You have 4 weeks in 2022 to go on a outdoor photography trip.Where would you go?

What time of year?   If it’s flexible, I’d suggest putting Alaska on your list.   Depending on what time of year and what you wanted to do you could get some great Polar Bear shots, or Grizlies feeding on salmon, bald eagles, or just general landscape amazingness –   True wilderness

Thanks!  That’s great advice.  I can most likely select the time I want to go. What time of year do you think are best to visit Alaska and see natures spectacle?  Would be best to go with a guide I assume?

I’ve only been twice, both in late August.  I’ve been to Brooks Range and Wrangell St. Elias and both were amazing.  It may have been luck but it seemed like a great time of year with no bugs.

Galen Rowell shot all over the world…and he favored the Sierra overall. Very good light, ever changing dramatic clouds, great variety of environments, sculpted stone, open forest, wide open alpine. But these days fire may be an issue.

#1 New Zealand, #2 Iceland.

I concur with Rev. Fong. However, for my money, I would spend the time in Kenya and Tanzania. I combined quality time in those 2 countries with a gorilla sighting experience in eastern Zaire. But that was based out of Goma, which is currently being evacuated due the nearby volcano being pretty goofy.

@ Holger. The joke about Iceland now is that it is now overrun by photographers.

I would think about your goals and your style of photography.  If you really want to IMPROVE your photographic skill, you would probably be better off going to two or three places where you already know the subjects, the light, and the weather with the goal being to make better images than the last time your photographed those areas.

If you want to capture images of exotic places, then for sure put Iceland on the list.

My first choice would be the Eastern Sierra: Hope Valley, the Carson River watershed, the Walker River watershed, south along SR395 to Bishop (where Galen Rowell lived), the Alabama Hills and Whitney Portal but perhaps all the way to Death Valley.  My second choice would be the Lake District of England. My third choice would be eastern Montana, esp. Glacier National Park.

But if you really want to go somewhere where few folks go, look up photos of South Georgia Island.

The Alaskan tundra turns red in August/September with the birches turning yellow similar to Aspen in the Rockies. I’m no expert but I’d assume the changing light would be better to (i.e. not 24 hour daylight). If you timed it you might catch bears on the fishing rivers and then caribou on the tundra.

Yellowstone is another fun spot, maybe fall or spring to be less crowded.

A lot depends on your subject interest, i.e., wildlife, wildflowers, scenics, etc., not to mention your budget and travel mode… plenty of great suggestions already but you might also consider doing the Colorado/Utah loop, otherwise known as the ‘Great Circle’. You can get everything from wildlife, fall foliage, wild rivers, red rock formations, waterfalls, desert landscapes, etc. For this to work, Fall is your optimal timing simply because the weather is generally very pleasant, the aspens are turning, wildlife is active and most importantly, the crowds have mostly dissipated.

Without belaboring the obvious, here’s a basic itinerary, starting the middle of September in Denver… First, head to Rocky Mountain NP (wildlife and leaves are peaking), then down to Aspen (Maroon Bells, etc.), back over Independence Pass to Crested Butte (Kebler Pass – largest stand of Aspens in the world). From there, head to Montrose (stopping at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP) and then down to Ouray, over Red Mountain Pass into Silverton and then Durango – you can also take an alternate route through Telluride and over Lizard Head Pass. Durango is the jumping off place for Mesa Verde NP and then on to the Colorado Plateau area which has an over abundance of world famous ‘red rock formations’, e.g., Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Grand Canyon NP, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Capitol Reef NP, Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, etc., to name just a few options – lots of travel, lots of photo ops… in truth, you could spend your entire four weeks in just a few of these locations… it should also be noted that these areas are also great for stargazing, astrophotography, etc.

+1 to what Dan said “A lot depends on your subject interest, i.e., wildlife, wildflowers, scenics, etc., ”

+1 to Zion. This coming November, I will be there for one week.

Then there’s this place called Hawai’i… four islands, four weeks – good to go… Aloha!

I spent about 4 weeks during the rainy season in Costa Rica and loved it Two weeks in the cloud forests and two weeks in Osa Peninsula/Drake Bay would be my recommendation to get a variety of images. I’d also recommend the dry season (more crowded, more expensive, but far less likely you’ll be rained out for a few days in a row like I was lol).

It really does come down to what draws you in photography. I wouldn’t recommend exploring a new style (experimenting is fine, but focus on what you’re familiar with so you don’t feel like it was a wasted/missed opportunity).

Also your gear matters. If you’ve got a super telephoto and like wildlife, open spaces like the savannah or plains will favor that gear. A jungle wildlife tour favors a fast medium telephoto (400mm, F2.8 or shorter) as you’ll be closer and in low light. If you like landscapes, or macro….you can make that work anywhere in the world haha.