About Trevor Cole
I am an international travel photographer and photo tour leader, based in Donegal, Ireland. Born in Derry, I went on to teach geography at international schools in Singapore, Togo, Italy, Ethiopia and Brazil – always travelling extensively with my camera. This naturally brought two of my life’s passions together as a geographer-photographer.
My photography focuses predominantly on culture and landscapes; images reflecting a spatial and temporal journey through life, while striving to reflect the need to live in a more sustainable world.
By seeking the moment and light in various contexts, we can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
I lead photo tours locally in Ireland, but also in Scotland, Iceland, Ethiopia, Namibia, Chad, South Sudan, Eritrea, India and beyond. With a focus on small groups, the aim is to provide culturally sensitive immersion, photographic guidance and the opportunity for the photographic travel experience of a lifetime.
My approach is based on an alternative vision of tomorrow – capturing unforgettable moments through photography that empower us to reflect upon the world around us, and truly be the change that we want to see in that world.
AWARDS
2026 Exposure One Awards, Photojournalism category, bronze winner for People and Pastoralism in the Ilemi Triangle.
2026 Independent Photographer Awards, winning finalist for Young Mundari Woman
2026 Muse Awards Photographer of the Year (professional) for Transcendence – Between Two Worlds
2025 AAP All About Photo Magazine no.51, – winner with Pastoral Peoples and Practices series
2025 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, gold winner
2025 Exposure One Awards, Photographer of the Year
2025 Exposure One Awards, bronze award in the People and Pastoralism category
2025 1839 Awards, Photographer of the year in the People category
2024 European Photography Awards – Photographer of the year and winner for Pastoral Peoples & Cultures
2024 Neutral Density Awards – Gold star award winner in the Professional Documentary category, Symbiosis in South Sudan
2024 Refocus Awards, gold, silver, bronze and honourable mentions in People category
2023 Refocus Awards – gold in Travel, silver in Photojournalism, and honourable mention in People
2022, 2023, 2024 International Photography Awards (IPA) – honourable mentions and Bronze award 2024
2019 Travel Photographer of the Year, winner for People and Culture
2019 Monochrome Awards – Professional Photographer of the Year
2019 Wilderness Safari Photographer of the Year
FEATURED IN PUBLICATIONS
1x Magazine, Frames Magazine, Lens Magazine, National Geographic, All About Photo, The Times, Forbes Magazine, The Guardian, 54 Magazine, The Telegraph, Eye for the Light, Dodho, Africa Geographic