The 5 Most Beautiful Places in the World, According to Photographer Douglas Friedman

With endless dunes and spectacular mountains in the distance, this desert off the Persian Gulf "really feels more like a painting from a fairy tale than a real place," Friedman says. 

This desert city in West Texas is one of the photographer's most frequented locations, so we're not surprised it holds a special place in his heart. "It's impossible to describe and difficult to obtain," he says. "I think that's what makes it one of the most beautiful places on earth."

Covered in a veil of snow, the Himalayan mountains boasts nine of the 10 highest peaks on earth, including Mount Everest. Perhaps Friedman puts it best: "There's nothing sexier than being on top of the world."

This picturesque town in the uplands of Bali surrounded by rainforest and rice paddies is "almost a cliché vision of a tropical paradise," Friedman says. 

Emerald waters and limestone islands make this scenic body of water in the country's Quảng Ninh Province a popular travel destination, and, Friedman adds, "one of the most romantic places on the planet."

For more of Friedman's work, visit thefacinator.com.