The 8 Best Landscape Photographers in Oakland, CA

At first, you might think the Bay Area is not a good place to find fine art landscapes. After all, it is the center of one of the most crowded metro areas in the United States. However, there are actually a ton of great fine art creators here. Their work includes vibrant cityscapes, mountain peaks, pounding surf, and other adventurous visual journeys. So if you need a relaxing image or three, each one of the most talented Oakland landscape photographers has something to offer!

1. Kasey Mantiply Photography

Kasey Mantiply can be found not only in the Bay Area but up and down the West Coast, as well as internationally. From the Oakland suburbs to the Sierra Nevada, the varied landscapes of the region are her favored subject. And when not scaling a mountain or chasing polar bears, Kasey documents weddings and captures portraits of individuals and families.

Even though California is a major part of her portfolio, Kasey’s work even takes us as far afield as the fjords of Iceland and Greenland. Her personal style of using subdued earth tones, in addition to crisp blue and white tones, is a nice match to the ice and dark rocks of the Arctic region.

2) Joshua Lee Andreas of Sunyata Studios

Joshua Lee Andreas founded Sunyata Studios in 2007, originally based in Eugene, OR, before moving his brand to the Bay Area. As a fashion, product, and Oakland landscape photographer, Joshua has an especially diverse portfolio. He regularly takes his fashion and product subjects outdoors where the diverse vistas of California offer endless creative opportunities.

And as a landscape artist, Joshua’s portfolio includes everything the Golden State has to offer. From Yosemite waterfalls to desert cacti, his images of the natural world are ideal for home and business office spaces.

3. Terri Loewenthal

Terri Loewenthal is an Oakland landscape photographer seeking to redefine the genre through a feminine gaze. She explains her approach, saying, “As a woman seeking to reimagine the genre of landscape photography, my work overlaps multiple vantage points and shifts colors into oversaturated hues, exposing the fallacy of a single objective view and offering a rich, sublime subjectivity in its place that is faithful to the lived complexity of human-and-land interactions.”

Her recognition that there is no singular landscape vision can be shocking to photographers that see mainstays like Ansel Adams as the standard for the genre. Her vision is so striking that her work finds a place in many Bay Area galleries. You can find her art at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, for example.

4. Najib Joe Hakim of Jaffa Orange Photography

As a fine art and documentary photographer, Najib Joe Hakim is a published and award-winning artist. His collection of awards includes the 2020 Rebuilding Alliance Storytellers Award. Najib’s vision is more conceptual in character, where elements like crows and carnival wheels add cultural elements to the scene.

His more traditional landscapes include not only color but also an impressive collection of monochrome images. These highlight texture, form, and tonality over the distracting element of color. Najib also finds beauty in scenes that don’t always need to have major international landmarks as main subjects. This attentiveness to the beauty surrounding us all is surprisingly rare among landscape photographers.

5. Niall David

Whether it’s landscapes, buildings, food, or people, the photography of Niall David does more than just look pretty. His work is always narrative focused, transmitting a story about the subject in a direct, emotional fashion. Niall has years of experience working as a commercial architectural photographer. These skills are readily apparent in how he frames his landscape shots.

His dynamic compositions and emphasis on elements that convey a mood are second to none. Niall’s images, especially his cityscapes, take us across the US and into the heart of the Bay Area! It’s no wonder he’s among the most noteworthy landscape photographers in Oakland.

6. Elle Kaiser

Most landscape photographers prefer traditional, expansive views of the surrounding world. But Elle Kaiser offers a very different approach to the genre. She is often a subject of her own artwork right along with the varied scenery of the West Coast! You will find Ellen standing within the frame, sitting on rocky bluffs or otherwise engaging with the scene.

Her work is not just a presentation of something beautiful but also a documentation of the places Ellen has seen in her travels. As she shares in her own words, “Although each of my images stand on their own, they also tell a story about my life, the places I’ve been, and the people in it.”

7. Richard Wong Photography

Richard Wong is a fine art Oakland landscape photographer who offers museum-quality prints. His patrons include private collectors, corporate fine art buyers, and other folks interested in bringing the best of the natural world to indoor spaces. He is a multi-year winning recipient of the International Photography Awards, as well as one of the first photographers to have captured all 21 of California’s missions.

He also has an incredible eye for abstract landscape photography, where color and patterns are the main subjects. Even when the subject itself is unclear, there is a captivating quality to the scene we think you’ll love.

8. Sean Arbabi Photography

As a commercial travel photographer, Sean Arbabi’s work takes him all over the world! His past clients include the California Division of Tourism, Outdoor Photographer, The New York Times, Rangefinder Magazine, and other brands.

His portfolio includes not only California but also the greater United States, South America, Southeast Asia, and other travel hotspots. Sean is a master of mood in his nature and landscape photography, highlighting mist among the redwoods, the power of waterfalls, pounding surf, and other elements.

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