2021 has been another challenging year for landscape and outdoor photographers but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any amazing work.

Personally, I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen as much incredible photography as throughout this year. It’s just proof that creativity never dies and artists will always find a way to express themselves, no matter what challenges we are facing.

It’s honestly been difficult to limit the list to only 25 landscape photographers. It could’ve easily been ten times as long.

The photographers presented below are those whose work and/or projects have stood out. It’s artists who’ve created the type of work you find yourself going back to, over and over again.

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy the top 25 landscape photographers of 2021:

Aritz Atela

Website / Instagram

Aritz is a landscape and travel photographer from Basque Country, Spain. His work takes us to both known and unknown places with one thing in common: the light and unique compositions draw you straight in. Aritz has taken several of the techniques he used as an oil painter and applied them to his photographic work, creating dreamlike images.

Arwin Levinson

Website / Instagram

Arwin is a full-time photographer based in Las Vegas who primarily focuses on Southwestern and Western USA. Her portfolio mainly consists of skies, epic compositions and the Milky Way. It’s through the latter that I first came across her work and I love her natural approach to the night sky.

Birgit Potthoff

Website / Instagram

Birgit is a German photographer and member of the German Society for Nature Photography. In my opinion, she’s one of the very best when it comes to intimate and abstract landscape photography. Her abstract work has me staring for ages, making up stories of what it is I’m looking at.

Cris Magsino

Twitter / Instagram

Based out of Manila, Philippines, Chris’ work draws you straight into the incredible landscapes of the Asian continent. His photography features both known and unknown locations, and the one thing they have in common, they’ll leave you in awe.

Dan Hawk

Website / Instagram

Dan is a landscape and commercial photographer based out of Portland, USA who describes his work as direct, clean, classic and true. He’s also the host of the Go Take Pictures podcast, an interview-style podcast where you meet talented photographers from different genres.

Gab Scanu

Website / Instagram

Australian landscape photographer Gab Scanu has an incredible body of work that mainly focuses on stunning aerial views of Australia’s coastline. His recognizable work has led to having clients such as DJI, Samsung, Google, and other major brands.

Jessica Moore

Website / Twitter

There are few others who capture the beauty of storms as well as meteorologist and landscape photographer Jessica Moore. Her storm photography is nothing short of spectacular and it’s almost like the viewer is anticipating being taken away by the majestic storm cells. Personally, I’ve had two storm chasing trips canceled due to the pandemic now, so I’m grateful to enjoy the experiences through Jessica’s work.

Kathrin Federer

Website / Instagram

Kathrin is a digital artist and photographer whose work will take you away from the mundane world, to one of mystery, wonder and seduction. I’ve fallen head over heels in love with this unique imagery and consider her one of my best discoveries of 2021. This creative work should be a regular in your feed!

Kieran Stone

Website / Instagram

Kieran is an Australian landscape photographer whose work takes us to various corners of our beautiful planet. His colorful work is sure to brighten up your day.

Lauren Thompson

Website / Instagram

I first came across Lauren through her beautiful dune photography as I was daydreaming about future travel, and quickly realized that her portfolio consisted of some seriously impressive work. From calming dunes to electric storms, there’s a lot of depth to her work.

Leonardo Papèra

Website / Instagram

Leonardo is someone who’s really impressed me with his wide range of high-quality work. From epic volcanoes to peaceful abstracts, there’s a lot to enjoy when browsing through his work. Being based out of Tuscany, Italy, he’s also got an impressive gallery of the Tuscan Hills.

Marc Robins

Website / Instagram

Marc is a UK landscape photographer who specializes in capturing the beauty of the British woodlands. I’m in awe of his photography and can’t help but stop and stare each time an image of his appears on my screen. Woodland photography is a challenging sub-genre of landscape photography but Marc is one who does it with perfection.

Mark Price

Website / Facebook

Avid CaptureLandscapes readers might already be familiar with Mark’s work through previous interviews but there’s no way he could be left out of this year’s top landscape photographers list. There are few photographers whose work I find more than his and I find myself frequently browsing his website and portfolio. I’m lack words when browsing through his latest work.

Merr Watson

Website / Instagram

Merr is an aerial photographer from the Philipines who’s currently based out of Australia. As someone who lives North of the Arctic circle, it’s hard not to appreciate the tropical imagery captured by Merr. It’s enough to give me the wanderlust and day dream off to a warmer place.

Michael Schlegel

Website / Instagram

Michael is a Black & White landscape photographer from Germany and it was his work from the Fanal forest in Madeira that first caught my attention. It didn’t take long to realize that his portfolio was a lot larger and packed with incredible monochrome work. His work is often minimalistic and clean, yet dramatic and atmospheric. It’s one of those portfolios you can dive into and keep finding gold.

Nadine Bauer

Website / Instagram

Nadine is a biologist and photographer from Germany whose work is mainly from in and around the ocean. I’m in particular a big fan of her underwater work, where she perfectly captures a life unknown to most.

Naiju Varghese

Website / Instagram

Naiju, better known as Naijus Visuals, is an Indian photographer currently residing in Dubai. His colorful work often features landscapes and regions unknown to most. He’s also mastered the art of night photography and his Milky Way images are nothing short of spectacular.

Pujan Shadlau

Website / Instagram

Austrian landscape photographer Pujan Shadlau is someone whose work it’s been a privilege to come across this year. His work is mainly focused on the Austrian woodlands and is both atmospheric and natural to view. He’s got a keen eye for compositions, which is something that stands out in my eyes.

Rich Caldwell

Website / Instagram

Rich, also known as CA from the Sky, is an award-winning aerial photographer from the UK currently residing in California. We’ve seen a lot of drone and aerial photography during the past few years but Rich creates images that are unlike most. His ability to find patterns and capture them in unique ways is something that’s made him a frequent source of inspiration through the year.

Sara Zanini

Website / Instagram

Sara is an Italian landscape photographer who specializes in aerial photography. Though her big passion lays in work captured from a bird’s perspective, she’s got an impressive portfolio from the ground too.

Taha Malik

Twitter / Instagram

Taha is a landscape photographer, trekker, and mountaineer from Pakistan who showcases the incredible nature of his country. I’m blown away with the diversity of the landscape Pakistan has to offer and I’m grateful that there are photographers like Taha to capture and share them with us. His Instagram is packed with gems, so make sure to give him a follow.

Tomas Havel

Website / Instagram

Tomas is an outdoor photographer from the Czech Republic. His work often includes dramatic lighting and takes us to some of the most impressive sceneries around the globe.

Tristan Todd

Website / Instagram

Tristan is a full-time landscape photographer based in Vancouver, Canada. It’s especially his vibrant forest photography that caught my attention throughout the year. There’s something mysterious yet calming about these images and I can’t help but imagine myself walking through the lush terrain.

Win Magsino

Website / Instagram

Sherwin is a landscape and commercial photographer from Manila, Philipines with a love for travel. His photography has brought him around the world and he’s developed a solid portfolio that’s led to multiple awards and international recognition.

Xose Casal

Website / Instagram

Xose is a fine art photographer from Spain who’s developed an instantly recognizable style with his minimalistic long exposure images. This has led to both awards, features, and multiple solo and group exhibitions.

As mentioned, it was difficult to limit the list to only 25 photographers. I’d like to keep the list growing, so make sure to drop a link to the photographers who have inspired you below. Let’s show them that you appreciate them.

Lead image by Mark Price