Why Should I take a Peru Photo Tour ? Pros and cons
If you’re like us, you’ve planned a trip, had visions of coming home with an SD card full of National Geographic images.
This is a classic symptom of a growing disease. You’ve most likely been bitten by 2 bugs. The photography bug and most importantly, the travel bug.
There’s really no cure to this disease… you have to embrace it!
Here’s a bit of medication that might sooth you :
If you’ve been thinking about your next adventure to be a photography tour, the next step is to consider what you’d like to photograph! There are several different kinds of photography tours; from wildlife photography in India to landscape photography in Europe and much more.
Every good photographer knows that a great shot can be found nearly everywhere, but most can also agree that there are certain parts of the world that were just made to be photographed!
Why should I choose a photography tour?
Photography tours aren’t just for expert photographers! You’ll find a photography tour for every level of experience and every type of traveller. Solo travellers will love the chance to learn new skills and meet new people on the road. Senior travellers will find photography tours with a slower pace and more accessible excursions. There are even luxury photography tours available! No matter what you want to photograph and what kind of traveller you are, you can find a photography tour for you. Once you join a group of other photographers you’ll be sharing your experience with others but also learning from their own point of view. This means everybody benefits and can create new images with different perspectives. Sharing beautiful landscapes, night skies or just street photography with other like-minded people is very likely to teach you new ways to photograph.
Who should go on a photography tour?
Travellers interested in photography of all kinds can enjoy a photography tour! Whether you’re an experienced photographer who wants to explore a new destination while meeting like-minded people, or a beginner looking to learn from experienced guides while travelling, there’s a photography tour that suits your needs out there.
What should I look for in a photography tour?
All too often the best-laid plans to spend a day shooting get interrupted by work, errands or other disruptions. On a photo tour, your time is focused on photography.
Cost is a big factor in tour choice. Tours to the same location can vary greatly in price, which makes comparison hard. When you start searching, look closely at the tour descriptions. For most tours you will be responsible for getting yourself from your home to the tour location. However, the costs of accommodation, meals, entrance fees and transportation during the tour may or may not be included. Other options might include a door-to-door service, a more experienced guide and a better quality of service. This is where your budget will be a key factor in selecting which tour is right for you.
Another consideration is group size or student/leader ratio. One of the big advantages of a tour, compared to a self-organised trip, is that you get photography instruction and knowledge from your peers. Make sure that the group size is not so big that it becomes hard to ask questions and get help from the guide(s). Smaller groups tend be more in sync and provide an overall better experience.
So what exactly is a photography tour or expedition ?
A good photography guide will prepare his/her expedition with one simple rule as the priority :
- Get you to the right place at the right time.
Being able to relax and hand in all organisation to professionals that do this for a living frees your time to actually simply make the best of your holiday photography experience.
A good photography tour should have a well prepared itinerary, with hotels ready to welcome you, options of restaurants for your meals, plans A,B and C if things go wrong, but most importantly, a strong tour will have amazing locations to photograph and a good schedule to make the best of the light on location.
How do I identify a good leader ?
We definitely recommend you conduct some research on the professional leading the tours before you book them. How long have they been doing this tour or been in business? Do they have their own website? If so, check out their portfolio. Have they posted photographs from past tours? Are these the types of images that inspire you? If they are, then that leader may be a good fit for you. If not, check out some other tours. And of course, read reviews from past clients. Reviews will be a great indication on what you can expect.
What are the pros of Photography Expeditions ?
- Enjoying a trip fully designed to give you the best photographic opportunities
- Share knowledge and experiences with like-minded people
- Get the best advice from your photography tutors
- Focus your time on photography as everything else has been taken care of
- Explore locations that are non touristic and meet real local people you’d otherwise never have the chance to meet
What are the cons of Photography Expeditions ?
- Price. It’s often more expensive to join a photography tour than it is to do the trip on your own.
- There’s also the chance that you won’t enjoy the company of a certain member of the group, or they could feel the same about you. This is something everyone has to manage during daily life and it’s no different in these kind of expeditions.
- Freedom to explore is often limited to the itinerary. So if you’re someone who often changes their mind on what to do the next day, this might not be for you.
We hope these tips allow you to explore Peru or any other location photographically in the best way possible.
Cheers,
The Andean Team
