Photography Tours FAQ

Our photo tours are open to participants of all photography skill levels, from beginners to advanced photographers. You just need a passion for photography and a willingness to learn, explore and have fun.

We find the mix of people, photography knowledge and general experience molds together to create unique and very positive experiences that stay with our guests for a very long time.

Our tours are designed to be immersive and personalised, with group sizes of six for our tours. This provides great dynamics between the participants and individual attention from the guides.

For most of the tours a medium level of fitness will be fine.

On a typical tour there is usually some moderate walking required but nothing too excessive. Where some walking is required on a track etc we will ensure you are informed of the terrain and we always allow plenty of time to get to the location.

You should be familiar with the basic operations of a DSLR camera.

Wherever you are with your current knowledge we aim to provide you with new skills and techniques that will further your understanding of landscape photography.

A DSLR or mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses is ideal. A wide-angle lens is particularly useful for landscapes, along with a mid-range zoom for flexibility. A sturdy tripod is essential for low-light and long-exposure work, especially for sunrises, sunsets, and waterfalls.

If you have them, bring filters such as a polariser (to manage reflections and enhance skies) and neutral density (ND) filters for long exposures in daylight. Extra batteries, memory cards, and weather protection for your camera are also strongly recommended, as conditions can change quickly in New Zealand.

Most importantly, bring the gear you are comfortable using — the focus of the tour is on making the most of your photography in the field, not on having the most equipment.

We generally find that there are a variety of meal options applied across a typical tour. Breakfast will normally be at a cafe after a dawn photo shoot – that first coffee can be really rewarding after a early morning on location.

We always allow time to get supplies at supermarkets, bakeries or cafe’s and lunch is usually spent along the way, often in some superb spots. Dinner is usually after our evening photo shoot at a local restaurant where we can relax after a great day of photography.

To keep the cost of our tours as manageable as possible meals are not included in the tour price.

Yes. We strongly recommend that all participants purchase travel insurance that covers trip cancellation, medical emergencies, and equipment loss or damage.

On your tour you will learn new technical functions of your camera in manual mode and have plenty of opportunity to practice these new leanings.

Also our photography tours are also designed to get you to understand and start to see photographic opportunities in the natural environment, read natural light, challenge traditional ideas on things like composition and generally think of landscape photography in new and exciting ways.

While there is no formal classroom instruction, Richard is a professional landscape photographer who provides hands-on guidance, tips, and image critiques throughout the tour to help you improve your skills. He also has a wealth of information on image processing, printing and marketing which normally become discussion topics throughout the tour.

You can secure your place on any tour by paying a 25% deposit or paying in full.

You pay for the tour via bank transfer. The first step is to fill ion the tours page contact form or send an email to info@richardhume.com letting us know which tour you are interested in attending. We will send the bank account details for you to make your payment, securing your place on the tour.

This deposit is non-refundable and full payment is required 60 days out from the tour start.

Yes this is fine and normal booking is required.

This person should consider that this is a landscape photography orientated tour where our focus is getting to and being at amazing scenes often early in the morning and well into the evening. Photography is about patience and we don’t rush at these amazing locations.

If you have travel delays, contact us as soon as possible. We will do our best to accommodate you, possibly arranging for you to meet the group at an intermediate location without missing the rest of the tour. We highly recommend having comprehensive travel insurance for situations like this also.

If you have any other questions please contact us at info@richardhume.com

We can also organise a phone call where we can talk through any of the finer details of a tour and ensure all of your queries are answered.