Inspiration is often difficult to define, especially for professional photographers, whose eyes are trained to spot a great shot from a mile away. But photographer Matt Long maintains that inspiration can strike anyone at any time. “It’s about what means the most to you and capturing the essence of that moment,” he says.
We asked Long and seven other globetrotting photographers to share one unforgettable moment during their travels that they were compelled to capture on camera.
Splendour in the South Pacific
“To me, photography has always been about capturing those moments that not everyone gets to see,” says photographer Don Riddle. He believes that creating a great image takes planning, waiting and a bit of luck.
To capture the above photograph of the over-water bungalows at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, Riddle revisited the location at sunset on multiple occasions, with different results each time. “Some evenings were rainy, and some were just average. Finally, the sunset was spectacular. I kept clicking the shutter as the light got better and better, until finally it was dark.”
A sense of place in Beijing
You can almost hear the movement of the locals and tourists bustling through the Summer Palace on this day in Beijing. “I wanted to show what a place feels like rather than just what it looks like,” says photographer Robb Aaron Gordon of this intriguing shot. “I like the idea of timelessness and infinity, which lends itself to this image. I didn’t want to focus on people, but did want to give the sense of a crowd.”
Light and life on the French Riviera
During a recent visit to Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel, photographer Martin Morrell found himself enamoured with the light and the variety of landscape in the South of France. “While at a Riviera beach restaurant, I was watching the shadow of a tree on the pebble beach and water,” he remembers. “As I took the photo, the boy ran into the shot, which made for the perfect moment.”
Morrell has travelled the world, but there is something he finds especially inspiring about the South of France. “There are elements of the Riviera that are timeless, and [that] French reluctance to change is also part of the charm.”
Watching Bali come to life
Photographer Christian Horan has learned that the more uncomfortable he is while shooting, the better the photo. Case in point: During a sunrise walk through Ubud, not far from Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, Horan slogged through mud to capture this shot of rice planters hard at work.
“The calm, peaceful energy of the town and rice fields inspired me,” Horan says. “I had to wade far out into the mud to get the photo. But finally, the reflection of the people on the water revealed itself.”
Uncovering hidden gems in India
Rachelle Lucas, creator of The Travel Bite, rarely follows the crowd when exploring a new destination. “The Taj Mahal is beautiful, and so iconic,” she says. “Everyone instantly recognises it.”
But what most intrigued Lucas on her visit, and likely went unnoticed by others, were the many tombs surrounding the landmark. “The doorways seemed to go on forever,” she says of the tourist-free portico captured here. “The feeling of infinity inspired me, along with the rustic orange colour.”
An unforgettable sunrise in the Serengeti
On her blog, Aviators and a Camera, Kirsten Alana beautifully chronicles her travels around the world. But it’s a trip to the Serengeti during the Great Migration that created this most inspiring memory.
During a sunrise hot-air balloon flight, Alana saw the ground below blanketed with zebras. “I wanted to come away with a photo that encapsulated the landscape, hot-air ballooning and the Great Migration,” she says. “I kept turning and finally found the shot with the golden colour of the sunrise. I’ll never forget that light.”
The wonder of Maui’s sinking sun
Sean and Jennifer Nguyen, the husband-and-wife photography duo behind the popular Instagram handle @Kobechanel, often find themselves drawn to natural settings during their travels. At Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea, the couple found inspiration at sunset, citing the colours of the sky, the calm of the sea, the tranquillity of the infinity pool and the last light of day as reasons for capturing this view.
“With its vibrant colours, nature is eye-catching,” Sean says. “We especially like capturing unique perspectives on scenes that are well known to be beautiful images.”
Nature’s beauty in Budapest
“I love natural landscapes. There’s just something about them,” says Matt Long, founder of popular travel blog Landlopers. Over time, Long has noticed how his eye and camera lens regularly gravitate towards the splendour of nature—even in an urban setting. “Landscapes show a simple beauty that’s not fabricated,” he says. “It captures the spirit of a place.”
From his room at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, Long took this shot of the sun setting over the Danube River. “It was my first sunset in the city. I remember feeling enchanted and mesmerised by what is really one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”
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