Get snap happy on these 10 great photography tours

Hone your skills behind the camera, from Andalucia to Africa

Wildlife photography on Christmas Island (Chris Bray)

Lacklustre photos are the bane of every traveller. But with today’s technology and an array of enticing tours at our fingertips, blurry, out-of-focus shots should be a thing of the past. So, whether you’re a would-be pro, or an all-the-gear-no-idea amateur, dust off your DSLR with these dedicated photography tours.

Game on

For pros, the diverse wildlife and shifting light of Africa’s plains make it an unbeatable prospect. David Rogers is a photographer and author of books including Zambia Safari in Style, and from 5-11 November, he returns to the southern African nation to lead a Gane and Marshall (ganeandmarshall.com) safari through South Luangwa National Park. The land-only price of £3,095pp includes domestic flights, transfers and six nights’ all-inclusive at high-end Nkwali and Nsefu camps, with photography tuition and safari activities.

Learn the tricks of the trade in Zambia (Robin Pope Safaris)

Alternatively, Expert Africa (expertafrica.com) has a new series of wildlife-focused photography workshops in Botswana, launching this autumn. The four-day tours are based at Selinda Camp, in a 320,00-acre private reserve in the Selinda Slipway, which links the game-rich Okavango Delta with the Linyanti and Kwando wetlands. It costs £3,305pp for seven nights, including three at Ilala Lodge near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, before the four-night, full-board photography tour. Transfers included; flights extra.

Far-flung adventures

For a photography holiday with added adventure, pro Chris Bray (chrisbrayphotography.com) runs tours around Christmas Island – an Indian Ocean territory of Australia, where you can find wildlife ranging from robber and red crabs to frigatebirds and boobies. With two departures on 23-30 May 2017 and 22-29 May 2018, you’ll need to book in advance. The eight-day trip costs A$4,495pp (£2,626), including all meals, accommodation and some drinks, but not flights.

Red crabs on Christmas Island (Chris Bray)

Or why not plunge the depths of Tonga? The Polynesian archipelago of 170 islands is underpinned by dramatic coral reefs and rich aquatic life. Scott Portelli specialises is whale-encounter tours (swimmingwithgentlegiants.com), offering multiple 2017 departures. His 10-day Arrival of the Humpbacks itinerary departs 26 July 2017, costs from A$3,750pp (£2,191), including yacht accommodation, lunch, photography and in-water guidance, snorkelling and transfers; flights not included.

Close up

You don’t have to travel far to focus in on a foreign destination. Ambient Light (ambientlightspain.com) specialises in photography tours around Spain, including the culinary-themed Creative Food Photography trip, from 6-12 November, which explores Andalucia from a villa near Ronda, with a photographer and chef. Excursions include trips to local vineyards and food producers; £2,900pp, full-board with transfers and tuition, but not flights.

Master food photography in Spain

Vidados (vidados.com) has a four-night Wild White Horses photo tour of France’s Camargue for £1,678pp, which gives you access to horse breeders and the region’s ancient herds, with help from photographer Serge Krouglikoff. Transfers, accommodation and photography workshops included; flights extra.

Eastern focus

Travel Local (travellocal.com) has a photography tour of Laos, which explores the South-east Asian nation’s little-visited, coffee-country of Bolaven, as well as the Mekong site of Luang Prabang and the capital, Vientiane. Stops to capture waterfalls and local villages are included; prices start at £3,995pp with a private vehicle, driver, hotels and a photographer/guide; flights extra.

Pick up tips on a tour of Laos

In Borneo, Responsible Travel (responsibletravel.com) has a small-group tour for those keen to take home memorable snaps of the country’s red apes. Run in association with the Orangutan Foundation, it visits Tanjung Puting National Park, with a mixture of tutorials and one-on-one advice; £1,820pp for 10 days’ half-board, transfers, local guide and tuition included; flights extra.

Northern exposure

You won’t be short of light on Artisan Travel’s (artisantravel.co.uk) Midnight Sun photography tour around the Finnish wilderness of Nellim. The three-night trip, priced at £835pp, has departures in July and August, when the natural phenomenon is at its peak in the far north. You’ll explore the region’s lakes, remote rivers and silent forests with a local photography guide. Full-board in a wilderness lodge included, plus flights from Heathrow, photography workshops and activities such as hiking, fishing and berry picking.

Finland's midnight sun (Visit Finland)

This winter, Regent Holidays (regent-holidays.co.uk) has a new, five-day Norway trip that visits Vesteralen, in the isolated north, to capture frozen landscapes and wildlife, such as white-tailed eagles and seals. With weekly departures from November to March, the tour is designed for amateurs, and based in a traditional wooden guesthouse in Ringstad on the edge of the fjord, where the photographer owner leads the three-day adventure; £1,299pp, full board, with flights from Heathrow, transfers, activities and tuition.

Ringstad sits on the edge of a fjord