And now, a toast to 2017 and may 2018 bring each of you closer to your dreams! Wishing everyone all the best for their New Year Celebration – no matter where in the world you happen to be.

2017 || The Jet Lag Adventures Continue

In 2017 our Jet Lag and caffeine filled adventures continued at full speed. It has been a year of incredible projects and fun-filled events that have propelled us around the globe multiple times. Looking back at the year—our 7th year of full time perpetual travel—having taken almost 100 flights and logging over 200 thousand miles, I don’t think there was a single point in the year where our bodies acclimated to a single time zone. Jet Lag FTW! 😉

As I write this post and look at the entire year in its totality, It’s incredible to see how much our lives have evolved, our businesses has developed, and how the experiences of 2017 have caused me to step even further outside of my comfort zone. Throughout the journey, I feel that I’ve grown in countless profound and positive ways.

It has been a wild (and jet lag filled) ride, and along the way, 2017 has continued to confirm for me that without a doubt, passion, hard work, and dedication will never go unrewarded. I’ve also learned that it’s ok to sleep every once and a while.

This post is a collection of our favorite moments, favorite photos, and favorite memories from 2016. Thanks for being a part of it!

Travel Stats

Here’s a quick breakdown of our yearly travel and flights stats. As I share this post, I’m currently resetting and re-acclimating my time zone and body clock in sunny Florida. After flying so much this year, my sense of time has become very abstract!

Countries Visited: 13
Miles Flown: 201,022
Flights Taken: 96
Hours on a Plane: 450

January || Smugmug Films – Italy – Photographing The World 3

The beginning of January actually started out pretty calm for a change. Naomi and I spent time in Central Florida visiting family and finalizing the upcoming in-the-field portion of Photographing The World 3 with Lee and Patrick from Fstoppers. The finished projects we produce come out so polished that most people don’t know about the months of preparation it takes to plan out the locations and logistics. Thankfully Naomi is a travel coordination mastermind.

Catching up on some old raw processing was nice too!

The urban epicenter of Shanghai glows as warm and cool lights illuminate the tangle of overlapping highways.

I also finally was able to see a physical copy of Light and Shadow, a magazine created by Really Right Stuff.

In addition, being back in Florida, I also got to see 7 of my photos published in “Above The World.” The first book of drone photography!

Smugmug Films – Nomadic Photographic

On January 10th, we were very excited to finally release the short film that Smugmug produced about our unique lifestyle. I feel that it really helped put things in perspective, particularly the blend of challenges and rewards, and the special mentality it takes to spend your entire life on the road.

With the excitement of the film release, Naomi and I were interviewed by many publications, including Travel and Leisure.

Out with the old, in with the new

With full-time travel, it’s hard to find the time to do a few very important things, including updating an extremely full passport. My old passport was a triple density book with 72 pages completely full of stamps and visas. It was actually becoming difficult to travel with since I was out of space. Good thing I spent two weeks in Florida so I could apply for a new one.

Being in Florida also gave me ample time to prepare my gear for the next phase of shooting Photographing The World 3.

Italy and Photographing The World 3

For the production portion of PTW3, I decided to head to Italy first to explore some new and old locations.

We started by flying to Rome together and driving to the Amalfi Coast, stopping in Positano and Atrani.

From the Amalfi Coast, I drove us to the area called the little dolomites and visited Pietrapertosa. Unfortunately, it rained for the entire time we stayed. 4 days of horrible weather!

From Pietrapertosa, we traveled to Matera and had an amazing time there. What a beautiful old city!

If you’ve been following the Behind the Scenes series on YouTube, you’ll also know that Lee had his Nikon D500 stolen! If you haven’t seen it yet, it would be best to start with episode one. It’s laugh out loud entertainment.

February || And we’re off to Dubai

For PTW3, I wanted to include ‘roof topping’ and there’s no better cityscape in the world for high vantage points than Dubai! We spent the better part of 3 weeks working there to get all the right shots.

Gulf Photo Plus

While we were in Dubai, I also had the pleasure of teaching three workshops for Gulf Photo Plus. It’s always amazing to get to hang out with some of the coolest photographers in the world!

I was also published in the local Edgar Magazine which was a nice surprise!

FujiLove NYC

In late February, I had the pleasure of teaching two mini-workshops in New York during the FujiLove Live Event. Such an awesome time! I never get tired of visiting NYC.

March || A journey to West World

March was a super exciting month because not only did we continue filming for PTW3, but I also took on a shooting project for Fujfilm using the GFX 50s and the 23mm wide angle lens – that was a prototype at the time of the project.

We decided to film a series of lessons beginning in NYC followed by a road trip the the SW USA and some of the phenomenal landscapes.

In short, I was blown away by the landscapes in the SW USA. But of course, we hit up vegas to start the trip before heading to Monument Valley

Then we hit up Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon

Mesa Arch was really fun too!

Lastly, we visited Bryce Canyon and Zion

Zion was mind blowing and we hiked the famous Angels Landing!

Then it was back to Vegas for a few days of playing the craps tables.

DJI Sponsored Worldwide Aerial Photography Workshops

In March, we also kicked off the announcement of our official partnership with DJI to teach a series of drone workshops all over the world

April || Japan Cherry Blossom Photo Tour – Fujifilm Videos

Dream Photo Tour Japan

I always love Early April because it means I’ll be leading a photo tour across some of the most beautiful Cherry Blossom areas of Japan. This was our second ‘sold out’ Japan Dream Photo Tour and it was incredible!

I decided to shoot using the GFX 50s.

Naomi and I also bought some nice and elegant kimonos. Here’s naomi posing for a cool shot in Kyoto.

Fujifilm Videos

From Japan, I headed to the Fstoppers Studio in Charleston to complete two videos for Fujiflm.

This one was to be inspirational:

This one is purely educational as I walk the viewer through my entire shooting and post-processing workflow at Horseshoe Bend.

May || Italy Photo Tour – Photopills Camp

Italy Photo Tour

What can I say, I love Italy and Naomi and I have been leading our Italy Dream Photo tour yearly since 2013. We’re very proud of the itinerary we developed and it’s always a great trip!

I had a chance to test out the Cambo USA GFX adapter that allows the Fujfilm GFX 50s to use Canon Tilt shift lenses. This is a shift pano of Fontana di Trevi.

We even had a crazy lightning storm over Florience!

Photopills Camp

In short, this was one of the coolest and most fun events I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Combine 40 participants, 16 photographers, and the phenomenal Photopills team together on the island paradise of Menorca and it’s pure magic. I can’t wait for next year!

Naomi and I focused largely on drone and night sky photography

June || Menorca Drone Workshop – Back to Italy

After spending an extra 2 weeks on Menorca Island teaching an official DJI Drone Workshop, we decided to head back to Italy. I had some unfinished business with Pietrapertosa and Matera.

*Note that both of these images are part of Photographing The World 3.

We also celebrated our 18 year anniversary!

Naomi and I also officially became part of the Think Tank Pro Team

Brit + Co decided to profile us for a big article as well.

July || Family Fun – Fstoppers Studio – Greenland

For the fourth of July, we decided to do the most logical American thing possible – blow up fireworks and have a barbeque. As a lovely bonus, my Niece and I flew a DJI Phantom 4 together.

After the 4th, I flew to Charleston SC to film the post-processing portion of Photographing The World 3. But in-between the 5 weeks of filming, I took on a press trip to Nuuk Greenland. My specific role in the project was to capture unique drone photos and videos

Nuuk is a really pretty little town

A vibrant sunset paints soft light onto the colorful seafront houses of Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland.

I also learned that the mosquitos can be out of control for a few weeks in the summer! I managed to kill hundreds with my Phantom 4!

August || Wrapping up PTW3 – Singapore Drone Workshop

Most of August was dedicated to wrapping up the post-processing portion of Photographing The World 3.

Singapore Drone Workshop

After wrapping things up in Charleston, Naomi and I flew to Singapore and lead a 3 day drone photography workshop in the city. Singapore is a wonderful city and it’s always great to catch up with good friends.

For the workshop, we had to ready the fleet!

With a few extra days in the SEA Region, we went to Siem Reap for some relaxing and to catch up with some local friends.

///BTS Chom and family

September || Hurricane Irma – Fujfilm Festival – PTW 3 – Back to SE Asia

Hurricane Irma

So, we flew back to Central Florida just in time for Hurricane Irma. And while it was a very powerful storm, we suffered very little damage in our area and thankfully I was in town to help my family prepare for the storm.

We’re the blue dot in this image just before getting the category 3 winds.

Fujifilm Festival

I had the pleasure of teaching a few workshops in NYC for the first annual Fujifilm Festival and it really was a spectacular event!

Photographing the World 3 Official Release

After almost a year of planning and production, we were proud to finally release Photographing The World 3. I think it’s our best tutorial series to date!

South East Asia and Fujfilm Events

In partnership with Fujifilm, I embarked on an exciting workshop tour around the region. From Jakarta to Yangon, Singapore and Manila, it was an amazing experience.

The best part of the entire trip was getting to meet so many wonderful people. A huge thanks to everyone for the love and support. It’s so nice to feel such at home when I’m there!

October || Adobe Max – Photo Plus Expo – Fine Art Printing

I was honored to be invited to speak at Adobe Max in Las Vegas. It was my first time attending and I was blown away by the production value. Next year it’s in Las Angeles and I’m really looking forward to going back!

The best part of these industry events is catching up with good friends!

And the parties are amazing too!

Of course, no October would be complete without heading to New York for Photo Plus Expo! I think it was the best year yet and it was really cool to see a few of my recent images printed in large format!

Speaking of large format prints, I also spend a few weeks researching and testing printing for the upcoming gallery exposition I was preparing for in Sharjah. It took me a few days to prep my files for 1.5 meter prints at 16bit ProPhotoRGB. They really came out awesome!

November || Iceland Dream Photo Tour – Exposure Photography Festival

It was really fun to kick off November with our annual Iceland Dream Photo Tour. I went fully prepared for all shooting scenarios.

In a single word, the trip was incredible! We had two weeks of solidly perfect weather for photography as we circled the entire ring road.

I’m just now starting to post process some of my images

The incoming tide creates beautiful swirling patterns along the black sand beaches of the Stokksnes peninsula in Southeastern Iceland.

Xposure International Photography Festival

Heading to Sharjah I was really excited about Xposure, and after being there, I can honestly say it was the best Photography Festival I’ve ever been to. From the stage talks to getting to see my gallery in person, to even getting to spend time with the royal family, it was incredible.

December || Exodus Aveiro Festival – Christmas with the family

Right from Sharjah, I spent 24 hours in Miami before flying to Portugal for the Exodus Aveiro Festival sponsored by National Geographic.

After spending two week in Portugal, I’ve fallen in love with the country and plan to spend much more time there in the future.

And now, as I write this post 2 days after Christmas, I’ve been spending two weeks recuperating from the massive year of events and travel. In the process, I’ve managed to finally acclimate to a single time zone. 🙂

Christmas with my family was really fun. I even helped my niece build one of her presents, a Barbie Dream House. She’s actually a very good helper <3.

As for what’s next? Let’s just say that 2018 is looking to be even more amazing!

Now, another toast to 2017! Happy Holidays Everyone!!

The post 2017 Travel Photographer Year in Review appeared first on Travel Photography Blog of Elia Locardi and Naomi Locardi - Pro Travel Photographers.

And now, a toast to 2016 and may 2017 bring each of you closer to your dreams! Wishing everyone all the best for their New Year Celebration.

2016 | A Year of Non-Stop Action

Wow! 2016 has been a wild, perpetual and non-stop rollercoaster ride of huge projects and a ridiculous amount of flying. Looking back at the year, having taken almost 100 flights and logging over 215 thousand miles, I can’t believe we were able to take on so many projects while surviving all the airline food. 😉

In retrospect, it’s incredible to see how much our lives have evolved, our businesses has developed, and how the experiences of 2016 have caused me to step so far outside of my comfort zone with constant challenges, that I’ve grown in countless profound and positive ways.

It has been a wild (and jet lag filled) ride, and along the way, 2016 has continued to confirm for me that without a doubt, passion, hard work, and dedication will never go unrewarded.

This post is a collection of our favorite moments, favorite photos, and favorite memories from 2016.

Travel Stats

Here’s a quick breakdown of our yearly travel and flights stats. As I share this post, I’m currently resetting and re-acclimating my time zone and body clock in sunny Florida. After flying so much this year, my sense of time has become very abstract!

Miles Flown: 215,158

Hours on an Airplane: 488

Flights Taken: 97

Countries Visited: 14

Cities Visited: 78

FLORIDA, USA

I began the year with a bit of beach time in Central Florida while Naomi and I coordinated a series of upcoming projects and photo tours. Being on the road full time, sometimes it’s nice to slow down a bit, catch our breath, and visit with our families and friends. Not too mention staying in one place long enough to catch up on emails, contracts, and of course, sleep! 🙂

Of course, while I spend time in “the office” (so to speak), it’s also fun to catch up on editing photos, like this astrophotography shot from New Zealand, and Blue Hour shot from Hong Kong:

Millions of beautiful stars streak across the clear sky in Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

A wild perspective on some very colorful and densely populated apartment buildings in Hong Kong Quarry Bay.

It was also a pleasure to see a few of my photos hit the top 10 lists of 2015 on 500px, including the list of the best Travel Photography.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

From Central Florida, I flew directly to Sydney Australia in order to capture some aerial views of the city. Though I haven’t released any of what I captured yet, I can definitely say that I always enjoy my visits to Sydney. And this time, I decided to host a little meet up at the pub. Why the pub you ask? Well, why not!

GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

From Sunny Florida to summertime Sydney, my next destination was Gothenburg Sweden in the dead of winter. I remember leaving Sydney with a temperature of 34 celsius and arriving in Gothenburg to a windy -3!

I was in Gothenburg to speak at a Hasselblad hosted event called ShootGOT about the power of DJI Drones and how they’ve given photographers an incredible new way to capture the world. As chilly as it was in the city, I had an awesome time speaking and being a part of the event!

Speaking of how drones are changing the world of photography and videography, around the same time, Your Daily Dish reached out to me and wanted to profile me for a detailed article about the potential of drone technology.

The article was called, “Photographer’s Work Takes the Familiar to Stratospheric New Heights,” and it was a lot of fun to put together!

DUBAI AND GULF PHOTO PLUS

First of all, what’s not to love about shooting Dubai?

A beautifully textured twilight in Dubai, one of the most extraordinary cityscapes in the world.

Aside from taking advantage of the unique photography opportunities, my main reason for visiting Dubai in February was to teach three workshops for Gulf Photo Plus. 2016 was the first year I was invited to be a part of GPP, and I was honored to be there.

My two hour presentation, as well as all three of my two-day workshops sold out well in advance.

While I was in town, I was also profiled and published in Air Arabia Inflight Magazine.

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BHUTAN

The extraordinary view from Chele La Pass in Bhutan, as thick clouds engulf the 4,000 meter high landscape.

A beautiful twilight in Bhutan as soft fog swirls around the stunning structure of the Tigers Nest Monastery.

From Dubai, Naomi and I flew to Bangkok to meet up with Benjamin Von Wong and Anna Tenne before heading to Bhutan together. While at dinner on our first night, Ben convinced me to pick up Snapchat and I instantly got hooked on the platform. Here’s a video of my first three days learning how to create fun stories in Bhutan.

This was my second trip to Bhutan and I was excited to spend the first two weeks working with Ben and Anna to create a unique body of work. The whole idea centered around combining both mine and Ben’s styles together to create something different. My favorite part of this project was the fact that I would be playing the role of the traveler and becoming the main subject of all of the shots. I’ve never been a model before so I was totally up for the unique challenge!

We were a small team and we had a great time filming in some of my favorite locations in Bhutan, including Tiger’s Nest. For the hike, we even had some help from our guides Yonten and Pema, plus local photographers, Karma and Pema.

Of course, we also had some help from other Bhutan Natives as well!

For two weeks, we traveled all over Bhutan to explore and capture heaps of images. I can honestly say that it was one of the best experiences of the year.

After Ben and Anna left Bhutan, Naomi and continued to travel further and further east, to spend two additional weeks exploring parts of Bhutan that few travelers get to see. This gave us the experience necessary to launch our first Dream Photo Tour to Bhutan.

Towards the end of the trip, I found out that one of my photos of Tiger’s Nest was being used on the official Bhutan 2016 Calendar.

DUBAI

After a month in Bhutan, we decided to head back to Dubai and try our luck with the illusive Fog. We decided to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel in order to be in the perfect place to capture it. Of course, I had no idea that it would actually happen.

Here’s a shot of my camera setup on our first morning – in preparation to capture both a single image and panorama. Needless to say, I was ready for the fog to show up.

On the second morning, there was too much fog! We were actually stuck inside the cloud line so none of our shots came out.

On our third morning however, we experienced a once-in-a-five-year phenomenon of having both low fog and clouds. After five years of visiting Dubai, I finally got the shot I was hoping for!

A breathtaking sunrise in Dubai as thick fog pours though the futuristic and beautiful city skyline.

The entire experience was incredible and all the while, I had the Snapchat Stories rolling. Here’s a sequence that I call “The Dubai Fog Saga.”

FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF LOCATION INDEPENDENCE

March was also the time when we celebrated our 4 year anniversary of being 100% location independent. It was definitely a huge milestone to achieve.  

FLORIDA TO JAPAN

With a few spare days in Florida and before we flew to Japan, I found out that one of my photos of Osaka Castle had been published in National Geographic. It was a pleasant surprise and excellent timing!

I also decided to process a few new photos of previous cherry blossom seasons to get into the spirit.

Beautiful Cherry Blossoms swirl around the stunning shape of Osaka Castle in Japan.

The main reason for visiting Florida between Bhutan, Dubai, and Japan was to gear up for the next few months ahead. Not only would Naomi and I be leading our first Dream Photo Tour to Japan, we’d also be shooting for a Smugmug Film as well as another project for Adobe. As you can see, I was fully prepared for both photo and video work!

JAPAN DREAM PHOTO TOUR

While this was our fourth consecutive Cherry Blossom Season in a row, it was also our first official Dream Photo Tour to Japan – so it was extra special. Over the course of two weeks, we lead our 12 participants to some of the most beautiful destinations for photographing and experiencing the Sakura. From Hiroshima to Himeji, and Kyoto to Tokyo, we experienced epic views, excellent company, and many world class (and sake filled) culinary delights.

We also got to meet this talented lady in the flesh… the one and only Rebecca Lilith Bathory. <3

I also stayed true to my daily stories on Snapchat to create some pretty entertaining content along the way.

JAPAN – SHOOTING FOR AN UPCOMING SMUGMUG FILM

Wrapping up our Dream Photo Tour in Tokyo, we met up with Anton Lorimer and Kevin Harrington from Smugmug to begin our two week filming project. Naomi and I were excited to be the subjects of an upcoming Smugmug Film! It should be released in January 2017. 🙂

Our Japan filming trip would take us from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, and Osaka. And it was an incredible adventure. Anton and Kevin are two of the nicest (and professional) filmmakers that we’ve had the pleasure of working with.

I think the complete adventure in Japan best described in my Snapchat Story, “Smugmug Films Part 1”

ITALY – SHOOTING FOR AN UPCOMING SMUGMUG FILM

From Osaka, we flew to Rome to begin our six day shooting adventure in Tuscany and Cinque Terre. It was a very compressed timeline but we not only had a great time, but we also came away with some epic footage.

Once again, I captured the complete Italy adventure on Snapchat.

Of course, while I’m in Italy, I always find the inspiration to work on new photography like this shot of Venice.

One night in Venice Italy, I was transfixed by the beauty of an incoming turbulent thunder storm.

METEORA – ADOBE PRODUCTION PROJECT

After Anton and Kevin left Italy, Naomi and I took a few days off in Rome before flying to Athens to begin a month long shooting and scouting project Greece. The first part of our Greek adventure involved working with Josh Haftel to help highlight the new mobile raw image editing tools in Adobe Lightroom Mobile. The Goal was to capture a series of images and create an inspirational video that highlighted the incredible technology.

As soon as we arrived in Athens, we drove to Meteora and immediately started filming. Josh snapped this photo of me after I found an Italian Tour bus with an espresso machine installed.

We all had a great time filming together!

Here are a few of the resulting images. They were captured on—at that time—a secret prototype of the Fujifilm X-T2 camera and edited using Adobe Lightroom Mobile on a 9.7” iPad Pro.

SANTORINI – ADOBE PRODUCTION PROJECT

When planning this project with Adobe, Naomi and I knew we needed to use locations that were both beautiful to photograph and inspiring to see on video. That’s why we decided to use Oia as well as Meteora. It would create an interesting contrast of mountains and the sea. Plus, what’s not to love about spending time on the Greek Island of Santorini?

Here are a few of the resulting images. Same as before, they were captured on—at that time—a secret prototype of the Fujifilm X-T2 camera and edited using Adobe Lightroom Mobile on a 9.7” iPad Pro. Time blending was done afterwards using Photoshop.

THE FINAL VIDEO

Along with videographer Adam Frimmer, we were able to put together a very beautiful video about my experience with not only Adobe Lightroom Mobile, but about how I stay inspired as well. Greece, as usual, proved to be an exceptionally beautiful subject.

SANTORINI, NAXOS, PAROS, FOLEGANDROS, AND SERIFOS

After we wrapped up shooting with Josh and Adam, Naomi and spent the next three weeks exploring different Islands in the Cyclades. It was something we had been wanting to do for quite some time and it turned out to be just as extraordinary as we had imagined.

This phase of our Greek adventure was dedicated to capturing more promotional images for the upcoming launch of the Fujifilm X-T2, as well as aerial videography that would highlight the unique beauty of the Greek Islands.

GREECE

We spent the first week of July on the island of Serifos, celebrating Naomi’s birthday and our 17 year wedding anniversary

Photo by the wonderful talented Anna Tenne. Check her out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annatennephotography/?pnref=lhc

And with that, it was time to say goodbye to the always enchanting Greek Islands

A golden sunset in Oia Santorini, one of the most beautiful islands in the Greek Cyclades.

SINGAPORE

I spent a week in Singapore for quite a few overlapping projects. One was to capture some more promotional images with the—still secret—prototype of the Fujifilm X-T2. The other goal was to capture some behind the scenes images for the launch of some new products by Really Right Stuff.

First, let’s take a look at the shots with the Fujifilm X-T2

Now, let’s take a look at some of the behind the scenes shots for Really Right Stuff

THE REALLY RIGHT STUFF SIGNATURE TRAVEL KIT

These behind the scenes shots were used to tie together the webpage for a kit that I had been developing with Really Right Stuff. We decided to put together a complete package of all of the tools I use to capture my photography. This kit includes clamps, tripods, and panoramic gimbal sets – basically everything I use in-the-field.

FLORIDA

With huge upcoming projects, posts, and the deadlines attached to them, I spent two weeks enforcing office hours on myself to prepare the July rollercoaster ride. Florida has the perfect balance of sunshine, super fast internet, and of course, my family and friends. I was even able to work on my tan!

I actually wrote a post called, “How I Became Very Involved in Aerial and Drone Photography,” while I was on the beach. 🙂

NEW YORK – THE FUJIFILM X-T2 RELEASE

Heading to New York, I really appreciated the two weeks of work time I put in while visiting Florida, because many months of hard work had been leading up to two very important dates. The first of which was the official release of the Fujfilm X-T2 on July 7th.

On the 7th, I was invited to speak at the official launch event.

Remember that I had already been working with the Fujfilm X-T2 since April, so as the clock struck 12:01AM on July 7th, I was excited to release my detailed blog post and review.

MY BIRTHDAY – THE ADOBE LIGHTROOM MOBILE RELEASE

The second important date for the month was July 13th and the official launch of raw editing in Adobe Lightroom Mobile, and just like the 7/7 event, it was months in the making. It also made for a very interesting birthday, as while most people would just be taking the day off or celebrating, I was part of a world-wide coordinated major market release. It was incredibly exciting.

I wrote a detailed post about the announcement, along with my personal experience working with the raw editing tools on a mobile platform. It also gave everyone a first hand look at the power of the Fujifilm X-T2 raw files.

STOCKHOLM

With the inspirational video and blog posts released, my project with Adobe only had one more element to complete: A free instructional video detailing my complete raw processing workflow with Lightroom Mobile.

For this project, I decided to use one of my favorite shooting locations in the world, The Stockholm Underground.

Naomi and I spent 4 days filming non-stop in order to capture everything we needed for the in-camera and on location portion of the tutorial.

SIEM REAP

While we’re on the subject of video production projects, in July, Naomi and I flew to Siem Reap in order to establish a photography program with a local Non Government Organization. Fujifilm had generously donated over a dozen cameras for us to take with us and we filmed the entire experience. Hopefully I’ll have time to edit and release this video soon!

HONG KONG

From Siem Reap, We flew to Hong Kong to take a few days off and enjoy one of our favorite cities. We made it just in time for a typhoon!

Check out this time lapse of the crazy weather.

Of course, I’ve spent many days photographing this remarkable city

A beautiful sunrise in Hong Kong from the stunning vantage point of Victoria Peak.

BOUNCING AROUND THE USA

August was a power month of office hours. With so many open ended projects to wrap up and other new projects and photo tours to prepare for, I knew that I needed some time to focus and concentrate.

First up on the list was editing and releasing the free instructional video detailing my complete raw processing workflow with Lightroom Mobile. In order for this to happen, Naomi and I had to build a temporary studio to shoot the post-processing portion of the video

And, after quite a bit more of shooting and editing, I released the free instructional video to YouTube as well.

While I was in Stockholm, I came away with some beautiful drone footage of the city. I decided to cut it into a small montage.

After all the current projects were wrapped up, it was time to look ahead at the incredible amount of back-to-back commitments we had scheduled for the rest of the year.

PHOTOKINA

If I had to explain Photokina in one word, it would be “MASSIVE,” And yes, I’d use all caps. Seriously though, it’s the largest photography event in the world and it happens every other year. It’s also where nearly every major camera company lifts the veil on their latest and greatest new products. In other words, from guest speakers, workshops, and having hands-on time with the best products in photography, it’s a week long epicenter for everything that’s awesome about the world of photography.

This year I had the honor of speaking for Adobe, DJI, and Fujifilm, with 8 live presentations over the course of 7 days. I had a blast!

First up was Adobe and DJI

Next up was the massive Fujifilm Stage

I also had the pleasure of some hands-on time with the Fujifilm GFX 50S Mirrorless Medium Format Camera. I can’t wait to get my hands on this in 2017!

I also had a chance to meet up with some awesome people, both old friends and new ones.

BANGKOK

We decided to head to Bangkok a bit early to acclimate to the time zone in preparation for our two week Dream Photo Tour to Bhutan. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of Bangkok so while I’m there, I tend to just work a bit, relax, eat delicious food and post-process images.

Here’s an example of an astrophotography shot I created during a trip to New Zealand.

BHUTAN DREAM PHOTO TOUR

Even having the opportunity to visit Bhutan one time is an extraordinary opportunity and in October, during our Bhutan Photo Tour, we marked our third visit to this wonderful country.  

Over the two week tour, we all had an incredible adventure together.

NEW YORK

Sometimes I feel like the most time I spend in one place is when I’m 30k feet above the earth! There’s always somewhere to fly to. 🙂

PHOTO PLUS EXPO

Of course, no October would be complete without speaking at Photo Plus Expo in NYC! Once again I had the honor of speaking on the Fujifilm Stage. I was also invited to be on a panel discussion with some of the top minds in drone photography.

Photo credit to the lovely and talented, Bella Kotak. 🙂

I also received an awesome gift from Fujifilm; A personalized X-T2!

ICELAND DREAM PHOTO TOUR

When I arrived in Reykjavik, I noticed that an article I contributed to was published on Stuff TV. It was another profile about how drones are changing the world for photographers.

Our two week Dream Photo Tour to Iceland circled the entire ring road and was so much fun that I barely had time to post anything to social media. Within a few short days, my body ached from all the laughing! Seriously, we had such a good time together!

During the trip we also had phenomenal weather including the first snow at Godafoss, a location that I’ve been trying to capture properly for years. We all came away with some epic images.

A beautiful sunrise at Godafoss Waterfall as the first snow falls in Northern Iceland.

NEW MEXICO

After an amazing trip to Iceland, I set out for New Mexico to join the one-and-only Russell Preston Brown from Adobe for an adventure exploring the pristine Ted Turner Ranches.

Of course since I’d be visiting the American West, I needed to pack a cowboy hat along with my favorite gear.

I have to admit, this was a really fun four days of shooting together with Russell Brown and Jerry Courvoisier. Between the three of us, we had a small arsenal of cameras and drones. It dawned on me to grab a quick behind the scenes gear shot while we were in White Sands National Park.

Russell and I are very well known in the drone photography community as being well, huge drone geeks! Russell had already gotten ahold of a Mavic so of course I had to try it out!

One of the main reasons we visited was to photograph and experience the Ted Turner Ranches and they certainly exceeded my expectations. The company was also very interesting and an absolute delight! 😉

ISRAEL

In November, I had the chance to finally visit Israel, a country that has been on my list for years. I was invited to speak at the largest single day photography event in the world; The Israeli photography convention.

It was an honor to be there in Tel Aviv speaking in front of 2,300 people – the largest venue I’ve ever presented in. It was an extraordinary experience!

I stayed in Israel for two weeks and after the events and workshops, I spent the rest of the time photographing and sightseeing. A huge thanks to Edo Pellach and Adam Frimmer for showing me around!

While Adam Frimmer and I were visiting the Dead Sea, we experienced an epic sunrise and rain. Rain is extremely rare in that area!

DUBAI

My visit to Israel extended into the first part of December. After that, I flew back to Florida for a few reasons. One, you can’t fly directly from Israel to the UAE, and two, I wanted to swap out some gear again for my next trip to Dubai. Not bringing a drone means that I can pack more cameras and lenses! 😀

Actually, the most important element of gear turned out to be my Really Right Stuff PG-01 travel Pano Kit. I was able to use it with great success while I was shooting the city. Definitely look out for some new photos from Dubai soon!

Of course, no trip to Dubai would be complete without spending time with some close friends! Thanks to everyone for always making me feel at home!

PHOTOS AND PUBLICATIONS

Being back in Florida also game me the ability to see some of the physical prints and publications that I’ve been a part of. Being on the road full time means I live my life mostly digital.

Here are a few of the big ones:

An 8 page article in Really Right Stuff “Light and Shadow” Magazine

7 Images in the incredible “Above The World” book by DJI

Also, while clearing space on my hard drive, I stumbled onto an image of Shanghai I shot a few years ago. I decided to finally process it.

The urban epicenter of Shanghai glows as warm and cool lights illuminate the tangle of overlapping highways.

THE HOLIDAYS

Being on the road all the time makes the time I get to share with my family extra special. And while I do love Christmas, it’s so much more fun when there are kids involved.

Here’s my adorable niece enjoying the festivities. 🙂

As for Naomi and I, well, we’re gearing up for 2017, which will have plenty of surprises in store!

Happy New Year everyone!

The post 2016 Travel Photography Year in Review appeared first on Travel Photography Blog of Elia Locardi and Naomi Locardi - Pro Travel Photographers.

Join me in New York this October as I present on the Fujifilm stage during the annual Photoplus Expo. I’ll also be part of a panel discussion about the evolution of drone photography and how these new devices create unique opportunities for professional growth.

On Thursday & Friday on the Fujifilm Stage, I’ll give two talks discussing how I create my highly detailed landscape and travel photography with a focused overview of my favorite post-processing techniques.

On Saturday, I’ll be joining a panel of some of the brightest minds in aerial imaging as we discuss how drones are creating new and unique opportunities for photographers and videographers.

This is going to be my fourth consecutive year speaking at PhotoPlus Expo and needless to say, I’m extremely excited to be there. It’s one of the best photography exhibits on the planet and it’s an awesome place to catch up with all the latest and greatest gear, while networking with some of the brightest minds in the industry. I highly recommend checking it out, especially since it’s conveniently located at the Javits Center in New York.

And as we know, New York City is a phenomenal location for photography in general. Pair that with all the exciting events during Photo Plus Expo and you have a winning combination. I hope to see you there! 😀

Speaking Schedule:

Fujifilm Stage: Thursday, October 20th at 11:15 am
Fujifilm Stage: Friday, October 21st at 11:15 am

Panel Discussion: Room 1E13: Saturday, October 22nd at 10:15 am

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If I had to explain Photokina in one word, it would be “MASSIVE,” And yes, I’d use all caps. 😉 Seriously though, it’s the largest photography event in the world and it happens every other year. It’s also where nearly every major camera company lifts the veil on their latest and greatest new products. In other words, from guest speakers, workshops, and having hands-on time with the best products in photography, it’s a week long epicenter for everything that’s awesome about the world of photography.

Last time, in 2014, I had the honor of speaking on the Fujifilm and Wacom Stages, and this year I’ll be doing even more.

Photokina 2014 is also where I met Lee Morris and Patrick Hall from Fstoppers and we came up with the idea for Photographing The World together. One solid year of production later, and we ended up creating the best Landscape, Cityscape, and Astrophotography tutorial videos on the planet.

That’s the other great thing about Photokina. Along with the awesome products, you also get to network with some of the brightest minds in the industry. Sometimes these encounters can lead to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. So if you’re visiting this year and you’re an aspiring photographer, make sure to network as much as possible.

My Complete Photokina Schedule

This year I’m speaking for Adobe, DJI, and Fujifilm. Below is my exact schedule. I’ve also published it to my Events page as well. I try to keep that as updated as possible.

20 September – Tuesday 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Adobe Stage: “Creative Cloud Photography – Unleashed Creativity”

20 September – Tuesday 3:30pm – 5:00pm
Adobe Area – Video Broadcast: “Adobe – Live From Photokina Daily Show”

21 September – Wednesday 2:00pm – 2:30pm
DJI Stage: “The Art of Aerial Photography and Videography”

22 September – Thursday 2:00pm – 2:30pm
DJI Stage: “The Art of Aerial Photography and Videography”

23 September – Friday 2:20pm – 3:00pm
Fujifilm Stage: “Pushing the Boundaries of Travel Photography and Post-Processing”

24 September – Saturday 1:20pm – 2:00pm
Fujifilm Stage: “Pushing the Boundaries of Travel Photography and Post-Processing”

25 September – Sunday 12:20pm – 1:00pm
Fujifilm Stage: “Pushing the Boundaries of Travel Photography and Post-Processing”

As you can see from my schedule, I’ll keep pretty busy! But that doesn’t mean I won’t have time to hang out and meet up with everyone in Cologne. If you’re going to be there, let me know. If you can’t make one of my presentations, maybe we can grab a beer together!

If you’re attending, let me know on Social Media or in the comments below. 🙂

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Last week, I released a video tutorial that covered everything about the new Lightroom Mobile, all the way from shooting images in the field, transferring the raw files to a mobile device, and syncing them to a desktop macbook pro over the cloud. If you missed the tutorial, you can find it here. It also included a bit of drone footage.

Naomi and I spent 3 nights in Stockholm filming the entire tutorial from start to finish and even though the main body of content is instruction based, we also focus on capturing a tremendous amount of what we call B Roll.

What is B Roll?

In shooting and editing, B Roll is supplementary footage we can use to cut to or overlay on top of an interview or instructional portion of a sequence. In this case with Stockholm, we captured a bunch of time lapses, walking footage, city footage, you name it – basically anything that would help us tell a better story and create transitions. Out of all the B Roll footage though, I have to say that what I captured with my DJI Inspire Pro Drone and X5 Camera was by far my favorite. Even though I only flew for about 15 minutes, I was able to walk away with some awesome footage to use in the tutorial introduction. So, I decided to cut together a short montage of the best clips! I just couldn’t help myself. 🙂

I hope you enjoy it and if you have any drone or aerial photography related questions, feel free to post them in the comments below.

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On July 13th, Adobe announced one of the biggest game changing features in mobile post-processing history by enabling complete raw photo editing on iOS. This means that any camera raw file that is supported by Adobe Lightroom Desktop will be available for editing using Lightroom Mobile on iOS as well.

Not only that, when you work on a mobile platform—whether it’s your iPhone or iPad Pro—the files and edits you make will automatically sync over the cloud and become available on your desktop. This creates a powerful and seamless ‘end-to-end’ workflow for anyone who wants to work on the go without sacrificing any quality.

In my previous post, I highlighted some of my favorite features of Lightroom Mobile and showcased some of the resulting images from my recent trip to Greece. And while it was a very thorough post and review, I also wanted to demonstrate the complete workflow process from start to finish.

This video tutorial covers everything you need to know about Lightroom Mobile, all the way from shooting images in the field, transferring raw files to your mobile device, and syncing them to your desktop over the cloud. Not only that, this tutorial also takes things further by showing some of the Photoshop editing techniques I used to create one of my most famous photos from Stockholm, “Belly of the Beast.”

Another interesting fact about this tutorial is that the images were captured with the new Fujifilm X-T2 and the video was filmed with one as well. As most of you know, the Fujifilm X-T2 boasts some very high video specs and I have to admit that I’m very impressed with the performance! From now on, the X-T2 will be my go-to camera for creating high quality video content. You can read my detailed review of the Fujifilm X-T2 HERE.

I hope you enjoy the free tutorial and if you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments below.

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