America contains some of the most extraordinary photographic subjects on Earth — landscapes of geological grandeur, coastal waters of impossible color, cities of glass and light. National Geographic photographer Edin Chavez has spent two decades documenting these locations, returning to each one until the conditions produce images worthy of a museum wall.
Updated annually with new locations and new work. Last updated: 2026.
1. Grand Canyon, Arizona
The Grand Canyon at golden hour is the defining American landscape photograph. The canyon walls shift from pale cream to deep copper as the sun descends, the Colorado River catching the last light two miles below. Browse the Grand Canyon collection →
2. Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys
From above at dawn, the Seven Mile Bridge — connecting the lower Florida Keys to Marathon — becomes an abstract study in geometry and light. The dark water, the pale concrete, the coral flats turning gold. Nothing else in American photography looks quite like it. Browse Seven Mile Bridge →
3. Antelope Canyon, Arizona
When the midday sun angles through the narrow openings of Antelope Canyon and creates light beams on the Navajo sandstone, the effect is supernatural. These photographs are made in a window of minutes that occurs only on specific days. Browse Antelope Canyon →
4. Lake Tahoe — Bonsai Rock
The pine-shaped rock formation on Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore, reflected in the crystalline alpine water at sunrise, against the Sierra Nevada backdrop — this is one of California’s most beloved and most technically demanding landscape subjects. Browse Lake Tahoe →
5. Mono Lake, Eastern California
Mono Lake’s ancient tufa towers — calcium carbonate formations that emerged when the lake level dropped — create a landscape that belongs in another geological era. At dawn, the stillness and the light produce images of surpassing beauty. Browse Mono Lake →
6. Miami — The Magic City from Above
No American city photographs as well from the air as Miami. The color of the water, the geometry of the causeways, the Art Deco district, the modern skyline — from a helicopter at dawn, it becomes extraordinary. Browse Miami →
7. The Everglades, Florida
America’s largest subtropical wilderness at sunrise — roseate spoonbills, alligators, a sky that transforms from purple to gold in minutes. The Everglades rewards the photographer who arrives before anyone else. Browse the Everglades →
8. Miami Fog — A Rare Phenomenon
On rare winter mornings, marine fog blankets Biscayne Bay and Miami’s skyline emerges from the clouds like a dream. Shot from a helicopter during one of these extraordinary atmospheric events. Browse Miami Fog →
About Edin Chavez: National Geographic photographer, Nikon professional, Masters of Photography. 20+ years of work across 50+ countries. Fine art prints available worldwide at edinfineart.com.