Paradise Travel
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Photography Travel

Photography travel, timed for the light.

Photography travel runs on a different clock. Golden hour, blue hour, the morning the fog lifts. A normal itinerary puts you at breakfast when the light is best.

I plan trips for people who travel with a camera, a full kit or a good phone. The right season, the right side of the ship, and time built in to wait for the shot.

Where I plan photography trips

Antarctica and the Arctic

Ice, penguins, whales and light that lasts most of the day in summer. PONANT brings professional photographers aboard some voyages and offers photo classes, including one for phones. Le Commandant Charcot reaches ice most ships can't. I'm a certified PONANT Explorations Expert.

Iceland

Waterfalls, black sand beaches and glaciers. Northern lights from roughly September through March, and nearly round-the-clock light in early summer.

African safari

Low-sided vehicles, guides who position you for the light and camps where the animals walk past the deck. Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa.

Tahiti and French Polynesia

Lagoons that don't look real until you're standing in them. I'm a Tahiti Tourisme Specialist and a Paul Gauguin Cruises PEARLS Accredited Partner, and the longer voyages reach islands few photographers have shot.

Alaska

Glaciers, whales and wildlife at long summer sunsets. I'm a certified Alaska specialist with two cruise lines.

Why a small ship helps the shot

Fewer people at the rail means a clear frame. Small ships also go closer and land more often. On Scenic Eclipse, a helicopter adds the aerial view, and I'm certified with Scenic.

On land, I book hotels for the view from the room and build in a free morning in case the weather turns the next day into the one you came for.

Is a photography trip right for you?

It fits you if

  • You plan your day around the light.
  • You'd wait an hour for the right shot.
  • You want to learn, from a class on board or a guide who shoots.

It's not the best fit if

  • Your travel partner hates early mornings and late evenings. I'll build them a different day.
  • You want a packed sightseeing schedule. Photography trips run slower.

Questions

Questions I get asked

The season runs November through March. November has fresh snow and courtship behavior. December and January bring penguin chicks and long light. February and March are good for whales.

Anyone who travels with a camera and wants to come home with the shot. Beginners with phones and serious photographers both do well on these trips.

If you want a fast pace and lots of stops, a photography trip will feel slow. It's built on waiting for the right light.

I know which voyages carry photographers and classes, which cabin side gets the view and which hotels face the right way. Those details make the difference in the frame.

Pack twice the batteries you'd normally bring, especially for polar trips. Cold drains them fast.

Ten or more for Antarctica, seven to ten for Iceland or safari. More nights means more chances at good weather.

Twelve to eighteen months for Antarctica and voyages with photographers aboard. Six to nine months for Iceland and Alaska.

Expedition cruises include most meals, landings and onboard talks. Private photo guides on land are priced separately. I quote each trip directly and list what's included.

You'll connect through a hub like Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver or Dallas. Iceland is one overnight flight from several U.S. hubs. Antarctica usually goes through Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.

Tell me the photo you've always wanted to take. I'll find the light for it.

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I reply within one business day.

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