Best classic places spots hotspots sites sights views photo locations to photograph for photography with maps tips ideas composition postcard photos cool beautiful pictures
Grand Prize in the National Self-Published Book Awards
Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book
Best Travel Guide, Benjamin Franklin Awards finalist
“Impressive in its presentation and abundance of material.”
— National Geographic Traveler
“PhotoSecrets books are an invaluable resource for photographers.”
— Nikon School of Photography
“One of the best travel photography books we’ve ever seen.”
— Minolta
“Guides you to the most visually distinctive places to explore with your camera.”
— Outdoor Photographer
“This could be one of the most needed travel books ever published!”
— San Francisco Bay Guardian
“The most useful travel guides for anyone with a camera.”
— Shutterbug’s Outdoor and Nature Photography
“Takes the guesswork out of shooting.”
— American Way (American Airlines magazine)
PhotoSecrets Ålesund, first published May 3, 2016. This version output April 23, 2018.
Curated, coded and designed by Andrew Hudson. Copyright © Andrew Hudson for PhotoSecrets (Photo Tour Books, Inc.). Photos, text and maps copyrights are listed in the credits section.
“‘And what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversations?’”
— Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Thank you to the many talented photographers that generously made their photos available. Photos distributed by the following:
Text copyright of Wikipedia editors and contributors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA).
Map data from OpenStreetMap and its contributors. Open data licensed under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL).
Cover image by Andrés Nieto Porras/Flickr.
Back cover image by .
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any way without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner(s) and the publisher of this book.
The information provided within this book is for general informational purposes only. Some information may be inadvertently incorrect, or may be incorrect in the source material, or may have changed since publication, this includes GPS coordinates, addresses, location titles, descriptions, Web links, and photo credits. Use with caution; do not photograph from roads or other dangerous places or when trespassing, even if GPS coordinates and/or maps indicate so; beware of moving vehicles; obey laws. The publisher and author cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book. There are no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, images, or graphics contained in this book for any purpose. Any use of this information is at your own risk.
For corrections, please send an email.
A great travel photograph, like a great news photograph, requires you to be in the right place at the right time to capture that special moment. Professional photographers have a short-hand phrase for this: “F8 and be there.”
There are countless books that can help you with photographic technique, the “F8” portion of that equation. But until now, there’s been little help for the other, more critical portion of that equation, the “be there” part. To find the right spot, you had to expend lots of time and shoe leather to wander around, track down every potential viewpoint, and essentially re-invent the wheel.
In my career as a professional travel photographer, well over half my time on location is spent seeking out the good angles. Andrew Hudson’s PhotoSecrets does all that legwork for you, so you can spend your time photographing instead of wandering about. It’s like having a professional location scout in your camera bag. I wish I had one of these books for every city I photograph on assignment.
PhotoSecrets can help you capture the most beautiful sights with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of enjoyment. So grab your camera, find your favorite PhotoSecrets spots, and “be there!”
Bob Krist has photographed assignments for National Geographic, National Geographic Traveler, Travel/Holiday, Smithsonian, and Islands. He won “Travel photographer of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and 2008.
For National Geographic, Bob has led round-the-world tours and a traveling lecture series. His book In Tuscany with Frances Mayes spent a month on The New York Times’ bestseller list and his how-to book Spirit of Place was hailed by American Photographer magazine as “the best book about travel photography we’ve ever read.”
The parents of three sons, Bob and his wife live in New Hope, Pennsylvania.
Thank you for reading PhotoSecrets. As a fellow fan of travel and photography, I hope this guide will help you quickly find the most visually stunning places, and come home with equally stunning photographs.
PhotoSecrets is designed to show you all the best sights. Flick through, see the classic shots, and use them as a departure point for your own creations. Get ideas for composition and interesting viewpoints. See what piques your interest. Know what to shoot, where to stand, when to go, and why it’s interesting. Now you can spend less time researching and more time photographing.
The idea for PhotoSecrets came during a trip to Thailand, when I tried to find the exotic beach used in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. None of the guidebooks I had showed a picture, so I thought a guidebook of postcard photos would be useful for us photographers. Twenty-plus years later, you have this guide. Thanks!
Now, start exploring — and take lots of photos!
Originally an engineer, Andrew Hudson started PhotoSecrets in 1995. His first book won the Benjamin Franklin Award for Best First Book and his second won the Grand Prize in the National Self-Published Book Awards.
Andrew has published 38 nationally-distributed photography books. He has photographed assignments for Macy’s, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Men’s Health and Seventeen, and been a location scout for Nikon. His photos and articles have appeared in Alaska Airlines, National Geographic Traveler, Shutterbug Outdoor and Nature photography, Where, and Woman’s World.
Andrew has a degree in Computer Engineering from Manchester University and a certificate in copyright law from Harvard Law School. Born in Redditch, England, he lives with his wife, two kids, and two chocolate Labs, in San Diego, California.
At a Glance | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Ålesund |
| GPS: | 62.472465, 6.155785 |
| Address: | Ålesund, Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Norway |
| County: | Møre og Romsdal |
| Country: | Norway |
| Fame: | Unique Art Nouveau architecture |
| Population: | municipality 45,033 (2013) urban area 48,460 (2013) |
| Established: | 1838 |
Ålesund is a town in Norway noted for its Art Nouveau architecture.
Photographer: Andrés Nieto Porras
Source: Flickr
License: CC-BY-SA 2.
A sea port town, noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture.
| Addr: | Sunnmøre, Møre Og Romsdal, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.474216 6.164119 |
| When: | Afternoon | Look: | East-northeast → |
| Far: | 1.40 km (0.87 miles) |
Photographer: Gangerrolf
Year: 2002.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Volsdalen Church is a parish church in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.47141 6.188508 |
| What: | Church | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Svein Harkestad
Year: 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Photographer: Ksenia Novikova
Source: Flickr
License: CC-BY 2.
| Addr: | Ålesund, Sunnmøre, Møre Og Romsdal, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.473826 6.152859 |
| What: | Harbor | When: | Anytime |
Photographer: Luu
Year: 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
License: Released by author into the public domain.
The Atlantic Sea-Park is an aquarium in Ålesund, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.46556 6.09583 |
| What: | Aquarium | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: David40226543
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Jugendstilsenteret is a national Jugendstil Centre located in the former Swan Pharmacy building (1905–1907) in central Ålesund, the Art Nouveau town of Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.47101 6.15109 |
| What: | Art nouveau center | When: | Anytime |
| AKA: | Art Nouveau center | Wik: |
Photographer: DS
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY 2.
Photographer: Sinspinadas
Year: 2008.
Source: Wikipedia
License: Released by author into the public domain.
Ålesund Church is a parish church in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.4712 6.1459 |
| What: | Church | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Svein Harkestad
Year: 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Photographer: Sissew
Year: 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
License: Released by author into the public domain.
Borgund is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.46611 6.23361 |
| What: | Village | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Halvard Hatlen - Halvard
Year: 2008.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Old Stordal Church is a former parish church in Stordal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.38397 7.01434 |
| What: | Church | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Erik Den Yngre
Year: 2014.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 4.
Photographer: E Inge Helland
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Ytste Skotet is a complete, preserved, historical farm located in Stordal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.4142 6.8938 |
| What: | Historical farm | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: E Inge Helland
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Photographer: E Inge Helland
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Photographer: Tolpost
Year: 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Alnes lighthouse was established in 1852 to guide fishing boats safely to the harbor of the small fishing community of Alnes on Godøy island on the west coast of Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.48972 5.96722 |
| What: | Lighthouse | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Henny Stokseth
Year: 2013.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Photographer: Sissew
Year: 2005.
Source: Wikipedia
License: Released by author into the public domain.
| Addr: | Sula, Ålesund Region | Where: | 62.414852 6.327860 |
| What: | Village | When: | Anytime |
Photographer: E Inge Helland
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Langevåg or Langevågen is the administrative center of Sula Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.43722 6.18889 |
| What: | Village | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Halvard Hatlen - Halvard
Year: 2008.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Ørskog Church is a parish church in Ørskog Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway.
| Addr: | Ålesund Region, Møre Og Romsdal, Sunnmøre, Western Norway, Norway | Where: | 62.4790 6.8122 |
| What: | Church | When: | Anytime |
| Wik: |
Photographer: Svein Harkestad
Year: 2007.
Source: Wikipedia
License: CC-BY-SA 3.
Thank you to the many wonderful people and companies that made their work available to use in this guide.
Photo key: Tap the camera icon to see the photo. The two letters reference the distributor and license. Key for distributors: f:Flickr; w:Wikipedia. Key for license: a:CC-BY-SA; b:CC-BY; m:public domain.
Cover image by .David40226543 ( wb); DS ( wa); Gangerrolf ( wa); Halvard Hatlen - Halvard ( wa); Svein Harkestad ( wa); E Inge Helland ( wm); Luu ( fb); Ksenia Novikova ( fa); Andrés Nieto Porras ( wm); Sinspinadas ( wm); Sissew ( wa); Henny Stokseth ( wa); Tolpost ( wa); Erik Den Yngre ( wa). Some text adapted from Wikipedia and its contributors where noted by the URL path in the “Wik” table field, used and modified under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC-BY-SA) license. Map data from OpenStreetMap and its contributors, used under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL).