New Zealand is a photographer’s paradise. A huge diversity of landscapes (in a relatively compact area) coupled with dynamic light and weather means no two moments are ever the same. If you love the thrill and pursuit of epic images, but can roll with the punches when things don’t quite go to plan, then this adventure is for you.

Being a group trip, you’ll be spending a lot of time with like-minded people, but who will come with different backgrounds and varying experience levels. New life-time friends are often made on these trips. Patience and kindness go a long way to maintaining group happiness and morale.

All experience levels are catered for. Given the dynamic light and conditions described above, having a good understanding of the basic functions and settings of your camera, as well as exposure and composition, will certainly help you when it comes to capturing those epic moments.

We stay at quality accommodation throughout the tour. The first ten nights are in hotels where you’ll have your own private room. The last night on the boat in Doubtful Sound is in a twin-share cabin (separate single beds) with a fellow tour participant. For that last night, we aim to pair you up with someone of the same gender and similar age, but can’t guarantee this depending on the final mix of participants.

All breakfasts and dinners during the tour are included in the price. Lunches aren’t included in the price but we’ll always be close to cafes, bakeries, and supermarkets. That said, we often find the buffet breakfasts are sufficient for most people to skip lunch and survive on snacks through to dinner.

Transportation during the tour (starting and ending in Queenstown) will be in a super comfortable Mercedes Sprinter van capable of holding the entire group plus our luggage and photography gear. You are able to bring one large suitcase plus your day pack with camera gear. Daniel will be your driver; he is transport licenced and passenger endorsed, and has over 30 years driving experience on New Zealand roads.

This tour requires good mobility, a medium level of fitness, and some hiking experience. Although the majority of this tour is on formed paths and tracks, uneven terrain (e.g. boulders) and coastal/river margins will be encountered from time to time.

Generally the locations on this tour are close to roads / parking areas and involve walks of no more than 10-15 minutes. There are a couple of walks we’ll do in Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park which require more effort – the Hooker Valley being the longest at approx. 3 hours (10 km) return. There’s always the option of skipping these walks if you don’t feel up to it, which we can work through at the time.

When shooting out on location, all participants are expected to carry their own camera, personal gear, snacks, and water.

April is mid-autumn so we should experience pleasant conditions. Days will generally be mild and nights will be cool. That said, New Zealand is known for it’s highly variable weather (that’s also why the photography is so good!), so be prepared for almost anything (see further information on clothing below).

Average temperatures in Queenstown and Wanaka in late April range between 4°C lows and 18°C highs (40°F -and 64°F). In Aoraki-Mt Cook and Fiordland National Parks it’s likely to be slightly colder.

As your luggage allowance allows, bring all your camera gear. You can then pick and choose which gear you’ll bring to each shoot.

Ideally (but by no means mandatory), you would have the ‘holy trinity’ of lenses to cover the range between ultra-wide (e.g. 16-35mm), mid-range (e.g. 24-70mm) and short telephoto (e.g. 70-200mm). A 100-400mm could come in handy in some situations, but you probably wouldn’t use it that often. If you were in the situation where could bring just one lens, we’d suggest going with the mid-range option.

A sturdy tripod is a necessity and filters (neutral density and polarising) will very likely be useful. For wet conditions, a rocket blower and shammy cloth is helpful. For our charter scenic flight, a rubber lens hood will assist with minimising reflections (and avoid scratching the windows). And of course, bring those spare batteries and memory cards.

Unfortunately, no. Most of the places we visit on this tour are in national parks and the conservation estate, where flying a drone is either prohibited or requires a permit (which can be time-consuming and difficult to obtain).