It goes without saying that thousands of travel images are uploaded weekly to Alamy, but despite this Misha Martin has made his collection stand out. He actively pursues a life away from urban noise, preferring to capture landscapes and showcase their serene and uninterrupted beauty.
Join us to find out more about how Misha discovered his passion for travel photography, the challenges he encounters when capturing drone content and where his favourite location is to shoot.
CG: How did you find your passion for landscape and travel photography?
MM: I was introduced to photography at a very young age by my grandfather, however after his passing, I didn’t actively pursue it for many years. During that time, I focused on other creative pursuits like graphic design. It wasn’t until my first trip to Iceland that my perspective shifted, and the breathtaking landscapes reignited my passion for nature photography. A few years later, as I started travelling with my now wife, I developed a deep interest in travel photography as well.
CG: Can you tell us a little bit about your aerial photography and any challenges you’ve experienced with this type of image making.
MM: Most of my aerial photography and videos are done using drones. To be honest, the biggest challenge I face is the increasing restrictions on drone usage and transporting them across borders. Despite that, I love how I can pack this ‘flying camera’ into my backpack capturing perspectives, textures and hidden places that aren’t visible from roads or trails.
CG: Your images have an authentic aesthetic, is this intentional and what message do you hope to convey with your images?
MM: I love the look and grain of film, so I intentionally incorporate that into my images — it’s a deliberate choice. All my work is dedicated to capturing the moment, as I’m a visual thinker, and my main focus is on creating aesthetically pleasing art. I tend to emphasise details, textures, and minimal compositions. I rarely include people in my photos, but when I do, it’s often to highlight how small we are in comparison to nature.
CG: What’s your all-time favourite image in your Alamy collection?
MM: It’s hard to choose one, but I would say from my travel collection the unique Dragon Blood Trees of Socotra with the Milky way, or the aerial view of an eruption at Reykjanes in Iceland 2021.
CG: Where is your favourite location to shoot? And do you have any future projects lined up?
MM: Definitely my favourite place to shoot is my current home, Iceland. Whether it’s the highlands or glacier areas, even after all these years, there’s always something new to discover. I don’t have any international projects lined up at the moment, but most of my travel projects have been spontaneous. Locally, I’m working on a book focused on glacier photography.
Do you still need further inspiration for your next trip away? Check out our curated ‘As the bird flies’ and ‘Road Trip’ collections to get you started. You can check out the rest of Misha’s Alamy collection here and keep up to date with him via his website here.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the last 12 months of Instagram features and be sure to keep an eye out for our Alamy Contributor Spotlight Roundup 2024 blog coming out later this month. As usual, come back next month to see who the first feature of 2025 will be!