Let me join you on your holiday and teach you photography in return for travel costs being paid and accommodation being provided. No other fee’s to pay, I’m trading photography tuition for travel opportunities.
There are three things I love in life, travelling, meeting new people and of course photography. These three things are the reason I run my own photography holidays, there is no better feeling for me than exploring new places, with new people whilst taking photographs. I’m often asked if I run trips to certain specific locations people want to visit and this idea of offering my photography tuition in return for you paying for me to come on your holiday with you was born from all of these ideas combined.
There is no catch, you pay for my travel and accommodation costs and I’ll join you on your trip for free and teach you photography along the way.
What I Offer
When I run one of my own photography holidays I put a lot of time and effort into the planning and if I join one your own holidays it will absolutely be no different. Expect me to turn up full of ideas for locations with bags of equipment and an excitement to teach you new skills to help you improve you photography.
Photography Tuition
Each day during the trip I’m happy to spend time with you developing your photography skills. It doesn’t matter to me your current level of photography, whether you are beginner who is yet to master the exposure triangle or a seasoned professional who is just looking for somebody to travel with. I’d like to think 20 years of photography means I’ll have something to share in terms of new knowledge and experiences to help improve your photos.
Location Scouting
I am pretty good with researching great locations to photograph when on trips so expect me to turn up with lots of ideas for photographs we could try and capture and the best times of day to go to them. However at the end of the day it is your trip and I’m happy to offer as much involvement in the planning stages as you’d like. I’m equally happy to come along for the ride and teach you at the locations you’ve pre-planned.
Photography Equipment
I will bring with me as much photography equipment as is sensible for the trip as I can. This means you can expect me to have cameras, drones, underwater housings, tripods, filters, etc. which you are very welcome to try and borrow on the basis that you treat the equipment with respect.
Travelling is really exciting for me and helping the people I’m with capture what they are seeing with their eyes onto the camera makes me super happy. There is no better feeling than seeing somebody end one of these trips with far more knowledge than they had when I originally met them.
Editing & Image Critique
I am proficient with both Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop and am happy to share editing tips and tricks during the trip. I’ll be editing my own images along the way so your welcome to see how I go about doing it and we’ll of course edit you own images too.
One of the key things I’ve used over the years to progress my own work is image critique. I find people who will give me a very honest opinion of my work and this is something I will always share on the trip. We can critique your work as we go, what we like, don’t like and how we can improve.
What I’m Looking for From Trips
So lets get straight to the point, I’m doing this to give me opportunities to explore new places with great people. If I can share my knowledge of photography along the way then it will be a pleasure to do so.
Here is what I’m looking for from you:
Great Locations, Both In The UK & Abroad:
Are you planning on visiting somewhere that presents itself with some fantastic photography opportunities? If the answer to this is yes then you will get my attention straight away. If you are planning on spending a weekend in Skegness, then please don’t be offended if I pass.
Travel Costs Paid
All I’m looking for from these trips is for it not to cost me anything, so full travelling costs will need to be paid. For the avoidance of any doubt these will include:
– Travel From Newquay, Cornwall, UK To Airport / UK Holiday Destination
– Any Plane, Train, Ferry Tickets & Transfers
– Any Car Parking Costs For The Duration
– Any Costs For Experiences Or Excursions Whilst On The Trip.
Accommodation
You’ll need to provide me with accommodation for the trip. This will need to be a private room of some sort, but it doesn’t need to be fancy by any means. A single bed is just fine. Here are some other thoughts:
– Happy to share AirBnb’s, etc. so long as there is a private room for me.
– Happy to camp in the wilderness – I’ll even bring my own tent.
– Happy to sleep in a campervan if it’s private.
– Happy to sleep in an igloo (please somebody make this happen!).
– Happy for you to put us all up in a 5* hotel (I genuinely don’t expect this).
Meals Provided
Lastly it would be great if you could provide meals please. Again I don’t need much and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive restaurant meals.
– Home cooked meals are great.
– Toast for breakfast is just fine.
– Sandwiches for lunch will do the job.
– My favourite food is pizza… Dominos for the win!
– I don’t drink alcohol.
– I’d like to think I’m a pretty cheap date haha.
Get In Touch
In the past 4 years of offering this I’ve attended over 40 different trips with some of the most amazing people and it has been so rewarding to be a part of these experiences. If you like the idea of what I’m proposing then the ball is now in your court and I’d love to hear from you.
When you contact me, please try and include the following as a minimum:
– The location you are travelling to
– Proposed dates of travel
– Who will be travelling
– What you are excited about photographing in that location
– Your current level of experience and what you would be hoping to gain from me joining you on the trip.
– Any other information you have at this point. I appreciate you might not have the final details yet but please don’t send me a single line email asking if I fancy joining you in “x” location with no further details.
Ready to reach out? Send me an email to: hello@pauldavidsmith.co.uk