Luka Vunduk

From the snowy Canadian peaks to the scorching Sahara Desert, Luka Vunduk has travelled the globe capturing nature in all its glory.

The landscape photographer has won countless awards for his work and he continues to seek out the world's most beautiful places. He also runs photography workshops to inspire the next generation as well as heading up a design studio in Slovenia's capital, Ljubljana. "I'm really in love with nature," says Luka. "It's important for me to use all of my senses when photographing nature. When I look at my photos, I can almost smell the place. I remember everything. For every artist, it is important that photography is not just based on nature, but on the emotions it stirs within us."

After school, Luka set up his own design studio and started working with respected photographers in Slovenia to build up his portfolio. "There are no schools for photography in Slovenia, so if you want to study photography, you have to travel to another country," he explains. "I just started working in some studios and collaborating with photographers and later I went to the USA where I met my photography mentors.

"My wish, even as a child, was to go to the USA as an adventurer and visit the truly epic national parks. Because the landscape photography guru Ansel Adams created work there, the desire was even stronger. You often first think of the Grand Canyon, but there are so many more hidden and exceptional corners – Zion National Park, Capitol Reef, Mammoth Lakes. The parks are truly enormous, so you can find corners that no one has photographed yet and that is a truly special feeling."

Luka went professional with his work in 2008 and he hasn't looked back. A key ingredient to being a successful landscape photographer, he says, is patience. It took him eight years of returning to the same spot in the Italian Dolomites to eventually capture his award-winning image of Alpe di Siusi (below). "You need to have a lot of patience when you're working with photography," he says. "You're always waiting for something – the right time, the right season, the right weather, the right light. It's also important as a landscape photographer to be outdoors as much as possible. But you don't have to be travelling the world. I believe you can find something beautiful in your own country, in your backyard."

As for his proudest achievement to date? Becoming a Canon Ambassador. "We are a very small country here in Slovenia, so to be recognised on this global scale is something I am truly proud of," he enthuses. "It's even more wonderful for me because when I'm in nature, I'm at home."

How important is post-processing to you?

"Post-processing is really important to me and I work with it a lot but I don't add or replace anything. I just work on some colours, contrast, and things like that. For that kind of processing, you also need a good camera. Because I'm shooting in RAW, it's important that I remember what the scene was like."

What has been your most memorable shoot to date?

"I was sailing in Greenland in 2023 and it was amazing and so beautiful. When you're on the boat, you can't use a tripod, and as landscape photographers, we always use tripods. I was really happy to have my Canon EOS R5 because the In-Body Image Stabilisation works really well. We were sailing around huge icebergs so we needed to be alert all the time and have a good captain and crew, because the boats were small. But it was just the best expedition."

How would you describe your photographic style?

"If there is really good weather, I don't like it. It's nice, but I want to have more colours. I'm looking for more drama. About 90% of my photos were taken before or after a storm because at that time, the weather is changing rapidly and there are some amazing colours. It's more vivid, it's more extreme, so that's what I'm looking for."

What's the most valuable lesson you've learnt during your career?

"Sometimes you will travel somewhere, perhaps to the other side of the planet, and have big plans for shooting great things. But you get there, and you don't have very good weather or conditions. It's really frustrating because you think, 'I have spent so much time, so much money on this, and I don't have the best photo.' As a landscape photographer, there are many circumstances which can be against you. Sometimes I was sad because I came home with photos which were not amazing, and that was hard for me. I started asking myself, 'Do I need to be a landscape photographer?' It's easier to work in a studio, you have all the available light. So, this was a big lesson for me."

"If you're a photographer, you must be in love with photography. You cannot just be thinking, 'I'll be a photographer and make money.' You need to have a lot of patience. It's also very important to have your own style too. As a landscape photographer, you need to be outdoors as much as possible. You need to understand how light works and things like that. You can create completely different photos in the exact same place, depending on the light and the weather."

Instagram:@lukavunduk

Website:www.lukavunduk.com