Wednesday 30 May 2012

The Photo Tour Experience

One of the best ways to learn the art of taking great pictures is to travel with a group of other like-minded people. That way you learn new photo taking techniques, plus you get to visit some of the most photographic locations in the world with a host that not only knows the region but an organisation that plans tours meticulously. The way these trips are organised is straight forward: I pick a location that's visually strong while being slightly off the beaten track. Photography always comes first. Followed by a desire to visit as many great locations as possible. Followed by an appreciation of good food, while packing in as many cultural experiences as possible...

Ola! My photo group together in the bar (where else) of the Hotel Nacional, Havana, Cuba, April 2012

More often than not I've already visited the locations we travel to so I add in as much time as I think is needed to get the shot in the 'right light'. There's never any pressure to 'head off to the next place' or to 'get to lunch' unless everyone agrees... We are there to shoot images to the best of our abilities.
You could spend two weeks just photographing old Detroit steel. Cool American cars from the pre-revolutionary period are still very much in evidence throughout the island

Along the way participants get one-on-one tuition with whatever their favourite photo-editing software might be (usually this is Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Photoshop Elements or Photomatix Pro). I help participants where possible to start thinking about the edit process in the context of making a photo book - the cost of which is included in the tour price. Once back home I continue to support the students with whatever help they might need in getting to grips with the picture editing process - I now add video post production to this list as many are now shooting video clips along with their stills.

Japan is one of my all-time favourite photographic locations. Fantastic colour, incredible food, dynamic cities, amazingly efficient transport and helpful people with impeccable manners!

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