My Top 5 Photo Destinations - Andrew Peacock

Looking for some travel destination inspiration?
Find out where Ted's Master Andrew Peacock thinks are the most photogenic locations.

This beautiful country has been a home away from home at times because of a long-standing friendship I have with an Italian family in Florence. For a photographer there are so many special locations to choose from. Walking the trails of the Cinque Terre and climbing the limestone cliffs of the Dolomite mountains have been among my most enjoyable experiences there.

This colourful image of the city of Naples is something a little different. Standing on the stern of a cruise ship leaving the harbour I used a Canon 100-400mm IS lens at full zoom to flatten the perspective of these apartment buildings on the hillside and add an abstract quality to the scene.

I volunteered as a doctor in Nepal way back in 1996 and have visited many times since to climb and to lead treks into the mountains. From historic Kathmandu to remote mountain villages set dramatically on the slopes of the Himalayas there is no end of photographic inspiration. When trekking in the narrow valleys of the mountains the strong lighting contrast makes capturing the full dynamic range of the scene quite difficult as was the case with this photo of a trekker, up early to see the sun hit the icy peak of Tawoche in the Khumbu region.

In April and May this year people in many areas of Nepal suffered terribly from earthquakes and I would encourage you to visit Nepal to spend time and money there while exploring this incredible country.

It’s all about photographing a landscape of ocean, snow, ice and inquisitive wildlife down South. Penguins are fascinating animals and I never tire of watching and capturing their unique antics. The cold and often windy environment makes for a challenge in staying warm and for taking photographs but the landscape is ever changing with the 24 hour light in summer and your biggest challenge might be fitting in sleep between long photo sessions. It’s common to return home with great images of icebergs and whales breaching but what about portraits of fellow travellers?

This photo is of the doctor on a National Geographic/Lindblad expedition I was part of. We were just getting onto the ship from a Zodiac cruise when I noticed his pale blue watery eyes contrasting with the vibrant orange of the life jacket and clicked the shutter.

There is no better place for a road trip than the western United States in my view. The geographical diversity of the great National Parks like Zion, Yosemite and Yellowstone are unmatched anywhere for the ease with which you can visit so many of them in a relatively short time. Visiting ‘out of season’ is my tip; it’s when you will have many of the popular vista points to yourself. I took this landscape image on a long hike in winter through Bryce Canyon National Park on a day when I passed just a few other people. The park is known for it’s sandstone hoodoo formations but this appearance is the result of the weathering away of the sandstone leaving an eroded orange/white landscape behind.

I feel lucky being able to call the lovely Sunshine Coast in Queensland my home and of course photographing in the place you likely know best can give you a leg up in producing good photos. Wandering the neighbourhood, camera in hand, at different times of the day may reveal a new perspective of common scenes and new activity to shoot.

I saw this photo ‘in my mind’ when I spotted the patch of greenery isolated in the tannin stained creek water as I walked to the beach for a swim one day. Returning at dawn the next day I had with me a tripod and a wide-angle lens, as I knew from what I’d already seen what I needed to capture an effective landscape image at that spot. In fact the greenery had moved further along the creek bed with the tidal changes but luckily it hadn’t washed out to sea just yet!

If you like Andrew's work, check out his portfolio and galleries here...

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