Holger Leue is regarded as one of the premier travel photographers. His work has been published in more than 80 books, travel guides and calendars, as well as in countless magazine features. He is regularly commissioned by a variety of international publishers and publications, tourism boards, cruise ship lines and tourism operators. "The well-being that I experience on location," he says, "is reflected in the quality of the imagery." To date Holger Leue has completed photographic assignments in more than 80 countries.When I'm about to embark on a photographic project in a distant land, sometimes even my best friends will let slip the words "Have a nice vacation!" I appreciate the sentiment, and I understand that what I do might look like play to someone who doesn't know me, but I think to myself that they should know better by now. After all, I've been a professional travel photographer since 1990. I raise my eyebrows ever so slightly, and the message comes across loud and clear. My friends roll their eyes or shake their heads, but they know that when I'm on assignment, I'm driven by my dedication to capture the essence of a place in my imagery. It's exciting, it's challenging, it's rewarding, but it's not vacation.I have worked on photographic projects in some 80 countries. To date my images have appeared in more than 80 books, travel guides and calendars, as well as in countless magazine articles. My work is represented by the leading stock photography agencies Getty Images, Corbis and LOOK-foto. I feel extremely privileged to be able to discover so many aspects of this wonderful world through my viewfinder, and to meet so many fabulous people along the way. The sense of well-being that I feel on location is reflected, I hope, in the quality of my images.I started snapping pictures at the age of six, and eventually studied photojournalism at the University of California at Santa Cruz. After documenting the tragic aftermath of a major earthquake, I realized that news photography was not my cup of tea, and that I would endeavor to earn my living as a travel photographer. With a couple hundred rolls of film and much optimism I headed to New Zealand, purchased an old car and some camping equipment, and spent three delightful months discovering and documenting Aotearoa. The results appeared in a German travel magazine, this then led to a book project, then to a major commission for a tourism board ... and I've been on the road (and more recently at sea) ever since.I have always viewed photography as a craft, and as with all crafts, one improves, becoming more efficient and artful with each project. Usually my trips are between one and three weeks long. During that time, I'm always on: I scout the location for the most illuminating imagery from the crack of dawn until well past sunset. Sometimes my journeys are commissioned projects for travel magazines, cruise ship lines or tourism boards, other times I work on a speculative basis and try to market the imagery afterwards. Long days and short nights are the norm, and it is not uncommon that near the end of a tropical island project I realize I haven't even been in the water yet!But the time I spend on location is only part of the overall picture. For each day out in the field, it takes at least one day in the office to complete the follow-up work: tight editing, optimizing and meticulous labeling of the images. And then there is the marketing. Prior to each journey, careful planning with much logistical work is essential. I cooperate closely with the tourism industry, which is beneficial in cutting travel costs. The resulting stays aboard the world's finest cruise ships or at five-star hotels are a nice perk, yet I feel equally comfortable in a campervan under five million stars.Recently I've pursued numerous projects for various high-end cruise lines, capturing imagery for their brochures. Although challenging at times (I generally have only a few hours in each destination, and often daytime only), it does permit me to cover a lot of territory in a limited amount of time. But more importantly, these ships have taken me to parts of the world which are not so easily accessible otherwise: Antarctica or the Amazon, for instance. Yes, I confess that sailing the seven seas by luxury liner is very enjoyable: a comfortable cabin (no need to lug suitcases around), the pleasant company of fellow passengers and crew, fabulous food, Gin and Tonics made with ice cubes carved straight from an iceberg...Flexibility and mobility are key to creating successful travel imagery. I currently work with Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera bodies with 1:2.8/16-35, 1:1,4/24-105 and 1:4-5,6/70-300 (Image Stabilizing) Canon lenses, plus a Canon Speedlite 580EX flash unit. This equipment fits snugly in a Tamrac Zuma 9 Safe Traveler backpack (whose compartments are only accessible through an inside zipper - much to the disappointment of the thug in St. Petersburg who emptied the previous photo backpack I was using). Add to this a Bogen professional tripod, a powerful MacBook and several backup hard disks - voila: the tools of the trade.When not traveling the world in search of the finest light, I divide my time between San Francisco and a small village in Germany, where I accomplish all the follow-up work. Home is very important for this part-time vagabond, but the feet remain itchy. Recently I was asked to name five destinations/adventures I haven't "done" yet, but hope to discover before too long. After some thought, I've come up with the following: I'd like to see the Taj Mahal at dawn, visit the Tokyo Fish Market, watch South African wildlife from the basket of a hot air balloon, explore Paris (once I've found the woman of my dreams) . . . and - once Virgin Galactic is up and flying - see Earth from space. Have camera, will travel!