My favorite photos

As a photographer it’s always difficult to choose your favorite photo. I mean, there are so many different categories of photography. First of all, which category is to be chosen from? Aerial, nature, monuments, portrait, wildlife or city? Or something completely different. Is the choice based on the visuals alone, or are there personal feelings involved in the choice? Photographers will always see their photos in a different way than the viewer. Of course, it is our job to try and convey those feeling to the viewer, but in many cases people don’t realize all the struggles that have gone in to capture one photo. In this post I try to choose my favorite photos based on different categories. It will be Aerial, Nature, Monuments, Portraits and Wildlife. In some of the categories I will talk about more than one photo, as it has been too difficult to simply choose one.

Nature

I love nature. Being out photographing for sunrise is where I feel the most alive. I don’t know what it is. The tranquility, peacefulness, emptiness or simply just watching the sun rise. Sunrises are different to me than sunsets. It is a completely different experience, having a place to yourself, as compared to sharing it with hundreds of people. Waking up for sunrise takes effort. Not everyone is willing to do it, and maybe that’s why I love it so much.

Therefore most of my favorite photos will also be from sunrise.
In this particular case, I had previsualized the photo even before I left Denmark. However it took me three tries to get it just right.
I went to the Ganges river for sunrise in Varanasi in order to capture a single moment. As I walked up and down the shore, I noticed this small boat in the distance, surrounded by birds. Exactly the moment I had been waiting for. In Varanasi, many of the boats feed the birds in the morning, making for some beautiful photo opportunities.
As soon as I saw it I grabbed my camera, attached my zoom lens and just fired away. Everything went just right for a few moments, but it was all it took for me to capture this incredible moment.

Another one of my favorite photos is this incredible scene from Japan. Probably one of the most picturesque roads in the entire country, this road creates the perfect leading line to Mount Fuji. Photographed just after sunrise, I was the only photographer here. I would have thought that this place would be filled with people, but to my surprise it was not. Normally I try to go photograph for sunrise and sunset, however this was a testament, that it is also beautiful during other parts of the day.

This photo from Kyrgyzstan represents more than just a great photo to me. At a time where everything seemed to be going against me, this scene opened up out of nowhere. A few minutes before this scene had been covered in clouds and fog, and it was difficult to see fifty meters in front of you. It is a good photo too, if I must say so myself. There is scale, central composition, layers, contrast and colors that match very well together. Besides from that, those mountains are just absolutely beautiful!

Aerial

Finally getting a drone was such a game changer for me. It allowed me to see everything from above, and capture entirely new scenes. Before buying one, I wasn’t really sure about it to be honest. Now I take it with me everywhere I go.

I absolutely love this photo. In some way, it feels almost too good to be true. A beautiful valley, beautiful blue glacial water and the impeccable mountain. It all comes together to create a beautiful scene, that I have rarely seen the likes of. Of course a single photo can’t compare to the feeling of actually being there. Seeing my drone getting further and further away, the battery seemingly dropping too fast, I pushed the drone to the absolute maximum, and maybe a bit further. But it was all worth to capture this beauty, and of course get the drone safely back! Longest flight I had ever done at the time, and I’m so happy I did.

I just can’t leave this photo out. It was honestly one of those moments that was just like making a dream come true. Ever since I learned that the volcano in Iceland had erupted, I had wanted to capture it, and eventually booked my ticket there. On this day it was extremely windy. I have known flown in conditions like it. I honestly doubted whether or not I should try and push my luck, but I’m so happy that I did. I don’t think I have ever been closer to loosing the drone. There was almost no battery left, and it was flying back at almost half speed. On the entire flight back I regretted that I had put it in the air, but as soon as I had it in my hand, no battery left, I was so relieved and so happy that I decided to put it up. I later learned that this was the last day it had been active for months, talk about luck.

This is maybe not the best photo, but the landscape was just so unique. I have never experienced landscapes like this, and that’s why I had to include this photo as well. Kyrgyzstan kept surprising me on a daily basis and I’m so happy to have been able to capture moments like this. Personally I think there is always something special about mountains, and with a foreground like this, I just had to capture it, even though the conditions were not the best.

Monuments

There are man made monuments that are truly unique. During my travels I have been lucky enough to capture quite a few. Taj Mahal, Petra, Christ the redeemer, Machu Picchu, and many more. Some stand out more than others though. My experience at Christ the redeemer, flying a helicopter with a person that means a lot to me, was amazing. Experiencing sunrise at the Taj Mahal with my sister, was incredible as well. Overlooking Machu Picchu after countless of stories of the history, was a beautiful moment. And there are so many other experiences like this that stand out. Here are some of my favorite photos from these moments.

Possibly my favorite photo ever. This moment is so unique, and I believe the picture is quite good as well. Somehow it manages to capture the magnificence of the Taj Mahal and the people flocking there to visit. At least to me. I think the colors match well together, and the leading line of the people immediately draws attention towards the monument. I absolutely love this photo. At this moment though I’m quite sure my sister was growing tired of me, as I kept turning back to get more photos.

In many ways this is one of the best sunsets of my life. For one, because of the beautiful sky, the amazing monument, but mostly because of my feelings at the moment of this photo. I think above all, it was pure happiness. Happiness in a kind of way that is supposed to be felt on a daily basis. This moments was just amazing. Being on top of one of the best lookout points in Rio, a few beers, amazing friends followed by a burger at the beach. What more can you ask for. Luckily the photo came out quite nice as well.

Capturing Machu Picchu in a way that is unique is quite difficult as it has been photographed so many times. Nevertheless I love this photo. I guess somehow it represents memories, struggle and difference. It is funny how one is able to remember the feelings of certain moments. I clearly remember how I felt standing here, overlooking this amazing monument. Of course some moments have more significance than others.
However I really like the leading line, created by the slopes, and the light coming in from the right sight gives something really nice to the photo.

Portraits

I think that capturing portraits is some of the most unique photography there is. One portrait can tell so many stories, and capturing the perfect moment is truly amazing. I’m still learning my craft when it comes to portraits but I really like the challenge.

This has to be one of my favorite portraits ever. Driving through the small villages around Jaisalmer on the back of a motorbike myself and my driver stumbled upon this man. I was invited into the mans house, where he sat by the fire, smoking a bettie. He didn’t really understand why I wanted to take a photo, but nevertheless he was happy to let me do it. He has such a unique look, and I’m really happy with the photo I got away with. A funny thing about people in India is, that unlike people in the west where it’s normal to smile in photos, they often have this very serious look on their faces when being photographed.

There is something so striking about this photo I fell. I don’t know what it is. The man was barely able to open his left eye, making for a really interesting photo. When I asked the man if I could take a photo of him he got super excited. He took out his mirror and comb, and started to make his moustache look proper for the photo. Then he redid his turban, and told me was was ready for the photo. He had the biggest smile on his face when I showed him the photo afterwards.

This man had the most amazing brown eyes, and I knew as soon as I saw him that I had to ask if I could do a portrait. He was extremely friendly, and invited me to have som fruit afterwards, which I of course paid for. It is for moments like this, that I love to travel. Meeting new people and having great experiences.

Wildlife

Wildlife photography is so powerful. Being able to capture a single moment of a wild animal. It is not something that has interested my too much until recently, but I have fallen in love with it. I had an amazing experience in India, photographing Kabini national park, and got away with some quite cool photos.

This was my first tiger I ever saw in the wild, and I’m really happy with the outcome. To be honest, I don’t even think that this is the best tiger photo I took during the trip, but it is my favorite, as it was the first one I saw. Seeing a tiger that close was an amazing experience. We had been tracking it for some time, not knowing where it was, but knowing it was in the area. After some time, I spotted it through the bushes, and we repositioned ourselves, in order to have the best position for photography.

I choose this, not so much because of the photo, but the entire morning. This was probably one of the most beautiful mornings I have ever experienced, the jungle was absolutely magical, and the conditions were so dreamy. This was came out very nice, but I still think that I have some, which are even better, I just didn’t start editing them yet.

I can’t leave this one out. The more I look at it, the more I start loving it. What a moment. A leopard in the wild! It was such a crazy experience really. It was a dream. Honestly. I had wanted to capture this, since the moment I booked my trip, and I’m so happy I did. I love the colors and the contrast, and that the Leopard finally started moving! Such beautiful eyes as well.

That’s it! Wow, this was so much more difficult than I had thought. I’m not even sure I made the right choices, but here you have it.

Nature

Aerial

Monuments

Portraits

Wildlife

What to look for in wildlife photography

A photo diary of India