The Photographic 100: One Hundred Places You Must Shoot Before You Die
By Tim Gilbreath
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And that is true of our subject today, a list to end all lists, and what I like to call the Photographic 100.
Photo by WestCoasting
Admittedly, I'm a bit of a foodie, and regularly read a few coffee and food blogs to get my fill of the subject. Recently, a post by the British food blog Very Good Taste introduced a post called "The Omnivore's 100", a sort of bucket list for food lovers. The post went viral and was reblogged and retweeted, with each new blogger indicating what items on the list they had tried themselves. A smash hit, in the virtual world.
It occurred to me that I've had a similar list in my head (but never on paper, digital or otherwise) for quite some time; a list of locations and landmarks that I'd love to shoot, if given the opportunity. It's highly unlikely that I, or any other photographers I know for that matter, would ever actually complete the list, but that's beside the point. It's always more interesting when you have something to shoot for!
So, in no particular order, I have outlined my photography bucket list below. Some things on this list are locations; others are landmarks, and still others are general ideas or techniques. I realize that like the Omnivore's 100, the list is subjective, and some items on my list might have never made it on yours; after reading it, let us know how many YOU'VE completed, and what items would you have added.
The Mayan pyramids in Yucatán, Mexico
The Colorado River in Arizona
The Colorado River. Photo by MoabAdventurer
The animals of the Galápagos Islands
A polar bear
The Himalayan mountains in Nepal
The Himalayan mountains in Nepal. Photo by LittleByteOfLuck
Animals on a safari in Kenya, Africa
Penguins in Antarctica
The Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway
The beauty of the Northern Lights. Photo by GuideGunnar
A thunderstorm or tornado in the Great Plains
Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida
Street performers at Carnival, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Beach photos at the Outer Banks, North Carolina
The Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Bellagio Fountains in action on the Las Vegas strip.
Sunset shot in Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas, Nevada
The Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
Hvitserkur, a 15 meter high rock formation off the coast of Iceland
The hills and coastlines of Isle of Man, in the British Isles
The streets of Florence, Italy
Night shots of Prague, in the Czech Republic
The streets of Prague. Photo by Sarhaynes
The Machu Picchu ruins in Peru
A low-perspective shot of Big Ben in London, England
The Stonehenge ruins in Wiltshire, England
Ruins of Stonehenge. Photo by Arslua
The dark city streets and markets of Casablanca, Morocco
Moose and elk in Grand Teton Park, Wyoming
The historic Great Wall of China.
The seaside cliffs and buildings at Santorini, Greece
The open fields in Tuscany, Italy
Shots of (and from) the skyscrapers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Hot springs and the Old Faithful geyser of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
The walls of the Grand Canyon in Arizona
Horseshoe Falls in Ontario, Canada
The Horseshoe Falls. Photo by KillerBiscuit
The waterfalls at Yosemite National Park, California
Moonrise over Death Valley National Park, California
Lechuguilla Cave at Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
Aerial night shot of the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Vegas strip, from the air.
Wide-angle shots of the canyons at Zion National Park in Utah
Huge rock formations at Monument Valley, Utah
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York City, New York
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in New York City.
Giant trees in Sequoia National Park, California
An all-inclusive shot of the Golden Gate Bridge span in San Francisco, California
The iconic Golden Gate Bridge spanning the bay in San Francisco.
Grizzly bears in Danali National Park, Alaska
A large grizzly in the Denali National Park. Photo by Jpmckenna
Alligators in Everglades National Park, Florida
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Mardi Gras celebrations in the French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Portland Head Lighthouse at Cape Elizabeth, Maine
An epic shot of the Portland Head Lighthouse in Maine.
The streets of the Beacon Hill Historic District, in Boston, Massachusetts
The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Hatteras Island, North Carolina
Photos of cannon at the Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A lone cannon sits on the quiet battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
The entryway at Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee
Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills, South Dakota
Terlingua Ghost Town in the Big Bend National Park, Texas
Arches and formations at Valley of Fire State Park outside of Las Vegas, Nevada
Rocky desert formations in the Valley of Fire outside of Las Vegas, Nevada
Deep Valley of the Mills in Sorrento, Italy
Well-exposed image of a fireworks finale
Long exposed shot of multiple lightning bolts
Bolts of lightning at night. Photo by GleasonMJ
The Boot Hill graveyard in Tombstone, Arizona
A battleship or aircraft carrier in port
The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas
An epic rainbow shot over a vast field
A rainbow over a picturesque field.
Lava flow from an active volcano in Hawaii, at night
An erupting volcanic vent in Hawaii.
Street shots in Key West, Florida
The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Indoor shot of a pub in Dublin, Ireland
A recreation/reshoot of an Ansel Adams photograph
Any castle in Scotland
A castle sitting on a mirror lake in Scotland.
An authentic Hawaiian Luau in Maui, Hawaii
A wide-angle, all-encompassing shot of the New York City skyline at night
The National Memorials in the National Mall, Washington D.C.
An ancient Shaolin temple anywhere in China
An ancient Shaolin temple in China. Photo by Cibomahto
The iconic "Welcome to Vegas" sign in Las Vegas, Nevada
Photograph a complete stranger on the street
A picture of a picture
A shot of Times Square in New York City, NY
Times Square in New York City.
The ruins of the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
A famous (or infamous) haunted house in the United States
Devil's Tower in Crook County, Wyoming
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
Cliffs of the Almalfi Coast, Italy
A long exposure shot of the Milky Way
A gorgeous long-exposure shot of the Milky Way.
A complicated light painting
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Wide shot of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia
Rows of graves at the Arlington National Cemetery
A themed vintage pinup girl shoot
An iceberg
A iceberg floating on the high seas.
Farmhouses and fields in Tuscany, Italy
Wildflower fields in the Hill Country region near Austin, Texas
Texas wildflowers. Photo by Derek Bridges
The Trevi Fountain in Roma, Italy at night
Long exposure shot of an active meteor storm
The Moai statues on Easter Island in the South Pacific
The holy sites in Jerusalem
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Photo by HJL
A great shot of another photographer working
The Moss Bridges in Ireland
The Taj Mahal monument in Agra, India
The Taj Majal, one of the most photographed buildings in India.
An abandoned farmhouse or barn on the Texas backroads
St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy
A well-exposed shot of your favorite band playing on stage
A hot air balloon taking off from a field
A hot air balloon being filled before launch.
The canals in Venice, Italy
The pyramids at Giza, Egypt
So what does your list look like? Discuss what items are on YOUR list below! Need more lists? Take a moment to check out Nancy Young's 50 Striking Examples Of Professional Photos In Twitter Background Design and one of my earlier articles, 5 Quick Ways to Improve your Beach Photography.
Tim Gilbreath
In addition to being a regular contributor at Photodoto, Tim is a web developer, photographer, and musician. He's also a gamer and retro/pop culture aficionado, and spends his days on the sunny West Florida coast. He maintains his website at TimGilbreath.com. You can also follow him on Twitter, @SarasotaTim.