With all of this in mind the search has become just that more tantalizing.  It’s somewhat of a treasure hunt for me, and I believe for others too that are looking for unique, high quality photographs. As a person in a typical town with a typical job, the world all of a sudden seems much more exciting, and available to explore when you’ve seen images of another place or culture. I believe these photos keep alive the faith that the journey to experience these places are attainable when at times it seems impossible.

1. Tom Robinson Photography : Tom is an English photographer who finds himself most at home while traveling the world. His website highlights his work in Central & South America, South East Asia, and New Zealand. His photographs are absolutely breath taking. Lots of character  is captivated through his images of the countries he has visited. If you have a great love for Latin American or Asian cultures you will truly enjoy his images.

2. Art Wolfe : A Northwest native, and avid traveler. Art’s collection is very extensive. His work is often updated on the website, and among having great photography: he is awesome with posting where he is, and what he is doing. He loves to share tips, and tricks of the trade. Art’s career as a photographer extends over 30 years, which makes him a great resource.

3. Mitchell Kanashkevich : Mitchell has a documentary style that is really appealing to many. It gives you the sense of being right in the mix of it all. His passion lies  in photographing disappearing cultures. The flavor of life is captivating, and makes his photographs some of the best to browse through. Mitchell also holds workshops around the world, and has publications documenting his work. Really inspiring stuff!

4. Wendy Connett Photography : She is probably one of my all time favorites. Love her work, and she has a wide range of travel photographs from all around the world. From the US to Morocco there are lots to get lost in. Wendy lives in New York, and is published in more than 25 countries.

5. The Digital Trekker : This website is run by Matt Brandon, and features a number of images & tools for all. Most of his photos are from India, Malayasia and Egypt. He updates his blog weekly, and always has inspiring images to share in his blog posts. I personally find his website very helpful in seeing through his images the ‘how to’s’.
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6. WhyGo : WhyGo is a great travel photography website for daily photos. This site has photos submitted 24/7 from all around the world from us the traveling readers. It’s a great way to share your experiences with the community, and get involved. You can be the one to inspire more people to travel. I check it out everyday! Like I said earlier it’s like a treasure hunt. Some days there is a phenomenal picture posted, and makes the wait worth it.

7. National Geographic : I know I’m stating the obvious here, but I have to say that this website is for sure the best free resource for travel photography. The catalog of locations, and images can keep me busy for hours. They have country, theme, park, people, etc. categories that speak to all. Plus, the pictures are a collaboration of the best of the best in the world, and if you are looking for a quick inspiration fix. There is no other photography site like it: we are lucky to have it right at our finger tips.

8. Nomadic Vision : The beautiful photos showcased on this website are captured by John and Tina Reid. The photographs are displayed creatively, and stand out for a number of reasons.  Their photographs range from nature, cities and people. The most intriguing part about their photographs is the commentary on each of the photos. I find that a lot of sites show pictures, but there is no information about them. The story behind the picture is just as compelling to me as the photograph: even if it is only one sentence. They also have a blog that gives you a bigger glimpse into their world.

9. Pictory : I’m a huge fan of this website. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s only been out for a short while, but has made big waves. The site focuses on ’showcasing your best photo stories’. It only has three photo story cities listed (New York, San Francisco and London), but I believe their are more to come. The site only has a few travel destinations, but the photo story listed about each of the cities are unique. What intrigues me the most is that the photos display a side of the city that otherwise gets overlooked. Outside the travel world, the other photo series on the site are excellent. They spark a lot of feeling in the life’s of others, the content is well thought out, and changing on a regular bases. Plus, it’s nice to have a website with some local US travel destinations. Two thumbs up!

10. The Big Picture : Like I said, heavy hitters. The Boston Globe’s news in photograph series is a great one stop shop photography site of pictures from all over the world. A small number of photographs published are from private photographers, but a majority of their photographs posted come from such licensed sources as AP, and Getty images. What I love most about this site, is that you can browse pictures from all walks of life. The selection of pictures most always tell an interesting story, and are thought provoking. In their about page, Alan Taylor (who runs the blog) states that The Big Picture, “is intended to highlight high-quality, amazing imagery – with a focus on current events, lesser-known stories and, well, just about anything that comes across the wire that looks really interesting.”

In my many hours of perusing photographs: the mainstream has fueled my desire to find the rather off-beat, and possibly a tad more unusual in content travel photography websites. Don’t get me wrong: I do have a great appreciation for the heavy hitters too, there are a couple of them on the list to prove it is so. I will surely admit there are definitely more than 10 travel photography websites out there that are very noteworthy. But these are my ‘top’ travel photography websites right now that I frequent for inspiration.