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Tours

Man with a backpack adjusting a camera on a tripod at a scenic overlook of a canyon or desert landscape.

  • A tour is an organized group experience where you travel together for the purposes of photography. Tours are the perfect blend of photography, sightseeing & vacationing. Tours include some combination of lodging, transportation, admissions to sites, and of course, dedicated guidance from experienced photography guides and teachers.

  • All tours include photography guidance and hands-on learning, ground transportation for the group, and all overnight accommodations. We make sure to stay at comfortable and clean hotels and inns that are close by to our shooting locations. Some tours include ticketed experiences. Most importantly, all of the planning and logistics are taken care of by us.

  • We cap our tours between 6-8 people. This size group is optimal for the best experience.

  • In most cases, flights are not included in your tour cost. There may be an exception when we partner with an international tour company that offers this.

    When it comes to booking, we will provide you recommended arrival and departure times so that you can fit your flights to the tour schedule. We recommend booking your flights about 5-6 months before the trip, waiting no more than 2 months prior.

  • For most tours, we recommend an ultra-wide landscape lens, a midrange zoom, a telephoto zoom, as well as a tripod. Please read our blog for our equipment recommendations. We will provide specific equipment recommendations for each tour in a welcome email for the trip.

  • No! We don’t mess around with single supplements and pairing up registrants. Everyone needs sound sleep at night to make the most of the day ahead. If you would like to be paired up with a friend, we can offer this - just let us know!

  • The days are long, and consist of travel in vehicles, sometimes for several hours at a time; long periods of being on your feet during the photo shoots; and walking on paths that may sometimes be steep, slippery, or rocky. The walking distances will vary from tour to tour. Each tour will have descriptions about anything of note on the tour page, and you can always cross-check with our Physical Fitness Guide here.

  • Yes! If they plan to join you in our vehicle and follow along throughout the day, they will have to register with you. If they would like to make their own arrangements during the day but stay in your room and/or join us for dinner where applicable, we welcome that.

  • We will not be doing formal critiques or editing tutorials while on tour, as most of our travelers prefer to explore and take more pictures rather than staying indoors. We will host an optional Zoom meeting for our group some time after the tour ends, where we can share and review images together. Your guides may offer critique and editing tips.

  • Your guides will be in contact with you within 60 days of the trip via email. They will send you any pertinent information about where to meet them, a detailed itinerary, and a packing list.

    On tours, we will have either a group text to send out alerts and updates while traveling, or a WhatsApp group if we are travelling internationally. Please make sure you can access your mobile network while traveling abroad.

Woman setting up a camera on a tripod in a field of pink wildflowers with mountains and blue sky in the background
A person setting up a camera on a tripod near a white lighthouse during a sunset with pink and purple clouds.
A person stands on a grassy hilltop taking a photograph of a scenic landscape with lakes and rolling green hills at sunset, under a cloudy sky.

  • The cost of each tour depends on several factors. Typically, tours will range from $1600-$6000 depending on where we’re going, the length of time and what’s included.

  • An initial deposit is required upon your registration. Your balance will be due 90 days before the start of our trip. If you require special assistance or would like a payment plan instead, please inquire. You may use a credit card, bank transfer or send a paper check.

  • In most cases, flights are not included in your tour cost. There may be an exception when we partner with an international tour company that offers this.

    When it comes to booking, we will provide you recommended arrival and departure times so that you can fit your flights to the tour schedule. We recommend booking your flights about 5-6 months before the trip, waiting no more than 2 months prior.

  • Upon signing up for tours, you have an option of paying a nonrefundable deposit to hold your registration, or to pay in full. If you have paid in full and need to cancel, we will retain a 20% deposit. Within 90 days, all funds are nonrefundable.

    In any case, it is our highest recommendation to purchase travel insurance from our insurance partner: RedPoint. We work with RedPoint directly and we are able to provide the correct travel insurance to suit your specific needs. This insurance is affordable, and will enable you to receive a refund for either your deposit or full payment in the event that you cannot attend due to a covered reason. We will walk you through this process so that your experience is protected.

    If BlueHour cancels the tour for any reason, you will have all of your payments returned to you.

  • There are a few different kinds of insurance you should be aware of.

    Trip Cancellation Insurance covers your costs in the case that you cannot attend the trip due to a covered reason. Typical “covered reasons” include things like illness, sudden death in the immediate family, legal obligations, etc.

    Trip Interruption Insurance reimburses you for costs if your trip is cut short due to a covered reason. Trip Delay Insurance reimburses you for expenses incurred due to a delay.

    Travel Health Insurance helps cover expenses incurred in the case you need medical care during your trip. Coverages for this can vary widely.

    Many travel credit cards offer a number of these coverages. To protect your entire trip, we highly recommend purchasing insurance through our partnership with RedPoint.

  • Absolutely - Yes. We always recommend it to protect yourself in case you need to back out of a trip. We can walk you through this and make it very easy!

Workshops

  • A workshop can last from a few hours up to a couple of days, and does not include any accommodations, transport or meals, unless otherwise noted. On a tour, All arrangements are made for you, including hotels, transportation, and some meals. Please review each tour individually to see what they include. Tours offer a more well-rounded experience and allows you to practice new learned concepts over a longer period of time.

  • Most of our students are beginner or intermediate hobbyist photographers, or even just smartphone users. But by the end of a workshop, beginners have become intermediates, and intermediates have become advanced. Everybody on our workshops can learn the same skills quite comfortably. You should never feel that you aren't good enough to learn with us!

  • To get the most out of our workshops and tours, it's nice to have a camera that lets you take control of the settings. A D-SLR or a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera is what we recommend. We also strongly recommend a sturdy tripod. Please check the recommendations on each workshop individually, or read our blog for specific lists.

  • All forms of outdoor recreation inherently come with a certain amount of physical activity. Since all of our workshops and tours take place outdoors, you must be comfortable with being on your feet for up to three hours. Some walking is involved with your equipment, often on unpaved and rocky surfaces, and sometimes with an incline. Please only bring the equipment that you are comfortable with carrying for the entire duration of the workshop or shoot session. All of our outdoor venues are different in their terrain and physical expectations, and is explained on each registration page. You will never be required to do anything that is beyond your ability level and you may feel free to opt out of any session. If you have concerns about the physical activity level on any workshop or tour, please let us know.

  • Generally we do not teach post-processing techniques on our workshops or tours, unless specifically stated. Some instructors will include this via zoom or as an added part of a workshop.

    Your time with us is spent outdoors on-location, creating pictures, or traveling to new shoot spots. We prefer not to have editing or critique sessions while we are traveling. We do encourage you however to check out our editing sessions in our online web learning series.

  • Workshops happen rain or shine, since the best photographs are taken under a wide variety of conditions. But, If we decide that the conditions are too dangerous, or much too unpleasant, we will cancel the workshop for the safety of the group.

  • Updated as of 3/1/2023

    Workshops can be cancelled for a 50% refund up to 30 days before the workshop date. Within 30 days, any cancellations of any sort will be nonrefundable. If we are able to replace your registration via a waitlist, you are entitled to a full refund, however this is never guaranteed. If you are able to find a replacement on your own, in the same regard, you will receive a full refund.

    Workshops are conducted rain or shine, unless a determination has been made in an emergency or other event rendering the workshop unsafe or impossible. In this case, registrations are provided full refunds.

  • Humanitix is the booking platform we use to power our workshop registrations. Humanitix is a people-powered, customer-service oriented platform that gives back. 100% of profits are donated to charities that provide humans the basics they need to survive and thrive.

  • Booking fees are collected by our ticketing platform, Humanitix. Humanitix donates the profit from these booking fees to several charities. You can view their charity partners here: https://www.humanitix.com/us/partner-charities