Elia Locardi || The Moments Between

World traveller, professional photographer, writer, and educator. Always on the move, living a location independent lifestyle, shooting some of the most beautiful places in the world — 40 countries and counting. These are the moments between.

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It’s almost surreal to think that this is the third year in a row that Naomi and I have spent spring in Japan. It’s our favorite time to be here and though there are countless cherry blossom trees blooming all around us, there are also plenty of places to visit that remain timelessly beautiful no matter what season it happens to be. The Itsukushima Shrine definitely tops that list and at high tide, the Grand Torii Gate is designed to seem as though it’s floating on the water. For photography, this is one of my favorite sunset spots in all of Japan. On another note, we’ll soon be announcing the full details of our Dream Photo Tour to Japan next April which will focus on exploring ancient castles, fascinating landscapes, serene shrines, iconic pagodas, and of course some of the most beautiful cherry blossom viewing areas on the planet. Like all of our tours, local food and historic culture will play a huge role and each meal we plan will be nothing short of epic. :) We’re currently accepting pre-registration here: http://bit.ly/DreamJapan (at Hiroshima)

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After 29 days touring the South Island and filming for an upcoming photography education video with @naomilocardi and @officialfstoppers , it’s once again time to say goodbye to New Zealand. The beauty of this amazing country will never cease to amaze me and with each visit, I’m always left with an overwhelming desire to return. I also wanted to say thanks to @youngadventuress for putting together for us all of the camping gear, sleeping bags and mats we needed to be comfortable under the stars while shooting at Mt. Cook. And a good thing too, as they protected us from some crazy high winds and a gang of wild possums! 😉 #NewZealand #Wanaka #thatwanakatree #nature (at Wanaka, New Zealand)

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I had heard that Montenegro was beautiful but nothing could’ve prepared me for this stunning view of the city of Kotor at twilight. You can see for miles down the bay which is cradled by an incredible mountain range. If Montenegro isn’t on your photography bucket list yet, I definitely suggest adding it to the list! #kotor #montenegro #balkans (at Kotor, Montenegro)

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All the plans have been made and I can't wait to get back to beautiful Japan for the 2015 Cherry Blossom season. #japan #sakura #hanami (at Fujiyoshida-shi, Yamanashi, Japan)

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Some of the temples in Angkor Wat are over a thousand years old but it's only in recent history that they've been excavated and protected by Unesco. When the archeologists first came here, they removed as many trees as possible to reveal and save the temples. It's amazing to think that the trees that have become so iconic and popular are only there because removing them would destroy the temple underneath. #cambodia #siemreap #angkorwat (at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia )

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Another day of shooting in Hong Kong has wrapped up nicely with an awesome upwards perspective on some very colorful and densely populated apartment buildings not too far from downtown. Once it gets dark out and the apartment lights come on, it’s fascinating how much color, texture, and detail there is to capture. I wonder if the people who live here know just how cool this place looks though the lens. #hongkong #cityscape #architecture (at Quarry Bay)

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Inside the Vatican in Rome, you'll find the Bramante Staircase, one of the most extraordinary spiral staircases in the world... #rome #vatican #spiral #italy

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It’s great to be back in awesome #Singapore and a huge thanks to my good buddy @edwardadios for showing me this spot! Now, production on the next big video project with @officialfstoppers has officially recommenced and over the next two months, we’ll be traveling through Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, to create a video tutorial that will teach you how to compose and capture beautiful travel and landscape photography while mastering post-processing techniques. For info about the project, early access to the video, as well as a discount, sign up for the newsletter by following this link: www.fstoppers.com/elialocardi (at China Town. Singapore.新加坡)

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A beautiful twilight view of the Defence Roundabout, the busiest interchange in Dubai.

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There are beautiful sunsets and then there are "Santorini" sunsets and over the years, the town of Oia has become world famous for them. In fact, thousands of travelers flock to this little Greek Island each season just for the chance to witness this golden spectacle of light. Is it worth it? Most definitely! #santorini #greece #sunset #oia #paradise

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As the stars dance above the enchanting town of Oia Santorini, the island paradise of the Aegean Sea… When I first began travelling full time in 2009, I had a long list of destinations that I wanted to visit and photograph. Now, over 50 countries later, that list has more than tripled in size. It seems like the more places I visit, the more I seem to discover the world around me and find new places to explore. #santorini #greece #oia #stars

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I can feel in my heart that 2015 is going to be a wonderful year for travel and I honestly can’t think of another time in my life where I’ve felt so excited and optimistic about the future. We live in a beautiful world that’s just waiting to be explored and this year, I plan on seeking out new destinations that will challenge my senses and help to propel my photography in new directions. I also plan on post-processing many new images from my five year working archive, like this one from the stunning Provence region of Southern France. Naomi and I visited this area last July and we instantly fell in love with the seemingly endless lavender fields. From a photographer’s standpoint, it’s a composition and leading line paradise where the color combinations never cease to impress. From a travelers eye, it’s almost unbelievable that this place actually exists and that it's fully accessible to anyone who wants to visit. The only guardians to these lovely rows of fragrant lavender are the millions of buzzing bees that fill the air with a soft harmonious hum. On a side note, after being stung 4 times, this was also the trip where I confirmed that I’m not allergic to bees, thankfully. ;) — #wonderful_places #discoverearth #ourplanetdaily #france #lavender #valensole

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Last night I had a dream where I was wandering all alone through the endless rows of Torii Gates in the Fushimi Inari Shrine. The farther I went, the more lost I’d become… #japan #kyoto

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After 19 wonderful days in Italy—nearly two weeks of which have been in Rome— it’s hard to not be sad with the thought of saying goodbye tomorrow. With every visit, Italy always seems to pull me closer and closer. I don’t think I’ll every get tired of spending time here and photographing this beautiful country. Even though I’m sad to leave, I’m also excited to be flying to South Florida. Its actually been three years since Naomi and I have spent the holidays with our families so I’m sure we’re going to have a great time. Of course, we’re also bringing back plenty of tasty gifts and bottles of wine, so I’m sure everyone will be happy to see us. ;). --- #rome #italy #ig_italia #instaitalia (at Piazza San Pietro, Città del Vaticano)

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Sometimes I find places in the world that seem like they're straight out of a fairy tale. Thankfully, I always have my camera with me. 😊 — #meteora #greece

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Surely, I must be staring at some strange and fascinating alien world… Watching the stars dance above this extraordinary landscape. There are only a few places on our beautiful planet that I would be so confident to call otherworldly. Fewer still that can impose such a profound sense of awe and wonder, where the simple act of seeing is enough to satisfy an avid explorer’s wild curiosity. — #beautifuldestinations #wonderful_places #nature #OurPlanetDaily #awesome_earthpix

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I’m back in stunning Manarola today, filming an upcoming photography tutorial with Fstoppers. Planning this project, I knew that this would be the perfect location to demonstrate some advanced shooting and post-processing techniques! For more info about the video project we’re working on, follow the link below. www.fstoppers.com/elialocardi — #instaitalia #ig_italia #ourplanetdaily #wonderful_places #bestvacations #manarola #cinqueterre #italy #longexposure (at Manarola, Cinque Terre - Italia)