5 Reasons To Do Photography Tours

Why You Should Consider Doing Photography Tours

Let me just say at the outset, I LOVE doing tours for so many reasons.

Having attended over 12 tours in the last 5 years, you could say I’m a bit of an addict! This does not include smaller workshops or the incredible informal photography trips I’ve done as well.

As a total newbie to photography, and super keen to learn, I signed up to everything I could find. A friend of mine still talks about how I booked into four of her tours online before even meeting her! Luckily that worked for me as she is a wonderful teacher (clearly the universe was looking out for me), but I wouldn’t recommend it now without doing a bit more research.

From then I moved on to doing more overnight/longer length tours. I guess this stemmed from being a solo woman who wanted to experience more but didn’t have the courage or knowledge to totally do it on my own.

There is a huge variety of photography tours and workshops all over the world. There is also a big difference in prices and quality, so it pays to do your research. 

If you want to improve your photography then a photography tour or workshop can really help. Here are five reasons why you should give them a try.+

1 – Organisation

Whether it’s a tour to a new location, or just because of time limitations, attending an organised tour packs in so much more than you could ever find doing it on your own.

You honestly don’t have to think about anything else than your photography. A well organised tour will send you the itinerary (or at least a list of potential locations) ahead of time. This gives you an idea of the locations you’ll be going to so you can do whatever research you choose to, or not. Having zero expectations can also be very liberating!

Then all you have to worry about is knowing what time you have to meet back up with the group again. Warning, that is stupid o’clock for sunrise, or when to be ready again to head out for sunset. This is of course, if you’re lucky enough to get a break in the afternoon.

If you’ve ever planned your own trip (which I also love to do), this is just such a relief. All you have to do is show up with your gear, battery fully charged, memory cards at the ready, and all weather gear just in case.

You also get to see much more in a shorter space of time than if you were to try and find these locations on your own – good bang for your buck!

Tip – I also print and keep all my itineraries so I can’t forget the name of a location. The days can blur a little with such long hours – this has helped me many times!

2 – Locations – The best locations at the best times

For obvious reasons, most tours are location based and most will take you to the well-known or iconic photo spots which is great, and I think we all need these shots, but there’s usually more to be seen.

However, a good tour will also take you to some incredible different locations off the tourist/Instagram trail. The main reason I love these photos is that they are of landscapes not seen every day.

This is why I recommend you research (or stalk even) the guide that you do your tour with. They really should have an intimate knowledge of the area to both take you to locations you haven’t even known about, but also have the ability and flexibility to change locations on the day depending on the conditions. This is not always possible but something to consider.

3 – Learning – Learn from an expert while developing your own style

This could be your main reason to do a tour, and this is for a good reason. A good tour guide should understand where you are at with your photography, what you hope/expect to get out of the tour, and be able to give you the time and expertise to help you achieve these goals.

Being presented with new and different situations gives lots of opportunities for learning, not only from the guides, but also with others in the group with you.

From my experience, everyone in the group will be at a different place in their photography journey and the knowledge shared from each other is just invaluable.

TIP – Photography workshops versus photography tours – what’s the difference?

Understanding what people are offering here can be critical. A photography workshop should be focussed on teaching and education around your photography. Photography tours on the other hand, can simply mean getting you to the best locations at the best time.

It really is worth investigating this aspect when you are considering and researching a tour. I’ve actually seen tours that charge extra for tuition while you are on the tour.

If there is any doubt it is always worth contacting the organisers to clarify. Paying more does not necessarily equate to tuition. 

I’ve also been on photography tours where the guides spend as much time taking their own photos as they do helping you. This is another good thing to check. 

There was one in particular that offered teaching, yet at a waterfall when I asked for help I was told to fiddle with the settings until I got it right. I was standing right next to the leader who was clearly too busy taking his own photos – lesson learned!

To the total opposite, where I was on a recent tour and the leader was so super helpful. He had his camera out and was taking shots for sure. But then what he was doing was sharing those compositions and shots with the group to ensure they had the same opportunities as he saw.

Accommodation Is Important

Another thing to consider when booking tours of multiple days when accommodation comes into the equation. This can vary from a single motel room, to a shared room in a house to a room/bungalow with no toilet or shower. Do your research as it was no fun trudging outside to the toilet in the middle of the night when it was cold and raining!

Communication really is key here. Make sure everything is outlined, and your expectations are clear so you get to come home with incredible images.

4 – Community – Sharing experiences with like minded people

One of the bonuses of doing a photography tour is that you get to spend time with like minded people. They are just as in love with the world of photography as you are – maybe even more so.

While you definitely learn from those leading the tour, you also get to share ideas and knowledge from those who are doing the tour with you.

Starting and learning photography (particularly landscape photography) can be a very isolated journey, so the benefits of doing a tour with like-minded people has so many benefits.

Yes , there are lots of online communities, but there’s nothing like having face to face conversations and experiences with others to make your journey even more enjoyable.

While I have friendships that I totally value from the social media world, I also have those with people I met over five years ago on a tour.

5 – Safety

I have to admit that this is something I consider more and more as time goes on.

It’s all well and good to research and find locations to get to on your own, but this can be very daunting when you arrive and are walking onto the unknown in the dark on your own.

As a solo female it’s often discussed around coming across strangers or being assaulted. While this is a consideration, I’m more concerned about having a fall on a rock shelf or such and having no one around to help. It’s no good if I’m not able to get to my phone, or heaven forbid, there’s no signal (terrifying these days I know).

This is one spot where this could easily happen, Tasman Lake in New Zealand. The walk in to here was a nice well-maintained path, but where you have to navigate to and set up to get this image is a whole other story! It’s like sitting on the downside of a hill, but instead of nice flat grass, it’s big black rocks that have a nasty habit of moving when you put any weight on them.

This is where I feel safe doing a tour – it’s just one less thing I need to worry about.

All The Things

I could talk about the benefits of doing tours for hours – and sorry to my non-photography friends who I’ve done this to.

Yes, I love doing my own thing, but doing tours like these will always be on my agenda – I don’t think I would have even travelled to New Zealand on my own.

I will definitely continue to do tours – some with now old friends, and some with new – look out Iceland 2022, so stay in touch to keep updated.

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information or recommendations on tour guides that I have travelled with and would do further photography tours with.

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this post.

I’d love to know if you have any photography workshop or photography tour experiences you’d like to share. Let me know in the comments below.

That’s it for now – Keep clicking and stay caffeinated

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Here’s some more articles and resources I think you’ll like:

• Top Recommendations for Tutorials and Tours
• Sunrise and Sunset Photography Guide
• Choosing A Photography Tour

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Note – This post does not contain any sponsored or affiliated links. All suggestions and opinions are mine. Unless otherwise stated, all photos are mine and remain my copyright images – Sam Wilson Photography.