Best Nature Photographers to Follow on Instagram

From sublime mountains to curious caverns, there is enough natural wonder in our world to enchant us for a thousand lifetimes. Wildlife and nature photographers bring the farthest rivers to our fingertips and move us not just visually, but emotionally. For reasons of their own, these 10 professional photographers are some of the best nature photographers to follow on Instagram right now.

Albert Dros

Dros is a professional photographer and a SONY Global Imaging Ambassador from the Netherlands. His work has been featured by Adobe, National Geographic, and TIME, and it's not hard to see why.

He can photograph any natural landscape with extreme skill, but his main focus lies in sunrises and sunsets. A great number of his photographs capture mountains, hills, and deserts as they are being bathed in red and orange light. For him, the ultimate beauty of a location can only truly be seen when day turns to night, and night turns to day.

You can follow him on Instagram @albertdrosphotography.

Chris Burkard

As one of Forbes's Top 10 Social Influencers of 2017, Burkard is obviously a photographer you should follow on Instagram. He has published several books and has won and been nominated for at least a dozen awards for his work.

Burkard will shoot any natural landscape, be it a forest or a monster crater. But judging by his Instagram account, his passion is for the vast unknown. Having published many photos of the night's sky, arctic oceans, and the great wonder of the Northern Lights, it is clear that Burkard uses his photography as a means of exploring man's place in the world and the universe. His brilliant shots speak to a greater philosophical question, which is part of what makes him one of the best nature photographers to follow on Instagram.

You can follow him on Instagram @chrisburkard.

Marc Adamus

Adamus's photographs are simply fantastic, both in terms of quality and character. He has the incredible skill of being able to turn real-world places into mesmerizing dreams. The way he handles water and wind makes his photos look more like paintings.

This ethereal style makes even the most still landscapes look fluid and alive. He has travelled the world and brought back images from another one entirely.

You can follow him on Instagram @marcadamus.

Max Rive

Rive's photos look as if they were taken from The Lord of the Rings movies. His preferred subjects are mountains, and he's travelled the world to photograph as many as possible. In fact, he nearly died because of them.

While en route to the Himalayas of Nepal—one of his very first photography expeditions—Rive suffered a plane accident but managed to escape in tact. Nothing was to deter him from his goal, and that time spent in Nepal ended up earning him the coveted IPA Award, which is one of the biggest prizes to be won in the world of landscape photography. So basically, there is no arguing the fact that he is one of the best nature photographers to follow on Instagram.

You can follow him on Instagram @maxrivephotography.

Annie Griffiths

As a photographer for National Geographic, Griffiths studies subjects of all kinds from all locations. She takes spectacular portraits of the peoples she gets to visit across the globe, but she also gets to photograph some spectacular animals.

Griffiths's wildlife photography is multi-dimensional and possesses great depth. Where other photographers' photos of animals might come across as flat or simple, hers have a unique elegance and perspective.

You can follow her on Instagram @anniegriffithsphotography.

Ronan Donovan

What separates extraordinary wildlife photography from ordinary wildlife photography is the ability to capture character. Donovan's photographs of wild animals, from lions to apes to owls, all bare the souls of his subjects.

His is one of the few Instagram accounts that gorgeously portrays animals as fellow creatures who have attitudes and feelings, just like us. This fun, personal, and sincere style is what makes him one of the best nature photographers to follow on Instagram.

You can follow him on Instagram @ronan_donovan.

Emilie Ristevski

Who says nature photography can't include humans? Ristevski's photos are all based on the concept of travel, often placing a person into a scene of natural grandeur. Much like Chris Burkard, Ristevski enjoys observing how small a person is when compared to the world around them.

While many photographers have subjects that are of particular importance to them, she captures as many subjects in the natural world as she can, making for a well-rounded portfolio. Oceans, flowers, camels, and open roads are all part of her repertoire.

You can follow her on Instagram @helloemilie.

Alex Strohl

What defines Strohl's photography is a strong sense of simplicity and minimalism. Rather than shooting complex landscapes, he prefers locations that bring the mind to focus sharply on one subject. It is for this reason that he has one of the most captivating nature photography Instagram accounts.

You can follow him on Instagram @alexstrohl.

Brian Skerry

Skerry is another photojournalist for National Geographic that boasts an Instagram account worth following. His photographs are almost exclusively concerned with marine life and the wonders of the seas.

His subjects range from terrifying sharks to vibrant mushroom corals, proving that the ocean is much more than just the color blue.

You can follow him on Instagram @brianskerry.

Josh Packer

Lastly, one of the best nature photographers to follow on Instagram has a beautiful obsession with cottages. Many of Packer's photos feature these or other small, rickety structures that stand in stark contrast to the vastness of the outdoors.

His photographs focus on the point at which familiar human dwellings meet with the great unknown. This makes for a really captivating dichotomy that is always just barely held in place.

You can follow him on Instagram @packtography.