by Scott Powers
You’ve seen the ads for the photography tours. They all look cool, whether you are talking about a quick day trip to a nearby location or some exotic land far away. But, then you start talking to yourself: I might not like it; what if everybody is better than me?; It’s probably too much money anyway. So you think about it for a while and decide that you’ll keep it on your list until the next time.
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I’d been doing that for a while too, and this last Fall I decided that it was time to stop talking myself out of a trip and finally experience one. I chose a 3 ½ day tour to the north shore of Lake Superior on a tour run by photographer Andrew McLachlan. On the appointed day, I loaded up my SUV and headed 10 hours north, not sure what I was getting myself into.
I spent three great days getting to know some new people. It was pretty easy because we all had at least one common interest – photography. The group’s skill ranged from professional (our leader), to advanced hobbyists (gear bag as big as my suitcase), intermediate and even a beginner. Everybody was willing to help and I found it fascinating that I was able to learn by teaching somebody who was newer at this amazing hobby.
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Most days we shot from sunup to sundown. Andrew was there when we needed advice and left us alone when we got comfortable. He knew some incredible locations that I never would have found on my own, and that was almost worth the price of admission all by itself.
Here’s a few things that you might want to consider if you are thinking about signing up for your own first photography tour:
- Pick something within your budget, and be aware that many of the tours are not all-inclusive. Be sure you know what is included before you go.
- Make sure that you are choosing a tour with a leader who will instruct as well as lead you to locations
- Make sure you are aware of the physical requirements for the tour you choose; some are far more strenuous than other
- Don’t worry if you aren’t normally the most sociable person in the crowd. You all have something in common and that makes it easy to connect with others in the group
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For me, my first trip was definitely not my last. I had a great time and met some people that I’ve stayed in touch with over the last couple of months through social media and I hope to meet up with them in person again in the future. I learned more than I could have hoped for, not so much because of the great instruction I received (although that was good), but because I spent three days concentrating on my hobby with no distractions; things that I had always struggled with suddenly came quite naturally.
The next time you see an ad for a photography tour that catches your eye (and fits your budget), take the plunge and click on the button to register. You won’t regret it.