Travel
Commercial & Editorial Travel Photography
REMOTE EXPEDITIONS · EDITORIAL ASSIGNMENTS · TOURISM & HOSPITALITY · FINE ART ARCHIVE
30+ years of ALWAYS having more gear bags and heavier luggage than the average traveler has led to some fantastic moments away from New Orleans. The travel photography archive below is organized by continent, but the through-line is the same everywhere: beauty of subject first, then light, then composition, then color, then people, then the patience to wait for it all to coalesce and the know-how to turn that moment into a lasting image.
Travel work here is not about just collecting images of pretty scenery. It is portraits made through a translator, markets at five in the morning, night clubs at 2 a.m., hopping on the back of a motorbike driven by a stranger, "gastrointestinal distress", extreme fatigue, endurance tests, new friends, and a lot of waiting for weather. The images that survive the edit are almost always the ones that took the longest to manifest.
That same experience is available on assignment for publications, tourism boards, hotels, and brands. These galleries also feed the print store and the book, Fearless Photographer: Travel.
Inquire About This WorkCollect Travel Prints
All travel photographs are available for purchase. Click or tap any image to view it full screen and select your print edition (Hand-Printed & Signed by Marc or Archival Lab Print) and size.
EDITORIAL & BRAND TRAVEL ASSIGNMENTS
Destination imagery has to do two jobs at once: make a place feel real, and make someone want to be there.
Marc photographs travel assignments for publications, tourism and destination marketing teams, hotels and hospitality groups, tour operators, and outdoor, apparel, and gear brands. Each assignment begins with the story the client needs to tell and the places the images will run, so the coverage is planned around real deliverables rather than a loose collection of pretty scenery.
That can mean a destination image library built over a week, a tightly scheduled hotel or resort shoot, an editorial feature that needs people, place, and context in every frame, or campaign imagery for a brand whose product has to look at home in a demanding environment.
Typical travel assignments include:
- Editorial travel features and photo essays
- Tourism and destination image libraries
- Hotel, resort, and hospitality properties
- Tour operator and expedition marketing
- Outdoor, apparel, and gear campaigns
- Environmental portraits of guides, hosts, and locals
- Documentary and cultural storytelling projects
REMOTE EXPEDITIONS & DEMANDING ENVIRONMENTS
The best travel images are often made where ordinary shoots fall apart.
Marc’s archive spans six continents and includes high-altitude trekking and climbing in Nepal, the deserts and salt pans of Namibia, Patagonian Chile, the Bolivian altiplano, Iceland, underwater work in Mexican cenotes, kelp forests in South Africa, and Caribbean reefs, and dense, fast-moving cities across Asia, Europe, North and South America and Latin America. Those trips taught the practical side of the craft: carrying a complete kit through bad weather, protecting gear in dust and humidity, working on very little sleep, and still delivering images that hold up.
For clients, that experience translates into reliability. When the schedule slips, the road washes out, or the weather window lasts three minutes, the shoot keeps moving and the coverage still gets made.
Environments Marc has photographed in include:
- High-altitude mountain and trekking routes
- Deserts, dunes, and salt pans
- Underwater reefs and flooded cenotes
- Rainforest and tropical humidity
- Glaciers, cold-weather, and alpine terrain
- Crowded markets, festivals, and night streets
Published Author
FEARLESS PHOTOGRAPHER: TRAVEL
Marc was commissioned by Cengage Learning to write Fearless Photographer: Travel, a field manual for photographing people and places on the road, published in November 2012. The book was written after a trip to Nepal that included a narrow escape from a series of avalanches and a 5.9 earthquake days later — and it reflects the same approach Marc brings to every assignment: preparation, respect for the people in front of the camera, and the patience to wait for the frame.
ASSIGNMENT LOGISTICS & DELIVERY
International and remote work succeeds or fails on planning. Before a trip, Marc works with the client on the shot list, schedule, location research, local guides or fixers, permissions and releases, and the travel and gear plan needed to deliver the brief.
In the field, files are backed up redundantly every day, and when connectivity allows, preliminary selects can be sent for social, press, or client review before the trip ends. The final gallery is edited, color-corrected, and organized for how the images will actually be used.
FINE ART PRINTS & IMAGE LICENSING
Images from the travel archive are available as signed, hand-printed Tremé studio editions or archival partner lab prints. Click or tap any photograph across our travel galleries or stories to view it full screen and select your edition and size, or visit the store to browse standard sizing. Existing archive images can also be licensed for editorial, advertising, and hospitality use, with terms written around the actual media, territory, and duration.
COMMISSION A TRAVEL ASSIGNMENT
Whether it’s a single property, a destination library, or a multi-week expedition, the first step is a conversation about where you’re going, what the images need to do, and when you need them.
Reviews
What Assignment Clients Say
“Marc did an amazing job with my DJ photoshoot! I asked for a lot in an hour, I wanted to do an indoor shoot on stage, then get some fun shots outside around the neighborhood, and Marc came prepared to shoot for both indoor and outdoor environments! He was also quick in each location, I brought a friend and several outfit changes and Marc got straight to it in each spot we shot. I hadn't done a photoshoot since my high school graduation pictures and Marc did a great job directing me and giving pointers to help get the best photos. He's also just a great person to be around, so the shoot itself was fun and enjoyable. I run a live music entertainment company specializing in 2ndlines, cover bands and all things live music related and knew Marc from live events, he really is great to work alongside in all aspects and I can't recommend him enough!”
“There is a reason Marc has a 5 star rating. He is always professional, cares about the final product and experience of those he works with as a photographer. Can't recommend any more highly.”
“I use Marc for family photos, events and shoots for my brand. He is always professional, cares about the final product and experience of those he works with as a photographer. Can't recommend any more highly.”
“Top shelf photographer; top shelf person. We hired Marc to shoot photos for a kids organic clothing line we were producing and were so pleased with his work that we ended up hiring him again for both personal, and international charity, work. One cursory look at his portfolio and you'll see that his work is outstanding. But when you look closer, really study his art, you'll see that Marc has a uniquely keen and clever eye. He is acutely aware of the subject and its place in its surroundings. The result: really special work. His creativity is boundless, surpassed only by his humanity. We can't wait to work with him again.”
“I contracted Marc to travel with me and photojournal a buying expedition I was on for my retail business. Marc was nothing short of the consummate professional, he was prepared with proper equipment and he had done his background research on the mission of the trip. Marc was always present but never intrusive as he photojournaled this buying expedition. To say that I was pleased with the quality of the images, the timeliness of the production and the artistic eye with which he shot the images is an understatement. In fact, I was so taken by Marc's work that I arranged for a photo gallery showing of the images he shot on this trip. It was truly a privilege to work with a professional like Marc Pagani. In fact, later this year I am engaging Marc to shoot my family's portrait.”
Before You Ask
TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY QUESTIONS
- What types of commercial travel and editorial assignments do you accept?
- Marc photographs editorial travel features, tourism and destination image libraries, hotels and hospitality properties, tour operators, outdoor and apparel brands, and documentary or cultural storytelling projects. Assignments range from a single day at one property to multi-week trips across a country or region.
- How do you handle international logistics, permits, and equipment travel?
- Logistics are planned with the client before the trip: schedule, locations, local guides or fixers, location permissions, model and property releases, and how the gear will travel. Marc has decades of experience moving a full professional kit through international airports, rough roads, and remote terrain.
- Can you work in extreme, high-altitude, or remote environments?
- Yes. Marc's travel archive includes high-altitude trekking and climbing in Nepal, the deserts of Namibia, Patagonia, the Bolivian altiplano, Iceland, and humid tropical regions. Working comfortably in demanding conditions means the photography keeps moving when weather, altitude, or schedules make things difficult.
- How do you handle photo licensing for tourism campaigns and commercial brands?
- Licensing is agreed before the assignment begins and is based on how the images will be used — editorial, web, social, print, advertising, or paid media — along with territory and duration. The estimate spells out the usage so the license fits the project and nothing is paid for that isn't needed.
- Can you photograph underwater or adventure sports on location?
- Yes. Marc shoots underwater on scuba with a housed camera and strobes, including reef and cenote work, and photographs climbing, mountaineering, cycling, skiing, and other outdoor sports. Adventure assignments are planned around safety first so the photography can stay opportunistic.
- How quickly can we receive image selects while you are in the field?
- When connectivity allows, preliminary selects can be delivered during the trip for social media, press, or client review. Expectations are set in advance based on the location, since some remote destinations have little or no reliable internet. The full edited gallery follows after the trip on an agreed schedule.
- How do you approach cultural sensitivity and local portrait subjects?
- With respect and patience. Many of Marc's travel portraits were made through a translator after time spent getting to know the person. Subjects are approached openly, local customs are respected, and releases are obtained whenever images are intended for commercial use.
- How do we book you for an international or domestic travel shoot?
- Start with the contact form and share the destination, dates, the purpose of the images, and how they'll be used. Marc will follow up to discuss the brief and then provide an estimate covering photography, travel, deliverables, and licensing.