Best Places in the U.S. to Vacation for Wildlife Photography

Some of the most amazing photographs ever captured are considered wildlife photography. Some of the world's most famous twentieth-century photographers photographed wildlife right here in the United States. Because these photographers braved a path to all things wild and beautiful, hotels and lodges have cropped up close to these places so that other photographers can find their own mystical and fantastic photo subjects. Here are just a few places that, as a photographer, you have to visit at least once.

Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone is home to wolves, bears, and pumas. You have to be very careful if you are going to photograph these predators. Dozens of these animals have been living in this area for thousands of years. Imagine photographing a descendant of an animal that settled here in this park long before Native Americans came, or maybe migrated with the Natives over the ice bridge to the far north and west. It is exciting to shoot pictures of something so primal in a setting that has only a few traces of humans and human activity.

The Great Plains

Bison roam where buffalo ruled. Wild mustangs are still running free. Playful prairie dogs whistle and call, and jackrabbits the size of your head leap into the air. A lodge might be nestled along the main roads, but you can rent a jeep and off-road it to conduct your own American safari to photograph the animals that live here.

Underwater Shots Around Florida

If you want to add some underwater photography to your portfolio, stay in a coastal hotel in Florida or the Florida Keys. There are some beautiful coral reefs here, teeming with life and perfect for photography. It is a full-time business for some photographers, who take pictures of the most fascinating corals and fish here and then sell their work to NatGeo magazine or some other science magazine.

Swamps of Louisiana

You may think swamps are not much for photography, but you have never seen an alligator huddled up close to a cypress tree covered in the ghostly Spanish moss. Do not go out into the swamps alone, however. Most people who do not live there get quite lost and turned around in the changing waterways. Hire a guide with a swamp boat or air boat to take you about and show you things of interest. Then you can stay in New Orleans at night.

For more information about taking a wildlife photography vacation, reach out to lodges like Big Ku Alaska.


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