Photography tour

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For those of you who don't know I did a 10 day photography tour in Cambodia. The tour started in Phnom Phen and ends in Siem Reap. It ends tomorrow and has been the most amazing part of trip. It was the best decision I made.

I was very nervous when it first started because I consider myself a beginner photographer and this was my first photography tour so I didn't know what to expect. Add to that my first evening before trip officially started I met some of the tour group and we went to dinner. And a couple of them very much more advanced then I was and based on conversation made me feel a bit overwhelmed and under accomplished.

Day 2 was still a bit nerve wrecking (mainly as I'd talked myself into a bit of frenzy of not knowing what I'd be doing. Thankfully as the day progressed I found that other people were beginner to intermediate and those in advanced arena were really helpful.

The best part of the tour was the tour guide / photography teacher. The simple piece whe has shown me how to use my camera for travel in ways I never knew. I found ways to capture lighting or look for angles, etc. I assume (not having had too many) most photography teachers can show you this. Nathan (tour guide) went beyond this and explainedible about importance to connect with the people you are taking pictures of and to engage them. Don't make it about "capturing a picture" but about "creating an image". He showed us how to get the shot but also how to get the emotions and expression in the shot. It's a remarkable thing.

The other part of this tour that I loved was that he knew the history of the area but as well the subjects and villages we visited. We went to a couple of small villages, where we saw people in their environments working and learned how they made silk or bbq pots. In some places, Nathan saw something happening on side of road and had us pullover so we could capture a shot you wouldn't expect (like some fisherman bathing in a pond!). In other cases he had some shots staged with people he'd come across over years (like a sugar palm gather who climbed a tree according to our schedule and the sunset😊).

Regardless of how it was done (staged or discovered on route), he ensured that we respected the people and communities we came across as well as each other.
Oh yeah and he took us to some amazing restaurants along the way.
This is only a couple pictures because I have about a 1000 plus and still have a day to go!!

I enjoyed it so much that I'll let you know that everyone should do a tour with him if you are interested in photography and a more personal travel experience: www.nathanhortonphotography.com

Seriously worth every penny I paid.

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