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Travel Images Photography Tours
is a photo tour and travel specialist
that, since 1988, has been synonymous with
guided small group photography trips and
workshops.
We specialize in domestic and
international photo travel, and are a full time 'client first', and
'photography first' photo tour entity with
group sizes ranging in size from 3 to 8
travelers. Our slightly larger groups, 8
to 12 travelers, are confined to South
America, Asia, and our customized
photography trips for camera clubs and so
on.
The short introduction to Travel Images
photography tours on the home page is
continued here . . .
We thoughtfully design our photography
tours
for photographers of all abilities, and are
not content unless you return home as a
better photographer complete with a large
collection of exceptional images.
28 years of experience
accounts for a wealth of knowledge gained
in regard to locations, cultures, wildlife
behavior and habitats, plus timing for the
best light and consequently better images.
Yes, it's all about the light, and you
won't find us wandering about looking for
the best locations because we go straight
to them.
Our objective
is to place our clients in the best
locations for nature, landscape, wildlife
and macro photography at the ideal time for
the light.
Our itineraries and cost
include lodging, land travel, meals as
posted in the brochure, plus the photography
guidance of John. There is
never
the need to follow a guide about in your own
car.
Knowing that you need our photo tour
information
now
we make
everything
available right here on the Travel Images
Photography Tours website. Start below, and
also peruse our concise Q + A list
here
. This removes the need, and delay, of
emailing for information, though we do of
course welcome
questions via email
at any time!
Our list of photo tours is extensive
and rich in color, character and diversity,
i.e. Europe, North America, South America,
Asia, and the South Oceania. For details go
here
.
All of our photography tours are led by
British photographer John Baker, who has
been Idaho-based since 1985. John keeps
things light-hearted, and his photography
advice is shared in a casual, practical
manner. In other words Travel Images is a
'user-friendly' zone!
You'll find that our clients are friendly
folk
with insights, stories, and experiences
which contribute greatly to what John is
able to offer. The destination is important
of course, but the journey there with old
and new friends is one to be savored and
celebrated. We therefore believe
wholeheartedly that you will love our
photography tours.
It's about the light . . . and you
Our goal is to place clients in enriching
photographic situations whereby the
'classroom' is the location, and to get you
there at the right time and light for
highest quality photographs of the world's
best landscapes, natural history subjects,
and accessible wildlife. If you don't return
home a better photographer then we will have
failed . . . and we're not about to let that
happen!
Along the way participants enjoy cultural
experiences, are taught to 'see' new photo
subjects and experiment with less common
techniques, plus each is given photography
instruction in a very practical and relaxing
manner. This includes help in getting the
most out of your camera settings, and how
they apply to each photographic situation.
What is included?
Personalized photography instruction
throughout the trip by John; all
accommodations; all breakfasts; lunch on day
one of the trip; dinner on the last night of
the trip; on-vehicle snacks and bottled
water; all ground transportation; airport
transfers unless you're arriving early or
leaving late; entrance fees for sites and
activities listed under Admissions on the
trip brochure page; then Following the trip
you'll receive detailed field notes
describing the time,
place and subject of each photo stop, plus
image uploads to a private web page of
clients 'in action' on the trip
Group sizes and customization
Except for our South American, Myanmar
[Burma], and Polar Bear photo tours, the
group maximum is 7 or 8, and our
photo-clients seem to like it that way as
per the
client reviews
link, and
below
. We customize trips for individuals and
Camera Club groups, and can adjust trip
dates by a few days to accommodate special
requests if asked early enough.
Details, details and the quality of light
To make your trip memorable it's important
that we pay attention to detail when
planning and running our photo tours. We
give practical, personalized photography
instruction throughout the trip, and get the
group to the right places when the light is
at its best, which is early and late of
course.
If you'd like to receive photography
assistance, and inspiration, while you're out shooting
rather than sitting in a 'classroom' while
the light outside is great, we hope you'll
consider a photography tour with
'photography first' Travel Images
Photography Tours. Thank you!
Photo tour calendar
To peruse the scheduled photography tour
list, go
here
.
You've got questions, and we've got
answers . . . plenty of them
If you have questions regarding Travel
Images you'll find answers either below
under the link
A Few Pointers, or on the
Questions and Answers
page. We have a
search
option, or you can also use the links at the
top and bottom of each page you visit to
access the information you're looking for.
You can also search the list of photo tours
by
date
.
If you have a photography or photo travel
question, you can
email
us directly. You can also call and leave a
message at [+1] 208-559-8248 . . . calls are
filtered due to the plethora of scam calls.
Texts are blocked for the same reason.
John Baker and Travel Images Photography
Tours
Lastly, the
'Who We Are'
link will lead you to details regarding
myself as I lead all the photo trips, and
you'll probably want to know as much as
possible about myself before signing up.
You'll find my photographic work all over
the site, embedded in the graphics, and on
the
photo gallery
pages.
The remainder of this page contains
overviews of particular aspects of our photo
tours, but for more details please follow
any of the links.
If after exploring the Travel Images
Photography Tours website some of your
questions are still unanswered you can go
here, or
email
us, or call [+1] 208-559-8248. With the
latter we may be traveling and might not be
able to return your call right away. Email
is however is the best way to get in touch
for most of the year.
Warmest regards and thanks,
John Baker, Photographer/Guide, Travel
Images Photography Tours
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A Few Pointers Regarding Travel Images Photography Tours
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Small groups
Large groups and photographic opportunities just don t mix
very well, and since Travel Images' establishment in 1988,
the group size has never gone beyond 10 participants which
is the limit for the Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu and
Patagonia.
However, for all other locations our photography tours are
for a maximum of 7 to 8 people, which is ideal for
photography of course, as are smaller groups.
Small group advantages are many and include more hands-on
attention, quick exit from the vehicle, and minimal
waiting for the optimum camera angle.
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Customized photo tours
Can we help your photo travel dreams come to fruition?
Would you like a personalized trip with a few friends or
with your Camera Club or Photographic Society ?
Let us know where you want to go and we'll customize an
itinerary along with a trip fee that won't cost more
than a comparable scheduled Travel Images photo tour if
there are at least 4 of you.
More details
here
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Photography tour calendar
Go to
photo tour and workshop calendar
for up to a two year schedule of photography tours.
Once there, follow the destination links for trip cost and
more relevant details.
We also customize photo trips
by request
.
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Client review # 1
Thanks again John and Gail [Laurie] for a truly great
trip, one of the best I've been on if not the best.
I really learned quite a bit on this trip. For example,
the use of live view, the importance of turning off auto
focus for specific subjects, changing my camera position
to get side light . . . along with some useful Photoshop
tips to boot! I believe it shows up in my
pictures.
Thanks also to our travel mates, each of you are super
and you make a super group. I really enjoyed your
company.
Thanks again all and hope to see ya'll in a future trip
- I'm sure I'll be trying to sign on another with you
John.
Wayne Love
St. Petersburg, Florida
Client feedback page
Detailed
client review
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Need more answers?
. . . go to
questions and answers
where you'll find comprehensive Travel Images information.
Also take a look at the
client reviews, and
'About'
links.
Then there is a newspaper article written about one of our
Pacific Northwest trips in the Sunday News Journal,
Wilmington, Delaware at
'What The Paper Said'
.
Also see what Frommers had to say about Travel Images
here
.
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Client review # 2
"Excellent! I was relieved to find a warm and friendly
guide!
At the same time, it is necessary for the guide to
maintain control and not have 7 people trying to go off in
7 different directions to fulfill different preferences.
Having a fairly detailed itinerary was useful in that
sense because the guide could point out that people had
come along to do that itinerary (within reason) and
therefore he couldn't just throw things out if someone
wanted to do something different.
He [John] was certainly very accommodating in trying to
help people follow their preferences as long as it didn't
interfere with the group's [photography] agenda. In
evaluating the guide's interaction with group members, I
was struck by his recognition [consciously or
intuitively] that people had different psychological
or emotional needs and his willingness to try to meet them
as well as the more obvious photographic or physical
needs."
Judith Ewell
Williamsburg, VA
Client feedback page
Detailed
client review
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Pictures tell the story best!
To see more images from Travel Images photo tours, you'll
find them on the
photo gallery
pages, incorporated into the web-site graphics, and
randomly scattered around the pages on this site.
I hope they give you a true insight into the type of
images you'll capture should you decide to trust your
photo travel to Travel Images.
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Photography Guidance and more
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I'm always there to assist you, and these
are the details
Whenever we make a photo stop I make
'collective suggestions' to the group in
regard to composition, lens, shutter speed,
aperture and so on, then 'let you loose' to
step out and make your own interpretations.
I also show examples on my phone and camera,
plus I'll always be on hand should you need
further inspiration or have a question.
Randomly during the trip I'll open my laptop
and give impromptu 'lessons' with images as
examples. Typical subjects covered are
exposure, perspective, composition, long
exposures, deliberate blur, background
distractions, plus processing tips combined
with answers to specific client questions et
cetera.
You'll learn a lot more on one of our
photography tours than in a static classroom
workshop situation because it is a hands-on
experience that is repeated many times each
day, and every day. There is no better,
or faster, way to learn, remember, and have
specific techniques become second nature to
you.
If you don t return home a better photographer
then I will have failed, and is why I pull out
all the stops to see to it that you improve .
. . and have fun too.
Subjects and techniques discussed and
demonstrated are composition strength, shutter
speeds, exposure compensation, how aperture
choice influences depth of field, lens choice,
filter use, long exposure effects, deliberate
blur, macro and so on. Better than that, you
will be learning in some of the best places to
photograph our world has to offer.
During the course of each day my groups
naturally enter into conversations in regard
to equipment and/or photography techniques at
meals or when traveling, and those are good
times to ask some additional questions.
Throughout each trip I go one-on-one with each
client individually to make sure that all
their needs are being met, and offer further
help. You can also request assistance at any
time, so please don't be shy.
All assistance is given in a casual, friendly,
practical, 'non-classroom' manner.
I invite clients to bring along images for
review be they one-on-one critiques with
myself, or discussions involving other members
of the group. A laptop is ideal for this, or I
suggest you place your images on a disk or USB
drive for review on my own laptop. These
initial critiquing sessions should take place
early during any given trip so that you can
glean the most benefit.
I also encourage you to 'see' an image when
the opportunity presents itself, i.e. to be on
the lookout for those less obvious shots that
are no less stunning.
Lastly, image critiques are conducted where
it matters most, i.e. out there in the real
world on location, never in a classroom
environment. Camera LCD screens are ideal
for this, and so is the use of a laptop for
critiques and digital photo processing tips
during free time or during meals. If you
have processing software questions, just ask
and we'll create a session.
For the photographically adept
If you just want to be taken to the best spots
at the right time to 'do your own thing'
without being 'mothered' by myself, that's not
a problem either as I will never be far away.
Basically though, I'll still offer up
suggestions and be available whenever you need
me.
If you haven't got it already, this is
something I'd like all my clients to acquire
Literally 'seeing' an image in your minds-eye
is the first step to a great image. So, when
guiding, nurturing, encouraging and hopefully
inspiring you, I start by making verbal
suggestions which I hope will lead to your own
ideas that manifest as great images.
After you've 'seen' the image, I'll guide you
with the technical side so that you can
accomplish all of your photographic goals. In
a nutshell your skill level will improve no
matter where it was when you started the trip.
'Try to see it my way'
versus
'We can work it out'
. . . with thanks to Lennon and McCartney!
You'll find that I photographically guide and
teach in a very practical manner and won't
ever insist that you do things my way.
For each technique [camera setting] or
photography situation, I'll let you know what
your options are, but give you the freedom to
make a final decision. For instance, the
following topics pop up for discussion now and
again, i.e. RAW v Jpeg, aperture/shutter
control v manual control, spot metering v
evaluative metering and so on. Please
know that there is no right or wrong way, as
the goal is to find a method that is best
suited to your abilities and situation. This
is when I willingly share my opinion based
upon personal experience, and suggest a
solution based upon your own particular
situation.
In a nutshell, everyone on our photography
tours is considered an equal, be they a
beginner, intermediate or 'mature'
photographically speaking, and regardless of
whatever equipment they use.
Finally, I absolutely love nothing more than
passing on what I have learnt over the years
and guiding clients to better images
throughout each day.
John Baker, Photographer/Guide, Travel
Images Photography Tours
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The Quality of Light
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The light
Leading photo tours means striking the right
balance in all situations, but one aspect
needs no second thoughts, as getting out early
and being out late for the best light is most
important. Midday needn't be 'dead'
photographically as one can concentrate on
close-ups or take advantage of the light
created by a changing weather pattern and so
on. In summary, we'll get you to the
best locations at the right time of day.
Early starts
Early starts aren't 'compulsory' but we do
encourage our clients to take advantage of
some of the best light of the day. For most
clients it's a one-time-visit situation, and
the effort is invariably worthwhile.
Free time
Except on 'travel days' when we're on the
move, we'll take an hour or more off at our
hotel in an effort to stay fresh. On travel
days when a break at the hotel isn't feasible,
we sometimes make a stop in a photogenic
location for around a half an hour which gives
those in need of 'forty winks' a chance to
re-charge their energy levels. Those not
needing the break can take pictures.
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Our Ultimate Objective on each Photo Tour
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Our ultimate objective
on each and every photo tour is to provide
our clients with an array of 'quality
subjects in quality light'. Helping everyone
return home as a better photographer with
many, many memorable images, is also a
priority, as are a variety of enjoyable
travel experiences along the way.
But, because not every photo stop is blessed
with great light during a trip, we'll be
right there and guide you in seeing and
creating quality images from average'
lighting situations too.
We stand firmly behind all of this because
it really is
'All about you, your photography, the
light, and doing all things the way they
should be done'
The latter means that we believe that the
best way to do business is to do it right!
Warmest of regards,
John Baker, Photographer/Guide, Travel
Images Photography Tours
Photo How-To
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A to Z of Quick Links
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Facebook
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Travel Images Photography Tours: Guided Landscape, Natural History, Macro and Wildlife
Photography Tours
Email
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Phone: [+1] 208-559-8248
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Introduction to Travel Images Photography Tours