Page 44 - Flipbook

photo tips
WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
The ability to take great photos adds another dimension to travel.
Shutterbugs Delight
IF YOUR CAMERA HAS BECOME YOUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL COMPANION IT MIGHT BE TIME TO TAKE IT ON A PHOTO TOUR
BY BOB KRIST
THREE TOURS TO CONSIDER
BLUE DOG
Tamborine Mountain, Queensland Danielle Lancaster, freelance photojournalist shares her love for photography from half day workshops to international tours. www.blue-dog.com.au
AUSTRALIAN PHOTO TOURS
Melbourne, Victoria
Craig Newell, commercial photographer offers tours and tutoring including a 3 day photo tour along the Great Ocean Road. www.australianphototours.com.au
CAPTURE NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHY TOURS Established by professional landscape photographer Phillip Bartlett, who loves his small, yet magnificent, corner of the world, Cambridge, New Zealand.
From one day tours of Waikato to 12 day expedition of South Island www.capturenewzealand.co.nz
Do you annoy your family whenever you linger too long taking pictures on holiday? Do you cast yearning looks
at the sunset while your group makes a beeline for the buffet line? You could be a candidate for a photo tour. These trips are designed for the way photographers travel: The pace is a tad slower, the itineraries put you in the best places at the best times to photograph, and they're led by professional photographers who can offer advice when you need it. Here's some help selecting your dream tour. (Prices vary widely, starting as low as $570 and climbing up past six figures.)
Background Check
Don't be blinded by the destination ("I've always wanted to go to Bali!") without checking credentials. How many years has the company been in business? Will they share the names of past clients as references? How big is the group? Is the tour leader recognized name? And don't confuse a photo tour with a workshop. The leader will provide some instruction, but a photo-tour itinerary is designed
for maximum shooting time and little or
no critique time. "I try to accommodate my guests 'different experience levels and shooting styles," says Michele Burgess,
an award winning travel photographer who has led tours for more than 25years. "Some 'prefer to stick close by me for guidance, while others need time to wander." Flexibility is the key to Burgess's 15-to-20-person tours, which cover exotic locations like China, Madagascar and Kenya. "We're not locked into mealtimes, as a larger group might be," she says. "We can stay out as long as the light is good."
Ready for Their Close-up
Tours run by Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Alliance use small Zodiac rafts launched from ships to give photographers a face-to-lens look at polar bears, seals, whales and other creatures that are difficult to shoot from land. "We've got a National Geographic photographer or one of our National Geographic -trained naturalist photographers aboard every vessel," says renowned nature and wildlife photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins, director of expedition photography. Tours visit such spots as the Galapagos, Antarctica, Alaska and Norway.
Keeping Everyone Happy
If your significant other doesn't share
your photo passion but wants to tag along, check whether the tour accommodate non-shooters (some even provide alternative programs).Which ever tour
you choose, bring a good attitude and punctuality to the mix. If you're late for
a sunrise, for example, no one can talk
Old Sol into delaying his light show. But that's a small price to pay to spend time with like-minded lovers of travel and photography while you increase the quality of the pictures you take. EV
42 WINTER 2013
MEMBER TIPS