The world is captivating. One only has to flip through National Geographic Magazine or take in an episode of Planet Earth to understand why. Today, getting a glimpse of the wilder side of nature and the people exploring it doesn’t require a magazine subscription or an expedition around the world — just an Instagram account. The same men and women behind the lenses of some of the most breathtaking images are also documenting their experiences in real time on social media. So are countless other adventurers, mountain sport athletes and travel writers, many of whom are living proof you don’t need a full-frame camera to capture an amazing image — you just need an amazing subject. You probably haven’t heard of many of the outdoorsmen and women below, but maybe you should. From trekking through the Swiss Alps to working with great white sharks, these adventure Instagrammers will give you the extra impetus to get out under that big blue sky.
Jimmy Chin
Even if you haven’t heard of Jimmy Chin, you’ve seen his photographs. His work has graced the covers of National Geographic, Outside and more. He’s an acclaimed photographer, but he’s also a professional climber, mountaineer, skier, director and athlete sponsored by The North Face. His Instagram is populated by high-quality shots of his daily life, meaning incredible people and adventures.
Julian Bialowas
A Montreal transplant now residing in San Francisco, Bialowas is a professional photographer and avid adventurer. His creative lens goes wherever he does: through forests, interstates, mountains, freshwater lakes and beyond.
Chris Burkard
Burkard is a self-taught photographer who covers surfing, lifestyle and the wild outdoors. A Gear Patrol contributor, his photographs are punctuated by energized landscapes and moments of bliss.
Kyle Frost
Sunsets, rapturous landscapes and people who live a little off the cuff: Frost captures them all. He’s a San Francisco-based adventure photographer who rarely takes a picture indoors.
Rachel Moore
On her Instagram profile, Moore describes herself as a “climber, divemaster, traveler and adventurer”, and her snaps prove it. But that’s not all. Moore is a professional high-fashion and fitness model who’s worked for Bebe, Guess, Levis, Urban Outfitters and more: so yes, she’s also beautiful.
Andrew Evans
To work for National Geographic is the pinnacle of travel and adventure photography, or so some say. As NG’s Digital Nomad, Evans travels all around the globe and posts his stories online as he goes. He’s an accomplished travel writer, having written four adventure books, and a photographer who loves documenting his travels with more personal, less scenic, images.
Hello America
The cofounders of Hello America, Kristen Blanton and Matthew Jozwiak, went off the grid in 2014. They left Texas, started a life on the road and took pictures as they went. Today, their Instagram is filled with serene shots, vintage vibes, mountains, waterfalls and roadside escapades.
Cole Rise
After studying film and cinematography at Emerson College, Rise has made a career behind the lens. He’s an accomplished travel photographer who’s worked for National Geographic, American Express, Sony, Condé Nast Traveller and others. Much of his Instagram is made up of enchanting celestial images and outdoor grandeur.
Mal de Mar
Mal de Mar images are personal and artistic. They’re a beautiful confluence of art, travel, architecture and photography.
David Chatsuthiphan
With an account name like “Unreal Hawaii”, you better live up to the name — which David Chatsuthiphan does. His photos cover the full spectrum of the adventurous activities America’s 50th state has to offer: hiking epic trails, interesting local cuisine, paragliding over cities, surfing and much more.
West America
Motorcycles, smoke shows, practical jokes and roadside wanderlust in the epic backdrop of western America — that’s West America.
Trey Ratcliffe
Trey is the founder of one of the best travel photography blogs on the web, StuckInCustoms.com. Hans Zimmer, the Academy Award-winning composer behind the scores of of Gladiator, Interstellar, Inception, etc., has been quoted saying that Trey’s images have inspired him. If that doesn’t hit home, nothing will.
Bradley Castañeda
Gorgeous alpine landscapes, frozen sunsets and moonlight hikes, Castañeda travels to find beauty in the most hidden places. He takes photographs worthy of your desktop’s background.
David Doubilet
With over 50 years of experience, Doubilet is one of the most accomplished underwater photographers in the world. He’s been awarded both the Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award and Lennart Nilsson Award for Scientific Photography. As a contributing photographer for National Geographic Magazine, Doubilet travels all over the globe snapping photos of every type of aquatic life.
Forest Woodward
A self-proclaimed “hunter-gatherer of light and moments”, Woodward is a bit of a nomad. His photographs cover a spectrum of outdoor activities, from documenting the surf culture in NYC to capturing Montana powder days and scaling up southwestern rocks.
Pete McBride
McBride is a self-taught award-winning photographer who’s worked for The National Geographic Society, Patagonia, Smithsonian, Outside, Audubon and more. Also a writer and filmmaker, he now spends most of his time trying to raise awareness about the scarcity of freshwater. His beautiful photographs capture the intimate, the epic and the cultural diversity that populates our world.
Ben Saunders
As a professional long distance skier and polar explorer, Saunders holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. His Instagram documents his extraordinary winter adventures, cycling sessions and what he does during his down time.
Dan & Janine Patitucci
Dan and his wife Janine are the creative eyes behind PatitucciPhoto. Besides being professional photographers, they’re also mountain sport athletes who photograph the climbers, hikers, skiers and explorers in their backyard: the Swiss Alps.
Morne Hardenberg
This award-winning underwater cameraman has made a living shooting sharks — mainly great white sharks. He has photographed and filmed them for Nat Geo, BBC Magazines, Discovery, Animal Planet and more.
Yonder Journal
Yonder Journal is a creative group who produces reports, briefs and guides about the people and places in western America. Each of their Instagram posts, whether it be of a geothermal hot spring or people cycling through New Zealand, tells a story.
Owen Perry
Owen Perry, the man behind Circa_1993, mostly takes shots of landscapes during his travels. He lives amid the grandiosity of British Columbia, but shoots all over the world. His photos are enhanced by Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and VSCO Film.
Jared Chambers
Chambers captures portraits and landscapes with a minimalistic approach. He has amassed a huge Instagram following and has worked for Nike, Vogue and countless others.
Foster Huntington
A few years back, Foster left his NYC job and started living nomadically out of a van. His Instagram is photo journal of people and places he’s encountered.
Theron Humphrey
A man and his dog live their lives on the road. Humphrey shoots beautiful, sometimes humorous, photos of his travels. He has worked for National Geographic, the New York Post, CNN, People Magazine and more.
Kevin Russ
A traveler’s account of the great American West. All photos are captured on Kevin’s iPhone.
