With instagram leading everyone to believe they're an amateur photographer these days, photo safaris and photography vacations have become all the rage lately. But since the average man is armed with an endless supply of filters and apps, why is a specialized tour worth paying more for? For one, you're going with an expert. Someone whose work is actually published. You may think your creative angles of food porn are artistic genius, but newsflash, most subjects are moving. If you want to capture the perfect look of angst on that lone villager's face or the virile tiger stalking the watering hole at sunrise, no amount of color correction can setup that difficult shot for you. Instead of naming great destinations to photograph (hint: everywhere), we thought it would be more useful to list the leading companies who offer photography vacations and let you weed through their lengthly list of trip options for wherever tickles your fancy.
National Geographic Expeditions
The creme de la creme of high res, glossy travel photos, National Geo offers domestic and international tours and weekend workshops for aspiring photographers of all levels complete with editing, instruction, critique sessions, and assignments built into each day's schedule. From the chilly mountains of Alaska to the hills of Bhutan, there are a plethora of photo tours sure to suit your interests from urban to rural.
Zegrahm Expeditions
Part of the TUI family of travel, Zegrahm's offers small group expeditions to the most exotic, off-beat places on all seven continents. From the monks of Burma to the reindeer of the North Pole, prized wildlife photographers model their techniques and provide invaluable advice about how to best capture evocative photographs of some of the world's most elusive and hard to reach landscapes and animals.
Natural Habitat
The official tour partner of the World Wildlife Federation, if you want to perfect your animal shots, there's no better place than with the Nat Hab certified eco/naturalist guides. Specializing in polar bears, Africa and Galapagos photography, you'll come away with both amazing memories and images.
Caradonna
If it's underwater photos you're after, dive leader Caradonna has you covered in scuba adventures. From chasing down sperm whales to great white sharks, seals and crocs, you'll feel like the Animal Whisperer swimming alongside these gentle giants and coaxing them out of the underbelly of the ocean.