Landscape and travel imaging trends for 2026

Forgo the far flung for local quirks

Rather than chasing distant and increasingly expensive destinations, more photographers are expected to turn their attention to closer to home, seeking out rare atmospheric moments, from rolling fog and heavy snow to dramatic storms and low winter light. “Unique atmospheric conditions are becoming more important than exotic destinations, as the focus is shifting from ‘Where did you go?’ to ‘When were you there?’” says outdoor and lifestyle German photographer André Alexander. “To really capitalise on your location, stay alert to changing conditions and revisit familiar places whenever the weather transforms them.”

Light: stop chasing, start collaborating

“Most of what I’ve learned about light has happened when I haven’t had a camera in my hand,” says Kim, who suggests that increasingly unpredictable conditions will make adaptability and an awareness of light ever more valuable skills for photographers in 2026 and beyond. She encourages photographers to observe how light behaves throughout the day. “The more you understand how light moves and shifts, the better you’ll become at predicting it and working with it,” she explains. “When I began landscape photography, I felt I had to chase light and ‘get’ an image. But more than ever, landscape photography can provide peace, solace, creative expression and self-care, so instead of chasing the light, work with the light.”

Storytelling through sequences

André predicts 2026 will see a shift away from single dramatic hero images towards storytelling through sequences. “I’m seeing a growing interest in multi-image storytelling, short sequences, small moments and cohesive sets that show how a place feels, not just how it looks,” he says, pointing to narrative approaches such as road trips and micro-adventures. “My advice is to think in pairs or triptychs. Build a story through details, wide scenes and transitions rather than relying on one perfect frame.”

He recalls creating a small sequence during a winter morning in Finnish Lapland. “Instead of focusing on one ‘hero’ landscape, I built a story: the snow settling on the roof at sunrise, boots by the door, the vast white forest opening up just behind the cabin. None of the images was particularly dramatic on its own, but together they captured the feeling of waking up in total silence.”

Beyond the checklist: photographing places, not pins

“The idea of slow travel has become increasingly popular,” Kim says. “Instead of trying to visit as many places as possible, people are choosing fewer locations and spending more time in each one, allowing them to properly immerse themselves in the scene.”

A long-time advocate of mindfulness and wellbeing, Kim believes this shift is crucial for landscape and travel photography. “When we adopt a more mindful approach, we really allow ourselves to take in the places we travel to. Rather than ticking locations off a bucket list, we spend more time in each one, forming long-lasting memories and creating more thoughtful, meaningful images.”

Her advice is simple. Slow down, walk around, observe how the light behaves, and resist the temptation to lift the camera immediately. “When travelling, especially somewhere you may never return to, it’s easy to take a scattergun approach. But when we slow down we become far more intentional. Rather than just looking at the scene, really see it.”

Weather becomes the journey

With climate change affecting conditions worldwide, André expects more landscape and travel photographers to embrace fast-changing or harsh weather rather than waiting it out. “Preparation is everything,” he urges. “I try to arrive early, choose a clean composition and then let the weather move through the frame rather than chasing it from spot to spot. For fog and heavy snow, I usually slightly overexpose to avoid muddy grey tones and keep the atmosphere soft. I also photograph in short bursts to catch fleeting moments that often last only a few seconds, as responsiveness matters more than perfect settings.”

Embracing reality

In a world of fake AI imagery and over-edited pictures that chase a version of ‘perfection’ there’s a growing return to ‘what you see is what you get’ in photography and video, says Nikon magazine editor Derek Harbinson. “Some people are becoming tired of too much ‘perfection’ they see on their feeds and there’s a bit of a backlash coming, with a growing trend of representations of the world as it is, rather than what we might like it to be. Working with what you have in a scene, instead of thinking ‘I’ll remove/change that in post’, has its benefits. It gets you consider composition more carefully. It allows you to appreciate what you have for what it is. Essentially, it’s a return to a more documentary style, recording a place and time in a way that reflects a real experience, rather than an idealised one. Light is sometimes flat, skies are not always dramatic and weather is unpredictable but, to me, the constantly changing nature of landscapes is what makes them beautiful.”