
Iurie is a fantastic photographer with a wealth of knowledge.
#9. Candace and Ryan Dyar
Candace and Ryan Dyar are a husband-and-wife duo from the USA who are both landscape photographers. They run workshops out of Washington and both take beautiful photographs throughout the Pacific Northwest.
While Candace is extremely talented with a great eye for composition, Ryan's images are easily recognisable with his unique processing style. The deep tones with soft, airy highlights make all of his scenes look like a fantasy land, in the best kind of way.
Together, Candace and Ryan make an epic photographer team. They're what the hip Internet kids would call “couple goals”.
#8. Konsta Punkka
Konsta Punkka, aka the “Squirrel Whisperer”, hails from Finland. If you want to see intimate portraits of animals up close and personal, then he is your guy. His photographs of squirrels, foxes, deer, bears, walruses and other wildlife will make you feel all kinds of good inside. The expressions that he captures on wild animals' faces never ceases to amaze.
Although he is known for his wildlife photography, Konsta also takes amazing landscape photography.
- See also: 7 Day Finnish Lapland Photo Tour
#7. Katie Goldie
Katie Goldie is a Canadian photographer who has a real passion for the outdoors, specifically the mountains. Having grown up around the Canadian Rockies, she doesn’t shy away from going out into the wild to photograph beautiful locations.
When you follow her, you will find epic photos of mountains and far off places which make you want to go backpacking immediately.
#6. Benjamin Hardman
Benjamin is a super interesting fellow. He is an Australian who has moved to Iceland, seemingly because he simply loved it. His images are stunning and very original. They combine strong contrasting elements to create graphic, patterned pieces of art.
His photographs look cold, foreboding, and beautiful. They are a pure example of fine art landscape photography and help to spread awareness of the need to preserve the fragile Arctic.
#5. Christian Schaffer
Christian Schaffer is a restless soul. Originally from the midwest United States, she has moved and lived all over the place. These days, she roams around in a tricked out van that looks like such an awesome place to call home.
Her photographs span from dreamy, colourful sunsets over layered mountains to extraordinary vistas over the ocean. It’s a testament to her free spirit.
- See also: Ultimate Guide to Sunset Photography
#4. Dustin LeFevre
Dustin LeFevre is another incredible landscape photographer from the USA. His photos throughout the region are incredible, showing off the buttes, plateaus, badlands, and canyons of Utah.
Dustin is constantly finding unique patterns and shapes throughout the chaotic nature of the American southwest.
- See also: Ultimate Guide to Desert Photography
#3. Lina Kayser
Lina Kayser is a Norwegian photographer with a portfolio of beautiful animal portraits. Her trips to Svalbard and other Arctic regions have granted her opportunities to photograph some of the fragile wildlife. She uses moody processing techniques and the strong graphical contrast of the Arctic to make amazing images.
Through her feed, you will gain intimate glimpses of walruses, foxes, orcas, polar bears and wolves. It’s great stuff.
#2. Tiffany Nguyen
Tiffany Nguyen is a travel photographer and dentist from the USA. She has travelled all over the world, immersing herself in new places and cultures, collecting beautiful photographs along the way.
On her social media feeds, you can expect to see stylised images of iconic locations, ranging from the Eiffel Tower in Paris to the mighty Vestrahorn mountain in Iceland. It's the kind of imagery that makes you feel like you need to get out into the world.
#1. Kilian Schönberger
Kilian is the king of the forests in Germany. If you've never seen his work before, then you'll be blown away by how he transforms seemingly mundane scenes into enchanting, fairytale worlds. This intrepid explorer lives and breathes nature. His unique and fantastic way of seeing the world translates across into his photography.
You can join Kilian on a 7 Day Germany & Czech Republic Photography Workshop to learn how he achieves his style!
- See also: Ultimate Guide to Forest Photography
That’s all 25 of the best, most famous landscape and nature photographers on Instagram whom you can follow for inspiration. We hope you'll check them out to gain a refreshing insight into all of the exciting places that you can visit to take your own photography to the next level!
About the author: Sean Ensch is a landscape photographer based in the USA. You can find more of his work on his website or by following him on Facebook and Instagram.
Are there any photographers who haven't made the list whom you think should be here? Leave a comment for us below!
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