2017 – A Year of Travel In 100 Black and White Photographs

Lions in a Tree

Every year I post 65 (expanded this year to 100) of my favorite photos from the year’s travels.  Ordinarily, this post comes around the New Year. This year, it and its color sibling (view it here) will land in the middle of April and June.  The reason for this? Fantastic travels and an expanded focus on travel photography combined with a fairly all-consuming works schedule. At the close of 2016 I spent 9 incredible days exploring Tanzania and Zanzibar. Those photos are included in this year’s 100 shots and part of the reason that I just couldn’t quite cut things at 65.

This year’s post includes photos from the United States, Mexico, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Iceland, Denmark, China, Romania, Slovenia, and Italy.  It was a spectacular year of travel and one which was complemented by a significant upgrade to my equipment in May 2017 when I gave up on Canon, sold my Canon 6D and pivoted to the Sony A7RII. On top of changing camera styles, I also significantly upgraded from one tier of camera to another. I’ve spent the last year learning the new camera and focusing heavily on how to enhance my photography.  The photos in this post are taken on a combination of the two cameras.  The Sony also brings with it added video capabilities which have led to added exploration with creating video content which you can explore here.

This post is part of an annual tradition.  For previous years, check out 201220132014, 2015, 2016 and of course, don’t miss the color post from 2017.

Questions about how I composed or took a specific photo? Feel free to ask in a comment. You’re also encouraged to check out my complete flickr albums here which include the many other shots from 2017 (and previous years) which didn’t make it in this post.

Canyon X - Antelope Canyon - Arizona

Canyon X, Arizona, USA

Slap Kozjak Waterfall

Slap Kozjak Waterfall, Slovenia

Ol Doinyo Lengai - Tanzania

Ol Doinyo Lengai, Lake Natron, Tanzania

Gazing Outward - Lion Rock

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Seaside Sunset - Puerto Penasco

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Reynisdrangar - Long Exposure

Reynisdrangar, Iceland

Zebras of Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

The Dhows of Zanzibar

Stone Town, Zanzibar

The Temple of Heaven - Beijing, China

Beijing, China

Martial Eagle - Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Nauthusagill Waterfalls

Nauthusagill Waterfalls, Iceland

The Terracotta Warriors - Xi'an

Xi’an, China

Canyon X - Antelope Canyon - Arizona

Canyon X, Arizona, USA

Ngorongoro Crater Hippo

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Seaside Sunset - Puerto Penasco

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Lake Natron - Tanzania

Lake Natron, Tanzania

Lost in the Sand Sea

Canyon X, Arizona, USA

The Lions of Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Seljalandsfoss at Sunset

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Stone Town Harbor

Stone Town, Zanzibar

The Slovenian Alps

The Slovenian Alps, Slovenia

Zebras of Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

A Baby Elephant

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay

Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay, Iceland

The Temple of Heaven - Beijing, China

Beijing, China

The Lions of Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Prejmer Fortified Church

Prejmer Fortified Church, Romania

The Dhows of Zanzibar

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Leopards of the Serengeti

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Mules of Ol Doinyo Lengai

Lake Natron, Tanzania

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Iceland

Tiger Breath

Copenhagen, Denmark

Nature - Lago di Fusine - Italy

Lago di Fusine, Italy

The Watchers - The Great Migration

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Stone Town Harbor

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Reynisdrangar - Long Exposure

Reynisdrangar, Iceland

Amidst the Rocks - Kamniška Bistrica

Kamniska Bistrica, Slovenia

Storks at Sunrise over Lake Natron

Lake Natron, Tanzania

The Streets of Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

Seljalandsfoss at Sunset

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

The Light Within

Canyon X, Arizona, USA

Tanzania's Great Lions

Serengeti, Tanzania

The Serengeti's Tree Climbing Lions

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Tarangire National Park Photo Safari

Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

The Dhows of Zanzibar

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Norrebro - The Lakes

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Old Summer Palace - Yuanmingyuan Park

Yuanmingyuan Park, Beijing, China

Gullfoss - Iceland

Gullfoss, Iceland

The Serengeti's Tree Climbing Lions

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Transylvanian Countryside

The Transylvanian Countryside, Romania

Storks at Sunrise over Lake Natron

Lake Natron, Tanzania

Phoenix Pavilion - Xi'an

Xi’an, China

A Giraffe in Tanzania

Tarangire, Tanzania

Kerið Volcanic Crater

Kerið Volcanic Crater, Iceland

The Serengeti's Tree Climbing Lions

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Market - Stone Town

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Elephants of the Serengeti

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Streets of Bremen

Bremen, Germany

The Serengeti

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Black Church - Brasov

Brasov, Romania

The Maasai People - Tanzania

The Maasai, Tanzania

Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay

Jökulsárlón Glacier Bay, Iceland

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

A Snow Kissed Great Wall

The Great Wall, China

Hot Air Balloon Over the Serengeti

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Pause and Reflect - The Old Summer Palace

The Old Summer Palace, Beijing, China

The Streets of Bremen

Bremen, Germany

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, Iceland

The Great Migration

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Sucevita Monastery and Fortification

Sucevita Monastery, Romania

The Dhows of Zanzibar

Stone Town, Zanzibar

Horseshoe Bend - Arizona

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona, USA

The Countryside

The Countryside, Romania

The Maasai People - Tanzania

The Maasai People, Tanzania

Street Food - Xi'an - China

Xi’an, China

The Great Migration

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Lake Bohinj - Slovenia

Lake Bohinj, Slovenia

The Maasai People - Tanzania

The Maasai, Tanzania

The Elephants of Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

The Cheetah of the Serengeti Plains

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA

Bremen Market Square

Bremen, Germany

The Sandstone Wave - Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona, USA

The Lover's Roar

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Lake Bled in the Mists

Lake Bled, Slovenia

Rupea Citadel in Bloom

Rupea Citadel, Romania

Tarangire National Park Photo Safari

Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

The Faces of Bremen City Hall

Bremen, Germany

The Dismount - Leopard - Serengeti

The Serengeti, Tanzania

Dyrhólaey Lighthouse

Dyrhólaey Lighthouse, Iceland

The Forbidden City - Beijing

The Forbidden City, Beijing, China

Crashing Waves - Reynisfjara

Reynisfjara, Iceland

The Maasai People - Tanzania

The Maasai, Tanzania

Gazing Outward - Lion Rock

The Serengeti, Tanzania

The Tiger's Gaze

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Great Wall in a Snow Storm

The Great Wall, China

The Circle of Life

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

Little Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss, Iceland

Horseshoe Bend - Arizona

Horseshoe Bend, Arizona, USA

Transylvanian Skies

Transylvanian Skies, Romania

 

For those curious and/or who want to support me, the following camera and lens links are affiliate links. The majority of Safari photos were taken on a Canon 6D, a few random shots from trips up to Slovenia on a Canon M3, and the majority of all other photos on a Sony A7RII.  All using either a Canon 50mm f/1.4Canon 40mm f/2.8Canon 17-40mm f/4Sigma 70-300mm lens with the 6D or a Sony 70-300mmSony 24-70mm f/4, or Sony 50mm f/1.8. I do light editing in Adobe Lightroom. You can see the specific settings each image was taken at via the EXIF data on flickr. I’m also always happy to answer questions.

Thanks for a wonderful year!  I cannot wait to see what adventures and explorations 2018 brings and don’t forget to jump over to 2017’s 100 best black and white shots (coming soon)!

I am a travel blogger and photographer. I also am involved in academic research into the study abroad and backpacker communities.

2 Comments

  1. Hi Alex,
    Such a great post <3 Hope that one day I could have a chance to visit all destinations above. I`m sure that my experience in there will be one of the most memorable moments in my life. Thank you

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