Tours & Workshops

Tours & Workshops – What's The Difference?

Photo Tours

Our Photo Tours are intended to take you to picturesque locations, suited to your preferences, where you can put your picture-making skills to work. Essentially this is guided photography, where you will have the benefit of a highly-experienced mountain guide, and photographer, to help you select and access the best locations. The objective is to make sure you're in the right place, at the right time, so you have photographic opportunities that would otherwise not be possible.  

Photo Tours can be arranged for a half-day, full-day, or they can span multiple days. While some Photo Tours are scheduled for specific dates with open enrollment, most are booked exclusively on a private basis for individuals or groups.

Although our Photo Tours do not focus on instruction, we are happy to provide photo tips and suggestions to help you get the most out of your time with us. 

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Workshops

If developing photographic knowledge and skills are your primary objectives, our Workshops are structured instructional programs designed to help you master specific aspects of photography as efficiently as possible. The goal in our Workshops is to utilize locations primarily for their educational potential within a specific area of photography.

We offer several one-day Workshops, each aimed at a specific aspect of photography. Most Workshops are scheduled for specific dates with open enrollment for those interested in joining a group of other photographers. Sometimes we schedule two workshops consecutively so you can join two in a row and extend your learning opportunities. Workshops can also be booked privately to meet your scheduling requirements and, when booking with a companion, the cost is lower.

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Clear Expectations

We enjoy teaching and guiding photography equally but, although there is some overlap, the objectives are different. The structured approach that facilitates efficient learning can bog down the spontaneity required to exploit fleeting photographic opportunities. Conversely, you can't expect much continuity when learning is derailed by a perpetual quest for light and locations. You can't be in two places, doing two different things at the same time, so it's important to think about your priorities. The more clearly you, and we, understand your expectations, the easier it is for us to provide a meaningful experience, tailored to your interests. We are always eager to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

Group Sizes & Photographer-to-Instructor/Guide Ratios

The cornerstone of our long careers as mountain guides has always been an exceptional level of individual attention and personal service, and that applies to photography every bit as much as to climbing. Photography (except climbing photography) generally does not involve the kinds of hazards, performance imperatives and space constraints one finds on a rock or ice face, so our group sizes are constrained mostly by environmental and social impact concerns. Most of the time we work with individuals and smaller groups but, we will accept booking for groups up to six photographers (with two guides). This is an entirely self-imposed limit that balances environmental, social and safety concerns.

In addition to overall group size, we limit the ratio of photographers to instructor/guides. These ratios determine how much individual attention is possible for each participant. When we are addressing an entire group ratios may not matter much but, once you are working on a shot, they are very relevant. Whether you'd like advice on composition or you need help sorting through exposure options for a scene, if your instructor is busy with numerous other people, you're left on your own. What's the point in having an accomplished photographer nearby if you can't take advantage of their expertise? We limit ratios to three photographers per instructor/guide at most, and we constrain the ratios further in some cases.