Blog

Searching for Scenery

2018-02-08 10:39:37 UTC
Over Christmas 2017, I did something I hadn’t done in years - I went away for a holiday. I realize how bizarre this must sound; “a professional travel photographer goes away for his first holiday in years”, but trust me, going away on holiday is completely different to traveling for…

1 Million Eyes on Iceland

2017-02-27 21:07:00 UTC
Being a travel photographer means that if I visit a place I really love, I feel a responsibiliy to represent it in a way that will encourage others to visit it too. I’m a long time fan of Iceland, so when Expedia commissioned me to visit for my 3rd time,…

The Mother City

2017-02-20 19:38:00 UTC
I’ve worked in over 50 countries on every inhabited continent in the world. The journey has taken me about 8 years to complete and has led to countless of unforgettable adventures and experiences. Despite having seen most of the world’s most popular attractions, I was never able to name my…

Edinburgh Guide

2016-03-20 01:41:00 UTC
Every time I visit Edinburgh, I consider moving there. It’s a magical city, one of Europe’s finest, so it was extremely gratifying seeing Expedia publish the guide that I filmed for them below I’ve also included some of my favourite images from the shoot.

Taranaki

2015-12-27 09:37:00 UTC
Besides the obvious beauty of New Zealand, another reason we wanted to visit was to see good friends in New Plymouth. Whilst there, I got to explore Taranaki, giving myself a bit of time to scratch below the surface. Taranaki is often bypassed by tourists who choose to visit Bay…

Geothermal Wonderland

2015-12-21 19:09:00 UTC
After experiencing some of New Zealand’s most beautiful beaches, it was a refreshing change to experience the inland wonders - in this case, the geothermal activity of Rotorua and Taupo. These two lakeside locations are about an hour apart, with geothermal attractions covering the area between them. After visiting Iceland,…

Iceland Guide

2015-12-09 18:58:00 UTC
The worst question to ask a frequent traveler is “what is the best place you’ve been to?” I can’t possibly answer “best”, but I can tell you what the most picturesque country is - Iceland. I visited Iceland for the 3rd time in June, 2015 to shoot a guide for…

The Coromandel Peninsula

2015-11-28 10:37:00 UTC
I’ve seen coastlines on 5 different continents. Up until now, I’ve been convinced that the Wildcoast region of South Africa is untouchable as best coastline in the world. As a former Saffa, I’m a bit dissapointed to admit that it has been bumped down into second. The Coromandel Peninsula now…

Whangarei

2015-11-23 09:33:00 UTC
I’m going to leave the North Island of New Zealand with one major, unexpected impression - that of picture perfect beaches. The kind of beaches you expect to find on famous beach islands, like the Maldives. If empty, perfect beaches appeal to you, the area around Whangarei in the Northland…

The Bay of Islands

2015-11-21 00:46:00 UTC
Our first bit of exploring in New Zealand took place in the Bay of Islands. Coming from London, this was a complete change is scenery - wide, open roads, sub-tropical weather and miles of coastline. I particularly enjoyed being woken up by bird calls rather than the morning traffic The…

Auckland

2015-11-21 00:37:00 UTC
Twenty five hours is a long time to fly. It is even longer when you have two under 3s with you! To recover, we booked 3 days in Auckland. Whilst we weren’t there to do photography, I couldn’t help spending a few hours shooting.

I’ve Upgraded

2015-11-09 22:46:00 UTC
Ever since the travel bug bit me, I’ve longed to do an extended bit of traveling. For all sorts of reasons, this has never been possible and with my son starting school soon, time was running out. I mentioned a 2 month trip to my wife who surprised me by…

Four Days in London

2015-11-03 14:19:00 UTC
I’ve just finished a shoot of London for Expedia. It happened to coincide with two days of fog that was thick enough to cancel flights to and from the capital. It also coincided with one of the most colourful autumns that I’ve experienced in London These are some of my…

Slovakia

2015-07-13 23:36:00 UTC
My favourite travel writer, Francis Tapon, spent some time exploring Slovakia and tried his best to find an ugly town. He claims that he could not. I spent one week in Slovakia photographing it for Expedia and I wasn’t any more successful. What a beautiful country Here are a few…

The Czech Republic

2015-07-05 18:12:00 UTC
When the former Soviet countries opened up to the west, Prague was the first city to be recognized as a world class destination. Since then, tourists have been thronging its streets. What many of them don’t realize is that the rest of the country is just as interesting and beautiful…

Iceland - the North

2015-06-25 21:34:00 UTC
In the second leg of my Iceland trip (part 1 here), I explored the north east of the country. This area is less pretty but more dramatic than the more popular southern end of the island. For this reason, it is extremely popular for film sets. Akureyri, the main city…

Scottish Highlands

2015-06-18 07:43:00 UTC
Living in London, the temptation is always to travel to places that are further afield than Scotland. One tends to overlook that a world class destination right on our doorstep. With my recent visit, this outlook was blown away. I photographed the Highlands and a few of the Isles for…

Iceland 2015

2015-06-17 22:34:00 UTC
I spent 8 very cold days photographing Iceland for Expedia in the beginning of June for what was supposed to be the start of summer. Although I didn’t get the weather that I was hoping for, Iceland still ridiculously beautiful and thanks to Game of Thrones, a lot more crowded…

Unexpected Bratislava

2015-05-13 21:04:00 UTC
Prague, Rome, Paris - those three cities would be my recommendation for those visiting Europe for the first time. For anyone else looking for something unexpected or a bit off the usual tourist trail, Bratislava would be my number one recommendation What comes to mind when you think of Bratislava.…

Gdansk

2015-04-25 11:39:00 UTC
Gdansk was the last city I visited as part of my Poland trip for Expedia and what a great way to end! Gdansk is an interesting mix of Amsterdam and Brugge with a slight Swedish influence on the architecture. It is a fascinating city, rich in stories, both ancient and…

Poznan

2015-04-23 20:29:00 UTC
Poznan was the fourth Polish city I visited for Expedia after Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw. Unfortunately, I only had a short time to explore the city (half a day), but the time was enough to convince me that Poznan is a world class city, well worth visiting Interior of the…

Wroclaw

2015-04-22 21:47:00 UTC
The Bishop’s Palace on Cathedral Island. Cathedral Island as viewed from the Cathedral Tower. The main bridge leading to Cathedral Island. The bridge still has bullet holes from WWII. Students enjoying the view of the university from Student Island. There are hundreds of these gnomes spread throughout the city. The…

Krakow

2015-04-21 18:48:00 UTC
I spent an incredible two weeks in Poland as part of a job for Expedia. After Warsaw, I got to visit Krakow, one of Europe’s best preserved medieval cities. As it turned out, it was the contemporary art, architecture and food scene that impressed me the most MOCA - contemporary…

Warsaw

2015-04-19 20:57:00 UTC
Poland has some great, trendy options for eating out. This was one of the first suspension bridges in Poland and featured in many of the rom coms made in Poland. The National Stadium, built for the Euro tournament. The public transport system is excellent in Warsaw. Most of the museums…

In Retrospect

2014-08-05 14:28:20 UTC
For the first time since February, I’ve got a few days off. It’s basically half way through the year, so I picked out some of my favourite images since February. I try do this as often as possible as it make it shows me where I need to improve and…

Jon Reid | Travel Photographer | London