6 – 12 July 2026

6 Nights / 7 Days

Depart Queenstown
Finish Queenstown

Maximum People: 6

Tour Details

6 Nights / 7 Days : Mon 6 July – Sun 12 July 2026

This tour is timed around capturing the beauty of the South Island at it’s wonderful winter best. Plenty of snow and amazing mid winter light make this a magical South Island Photography Tour.

Join us as we explore the lakes and mountains of the amazing Mackenzie and Canterbury regions during the winter season. There is so much to discover on this tour and we get to some pretty incredible photo locations to take advantage of the mid winter conditions.

The stunning scenery of South Island is famous the world over and we get you to the best of it on this amazing Photography Tour.

The South Island is an absolute heaven for any landscape photographer and we have designed this tour to capture the best of it. With hands on tuition and such epic scenery this is an experience that will inspire your landscape photography like no other.

Our Photography Tours are an immersive hands on experience where you will be putting your newly acquired knowledge to use in-the-field. We believe in giving you sound knowledge and developing new skills in landscape photography, and then putting these to practice in some of the best landscapes in the world.  

$5600 NZD

I have now been on three tours with Richard. I first did the South Island Autumn 2023 tour, then the West Coast 2024 tour and I have just done the South Island Autumn 2025 Tour. All of these tours were very well organised and brilliant experiences. I totally recommend a photo tour with Richard.

Jerry Kong Tang / Atlanta, USA

To secure your place on this tour, please click the button and complete the confirmation form.

Mountain in Southern Alps with snow and pink dawn light reflected in lake

WHAT TO EXPECT

During this photography tour we are up and on location before dawn and aim to stay out till after sunset – taking advantage of what can often be magical dawn and dusk light. We never rush locations and make sure that everyone is capturing the images they want. Often we are the only people at these amazing locations.

Throughout the tour you will learn a variety of in-field techniques including how to use ND, Graduated and Polarizing filters allowing you to capture beautiful photographs. You will also learn how to read the changing light conditions, identify strong compositions within the landscape and capture a variety of images types.

We share leading techniques within camera and good workflows with RAW files to ensure you are capturing amazing photographs. There is an enormous amount of knowledge shared throughout the tour on all aspects of landscape photography ensuring you are capturing stunning photographs and are able to present them to their fullest.

Over this tour our photography will include:

  • Sunset photographing the Southern Alps in the Tasman Valley
  • Back-country in the Mackenzie region
  • Lakes and landscapes of Twizel & Tekapo regions
  • Ashburton Lakes back-country
  • Ahuriri Valley
  • Tasman Lake with Icebergs at dawn
  • Stunning Lake Heron & Clearwater

A Typical Day

Our day begins early, with a meeting time around 5:30 AM to ensure we arrive at the first location well before dawn. Depending on the site, this may involve a drive of up to 45 minutes, followed by a short walk to reach our location. Upon arrival, we explore the location and begin shooting. We remain on location throughout sunrise capturing the scene as it transforms in the dawn light.

Following the morning session, we will head to a café for breakfast and coffee – this first coffee of the day always tastes amazing after an adventurous morning shooting photography. If we are changing locations, we will checkout of our accommodation and depart shortly thereafter allowing us plenty of time to settle into our new location before heading out for our evening shoot. Otherwise, we take time to relax and review the images captured during the morning, while discussing plans for the afternoon and evening photography sessions.

In the mid-afternoon, typically around 3:30 PM, we will set out for the afternoon shoot. Again this may require up to an hour’s drive. En-route, we remain attentive to potential photographic opportunities that often arise spontaneously. Our objective is to arrive at the evening location in plenty of time allowing us to explore the scene and begin shooting as the light changes throughout sunset and dusk. The day concludes with dinner at a local restaurant, where we discuss the day’s photography, share insights, and outline plans for the following day photography.

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Note: Times given are general and provided to give you a good feel for how a day is structured. Times do vary between seasons and drive and walk times vary with each location.

Itinerary

The precise order of locations we visit is determined by the conditions – we allow for flexibility in our schedule and aim to be in the best locations at the right time. We have learnt that sometimes the best photographs are captured when you ‘follow the light’.

Day 1-3 Twizel

We begin by settling into Twizel for two nights nights. We will be photographing Mt Cook and the Southern Alps from within the Tasman Valley at sunset and sunrise. We also discover the captivating charm of Lake Ohau, the Ahuriri Valley and other amazing locations brought alive in magical winter light.

Alongside the big-shots there is also the opportunity for us to capture the subtle essence of the Mackenzie Region and surrounding district. There are so many gems around this area we really are spoiled for choice.

Day 4 – 5 Ashburton Lakes

We then set off for the Ashburton Lakes for some backcountry adventure in some serious scenery. Located in the back country of Canterbury this raw and largely untouched landscape is simply stunning and we will explore and photograph the best of it.

The Southern Alps are the backdrop to the stunning lakes which we will be photographing. However we will also venture further into the vast back country to some high country stations and locations of very famous movies.

This is a very special region and a landscape photographers dream.

Day 5 – 6 Mt Cook / Aoraki

On day five we travel to Mt Cook Village where we spend the next two days up and close with Mt Cook / Aoraki. There are many options available to us including Lake Tasman, where you can capture the mesmerising sight of icebergs adrift in the glacial lake, back-dropped by the amazing Southern Alp.

Also we will photograph Hooker Lake at sunset and if conditions allow we will stay on to capture astro photographs in this incredible location.

Day 7 Queenstown

We spend the morning photographing within Mt Cook / Aoraki National Park again before starting to make our way back to Queenstown. We will finish the tour at a little known location outside of Queenstown before dropping you back to your hotel.

PRICE INCLUDES

  • Accommodation – your own room
  • Transportation in quality private vehicle
  • Professional landscape photography tuition
  • Any excursions as listed
  • Fruit & snacks
  • Any entrance fees

PRICE EXCLUDES

  • Airfares / Transport to & from beginning and end points of tour
  • Meals
  • Beverages & Alcohol
  • Medical & Travel Insurance

Photo Tour Reviews

I attended the 2024 Taranaki Workshop which was fantastic. The knowledge provided and great locations made for a some great photographs of this region. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone looking to enhance their photography skills and have a great experience.

Helen Warren / Marlbrough, New Zealand

Richard is a very experienced photographer. He took me and my wife to amazing places and shared his knowledge with us. I enjoyed this photography tour very much. Thank you again for a great experience. This was my first photography tour. I am now an addict.

Juan Fernandez / Spain & China

I have now been on three tours with Richard. I first did the South Island Autumn 2023 tour, then the West Coast 2024 tour and I have just done the South Island Autumn 2025 Tour. All of these tours were very well organised and brilliant experiences. I totally recommend a photo tour with Richard.

Gerry Tang Kong / Atlanta, USA

To secure your place on this tour, please click the button on the right and complete the confirmation form.

FAQ’s

My Photography Tours are designed for photography enthusiasts wanting to learn new skills and put those to practice in some truly outstanding scenery. But also we have designed them to be about discovery and finding inspiration in the outdoors. These really are fantastic (sometimes) life changing experiences.

For most of the tours a medium level of fitness will be fine. There is some moderate walking required along the way but nothing too excessive. 

You should be familiar with the basic operations of a DSLR camera. Regardless of your skill level you will learn and experience new and exciting things.

Our photo tours are designed to provide you with practical new skills and techniques – and then put these to practice in-the-field in amazing landscapes. You will be photographing alongside a guide with decades of experience and a passion for creating beautiful photographic images.

What you will come away with is new knowledge, many new images and an amazing experience that leaves you highly inspired in your own landscape photography journey.

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.

Meals are not included in the tour price.

Our accommodation is in quality hotels, apartment studios or chalets depending on the location.

Accommodation is full single supplement ie your own room – we believe at the end of a full day of photography you will relax and refresh the best with your own room.

We have a maximum group size of six on our photography tours.

We have found this to be the right size to have great dynamics within the group (we have a lot of fun along the way) and allow everyone’s needs to be met in terms of learning and the overall experience.

Your sense of adventure and fun – our photo tours are immersive experiences with plenty of fun along the way. We send you a photo tour welcome package in advance of the start which offers more suggestions on what gear to bring. However a good start is:

Essentials

  • A DSLR or mirrorless camera and lenses
  • A sturdy tripod
  • Memory cards – we take plenty of images
  • Spare batteries and recharging cables
  • Walking shoes, head torch, rain jacket, sun hat, gloves – we get all the weather conditions

Nice to haves

  • Remote shutter release
  • Filters – ideally Polarizer, Graduated and Neutral Density if you have them

To pay in full add the tour in the cart section above and make payment. We accept all major credit cards and the payment is secure through SSL Secure Shopping.

If you prefer to pay by Bank Transfer, then please send an email to info@phototouradventures.co.nz and we will send you the bank account number to pay into.

Full registration details will be sent once payment is received.

Can I pay a deposit to reserve my place?

Yes. A $1000 deposit is required to secure you a place on the tour.

Please note: The booking deposit is non-refundable. The balance is due 60 days out from the tour start date.

Please email info@phototouradventures.co.nz and bank account details will be sent to you allowing you to pay the deposit and reserve your place.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

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.

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

Yes, we are fully insured with public liability coverage, and your safety is the top priority during all tours.

If you have any further questions on this photography tour please get in contact – we love to hear from you. You can contact us via the form on the contact us page or send an email to info@richardhume.com